032025

New Zealand

A country folded and wet, where the waterfalls only exist because of the rain — and the rain never really stops.

A deep fjord at dawn with steep green cliffs falling into still water — Fiordland, first light

From the notebook

Fiordland rains most days of the year, and it should. The waterfalls only exist because of it.

We drove the South Island slowly, stopping wherever the road gave us a reason, which was often.

On the North Island the ground steams. Rotorua smells like the earth reminding you it is still working.

Road trip · North to south

The route

Auckland to Christchurch to Wellington to Rotorua — every stop marked in the order we reached it.

Open the full map page →

Hand-drawn schematic · not to scale

Route summary

Auckland → Te Anau
Flew north to south via Queenstown, then drove to Te Anau for the first night.
Te Anau → Christchurch
The long South Island loop: Milford Sound, Queenstown, Lake Wanaka, Oamaru, Lake Tekapo and Aoraki / Mount Cook.
Christchurch → Wellington
North up the coast through Kaikōura to Picton, then the evening ferry across Cook Strait.
Wellington → Rotorua
A road trip inland with stops at the hot springs and Huka Falls, arriving around 9pm.

Day by day

Day 1

Auckland to Te Anau

We landed at Auckland airport from LAX, then transited to Queenstown. After we picked up our rental car from Queenstown airport, we drove all the way to Te Anau.

We stayed at Te Anau for a night to visit the Glowworm Cave there, and for a shorter drive to Milford Sound the next morning.

It is a small town. People are so friendly over there, and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from.

A white rental SUV parked on a stony lakeshore with mountains behind — The rental car, picked up at Queenstown

Silver light on a lake below a steep dark mountainside — Silver light on the lake

A wooden Cavern House sign at the entrance to the Te Anau Glowworm Cave — Te Anau Glowworm Cave

The wake of a boat crossing Lake Te Anau toward distant mountains — Crossing the lake to the cave

Yellow autumn leaves against the blue water of Lake Te Anau — Autumn on the lakefront

The sun setting behind hills, reflected in the still water of Lake Te Anau — Sunset over Lake Te Anau

Day 2

Milford Sound

We drove from Te Anau to Milford Sound in the early morning. The road winds through the Homer Tunnel and down into the Cleddau Valley, opening onto the fiord.

We took a cruise out along the sound toward the Tasman Sea. Sheer cliffs rise straight out of the dark water, and waterfalls thread down the rock faces.

A black-and-white wide-angle view of Milford Sound, with Mitre Peak rising above steep forested cliffs under a cloudy sky — Mitre Peak, from the sound

A layered view of Mitre Peak rising behind a lower, densely forested mountain at the water's edge — Mitre Peak behind the forested ridge

A striking sky of wavy banded clouds with iridescent light above the black silhouette of mountain ridges — Iridescent clouds over the ridgeline

A vertical view of a tall waterfall plunging down a moss-covered cliff face into deep water — Stirling Falls

A view of Mitre Peak rising from still dark water, captured from the back of a cruising boat with its white wake in the foreground — Cruising the sound

A view further into the fiord from a boat, with the boat's wake prominent and distant snow-capped peaks appearing behind green cliffs — Further into the fiord

Day 3

Lake Wanaka

On our journey, we stopped at the Bra Fence to show our support for breast cancer research. The fence, strung with hundreds of bras in every color, raises money for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

We also visited Lake Wanaka, where we saw the loneliest tree in New Zealand — a single willow growing out of the water. It was a truly unique experience.

A lake at dawn with fiery orange and pink streaks across the sky, reflected in the water below dark mountains — Dawn over Lake Wanaka

A bright pink donation post beside a fence covered in bras, with rolling hills behind, supporting breast cancer research — The Bra Fence (Bradrona)

A long wire fence covered in hundreds of colorful bras stretching across a grassy field toward rolling hills — The Bra Fence trail

The lone willow tree of Lake Wanaka, its crooked trunk rising out of the water on a grey, rainy day — The loneliest tree in New Zealand

A black-and-white silhouette of a single leaning tree growing from the shallow edge of a lake — That Wanaka Tree

A flock of sheep grazing in a grassy field, with one ewe facing the camera in the foreground — Sheep along the way

A large herd of sheep grazing across a wide field that slopes up toward a bushy hillside — Hillside grazing

Day 2–3

Queenstown

After Milford Sound, we drove back to Queenstown via Te Anau and stayed in Queenstown for the night.

At Queenstown, we decided to have dinner at Fergburger after so many people said it offered the best burger in New Zealand — some even claimed the best in the world!

There was a loooonnggg line queuing up, but they moved quite fast and efficiently. We tried various types of burgers, and everyone in the group agreed it is the best burger we all ever had!

The Fergburger storefront in Queenstown in bright daylight, with a long queue of customers waiting outside — Fergburger storefront, with the queue

A close-up of the Fergburger menu showing burger choices, prices, the Shotover Street address, and a QR code — Studying the menu

A nighttime street view of the Fergbaker storefront in Queenstown, with a long line of people waiting outside — The queue after dark

The busy interior of Fergburger at night, with customers gathered at the order collection window and outdoor seating — Inside, waiting for the number

A close-up of a fried chicken burger on a wooden table, with drinks blurred in the background — The Codfather

A close-up of a beef burger with lettuce and cheese, held in branded Fergburger wrapping — First bite

A close-up of a burger with melted cheese, lettuce, and dark sauce on Fergburger wrapping — Loaded and saucy

A stacked beef burger with cheese, bacon, egg, lettuce, and onion on a wooden table — Big Al

Day 4

Oamaru

We made a trip to Oamaru to see the World's Smallest Penguin — the Blue Penguin. It was an unforgettable evening as we watched the penguins return to their nests after a long day of hunting.

On the night itself, over 130 Blue Penguins made their way back home. It was an incredible sight to witness the penguins return to their nests after a day of hard work.

A dark fur seal resting on a large flat rock on a rocky shoreline at dusk — A fur seal on the shore

A group of little blue penguins emerging from the ocean onto a moss-covered pebbly beach at dusk — Blue penguins coming ashore

Moss-covered rocks on a shoreline at dusk, with penguins blurred in the background — Among the mossy rocks

Little blue penguins moving among moss-covered rocks on a dim shoreline, with a small wave breaking — Making their way home

A colony of little blue penguins scattered across dark mossy rocks on a rugged shoreline at twilight — Over 130 penguins that night

Day 5

Lake Tekapo

From Oamaru we drove inland to Lake Tekapo, with Aoraki / Mount Cook showing itself across the water along the way.

The shoreline here is covered in stone cairns — hundreds of them, stacked by visitors into towers and even arches. We added a few of our own before walking up to the little stone Church of the Good Shepherd, built in 1935 and still standing quietly above the lake.

A wide blue alpine lake with snow-capped mountains, including Aoraki / Mount Cook, on the horizon under a bright sky — Mount Cook across the water

A rocky lake shoreline covered with hundreds of stacked stone cairns, with mountains beyond — A shoreline of cairns

A close-up of a carefully balanced stone cairn on a boulder, with the lake and hills behind — Balanced stones

An arch built from stacked stones on the lake shore, backlit by sunlight on the water — Someone built an arch

A tall stone cairn standing in front of the turquoise lake and a brown hillside — Our tower

A panoramic view of the cairn-covered shore, the blue lake, and surrounding mountains under a clear sky — The whole shore, end to end

Two travellers standing together in front of the stone Church of the Good Shepherd under a deep blue sky — Us at the Church of the Good Shepherd

The stone Church of the Good Shepherd on a tussock hillside with visitors walking up through the gate — Built in 1935

An interpretive plaque mounted on a boulder telling the history of the Church of the Good Shepherd — A memorial to the Mackenzie pioneers

Day 6

Aoraki / Mount Cook — Ice Glacier Day

We went for the glacier exploration boat tour, the only one of its kind in New Zealand, cruising around the Tasman Glacial Lake. It is a surreal and mesmerising experience in a totally unique environment. According to our guide, every day is a different day out here, even for the guides themselves — the conditions are constantly shifting.

The tours are built to give you both the thrill and the learning. Our guide was exceptional. He showed us the various types of icebergs and explained how the climate is taking its toll on the glaciers, and we saw with our own eyes the impact of global warming melting and calving the Tasman Glacier at a staggering rate.

The Tasman Glacier is now roughly 23.5 km long and 600 m deep at its deepest point, compared with 28 km for most of its recorded history in the 20th century. In 1973 it had no terminal lake at all; by 2008 Tasman Lake was 7 km long, 2 km wide and 245 m deep. The lake is expected to reach its maximum size within 10 to 19 years, and the glacier will eventually disappear.

A tour guide standing at the front of a boat pointing towards the mountains, with snow-capped Aoraki / Mount Cook behind him — Our guide, pointing out Aoraki

A large curved iceberg floating in the pale green glacial lake with a second tour boat behind it — A berg the shape of a wave

A sculpted iceberg backlit by the sun in the middle of the glacial lake, framed by dark mountains — Backlit ice

Passengers photographing a huge grey and white iceberg resting in the still glacial lake — The biggest one of the day

A hand holding up a clear chunk of glacier ice against the sun and blue sky — Ice older than any of us

A close view of a crystalline blue-green iceberg edge rising out of the lake in front of a dark moraine wall — Up close to the edge

A yellow tour boat full of passengers in red life jackets beside a low turquoise iceberg on the milky lake — Tasman Lake, and how quickly it is growing

Christchurch

We reached Christchurch late at night. Samantha and Christ had reserved a very nice house for all of us to stay in.

After a good night's rest, we headed out to explore downtown Christchurch.

The stone Bridge of Remembrance arch in Christchurch under a blue sky, with visitors gathered on the paved square in front of it — Bridge of Remembrance

A large heritage-style painted mural of old shopfronts and advertisements on a wall beside a downtown Christchurch car park — Painted history on Lichfield Street

Weathered timber posts standing as a public art installation on a paved city walkway — Timber posts along the walkway

A large street mural of two guardian figures with lotus flowers in red and blue on the side of a downtown building — Guardians on a downtown wall

Kaikōura & Picton

We chose to spend a night in Kaikōura before leaving the South Island for the North Island via Picton.

From Picton, we caught an evening ferry across the Cook Strait to Wellington, watching the South Island fade behind us as we crossed to the North.

The coast road north of Kaikōura seen through a car windscreen, running under a rockfall net beside a cliff and the sea — The coast road, under the rockfall netting

The Original World Famous Kaikoura Seafood BBQ caravan by the roadside, with customers waiting outside under a blue sky — The Kaikōura Seafood BBQ, est. 2003

A grilled crayfish served on rice with garlic bread and salad on a white oval plate — Grilled crayfish, straight off the barbecue

A seafood platter of prawns, mussels and fish in tomato sauce with lemon slices and garlic bread — The seafood platter

The Karaka Lobster shop, a timber building with a giant crayfish sculpture on the roof, backed by green hills — Karaka Lobster, with the crayfish on the roof

A fur seal asleep on a flat rock among red kelp on the Kaikōura shoreline — A fur seal, sound asleep

A wide view of the Kaikōura seal colony spread across pale rocks beside breaking surf — The seal colony at Point Kean

Seals resting among grey limestone rocks and tidal channels on the Kaikōura shore — Scattered through the rocks

Sunset over the Marlborough Sounds seen from the deck of the Picton ferry, with the ship's wake trailing behind — Leaving Picton on the evening ferry

09–10

Rotorua

We embarked on a road trip from Wellington to Rotorua, making several stops along the way. Notable destinations included the McDonald's restaurant, which provided a delightful dining experience, the renowned hot springs, and the picturesque Huka Falls.

We arrived in Rotorua at approximately 9:00 PM and spent two nights exploring the city.

Canada geese grazing on a lakeside lawn at sunset, with a jetty and hills across the water — Geese on the lakefront at dusk

Four bare feet dangling into the warm, clear water of a natural hot stream from a wooden edge — Feet in the hot stream

Steam drifting across a pale geothermal flat beside a fenced walkway under grey cloud — Steam across the flats

A boardwalk crossing a steaming geothermal pool with visitors walking along the far section — The boardwalk over the pools

A long boardwalk running straight into a wide steaming geothermal basin under heavy clouds — Straight into the steam

The orange mineral rim of a steaming green thermal pool half hidden by mist — Orange rim, green water

Close view of a bright orange sinter shelf beside a steaming thermal pool — Sinter shelf, close up

Bubbles rising through the jade water of a hot spring beside a crusted mineral edge — Bubbles rising through the jade

A wide grey silica terrace with steam lifting off the surface toward dark bush — Silica terrace, steaming

A green sulphur pool set in cracked pale crust with yellow mineral edges — The green pool in cracked crust

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