New Zealand · The route
Every stop on the map
Auckland to Christchurch to Wellington to Rotorua — the whole drive, with each day's location marked in the order we reached it.
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
South Island
Fiordland, the lakes, Aoraki and the east coast.
- 02
Te Anau
Day 1 · Glowworm Cave, night by the lake
- 03
Milford Sound
Day 2 · Cruise out toward the Tasman Sea
- 04
Queenstown
Day 2–3 · Fergburger, and the queue
- 05
Lake Wanaka
Day 3 · The Bra Fence and That Wanaka Tree
- 06
Oamaru
Day 4 · Over 130 blue penguins came home
- 07
Lake Tekapo
Day 5 · Cairns and the Church of the Good Shepherd
- 08
Aoraki / Mount Cook
Day 6 · Tasman Glacier boat tour
- 09
Christchurch
Day 7 · Bridge of Remembrance, downtown murals
- 10
Kaikōura
Day 8 · Crayfish and the seal colony
- 11
Picton
Day 8 · Evening ferry across Cook Strait
North Island
Across Cook Strait to Wellington and up to Rotorua.