If there was ever a country made and designed for road trips, that would be New Zealand! With its incredible National Parks, snowy mountains, fantastic beaches and breath-taking landscapes: you can’t think of a better place for a Road Trip!
You may feel a little overwhelmed, with too many fantastic things to do in New Zealand, and just a month to discover it all. But no worries! With a good plan and a well-organized itinerary, you can have an epic month long New Zealand Road Trip.
One month Itinerary in New Zealand
In short, these where all the stops I did along my Road Trip in New Zealand: Auckland, Hobbiton, Hamilton, Waitomo, Rotorua, Wai-O-Tapo, Taupo, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercagill, Queenstown, Wanaka, Mt. Cook, Tekapo, Pukaki.
I rented a car in Auckland, drove around the North Island and dropped it off in Wellington. I flew Wellington-Christchurch, rented another car to travel the South Island, and dropped it off in Queenstown, from where I flew to Australia.
Do I need a Visa to travel New Zealand?
Yes, depending on your nationality, you may need a Visa. In fall 2019 it was introduced the NZeTA (e-Visa), which can requested online and costs 35NZD (23$) for the tourist levy fee, plus 12NZD (8$) for the application. If you do it through the app, the application would cost a bit less, 9NZD (6$).
You can find all the info and apply for the NZeTA here.
Where to start your New Zealand Road Trip?
Chances are high you will fly to Auckland and start your New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary from there. You will meet loads of other travellers doing the same, and it is very convenient as there are heaps of rental car agencies and prices are reasonable.
You can also start your road trip in the South Island, it would be the same to travel South to North or North to South. However, I recommend you to start in Auckland and head South. I see the North Island as a great warm up for the real badass land of adventures, the South Island!
New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary: North Island
Auckland
Biggest and most developed city in New Zealand (not the capital though, tricky one 😉 ).
You can spend 2-3 days in Auckland, there are a lot of backpackers and it is the base for starting a trip in New Zealand. Roam around the city, go up to the Sky Tower for an amazing view if you have 32 NZ$ to spend (I didn’t) and walk up to Mt. Eden for a fantastic view of the city.
I arrived in New Zealand after travelling around the most remote Pacific countries for 2 months. It was an incredible trip, but also very hard and tiring, with plenty of mosquitos, high humidity and very undeveloped places. So for the 3 days in Auckland I mostly focused on eating good food, going to sushi after 2 months, partying a bit and relaxing!
Then time to rent a car and start the epic New Zealand Road Trip adventure.
Tip: I chose Ace Rental Cars to rent the car as they had the cheapest option, with a low daily price and no drop off fee at a different location (which had to be in the same island though, so North to North and South to South). Check ’em out if they still offer great deals!
Hobbiton
The worldwide famous location where they filmed part of “the Lord of the Rings”. It should be the 2nd stop of your New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary.
Leave in the morning and drive from Auckland to Hobbiton. It’s a bit more than 2 hours. I suggest you to buy tickets in advance (the day before is usually fine) as it might get full and you can only visit on a private tour. It is nice to look around and take some photos. If you are a big fan of “the Lord of the Rings” you will love the tour. I watched the movie many years ago, and even though I liked it, I couldn’t really remember much of the locations, scenes and actors. Plus I am not at all a movie geek so it wasn’t the most exciting experience for me.
Hamilton
Not much to do here. A convenient place to spend a night before having an early start the next day to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.
Waitomo Glowworm Caves
Great adventure! Leave early from Hamilton and drive to the Waitomo Caves. You need to book it in advance as it is a private tour. I suggest you to book the black water rafting at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. It is quite pricey (around 200 NZD) but definitely worth it.
I was lucky coz it was just me and my friend Andrea, with the guide! We abseiled for about 25 mt to reach the entrance and started to explore the caves. When deep inside the guide shut our lamps and hit the water. All of a sudden, thousands of small lights appeared from the rocks and illuminated the cave. I was shocked. I felt being in a sky full of stars, lost in space…
Discover more about this adventure here.
Rotorua
Next stop of your New Zealand Road Trip. Not much to do in town, have a walk around and check out the lake. Take the Skyline Rotorua for a great view of the surrounding area.
If you are up for some fun, check out Zorball Rotorua. I had never tried it before so I gave it a shot! It was fun and cool to cross it off your bucket list!
Wai-O-Tapu
On the way to Taupo from Rotorua you should stop at Wai-O-Tapu. It is a geothermal area with a lot of nature activity. Green lakes, red water, smoky paths… you can spend some interesting hours here.
Remember to check out the timetable when the geyser Lady Knox is supposed to erupt! You shouldn’t miss it!
Taupo
Just a short break in Taupo is enough before heading to Wellington. Walk around the lake, chill and relax. It is usually filled with backpackers, so it should be a great place to drink and party at night.
Wellington
Capital city of New Zealand and 2nd biggest city in the country. It is a long drive from Taupo, around 5 hours, so leave in the morning. It is a big city with a street full of bars and clubs. If you go in the weekend there are some great parties! Spend a couple of days before heding to the airport, drop off your car and fly to the South Island!
How to cross from the North to the South island with a car?
I did some reaserch in finding the best and cheapest way to cross the Cook Strait and go to the South Island. If you rent a car in the North, you usually need to pay a high fees to drop it off somewhere in the South island. Also, the crossing is not cheap and you need to pay extra to bring the car on the ferry. Plus you would lose a full day in the crossing process!
Here is what I found to be the cheapest and most convenient option:
- Rent a car in Auckland, travel through the North Island for 10-15 days and drop it off in Wellington.
- Take a cheap flight to somewhere in the South Island. I flew Wellington-Christchurch with Jetstar and I paid only 35 $ for a 50 min flight. Cheaper and quicker solution!
- Spend a couple of days in Christchurch and then rent a car for 15-20 days to travel the South Island. I dropped it off in Queenstown and flew from there to Melbourne, for a 2 month backpacking trip in Aussie!
New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary: South Island
Christchurch
There is not much to do in Christchurch itself, but it is a great base to start your South Island Road Trip. Rent a car at the airport in Christchurch and start to explore the island.
Dunedin
Very nice student town, with vibrant parties on the wekeend. Visit the Octagon, center of the city, and the Dunedin railway station, historical building with a great architecture.
For some fun check out the Otago Harbour Golf Challenge. Tee off and hit golf balls over the water aiming at a floating pontoon on the Otago Harbour – 100m out from shore. If you hit the target you can win up to 10.000 NZD! Golf is probably one of the sports I’m the worst at, so you can have a laugh wathing the videos below!
Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world:
Entrance to Baldwin Street Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world
Still in Dunedin, head to Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world! Drive up to the top, it’s fun and you’ll probably feel you are not gonna make it (but you will, hopefully). Photos and videos aren’t able to show how steep Baldwin Street actually is! Trust me, for a moment I thought we were going to overturn!
After Dunedin you should drive to the Larnach Castle and then head on to Taiaroa Head to spot some albatrosses.
Invercagill
From Dunedin you can drive to Invercagill. It’s a great place to stop before heading to Fiordland and Te Anau. Unfortunately the weather turned very bad so I couldn’t explore those two places. I only stopped for a night in Invercagill before driving to Queenstown.
Tip: Unless you are planning to visit Fiordland National Park and Te Anau, there is no point to stop in Invercagill.
Queenstown
Backpacker’s capital of New Zealand. You will find plenty of travellers, expats and tourist agencies. It is a very cute town by the lake surrounded by the mountains. Best party spot in New Zealand for backpackers! And the adventure center of the country. You should definitely do the Nevis Swing, the biggest canyon swing in the world!
You’ll get a great dose of adrenaline, I really enjoyed it. Check some extra photos and videos of my Nevis Swing adventure.
If you like to try new activities, you can play Footgolf. I had never tried it before and it was quite fun!
Queenstown is the base for a trip to Milford Sound. Unfortunately I missed it due to the bad weather, but I wish you will be able to do it!
Mount Cook
From Queenstown make your way to Mt. Cook. Best driving road in the country, you will want to stop at every corner to take photos. Mt Cook was my favourite place in New Zealand and you should allocate at least 3 days to do some hikes.
Bucket list adventure to do in Mount Cook: you can fly on a ski plane and land on the Tasman Glacier! The view of the mountains from the plane is breath-taking! It was the best activity I did in New Zealand!
Tekapo and Pukaki Lake
Lake Tekapo 
Lake Pukaki
Spend a day driving around these 2 lakes and admire the colours and the views! If you are based in Mt Cook, you can have a day trip around the lakes. Check out Lake Pukaki first, then head to Tekapo, do a picnic and relax in the nature.
Wanaka
On the way back to Queenstown you can stop in this little town on the lake. Just walk around and relax before heading back to Queenstown to drop off your car and take a flight out of the country.
Where to go after New Zealand?
After such an incredible New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary, I flew from Queenstown to Melbourne where I met with Attilio. Together we backpacked Australia for 2 months along the East Coast, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, with a quick stop in Timor Leste!
Check it out and stay tuned, more adventures await!
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