New Zealand

Travel time isn't an issue. The place isn't really that busy and nothing is that far apart. The issue is there is SO MUCH to see and do that you would likely run out of time. If you are an outdoorsy type, I suggest to focus on the South Island. I spent roughly 3 weeks alone on the south island and still feel I didn't have enough time. You should hit up a few of the treks (hikes) that are amazingly stunning. One of my favs was the Roy Roy hike. Just a quick day hike, but the turn around point for lunch was stunning.

I basically ate my lunch where this girl is standing:


There's a few vineyards if that is your thing. If anything else, you can pick up some amazing wine for cheap and throw it in the car for the rest of the trip.

If you are doing a road trip, I recommend starting in Christchurch and working around counter-clockwise.

• Kaikoura makes a nice first stop with a nice beach. You can go swimming with dolphins and go whale spotting
• Marlborough Region to the north next, which is a famous Sauvignon Blanc producer of white wines.
• Make your way to Abel Tasman National Park. (lots of good sights - no vehicles allowed) Entry by hike or boat shuttles.
• West Coast down to Hokitika. All along the coast there are seals and other wildlife to observe.
• Franz Joseph Glacier, Fox Glacier, and Mount Cook. Hiking / glacier trekking / helicopter tours available.
• Lake Wanaka. Beautiful lakeside ski town. The Rob Roy trek pictured above is located here.
• Queenstown. This is my "if I could live anywhere in the world" city. Nearby to Mount Aspiring National Park.
• Milford Sound / Fiordland National Park. Simply google image search this place and keep in mind pictures do not do it any justice!!

That was my rough itinerary that took about 2 weeks. I spent another 4-5 days doing the Milford Trek, which is described as the best hike in NZ. This is quite the commitment and I am not sure if this is your type of thing. So I leave that up to you. However, DO NOT miss the Rob Roy though. It is a quick simple day hike a couple hours in and a couple hours back. Pack a nice lunch / bottle of wine with your wife.

I did catch a flight to Auckland for my last few days. It's a big city with some nice restaurants. My main goal was for my inner nerd and took a bus trip up to see the Hobbiton movie set from Lord of the Rings. Looks exactly as the movies do! On the same bus trip, we took a detour to see the Waitomo Gloworm Caves.

Whichever you choose, you can't go wrong. NZ is stunning and probably the best vacation I have ever taken. I have been to over 25 diff countries for comparison!

I did a roughly 2.5 week trip to NZ about 10 years ago with a couple buddies. Loved it. Unfortunately I only had time to check out the North Island. My buds continued on to the South island for another 3 weeks. So you can easily spend a good 4-6 weeks if you're exploring both islands. If you don't have that much time, then definitely concentrate on the South island, as there's more to see and do there from what my buds told me. You may want to look in to the Kiwi Experience. Basically it's a tour bus company, and you kind of get a passport that allows you to jump on and off as you travel around, if you want to stay in a particular place for longer than their schedule. It was a great way to meet people and see the highlights. But of course, it's pretty "touristy", which some people don't like.

Definitely one of my favorite trips/memories. And Kiwis themselves are pretty awesome. Great senses of humor, don't take themselves too seriously, super friendly, etc.