Long trip to NZ

[OffToNZ]

So due to various events, we unexpectedly have a couple of months free when DH will not be working. I have a very long list of household jobs to be done but he seems to think it would be better to spend a month in New Zealand and Bora Bora via Hong Kong.. This was not what I thought I would be planning for after Christmas! Has anyone done the 23 night trailfinders trip? Any tips of what to do/not to do?

bumping for new zealand tips

Firstly, what do you like to do on holidays ? Does NZ offer it ?

My DS emigrated many years ago (Auckland), & we've been once for 3 weeks.
He loves the country, it's beautiful, he took us everywhere worth seeing on the North Island - which could have been compressed into 7/10 days for a regular tourist.

I’ve done two 3-week trips to NZ and would go again for sure! Such a beautiful country. Very easy to manage yourself if you are not a organised tour sort of person - but I expect the tour is great too! What sort of thing do you like?

Im worried that an organised tour for three weeks might feel a bit much. I don't really find it restful to be working to a strict itinerary all the time.

I'm certainly not into bungee jumping and white water rafting etc. But I'm happy to go and gaze and beautiful landscapes etc

You could bob in and out - maybe take a few short tours, or book day activities, and travel in between them yourself but then you know where you have to be and when. For example, we had nearly a week in Queenstown but for two of those days we were actually on a coach to Milford Sound / overnight on a boat

I went in February 2025 for three and a half weeks. February is the best time as it's still summer, but NZ school summer holidays are over so it's quieter.
I didn't want to do any active sports or bungee jumping so concentrated on flora and fauna.
The time I had was just about enough time to visit North and South Islands, but I could easily have spent longer if I'd had the time.
I didn't do an organised tour, but hired a car and drove. Easy as they drive on the same side as us, and not many cars on the road due to the relatively small population.
I was lucky enough to have a university friend who emigrated out there many years ago, so she took time off work to join me on my road trip, share the driving and had local knowledge.
We did move around a lot as I wanted to see as much as possible.
Highlights were Milford Sounds, whale watching in Kaikoura, visiting seal colonies and taking a boat trip from Picton to a bird sanctuary island and seeing dolphins and other wildlife on the way. I went to the glow worm caves in Waitomo, didn't bother with the Hobbit centre as not a fan. The scenery you come across driving around is amazing.
If you're into wine, there are vineyards you can visit, I did a tour on Waheke Island off Auckland which was good, and the Island itself had a lovely beach.
I took the ferry to get from the North to the South Island and that is a beautiful scenic trip.
If you're into gardens, they have beautiful botanic gardens in Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton.
I wasn't too keen on the cities per se, Wellington is busy and very built up.
Anyway, hope some of that helps.

I spent a couple of months in NZ backpacking in my 20s and I have been back quite a few times since then. Loads to do, people typically spend more time on South island than north, as that island has the glaciers, penguins, Milford sound etc. I'm not writing off North Island which is is also cool, lots of thermal stuff and the Tongariro crossing. I did loads of fabulous walking whilst in NZ, Milford track is perennially popular and probably fully booked for Jan already, but less popular tracks just as good and probably still available to book. Buy a rough guide, hire a car and you are good to go! We have also been to Tahiti (but not Bora Bora) if you have questions on that.

We went with our teenage kids for 3 weeks over Christmas a while ago. Doing both north and south islands. We didn’t use a tour company.

We loved it so much that we went back as a couple and did 3 weeks just on the north island.

I'm lurking as I'm also hoping to take a trip there early next year!

Will spend some time in Auckland as I have family there, maybe go north from there for a few days. Definitely want to visit the South Island.

I was initially planning to do at least the South Island as an organised tour as was going to do that bit on my own but now a friend may join me so will probably do a diy version.

No experience of NZ specifically, but I am currently on sabbatical and have been travelling around Japan for the last month with almost two more months left to go on this trip.

I’m having the time of my life and really recommend extended travel to
amyone who gets the chance. I don’t think I would want to be on the sort of itinerary that those organised tours do though. One of the wonderful things about having more time is being able to slow down and stay a few days in places that the organised tours whizz through.

We’ve done two week trips before where we stayed in 6 different hotels and were constantly on the move, but I wouldn’t want to sustain that sort of pace over months. I’d recommend setting your own pace and booking things yourself to suit your own interests. We’ve tried to build in longer stays in between stretches where we move about more. I strongly recommend that. Give yourself longer in some places than you really “need” so that you don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything if you just need to spend some time just catching up on laundry or taking it easy for a day or two.

😂 I live in New Zealand and assure you that you cannot see “everything worth seeing” in the North Island in 10 days.

It’s difficult because it’s so sudden and not something we’d been thinking of at all. I have really full on job (as does he usually) so no time really to plan a trip out fully at short notice. Hence wondering about a tour with then a week in Bora Bora doing not much. I’m worried about it being exhausting though (and about it being full of Americans)

I spent three weeks in NZ about 20 years ago, with a friend. We had a car and did a road trip - as PP says the driving is made easier as they drive on the left and fewer cars on the road (and all that lovely scenery).

We could have done with longer, we didn't get everywhere we would have liked. Eg we only touched the top of South Island.

We stayed in private rooms in hostels (is that still as good as it was?). We didnt have a fixed itinerary, just rang ahead to book. Had a cool box in the car for groceries.

If that sort of trip is still doable it's very easy and doesnt require a lot of planning. Just car hire. Definitely recommended.

Before you book through trailfinders, check to see if other companies offer the same trip (trailfinders are just the agency) because our trip (not nz) was £1000 more with trail finders for identical, as in the same tour company and actually we have better flights as we are flying Singapore airlines trail finders were priced with another airline and Singapore were extra! Which tour company is it? Check their reviews

If you are going to New Zealand, I honestly wouldn't bother with an organised trip. Just hire a car and book motels or airbnb's in advance or as you go. It is so easy to travel around New Zealand and book places to stay as you go. Whilst there are advantages to organised trips in many countries, it would drive me mad for 3 weeks.

When we went we had 3 weeks and could easily have spent double that, but it was still one of the best holidays we have ever been on. We started in Auckland, spent about 1 week on the North Island and then 2 weeks in the South Island. We left the car in Dunedin and flew back to Auckland before returning home.

@bababamama makes a good point. I had spotted in the Trailfinders brochure that they mamed some of the local companies that they use.