ROAD TRIPS IN NEW ZEALAND

It depends on your travel style and what you dream about experiencing. The South Island is for you who loves nature, trekking (perhaps one of the Great Walks), are a sucker for adrenalin and enjoys freedom camping. The North Island is for you who loves the bustling city, unique dive spots, are interested in learning more about the Maori culture and hiking up the doom mountain. However, the best road trip - is the one combining both of the islands.

We recommend spending at least a month exploring both islands if you want to have enough time for hiking a Great Walk, exploring Queenstown - and all the adrenalin it has to offer, Abel Tasman national park, Wellington, Tongariro Alpine Crossing, diving in Tutukaka and so on. 

New Zealand is a wonderful destination all year round, but we recommend going during their summer period from December to February where temperatures are warm. This time is particularly good for coastal road trips, kayaking, hiking the Great Walks and visiting vineyards, but it is high season, so we strongly recommend to book ahead of time if you want to make sure the things you want to experience are available.

If you want to explore the country at a more budget-friendly time, we recommend going from September to November during their spring season. Spring is particularly good for beautiful greenery, waterfalls, wildlife encounters, scenic drives and going sightseeing without all the crowds of the high season.

Lastly, we can also recommend going during their autumn season (March to May), which offers a more varied color palette and a less crowded experience. The weather i mild but gradually dropping in temperature the closer you get to winter. Autumn is ideal for scenic drives, photography, walking and cycling, and food-&-wine tours.

Of course you can also go during winter, if you are a real snow-bunny and love the slopes, but the amounts of snow can sometimes make it difficult to explore all the roads and many of the Great Walks are closed. 

New Zealand has so much to offer, so we recommend at least 2-3 weeks to make the most of your road trip. This gives you enough time to explore either the South Island or the North Island, without feeling rushed. Many travellers choose to spend a month or longer on the road, allowing for spontaneous detours, extended stays, a combined road trip of both main Islands and a more relaxed pace of travel.

It really depends on what you want to experience.

You should go to the South Island if you are looking for diverse nature [gletschers, mountains, Fiordlands, palm trees), amazing hiking experiences (7 of the 11 Great Walks are on the South Island), wildlife encounters (swimming with dolphins, whale watching etc.), crazy rock formations [Clay Cliffs, Pancake Rocks), adrenalin adventures [river rafting, jetboating, bungee jumping) and great freedom camping.

You should go to the North Island if you are interested in learning more about the Maori culture, hiking more volcanic treks (Tongariro Alpine Crossing), experiencing geothermal wonderlands [Rotorua), going into glowworm caves (Waitomo), swimming at hot sand beaches, diving, wine tasting (Waiheke Island) and enjoying the bustling cities have to offer (Wellington & Auckland).