Rotorua’s geysers and Lake Wakatipu

Who it is for

For a first trip to New Zealand that wants both islands: Māori culture and geothermal country in the north, mountains and lakes in the south.

Not for anyone who dislikes changing planes: there are no flights from Rotorua airport to Queenstown, so that leg connects in Wellington or Christchurch.

The strategy

Auckland gets two days: the centre, Karangahape Road and the harbour; and the volcanoes with the museum; a third goes to Waiheke Island or the west coast. From Auckland to Rotorua is about three hours by car, via Hamilton or Matamata, which lets you stop at Hobbiton, booked in advance. Rotorua gets two days: Whakarewarewa in the morning, the lakefront in the afternoon and the hāngī at Te Puia in the evening; and the southern valleys, with Wai-O-Tapu early for the Lady Knox geyser, Waimangu down to Lake Rotomahana and the redwoods at the end of the day. Rotorua airport has flights to Wellington and Christchurch, and both have direct flights to Queenstown, whose airport, at Frankton, is 8 km from town and closed between 22:00 and 6:00. Queenstown gets three days, plus one for Milford Sound: the lake and Bob’s Peak; the Kawarau with Gibbston and Arrowtown; and Glenorchy, at the head of the lake. The Milford day is 12 to 13 hours door to door by road, or 35 minutes by plane. The way home leaves from Queenstown, with direct flights to Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. March suits all three: Auckland’s best window, the end of summer in Rotorua and the start of Queenstown’s dry autumn. Before flying, check whether your passport needs an NZeTA, which comes with the NZ$ 100 conservation and tourism levy.

What you will see

• Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland. Tāmaki Paenga Hira, atop the Domain, in a neoclassical 1929 building erected as a First World War memorial.
• Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Rotorua. About 27 km south of Rotorua on the SH5, plus 2 km from the signed entrance, Wai-O-Tapu gathers the region's strongest colors on a compact site: the Champagne Pool, with its orange rim and bubbles, the mineral palette of the Artist's Palette and the lime-green Roto Kārikitea lake.
• Skyline Gondola, Queenstown. Opened in 1967, it climbs 450 m at a 37.1° gradient, the steepest in the Southern Hemisphere, to a lookout at 790 m with the luge track, ziplines, and the 47 m Ledge Bungy.

Day by day

Auckland

1. 1
   Day 1: Downtown, Karangahape Road and the harbor

   1. 4Auckland Art Gallery Toi o TāmakiUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   2. Sky TowerYou can skip it
2. 2
   Day 2: Volcanoes, a museum and a food street

   1. 7Devonport and Maungauika / North HeadWorth a visit
   2. 1Auckland War Memorial MuseumEssential
3. 3
   Day 3: Island or west coast · if you have more time

   1. 8Piha and the Waitākere RangesWorth a visit

Rotorua

1. 4
   Day 4: Whakarewarewa, the villages and the lakeshore

   1. 6Kuirau ParkUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   2. 7ŌhinemutuUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   3. Polynesian SpaOne to two hoursWorth a visit
   4. 1Te PuiaOne to two hoursEssential
2. 5
   Day 5: The volcanic valleys of the south and the redwoods

   

Queenstown

1. 6
   Day 6: The lake, the mountain above, and the steamer

   1. 3Queenstown GardensUp to half an hourEssential
   2. 9TSS Earnslaw and Walter PeakIf there is time
2. 7
   Day 7: Kawarau, wine, and the gold village

   
3. 8
   Day 8: The head of the lake and hot water

   1. 4Glenorchy and ParadiseEssential
4. 9
   Day 9: Milford Sound (day trip) · if you have more time