New Zealand overview:

We traveled across New Zealand for 2 weeks in a family group with 2 children under the age of 10.

We kept city experiences to the bare minimum in order to explore as much as possible of NZ’s famous outdoors in our limited time. We drove across both the North and South islands to our chosen locations and cut down travel time between the two islands by taking a flight between Rotorua and Queenstown. We opted to stay in self catering accommodation (called motels in New Zealand) in all the locations.

Our itinerary:
International flight into Auckland – drive to Taupo – drive to Rotorua – return car and fly to Queenstown – rent another car and drive to Te Anau – drive to Mount Cook – drive to Christchurch – international flight out from Christchurch.

Car rentals:
Best deals for a 5 seater car -
North island: Compact from Avis – pick up at Auckland Airport and drop off at Rotorua Airport.
South island: Station wagon (with 4WD, a necessity in most parts of South Island) from Apex – pick up at Queensland Airport and drop off at Christchurch Airport.

Auckland:
We only went into Auckland for Kelly Tarltons Underwater World. The children enjoyed the underwater Snocat ride to see Antarctic penguins diving into the water as well as the stingray pool when the rays were being fed. The life-size recreation of Captain Scott’s outpost in the Antarctic is interesting for anyone keen on history and geography.

Taupo:
We visited Taupo for the geo thermal activity. Craters of the Moon is worth visiting. The children were fascinated by steam rising from the earth and by the boiling mud pools.
We all enjoyed the outdoor mineral pool at the hot springs (on the highway to Napier) and the children had unlimited rides on the Giant Dragon waterslide.

We spent a whole day at Tongariro National Park.. We chose the Taranaki Falls walk which is a 6 km loop with a good view of the peaks. The walk was not too challenging for children under 10 - mostly uphill while heading out but level and easy on the return stretch. We also walked up to Meads Wall, that’s where some of the scenes from LOTR were shot. Walking was not easy on some stretches because of the scree. It was also much colder and windier up there.

Rotorua:
En route to Rotorua, we stopped at another geo thermal region Orakie Korako. We took the boat across the lake to see the silica terraces, mud pools and a sacred Maori cave. It was mostly easy walking except for a steep slippery descent into the cave.

The Rotorua Museum was perfect for a wet day – lots of information/exhibits about the history of Rotorua and Maori culture. The small park in the centre of Rotorua town has lots of small craters and fumerols apart from swings, trampolines and climbing frames for children.

Te Anau:
We drove directly to Te Anau after picking up our rental car at Queenstown airport. Since it was mid afternoon, there were no tour buses on the highway and we were able to get there in less than 2 hours. We did a half-day walk with the children along the Kepler Track, it’s a flat track between the swing bridge and Shallow Bay. The Glowworm caves were a unique experience for the whole family.

Milford Sound:
This was the high light of the entire trip. The drive there is spectacular. We stopped at Cleddau Chasm to see the stunning waterfall. We opted for a Red Boats tour on the Sound and were lucky enough to see lots of seals and dolphins. The waterfalls were magnificent and the children had fun getting sprayed in them as the boats went by.

Queenstown/Arrowtown:
We walked up Queenstown Hill, the entire walk is a 5 km loop and steep in places but can be done by children.

The Chinese Mining Village and the Arrowtown Museum (focusing on the gold rush) was a fun way for the children to learn some local history.

Mount Cook:
The walk to Kea Point gave all of us a fabulous view of avalanches in the mountains, the
Muller glacier, Mount Seton and the Footstool. We were lucky to get a complete view of Mount Cook when the clouds parted. The walk down to lake at the end of the Tasman Glacier was very exciting for the children as they got to touch bits of ice from the melting glacier.

Christchurch:
The Botanical Gardens were a peaceful walk on a cloudy day. The Arts Centre with its experience of craftsmen at work was a wonderful introduction to local arts and crafts. The children also enjoyed the Maori exhibits at the Canterbury museum.

One of the most amazing places in the world. You need to take at least a month to really see and experience New Zealand. The South Island is more tropical and really makes you feel like you are in the South Pacific. Many wonderful beaches and sites. I would recommend the 90 mile beach trip. Soft white silica sand and breathtaking views. Make sure to take a sled and slide down the sand dunnes. Bay of Islands was one of my favorite spots. Read up on all there is to see ahead of time. You want to make the most of the time you have to travel and see all this wonderful place and people have to offer.
You can take a ferry to the North Island. It was less expensive for us to take our rental car on the ferry with us. The North Island is awesone. We traveled in October which still was a little cold at time. Remember December is their summer. We did the most adventure type activities while on the North Island. Must do a rafting trip on the Shot Over River! First time ever actually crewing. Very exilerating! We had a good tour group take us out......half of our group turned out to be the 2001 Eco Challange team from the USA. All military people....they put all the rest of us to shame! We also did an "Underwork Caving" trip that was unbelievable. We brought big tire tubes along since there was some water caves. We laid back in the tubes floating through some caves with brillant luminating "Glowworms"! At the end of the caves we had to jump into the Nile river with our tubes and float back to our starting location.
Auckland is a great city. Take a sail trip and be sure to check out the restaurants. Go up in the Space Needle to see the surrounding views.
Queestown has loads of tour for the adverturer. Be sure to visit the orginal bungy jumping spot..AJ Hacket still has people jumping off the bridge where it all started.
If you can take a helicopter up to the Fran Josef Glacier and do a walking tour. Fantastic views of Blue Ice.
Milford Sound has a great 2 day sail trip that takes you on a great sighting tour of thousands of water falls. If it's rainy out it's better since you'll see the best of the falls performance.
We signed up for a guided tour for an all day kayak trip and found fresh oystes and picked some for our dinner. Be careful....you might see some very dangerous jellyfish.
If you are looking for wineries, what can I say! Get a map and be sure to stop at as many as you can for a taste of the great New Zealand wines.
Rotorua has wonder hot springs and mud baths! At one time it was a very famous spot for people to go for wellness remedies.
Napier is an Art Deco delight.
Whale watching, swimming with the dophins in the ocean, what can I say. Never a dull moment.
We got a Lonely Planet guide book and figured out what we wanted to to and headed out on an adventure.
I can't even begin to name all the places and wonderful people that we met. Many great Back Packer places. We even stayed on the coast with a Maori fellow who ran a Back Packers out of his home. We woke up one morning and he had just caught a couple of crawfish (lobster) and cooked them up for us outside.
Sheep all over so be patient....you may have to wait awhile to continue on the road. Pack a cooler in your car and be sure to have food and wine with you. You may end up staying over in a wonderful little town you found on your journey.

I AM A NEW ZEALANDER living in Central Nth Island
in Wanganui ----very scenic and historic town renowned for outdoor pursuits and scenery .Close to mountain for hiking &skiing. The town has a pretty river that divides the city in two halves and the west coast beaches are very dramatic if you want some advise happy to help Do get out of thebig tourist cities to see the real KIWI country lifestyle!

We escaped the Sydney heat of January 2009. Summer in Sydney can hit 38C, but NZ summer rarely above 30C. I put "family of 5" in the topic heading because this is something I always search Forums for advice, as accommodation etc is always a hassle for 5 people. The goal of the trip was to sample the north and south island so as to plan for a more dedicated trip later.
We flew into Auckland and picked up our car from Apex. They had a deal that included the cost of the ferry trip from north to south island. seemed good value. Accommodation I booked mainly through NZ AA site as they had all types of motels that seemed to be missing from the bigger sites. Like usual I cross checked with tripadvisor for any reviews.
We booked into the Quest Eden which was located near the university district. This was small but very clean. We were only staying for one night so the location was fine, but it is probably a bit too far to walk into the heart of Auckland if you were staying longer.
Next day we were off to Tauranga for 2 days. We stayed at the Puriri Park hotel. This was a great spot and thoroughly recommended. The weather was too rough for whale watching so we went on a night time glow worm kayak trip to Mclaren falls. This proved to be quite a hit with the kids, paddling in the dark, listening to owls and having a full moon shimmer on the river. Simple but rewarding.
Next day we went to the hot mineral springs at Mt Maunganui to slowly poach ourselves, then off to Kiwi 360. Kiwi 360 is a kiwi fruit farm and although it may seem a dull idea, it was really educational.
After Tauranga we headed towards Taupo and went to Rotorua as a thru stop. We decided against staying there in case the sulphur smells were too much. We visited the cultural centre - Te Puia. Here there were mud pools and steaming geysers as well as carving and weaving demonstrations of maori culture which helps give a better perspective of the nation.
We arrived in Taupo to stay at the Quest Taupo. This was a let down and the poorest stay for the trip. We had a 3 bedroom unit, but although there had been some remodelling, it was very tatty. A real half job harry type of renovation.Ironically it is the only establishment that keeps sending me email advertorials. Anyway like most Aussies, we didnt complain/ make a fuss but do make sure everyone hears about it later.
Next day it was off for a jet boat ride, 'typical NZ activity'. The water was crystal clear and the ride was great fun and wet especially in summer. Dont know what it would feel like in winter. Taupo is a very pretty region, especially with the snow capped mountain vista across the lake.
Then it was a steady drive down to Wellington passing some great scenery, with a lunch break in Palmeston north. I would have liked to have gone via Napier, but time was too tight.
Wellington is a great place, very compact and relaxed. We stayed at the Quest Lambton Quays. this made up for the Taupo experience. This is a great position to walk anywhere, and the room was very spacious. We went to Ti Papa museum. We like museums and this one is quite good, especially the giant squid. Then up the cable car to take some great shots overlooking the city, then a bit of a drive around the bay road.
Next morning it was onto the ferry with the car and off to Picton. One tip is that there are plenty of good seats if you walk around and check out the decks. Some people just stop at the first seat they see.
The trip across Cook strait was smooth and allowed us to get ready for the longest drive of the trip- Picton to Franz Josef. From the 7am start in Wellington we finally arrived at 7pm. Along the way we saw great scenery, especially the incredible blue streams we crossed over. always worth stopping to take a picture.We stayed at the Alpine Glacier motel. We fluked the first apartment in the complex which happened to look straight up at the glacier above. How lucky was this. Again the room was clean and comfortable, but the wifi didnt reach our room. Not a big issue, just took the laptop down to reception and picked up the emails.
Franz Josef is a small village with a supermarket and a couple of decent eateries. We had breakfast in the morning sitting in our room watching the clouds sweep across the glacier above.
There are 2 walks at the glacier. Dont fear the longer walk, it is quite gentle and worth getting closer to the face. There is a barrier that says not to go past but many people do. Use your commonsense and dont go all the way to the face of the glacier as the problem with ice slippage is real. Two Australians died the previous week at Fox Glacier. We did go past but only another 200 metres to get a better photo. Otherwise take a guided tour.
After lunch at the village we were off to Greymouth to break the journey across to the east coast. We stayed at the Gables again a good quality motor inn. There is not much to say about Greymouth. Its claim to fame is the highest per capita beer consumption in the world?? It serves as a good stopover, but thats about it. Probably others will beg to differ.
Next day was along Lewis Pass to Kaikoura. The road is very winding but the scenery was so varied, from tight steep valleys to wide open plains. its a great road trip
We finally arrived in Kaikoura to stay at the Anchor inn. Our room faced out to the ocean and the position was perfect. The colour blues of the sea were surreal, almost tropical with a backdrop of snow capped mountains to the north of the Bay. We grabbed our towels to go for a surf, but be warned the water in summer is freezing. no wonder we were the only ones on the beach. This is another strange thing, most NZ beaches are just pebbles, like Europe. We just expect sand, it comes as a shock. The manager recommended an irish pub for dinner, which was a good choice. Go for the short drive around the bay to see the seals. also there are 2 road side fish cafes also popular.
Next day we went whale and dolphin watching, luckily they found a whale quickly, sometimes you have to wait for ages before one comes up for air. On our way back we floated with a pod of about 150 dolphins, they were everywhere. So this activity was a huge success. We thought Kaikoura was the highlight of the trip. Its really lovely.
2 days later we were in Christchurch. We stayed at the City central motel in a corner room that was the largest of the trip. Again, a clean and comfortable stay, but I am not sure of the other rooms that had all glass walls facing the road. Might have been noisy.
Time was tight, so we explored the city on foot, then out to the cable car at Port hills. Great 360 view of the districts. Then on our last day we visited the Antarctic Centre. This is a very good exhibit for the family and is a must see. Christchuch deserved more time, but since we were planning to return, it was not too bad.
Finally we were gone having clocked up 2358kms. Maybe a bit too quick for some, but we got a great taste for NZ. now we lay plans for the Southern south island in 2010.