Our two week jaunt around the North and South islands

New Zealand has been on our bucket lists for longer than we can remember. We considered adding the Cook Islands, Hawaii, or Australia to this trip but ultimately decided that we were not interested enough in the Cook Islands, flying out of Honolulu wouldn’t cut down on costs, and Australia deserved a trip on its own since we wanted to keep it at around two weeks.

Logistics:

Flight: To save on costs we purchased a round trip from PDX-LAX ($150 each) on Alaska Air, our preferred airline and then purchased a round trip on Fiji Airways ($900 each) with a stop in Nadi, Fiji. We chose Fiji mainly because the seating arrangement was better and their partnership with Alaska enabled us to transfer the miles there. Nadi International Airport has two food options- a Burger King and a pizza place…neither of which are very good, but the tiny bar does serve Fijian beer on tap and surprisingly it was delicious!

Accommodation: We stayed in Ibis and Novotel hotel properties with Accor, one of my personal favorite chains. They are comparable to a Courtyard Marriott or a Hampton Inn: clean, medium sized, and decent amenities (gym, breakfast, etc).

Transportation: The South island recently had an earthquake which made the ferry/train system between the islands unreliable so we opted out of public transportation and flew on Air New Zealand between the islands. We did one way rentals with Budget which are pricier, but we preferred the convenience and freedom of having a car. In Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch we used Uber to get around town.

Research: Trip Advisor was the most helpful resource for restaurants. Yelp didn’t have all the restaurants listed and many had too few reviews to really use. I also brought my handy dandy Lonely Planet New Zealand guidebook which helped us in choosing places to go.

Auckland

As soon as we landed we took a city center walk- hitting up a couple breweries (which was hard on 30+ hours of no sleep!) including Brothers Beer and the Brewers Cooperative. We quickly learned that no matter if you order a pilsner or an IPA- you will taste grapefruit in your beer. Thankfully we like grapefruit! We passed the Sky Tower and witnessed some people bungee jumping- a popular New Zealand extreme sport.

The next day we went to the Auckland Harbor and took the ferry to Waiheke Island- an island popular for bike riding, water sports, wine tasting, beaches, and exploring. There are over 20 wineries on the island, so we took the hop on hop off bus to an area that had six of them within walking distance and had a half day of walking around and tasting wines. We discovered their Sauvignon Blancs were the best along with Pinot Gris and the occasional tasty Chardonnay. Many of the wineries harvest their grapes from the Marlborough region of the South Island, since Waiheke has its own micro-climate which isn’t suitable for all grapes. We enjoyed our time on Waiheke and would definitely come back for an overnight stay. Auckland was just a Chicago like city to us- not particularly charming but full of nightlife, food, and all cities have to offer.

Waitomo Caves

We went with Spellbound tours to two different privately owned caves and had them all to ourselves without the abundance of tourists. At the end of the excursion we sat in a boat and floated down the cave river in almost complete darkness besides the light of the glow worms. There are plenty of adventurous zip-lining, water rafting and flying fox cave adventures but the water and the caves are a lot colder than outside so for just a quick tour I’d recommend going with Spellbound. Our tour guide did a good job of explaining the history and geology of the caves and even helped everyone get pictures with their cameras, which is easier said than done!

Hobbiton

We began by taking a tour bus from the “Shires Rest” to Hobbiton while watching an interview with Peter Jackson and learning some history about the Alexander family who owned the land that was used to film Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Included in our 90 minute tour was a 30 minute break at the Green Dragon and a glass of your choice of beer or a couple different non-alcoholic beverages. The beer is a special batch made by Good George Brewery, which we ate at the night before and had pretty good food and we thought they also had the best beer we tasted in New Zealand. All in all, it was surreal seeing scenes from those movies brought to life and the tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about some fun behind-the-scenes trivia. We learned that the scene where Gandalf hits his head on the chandelier in Fellowship of the Ring was planned, but the second time he hit his head was an accident where actor Ian McKellen dropped an F-bomb. Peter Jackson enjoyed his pained facial expression so much that he edited out the swearing and kept the blooper in the movie.

Rotorua

A major part of New Zealand history is the geothermal sulfurous city of Rotorua, also known as “Rotovegas” by some of the locals. Rotorua has the highest population of Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand residing in the area. Some of the Maori live in the village in Whakarewarewa Valley that lies on geothermal springs (making it easy to cook food!) and is full of geysers and hot springs. We took a guided tour of Whakarewarewa Village and this included a short cultural show of traditional Maori dances and songs. One of our days there we went zorbing for the first time- where you sit (or stand and walk if you can) in a giant bubble/hamster ball with water in it and roll down a hill. Another nickname we had is the “Washing machine” because after getting a certain speed you can’t see anymore from all the water in your face!

Wellington

If you went into the middle of the Pacific Ocean looking for a mix of London and San Francisco, you’d find it here. Wellington is full of museums including Te Papa, showcasing with interactive exhibits everything New Zealand related including Maori history, geology, natural disaster history, legends, and history after British colonization. We ate some amazing steak, seafood, and venison at Portlander Bar and Grill and went to a couple different breweries to check out their brewery scene. Our hotel gave us passes to the Wellington Cable Car, which went through downtown up a hill to access the Wellington Botanical Garden and Zealandia, a wildlife sanctuary. Although it wasn’t the clearest day and was windy (Windy Welly is a common nickname for Wellington) we still were able to see the view from the overlook area.

Christchurch

The city of Christchurch is definitely unique- the last few years they had multiple earthquakes so they are constantly rebuilding and construction sites are everywhere. Regardless, Christchurch is extremely modern and is somewhere between a suburb and a city- street art is common, parks are scattered throughout many with children activities and gardens, and there are many fine restaurants and bars in the area. We enjoyed gourmet cuisine at the top restaurant on Tripadvisor- Twenty Seven Steps, and that was probably our best meal in New Zealand! We also explored the Quake City museum which documented the seismic history of the Canterbury area and South Island.

Scenic Drive from Christchurch-Queenstown

The drive was about 6 hours not including stops at some scenic areas. We ate lunch on the way in this tiny town called “Geraldine”  at a “Brewery Cafe” which had good food and mediocre beer. As we drove towards Queenstown we noticed the scenery changing from farms and sheep to rolling hills, and eventually the hills became larger and larger until we were looking at glorious mountains, lakes, and glacial peaks. We made pit stops at Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki, and both had the most turquoise/blue clear water I’ve ever seen in a lake!

Queenstown

Prior to our trip we had multiple people advise us to spend as much time in Queenstown as possible, and as soon as we got there we figured out why! During winter (our summer) its bustling with people doing winter sports, and during summer tourists come to enjoy hiking, biking, jet boating, sky diving, nightlife, and bungee jumping. We knew we had to dive over the infamous Shotover Canyon, and after advice from locals on the most adrenaline packed companies we went with Shotover Canyon Swing. Our first jump (backwards!) was tandem (if we die we die together, right?) and we did “Gimp Boy Goes to Hollywood” each solo. It was one of the most fun/exciting/scary experiences and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

Downtown Queenstown was full of amazing restaurants and bars- we enjoyed Fergburger, Jervois Steak House, Caribe Latin Kitchen, Devil Burger, Eichardt’s Bar, and Perky’s Floating Bar on a boat in Lake Wakatipu. The Shotover Canyon jet was a fun way to see Shotover river up close, and Skyline Gondola s a great option for seeing views without having to hike.