New Zealand, where the drive always takes longer than the map says
New Zealand is a driving country, and almost every badly planned trip here fails for the same reason: the roads are excellent and they are slow. Two lanes, constant curves, one-lane bridges, long stretches with no overtaking. A mapping app that says three hours means four and a half with the stops y
Plan my New Zealand trip Read the complete guide
- Best time to go
- November, and February to April
- How many days
- 14 to 21
- Entry
- NZeTA in advance, plus a visitor levy
- Getting around
- Hire car
We build routes to what the road actually does, which usually means fewer places and more nights in each.
How we run New Zealand, plainly
New Zealand is not one of our own offices. Our own offices are in Japan, Vietnam, India and the Philippines. New Zealand runs through long-standing local partners: an operator in Christchurch we have worked with for years, and specialists in Queenstown and Fiordland who hold the capacity that matters in summer.
New Zealand and Australia sit furthest from our own footprint. Most New Zealand files we build are either the far end of an Asia trip, or they come from travellers who already know us. We would rather say that than imply a presence we do not have.
Why plan New Zealand with us
We plan around the dates that sell out. Great Walk huts, Milford day capacity and Queenstown in January are booked on fixed calendars, and missing one reshapes a trip.
Our driving times are the real ones. Queenstown to Milford Sound and back is a nine hour day before you stop, and we write it that way.
A named specialist, not a queue. One person owns your file from first email to landing home. Our Head of Consulting Mai Est signs off the long routes.
The first proposal is free and it is not a template. Actual lodges, actual roads, actual ferry sailings, and the reasoning behind the days.
A WhatsApp group while you travel. Your specialist here, our partners there. Our rating is 4.9 from 93 reviews.
The short answers
| Question | Short answer | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Best time to go | November, and February to April | December to February is peak and books out a year ahead in Queenstown and Fiordland. |
| How many days | 14 to 21 | Ten days means one island. Both islands properly needs three weeks. |
| Entry | NZeTA in advance, plus a visitor levy | Required before boarding for most visa-waiver nationalities. We confirm the rule and fee for your passport. |
| Getting around | Hire car | Swap cars either side of the Cook Strait ferry rather than taking one across. |
| The Great Walks | Booked on one fixed date a year | Milford and Routeburn huts sell out in minutes. |
| Typical budget | $200 to $800 per person per day | Land only. Add the ferry, the car and any scenic flights. |
The full breakdown is in our complete guide →
Eight ways to travel New Zealand
Every route below is one we build, published day by day. Start from one and we will rebuild it around you.
- Classic New Zealand, 15 days: both islands, self-drive, at a real pace
- New Zealand with children, 13 days: short drives, geothermal, wildlife
- The Great Walks, 16 days: Routeburn, Milford and Abel Tasman
- Romantic New Zealand, 11 days: South Island lodges, an overnight fiord
- Food and wine, 12 days: Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, Central Otago
- Boutique New Zealand, 12 days: small lodges, private guides, no coaches
- The South Island in 14 days: one island, done properly
- New Zealand in 21 days: both islands with room to breathe
New Zealand in the magazine
How much do two weeks in New Zealand really cost? · Booking the Great Walks, and the date that decides it · Milford Sound: day trip, cruise or fly · New Zealand driving times, honestly
New Zealand itineraries
Every one of these is a starting point, not a fixed departure. We change the length, the pace and the hotels to fit you.
Classic New Zealand in 15 days: both islands, self-drive
Fifteen days is enough for both islands, and we want to be straight about what that costs you. It means seven changes of base…
New Zealand with children: 13 days, short drives, one flight
New Zealand is one of the easiest countries in the world to travel with children, and one of the easiest to get wrong. The…
Three Great Walks in 16 days: Milford, Routeburn, Abel Tasman
Read this part before the itinerary, because it is the part that decides whether the trip is possible.
Romantic New Zealand in 11 days: lodges, lakes and an overnight fiord
Eleven days, South Island only, five bases and no attempt to see the country. The point of this route is that you stop somewhere…
Food and wine in New Zealand: 12 days, four regions, both islands
New Zealand makes four things at a level that justifies planning a trip around them: Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough, Pinot Noir in Central Otago,…
Boutique New Zealand in 12 days: five lodges, one island
New Zealand rewards spending money on this level more than most countries, because what the money buys is not a better room. It buys…
The South Island in 14 days: one island, done properly
This is the New Zealand trip we recommend more often than any other, and the recommendation usually involves talking someone out of the North…
New Zealand in 21 days: both islands, at a pace that stops
Three weeks is the length at which both islands stop being a compromise. The difference between this and the fifteen day version is not…
What is in every New Zealand trip we build
- A day-by-day document with real driving times, fuel stops and the places with no phone coverage
- Hire cars arranged either side of the ferry, which is usually cheaper than taking one across
- Great Walk huts, Milford capacity and Queenstown rooms held on the day they release
- A weather alternative written down for every scenic flight and every boat
- Your specialist and our partners on WhatsApp for the whole trip
Planning New Zealand, in detail
What we would skip in New Zealand
Almost everything in New Zealand is good, which is exactly what makes a two-week route hard to write. The country is small…
What to eat and drink in New Zealand, and where
New Zealand does not have a large restaurant culture and it does have extraordinary raw material. That is the whole shape of…
How much do two weeks in New Zealand really cost?
New Zealand costs more than most visitors expect, and the reason is not the hotels. It is that the country's signature days…
New Zealand for the first time: the drives take longer than the map says
Almost every New Zealand itinerary that arrives on our desk from a first-time planner has the same fault, and it is not…
New Zealand for the first time
Most first New Zealand trips are planned the same way, and they go wrong in the same three places. People choose the…
Which of New Zealand’s Great Walks should you do?
There are eleven Great Walks, the Department of Conservation's network of multi-day tracks with maintained huts, and choosing between them is usually…
Frequently asked questions
Can we do both islands in two weeks?
When do the Great Walk huts open for booking?
How bad are the sandflies?
Do we need a visa?
Tell us roughly what you want. We will tell you honestly what works.
A named consultant in Tel Aviv, our own people on the ground, and a written plan you can argue with before you commit to anything.