A 3 week New Zealand road trip from Auckland to Christchurch
How to fill 21 days of travel around New Zealand
In late summer 2024, I loaded a sleeping mat, sleeping bag, hiking gear, and piles of clothes into the back of my car and drove south. As far south as Invercargill.
It took me two months to get from my home in the Coromandel Peninsula all the way to the bottom of the South Island and back. New Zealand is not small, and covering that much distance took time, a painful amount of money at the petrol pump, and a few minor car repairs.
Unless you’re very lucky, you probably don’t have two months.
But, you might have three weeks. If you do have this much time up your sleeve, and you’re game for an epic road trip, you can see a lot of both the North and South Islands.
This itinerary follows routes I’ve travelled and my favourite places to stop. It’s not the exact route I took to Invercargill, but a mash up of tips and highlights from this and other trips.
This itinerary does skip past a few of the more famous stops around New Zealand. I’ve made notes throughout of other places you might like to visit.
Also worth noting is that I don’t usually do a lot of high-ticket activities. I prefer hikes, beaches, surfing, and generally discovering the magic of New Zealand’s nature.
If you also enjoy just being in a place, and avoiding anywhere that feels overly commercial, you might enjoy my suggestions. I hope you do!
This itinerary contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you book through those links. Thanks for your support.
Itinerary overview
Day 1: Auckland
Day 2: Rotorua, via Hobbiton
Day 3: Rotorua
Day 4: Taupo
Day 5: Tongariro National Park
Day 6: Whanganui and Wellington
Day 7: Ferry to Picton
Day 8: Abel Tasman National Park
Day 9: Punakaiki
Day 10: Hokitika
Day 11&12: Franz Josef
Day 14: Wanaka
Day 15, 16 & 17: Queenstown
Day 18: Aoraki Mount Cook National Park
Day 19: Lake Tekapo
Day 20: Christchurch
A few quick tips for planning a 3 week New Zealand road trip
Why Auckland to Christchurch? These are the two biggest transport hubs in New Zealand, so there’s a good chance you will arrive into and leave from these cities.
If you’re picking up a campervan, these are also where most campervan companies rent from (a select few also have pick up/drop off in Queenstown).
Starting from Auckland means you finish up in the more dramatic scenery of the South Island, but there is nothing stopping you from travelling South to North instead.
Sometimes it can be cheaper to rent campervans from Christchurch to Auckland — this can save a one-way fee, as companies need to relocate their vehicles back up north.
New Zealand is pretty big, and things are spread out, which means moving to a new spot most nights. That can get really tiring! If you have the time, I recommend scheduling in time to just rest and relax in one spot for a couple of nights — maybe in Christchurch.
In three weeks of road tripping, you will spend a lot on petrol — I use Gaspy to find the cheapest fuel options and keep costs down.
Get your own, personalised itinerary
This itinerary really is just a suggested route. There’s a good chance it doesn’t cover everywhere you’re interested in seeing.
If this itinerary doesn’t look quite right for you, take a look at my itinerary planning services. I have a few different options where we can talk through your trip and find the perfect itinerary for you.
A three week New Zealand road trip
Day 1: Arriving in Auckland
Should you spend a night in Auckland, or skip it?
That depends.
If you prefer to spend your time in nature, by all means head out of town straight away.
Unless, that is, you’ve come off a long flight and need to rest for a night. It’s not a good idea to drive a long distance immediately after a long-haul flight, so you can rest up for a night and explore Auckland a little while you’re at it.
Auckland has fantastic places to eat, drink coffee (or wine) and shop, so if you like exploring cities, it can be lovely.
I’ll be honest, though — there are better places to spend your time.
Where to stay in Auckland:
Hotel Britomart is the most unique of the central city hotels
The Convent Hotel is a cool spot with an excellent restaurant (Ada) and it’s located in Grey Lynn, so close to
Where to eat in Auckland:
Head to Karangahape Road or Ponsonby Road for dinner — here are some of my favourite restaurants (all locally owned/owner operated):
Pici for pasta
Gemmayze Street for Lebanese in a beautiful arcade
Khu Khu Vegan Thai for… vegan Thai
Coco’s Cantina for happy hour pasta
Don’t miss:
Head to Maungawhau/Mount Eden to get the best sunset views of the city.
Or, head out to Piha for sunset. It’s a little bit of a drive, but it’s a beautiful beach.
Another option, if you want to head south and skip Auckland altogether
Raglan is a slight detour, but around 2 hours driving south from Auckland.
The little surf town has a laid back, bohemian vibe. You’ll find good cafes, cute shops, and a wild black sand beach that stretches for miles. Most people come here for surf, but you can also go on a sunset harbour cruise, or you just enjoy watching the sunset from Ngarunui Beach.
Where to stay in Raglan:
Bow Street Studios are really nice, or Raglan Sunset Motel is a bit more economical. Otherwise there are some nice Airbnbs around.
Day 2: Make your way to Rotorua (via Hobbiton if you’re that way inclined)
A spring at Waikite Valley hot pools, via RotoruaNZ
Rotorua makes sense as a first stop out of Auckland. It’s on the way south and a major activity hub for the North Island.
Yes, that means it’s ‘touristy.’ But there are geothermal things here you can’t see anywhere else.
Heading down from Auckland (or across from Raglan) will take you past Hobbiton, so it’s easy to weave in a visit.
Visiting the Hobbiton film set only takes a couple of hours if you’re doing the classic tours, so you can easily fit this into an afternoon — just book ahead to secure your time.
After Hobbiton, you can drive to Rotorua and relax in the town in the afternoon. It’s not the most exciting town to explore, but Kuirau Park is the town park that is free to wander through, you can see some steam and hot mud in the evening when you arrive.
Where to stay in Rotorua:
Most of the hotels around the centre of Rotorua are chains. Of these, I usually recommend the Quest.
Truthfully, any of the major chain hotels here will do the job though.
If you’re in a campervan:
There are a couple of great options for campervans near Rotorua.
Orakei Korako offers camping in their carpark for free, if you pay to visit the park. You can park here overnight and visit the park first thing in the morning.
If you stay at the Waikite Valley Thermal Pools Campsite, access to the hot pools is included in the campsite fee, and you get access to the pools before the general public in the morning.
Eat:
Sabroso, a woman owned latin restaurant
Poco Tapas and Wine, a little owner operated spot
Day 3: Spend the day in Rotorua
There’s enough to do in Rotorua to fill a whole day (or even two, if you want to spend more time here). There is a great combination of Maori culture and geothermal activity to explore.
Te Puia is a one stop shop for geothermal activity and Maori cultural performances. There’s a carving school, a Maori arts and crafts institute, and even a kiwi house. Check out the evening hangi experience as well.
Wai O Tapu is a thermal park home to the champagne pool, the stunning green and orange pool.
Waimangu Valley has bright blue pools and the option of kayaking past steaming cliffs.
There are other activities in Rotorua — people seem to love the Redwoods, and the luge is always popular with children (I loved it when I was younger). But, I personally think there are more interesting forests to see and I don’t have kids.
So, I like visiting the hot pools and skipping town again.
Don’t miss: Secret Spot hot tubs is a relaxing place to hang out in a hot tub. in the evening They also offer Shinny Dips, which is basically a foot hot tub you can enjoy with a drink.
Day 4: Taupo
Drive from Rotorua to Taupo: 1 hour
Taupo is a nice enough little town on the lakefront.
It’s pretty, but for some reason the lakefront restaurants are mostly fast food. If you want to enjoy what might be New Zealand’s most scenic Burger Fuel, this is the spot. To be honest this feels like such a missed opportunity — it could be a stunning place and instead the town feels bland and commercial.
In Taupo, the highlights are Huka Falls and the Aratiatia Rapids, where each day, water is released from the dam and it rushes through the gorge below.
I also love walking alongside the Waikato river in the Hipapatua Reserve, which also has some beautiful places to swim in summer.
There is also the Mine Bay Maori Rock carvings if you want to get out on the water (you can only reach the carving via boat).
None of these things are essentials, though. I think you can comfortably skip through Taupo and keep driving south if you find accommodation closer to Tongariro National Park.
Otherwise, Taupo can make a good starting point for the Tongariro Crossing — which is a big undertaking the next day.
Eat: Replete Cafe and Store was great for coffee and breakfast
Stay: Acacia Lakeview Motel is the perfect location
If you’re in a campervan:
Stay at Aratiatia Reserve, where you can watch the dam gates open and transform the quiet gully into raging rapids. The gates open three times a day in winter and four times in summer.
Day 5: Visit Tongariro National Park
Taupo to Whakapapa Visitor Centre: 90 minutes
Whakapapa Visitor Centre to Whanganui: 1 hour 45 minutes
Mount Ruapehu, on the right, casts a dramatic figure against the sky
From Taupo you can drive south around the lake toward Tongariro National Park.
Head to the Whakapapa Visitor Centre. There are short walks leaving from the centre and you can get some views of the volcanoes and see the flora of the area. See if you can find horopito, which is a native leaf that is hot and peppery when you eat it.
If you didn’t want to drive all the way to Whanganui on this day, you could stay around Ohakune. Or, head to Whanganui as a nice option to break up the drive to Wellington.
Whanganui is a historic river town (on the Whanganui River) and has a cute little centre. It feels like a smaller Wellington to me, creative and artsy. It’s the hub of glassworks in New Zealand, and I love NZ Glassworks where you can watch artists working the glass from a mezzanine floor.
Article Cafe is great spot for coffee and Porridge Watson is a very cool bar/hangout spot in the evening.
Day 6: Whanganui in the morning, Wellington in the evening
Whanganui to Wellington: 2 hours 30 minutes drive
Wellington is New Zealand’s capital city, and it’s a pretty cool spot to spend a couple of days.
In the morning, dive in the city’s cafe culture with a flat white.
At the end of the day, Wellington is a cool little city, but it is just a city. I think an evening and a morning here is enough, you could stay longer if you wanted to check out Te Papa Museum and some of the art galleries.
But, you can also pass through. You’ll get to admire the harbour scenery from the ferry as you sail out of the harbour.
Don’t miss: One of the must dos in Wellington is Zealandia, an incredible sanctuary project that has a 500 year plan to restore a valley near the city to a pre-human state. It’s a gorgeous place to go to see native birds.
WHERE TO STAY IN WELLINGTON
Somewhere special | Check out the best boutique hotels in Wellington
Campervans | My favourite freedom camping spot near Wellington is at Red Rocks Reserve. It’s right by the water and you can start the Red Rocks walk from here, which is a wonderful stroll along the coast.
Day 7: Take the ferry to Picton
The ferry from Wellington to Picton takes around 4.5 hours, so it usually ends up taking up a lot of the day — although most of my ferry crossings have been in the middle of the night, as I always end up booking late.
If you don’t want to sail at 2am, I recommend booking in advance. And I really don’t recommend sailing at 2am, not only because of the lack of sleep, but because the crossing is beautiful.
Interislander and Bluebridge are the two ferry companies, pretty similar in terms of price and service, except Bluebridge leaves from the centre of Wellington and Interislander from a little further out.
I usually just compare both companies and pick the best price/time; they both have several sailings every day. The process of catching the ferry is also nice and straightforward, they really guide you through it (I was very nervous about that the first time I took it!)
Picton is a pretty little town but there’s not much there beyond a couple of short walks.
If you’re camping, push on to Pelorus Bridge; it is a stunning place to walk and swim, and the campground there is exceptional.
Day 8: Head to Abel Tasman National Park
Day 9: Drive to Punakaiki
Marahau to Punakaiki: 4 hours
Stop in Murchison for lunch. There is a river running through Murchison which I enjoyed taking a dip in (head to the Riverside Holiday Park and then down to the river from there).
Otherwise it’s mostly wilderness on the way through.
There are some hotel pub type places to eat in Punakaiki, you should find standard pub grub here. There’s a cafe by the blowholes but it’s pretty standard, nothing special.
Stay:
Woodpecker Bay Bach (bookable on Airbnb) is amazing, I stayed a night here and loved it, but it has very limited availability (having a quick look, it seems like Feb is already fairly booked).
I also stayed in this Airbnb and loved it (outdoor bathtub) and the hosts were lovely – they were the ones who told me where to go to search for pounamu/greenstone on the coast, their house was full of stones they had found. Let me do some washing too which is always handy!
There are some other good little airbnbs around there though, lots of cute little places in the bush. Canopy Camping has some more deluxe options (like this one, my dream home) but they often have a two night minimum…
Otherwise there is a more standard Scenic Hotel (a chain with places around NZ)
Day 10: Hokitika
You could do the Punakaiki Blowholes walk this morning before driving to Hokitika, if you don’t have time the evening before. It’s a 20 minute walk and accessible.
There is also the Truman Track nearby if you have the time and feel up to it.
Punakaiki to Hokitika: around 1 hour
The stretch of road just south of Punakaiki is stunning, take it slow and stop for the lookouts. The coast here is just great.
You’ll pass through Greymouth which is a pretty grey town (a coal mining town), but if you want lunch the DP1 cafe is very cool.
The Hokitika Gorge is about 30 minutes outside of Hokitika town, so you may want to save that for the next day if you are tired of driving and walking.
The walk is around an hour with lots of photo stops, high swing bridges but great views :)
The Treetops Walkway is also a great spot to check out, it gives you a sense of the west coast rainforest I like so much!
If this doesn’t look like your thing, there are some other short walks in the area – here’s a DOC brochure with more details.
In the evening there’s the beach for sunset or a glow worm dell after dark.
The centre is much bigger than Punakaiki but similar-ish food, pub and pizza.
During the day the Hokitika Sandwich Company is famous for lunch.
Stay: I have mostly freedom camped around Hokitka so I don’t have the best recommendations here!The Hokitika Fire Station is more expensive but one of the premier places to stay in town, but you could also look at the Beachfront Hotel Hokitika
Day 11 & 12: Franz Josef
Day 13: Drive through Haast Pass to Wanaka
Day 14: Hike in Wanaka
Day 15: Make your way to Queenstown
Day 16: Visit Glenorchy and the surrounding area
Day 17: Milford Sound (or another day trip from Queenstown)
Central Otago wineries – you can take a tour or drive to visit some of the different ones for lunch. There are also hop on hop off shuttles which can be good if you want to be flexible (some more info here).
Mt Difficulty is beautiful for lunch and rose, Mt Rosa is a gorgeous spot to sit for a bit, and Peregrine has some of my favourite riesling. Amisfield is the most fancy and offers tasting menus for lunch ($$$). Gibbston Valley is the most commercial but handy to have the restaurant there. You’ll find excellent pinot noir at all of them!
Mora Wines and Kitchen is a good spot for lunch, as is Kinross (really like this one as you can eat and try a bunch of wines, it’s also a nice spot and feels relatively down to earth. They also have a wine called Holy Schist which is fabulous in itself, and they were very helpful in helping me ship bottles of wine to myself, which is dangerous and delightful in equal measures!).
Arrowtown is lovely for a half day out, just a small, cute town to explore.
Provisions of Arrowtown is a good cafe
Aosta is the top place to eat in town for dinner
Blue Door is a nice bar
OTHER DAY TRIPS FROM QUEENSTOWN
Glenorchy is a beautiful drive along the lake. Franks Corner is a cute little store where I like to buy Merino Frank wool socks.
There is the Glenorchy Walkway walk, or if you want to go a little further, the Routeburn Nature Walk which will give you a taster of the lush forest in Mt Aspiring National park, and from memory some of the bright blue water the park is known for as well!
Where to stay in Queenstown:
Luxe | Check out the best boutique hotels in Queenstown
Sherwood is one option (my friend lives up the hill and likes going here for drinks) but it’s a little out of the centre. The hotels right in the centre (it’s quite small) are more expensive from what I know, but there are chain options like Copthorne, Millenium or Ramada on the edge of town. This can be easier for parking anyway, as it is tight for parking and expensive right in the middle of town.
Day 18: Drive to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park
Day 19: Visit Aoraki, then make your way to Tekapo
Tasman Glacier boat could be an option, but you need to walk 30 min to the start point. I have never done it but heard very good things.
Short walk to Kea Point, start from the campground and it’s 1 hour. Lovely views of Mt Cook!
You can see some other short walk options here, all are pretty great. The Hooker Valley Track gets very busy, it’s probably the most visited walk in NZ. It takes around 3 hours return but is very well graded. Honestly, the other walks are also stunning through – the whole park is beautiful.
The visitor centre at Mt Cook is also well worth visiting, it’s free but has lots of displays on the history and ecology of the area.
Stay: The Hermitage is the premium option (but the most expensive) – serves meals, has beautiful views.
Aoraki Alpine Lodge is also fine.
In Tekapo, walk around the Church of the Good Shepherd and the lakefront.
Star gazing tours at night are also nice (Dark Sky Project is the fancy observatory tour, Chameleon Stargazing do a more budget option), and the observatory is worth visiting during the day for the cafe up there (Astro Cafe). Lovely views! You do have to pay $8 to drive up to the observatory though.
Accommodation in Tekapo does tend to be a bit more expensive, but there’s not much else around (Twizel is another 40 minutes driving, which makes it a bit much for one day).
Day 20: Tekapo to Christchurch
Tekapo to Christchurch: 3 hours drive
Stop in Geraldine. Susan Badcock Gallery is worth poking your nose into, and Cafe Verde right next door is nice for lunch. There is also the Barkers food store there too, which has free tasting samples of all their chutneys.
Fairlie Bakehouse – the classic lunch stop, people go here for pies
Burke’s Pass is a quirky little roadside gallery, worth a stop
Day 21: Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island, and I find it an interesting place to visit. It can make a nice place to round out your trip.
WHERE TO STAY IN CHRISTCHURCH
Something special | The Observatory Hotel
Mid range | Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square is very central, literally opens out onto the square, although the cathedral is still under construction. It’s right next door to Turanga, the Christchurch library though — I recommend popping in and going up to the fourth floor for a view of the city
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Thanks for reading this far! I hope this three week itinerary helped give you some ideas for planning your New Zealand trip. If you found this helpful, you might also like some of my other articles:
