3 Weeks in New Zealand - See The Best of BOTH Islands

3 Weeks in New Zealand - See The Best of BOTH Islands

Twenty Five Days a Year
This guide is for both Islands in New Zealand (the north and the south) for first time visitors who are taking their camper van throughout the islands with a few days in Auckland and Queenstown. It's a three week itinerary and includes the arrival and departure flight days (and has some suggestions for these days as well). It will go through (in detail!) every location we visited, the activities we did, the sites we camped up at, the restaurants we ate at (in between our camper van meals), what we learned about New Zealand and the camper van life whilst we were there, and other suggestions of what to do in the areas so you can alter your plans to fit what you want. Note that this itinerary includes two different camper van rental locations on each island, and flying between the two islands. But you could easily do the majority of this itinerary and just switch up a few days to drive between the two islands! This itinerary does have a decent amount of driving but its because we really wanted to PACK our itinerary to see as much of New Zealand and it's beautiful scenery whilst we were here. The main locations touched on are listed here (and we highly recommend all of them): -> Auckland (& Waiheke Island) -> West Coast North Island (Black Sand Beaches / Mt Taranaki) -> Tongariro Alpine Crossing -> Coromandel Peninsula -> Queenstown -> Milford Sound -> Wanaka (& Roys Peak) -> Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park -> Dunedin -> The Catlins If you're looking for a detailed guide that outlines your plan for each and every day, look no further!
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Three Weeks In New Zealand

This itinerary is based on our recent three week trip to New Zealand, and includes separate options of what to do incase you're looking for a bit less or more adventure than what we have. Note that this itinerary is for those really looking to make the most out of their three weeks in New Zealand - it includes a decent amount of driving.

What To Know

New Zealand is such a beautiful country! With two islands to explore and such a variety of scenery, it has so much to offer - we found three weeks barely scratched the surface but with only so much vacation time, we wanted to see the highlights which is what this itinerary is all about. 

North Island Versus South Island

The North Island has a warmer climate, black sand beaches, coastal beaches for swimming, volcanoes, sub-tropical climates and a jungle feel, and more city-life in Auckland and Wellington. 

The South Island is more known for its dramatic landscapes such as the fjords, mountains, parks, glaciers, skiing, and also has the beaches to offer.

Whilst both are really unique, the South Island is definitely the more stunning of the two - but luckily for you, you don't have to choose with this itinerary! 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Twenty Five Days a Year
With a full time job, there are twenty five days a year I want to FILL with travelling and have been doing so every year. We love to research, plan, and travel to new destinations around the world as much as possible. We travel at least twice per year and quite a bit for work, and love to share our favourite places along the way with everyone who wants it!
What's included
Digital Map
Fully interactive, digital map for finding places nearby
124 places
124 hand-picked places with notes from the creator
1 photo
Beautiful, hi-res photos from the creator
32 links
32 links from the creator to go even deeper with more info
DESTINATION(S) COVERED
Tongariro National Park, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
Wānaka, New Zealand
Milford Sound, Southland, New Zealand
New Zealand
Coromandel Peninsula, Kaimarama, New Zealand
Marokopa, New Zealand
Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand
The Catlins, New Zealand
New Plymouth, New Zealand
Mount Cook National Park, Canterbury, New Zealand
Oamaru, New Zealand
Queenstown, New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand
Egmont National Park, Taranaki, New Zealand
Dunedin, New Zealand
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, Canterbury, New Zealand
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Itinerary
Itineraries typically include day-by-day plans, with food, lodging and activity recommendations for each day.
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