A Travel Itinerary: 3 Weeks in New Zealand
Finally! A post I've been waiting for since I launched this new site earlier this year. It's taken a bit of time to build up to as I wanted to provide you with additional resources in case you decide to visit this wonderful country. I've already told you about how I plan a multi-week itinerary and now I'm going to show you a real life example!
For our honeymoon, my husband and I were fortunate enough to visit one of my favorite places in the world - New Zealand. The stars seemed to align just perfectly with rounding together enough funds and getting approval for over 3 weeks of time off from our relatively new jobs. Even with all that time, we still only covered a portion of the two islands that make up this beautiful country. So here it is, our 21 days in New Zealand (in pictures of course!).
Day 1: Arrive in Auckland: Lunch and Wandering in Devonport & North Head
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Day 2: Auckland: Day trip to Waiheke Island
Day 4: Depart for Waitomo: Detour to Raglan to dip our toes in the Tasman Sea
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Day 5: Waitomo: Spelunking Adventure
Day 6: Depart for Whakapapa Village: Hike Taranaki Falls Loop Trail
Day 7: Tongariro National Park: Hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing
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Day 8: Depart for Wellington: Stop in Waikanae for lunch & drive to the top of Mount Victoria for a view of the city.
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Day 9: Depart for Kaiteriteri Beach: Enjoy that ferry ride!
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Day 10: Kaiteriteri Beach: Spend a day at the beach.
Day 11: Kaiteriteri Beach*: Take the water taxi into Abel Tasman National Park and hike part of the Abel Tasman Track
Day 12: Kaiteriteri Beach*: Take the water taxi into Abel Tasman National Park and wander around the Awaroa Inlet Area
Day 13: Kaiteriteri Beach*: Take the water taxi into Abel Tasman National Park and spend a day at the beach.
Day 14: Depart for Hokitika: Stop at the Pancake Rocks
Day 16: Depart for Te Anau: Consider parasailing in the morning (we didn't - and I wish we had!)
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Day 17: Te Anau: Cruise on Milford Sound
Day 18: Te Anau: Explore Fiordland National Park
Day 19: Te Anau: Kayak Doubtful Sound
Day 20: Te Anau: Take a drive to the very southern tip of New Zealand and admire the view south.
Day 21: Drive to Christchurch: Wander around the city.
*What I would do differently than our original itinerary - specifically, where I would stay if I could go back in time and change our itinerary. From Day's 11-13 we actually stayed in Abel Tasman National Park and had a poor experience at the resort - Kaiteriteri on the other hand was wonderful and you can simply book an inexpensive water taxi ride in and out of the park each day. On Day 15 we stopped in Haast and there was nothing to do and sand flies everywhere. Queenstown would have been worth the longer drive - plus it was a cool city!