Traveling Around New Zealand: Everything You Need to Know

In 2024, Hannah and I spent a month traveling around New Zealand. It was our first trip to a country that had been on our wish list for a long time. It didn’t disappoint, and in this article, I will tell you exactly what we did and how we did it.

Table of Contents

Since we left the UK in 2022, our style of travel has predominantly been slow and steady. We like to embrace one or two locations rather than ticking off as many as we can in the time we have. New Zealand was a bit of an anomaly for us as we racked up a lot of miles and different beds.

We did a lot of research for our trip, and I hope to give you the benefit of our knowledge and experiences. As well as discussing the best way to travel around New Zealand I’ll be delving into some of the great travel hacks we have learned along the way, and how best to enjoy your time in NZ.

Arriving in Auckland

After spending 3 months house sitting in Australia, we flew to Auckland from Sydney. The flight takes about 5 hours, but as we were landing late at night, we opted to book an airport hotel. Picking up a car wasn’t going to be an option at that time.

The hotel shuttle picked up after hours and we even had time to grab a Spark SIM card at the arrivals terminal en route to getting picked up. We then used the airport shuttle to drop us back the next morning and arrange for another collection, this time from our car hire company.

I booked a car through Booking.com/cars for the first time, and, always a little cautious about renting cars (we’ve been badly burned in the past), we were grateful to have no issues collecting a brand-new KIA Picanto with less than 300 miles on the clock. We were ready to start traveling around New Zealand.

The Road Trip Begins – Matakana

Hannah and I with Richard (left), Celia (right) and Sicily (far right)

We kicked things off with a fairly straightforward drive to some friends of my sister in Matakana, a beautiful, quaint little town about an hour north of Auckland. The main high street is dotted with cute cafes, a couple of great pubs, and independent shops.

Although we had never met my sister Becca’s friends, they had been keen to host us since Becca hosted them during the first pandemic lockdown. Sicily and Celia couldn’t get back home so ended up staying in the UK way longer than expected. Beccas gave us the nod to cash in the return visit!

We stayed in a fully fitted-out annex building separate from the fabulous main house with sweeping views of the land and close to some of New Zealand’s best beaches and hiking trails. It was an easy 5-minute drive or a pleasant 30-minute downhill walk into the town; walking back up was a little more tiring!

A Trip to New Zealand’s First Capital

A friend we met in Australia in the months previous, a New Zealand native, had advised us to make our way to the Bay of Islands. This stunning part of the country was home to numerous great little towns as well as the country’s first capital – Okiato.

So, whilst using Matakana as a base, we loaded up the car and drove 3 hours north for an overnight stay. The drive is pretty much a two-lane road all the way, but the scenery is stunning. We headed out early, planning to make the most of the glorious day by completing an epic hike around the bay.

And epic it was! After ferrying across to the other side of the bay from our hotel in Russell, we racked up 19km on one of the hottest days of the year. It remains one of the best hikes we have ever done, with so much natural beauty and a great trail that hugged the coastline all the way home.

The Duke of Marlborough

There is enough in Russell to make it worth a day or two of your vacation planning but it is a very small town with a few pubs, shops, restaurants, and accommodation options. We enjoyed our night there staying at the biggest and oldest hotel around – The Duke of Marlborough.

Packed with history and tales of pirates, thieves, hookers, and villains, the Duke of Marlborough is now a lovely place to stay. Situated right on the water with a patio and restaurant looking out over the bay. Inside, the walls are decorated with ornaments and mementos of its sordid past.

Years ago, Russell was known as the hell hole of the Pacific, a place for ocean-dwelling criminals to anchor up, come ashore, and partake in all types of untold savagery. But like I said, now it’s rather pleasant! I enjoyed the historic aspect of it and loved spending the night in such a famous old hotel.

House Sitting in Auckland

After a few more days back in Matakana with my sister’s friends, Hannah and I packed up and headed to our pre-arranged house sitting placement in Devenport, just outside of Auckland. The photos looked amazing, and we couldn’t wait to meet Archie and Rosie, the lovely pets we’d be caring for.

The sit would last two weeks and rank as one of the best we have done to date, and we’ve done nearly 40 in the last couple of years alone. Not only was Archie a lovely dog to care for, but the house was sensational, with a gym, sauna, cinema room, and a hot tub.

We had a choice of beaches to walk Archie on in the morning and could easily stroll into Devenport Center or to the ferry terminal for the short crossing to Auckland. We loved our time in Devenport; it’s a wonderful part of the world, and I highly recommend you make it part of your Auckland itinerary.

For more information about house sitting, check out my House Sitting Guide to Auckland for all the information you need to get going.

Flying to Christchurch

When we put together our plan for traveling around New Zealand, initially, it involved a 3-day train journey from Auckland to Wellington, a ferry to Picton, and then another train to Christchurch. But with time restraints and, frankly, the cost involved, we opted to simply fly directly to Christchurch – it takes an hour!

Budget airlines connect New Zealand’s major cities, and although the train and ferry would have been an experience, time and budget just wouldn’t allow for it. Instead, we hired another car in Christchurch and drove to a cute motel just on the outskirts of the city’s central business district.

We chilled for a few days, strolling around the city and getting to know Christchurch. It’s a cool town and much like a lot of New Zealand, given that there just aren’t that many people living there, it never felt too busy or chaotic. But all the while, all the amenities and attractions of a big city are at your disposal.

Driving to Hamner Spring for My Birthday

The Kiwi friend of ours I mentioned previously (his name is Zane), had also recommended we stop in a tiny town called Hamner Springs. As luck would have it, this part of our traveling around New Zealand would fall precisely on my birthday weekend.

We booked a cool little hotel right on the main high street of Hamner Springs, just a minute or so walk from the actual Springs. You have to pay to go in, so opting to hike and then drink beer on my birthday, we didn’t actually make it to the warm mineral-rich waters for which the town is famously known!

However, we did enjoy much of what the town has to offer, including some unbelievable scenery, a couple of great breweries and pubs, and the selection of cafes, restaurants, and shops that keep the hoards of weekend visitors fed, watered, and happy during their visits. It was a great birthday.

Onward to Picton

The next step whilst traveling around New Zealand was to Picton. The small town toward the top end of the South Island is a gateway to the islands and inlets of Marlborough Sounds. It has a maritime feel with an epic port hosting boats of all shapes and sizes. The scenery and hiking are, again, delightful.

We opted for a small motel right on the town’s main high street and, still riding a bit of a birthday wave, headed for a huge lunch at the Texas-themed bar across the road. The food didn’t disappoint; a meal rarely beats me, but this one did. I couldn’t finish it!

The weather sadly didn’t play ball, and we were pretty much confined to the local main street and a couple of soggy hikes around the marina. Everything we needed was close by, though, and we enjoyed 2 short days in Picton.

The Big Trek Back to Christchurch

With time running out on our month in New Zealand, we decided to spend the last few days back in Christchurch. While traveling around New Zealand, I partook in some of the best driving I had ever done. The South Island perhaps edges the North Island, but the whole country is lined with epic road journeys.

None more so than the trip from Picton to Christchurch, which takes you along the two-lane coastal highway known as The 1. Driving so close to the ocean for hours on end is a pretty special thing. With so few people in New Zealand, traffic is rarely an issue. If we saw 100 cars in 4 hours, I’d be amazed.

We made a pit stop in Kaikōura, another great coastal town, for lunch and arrived safely back in Christchurch for our final few days.

Our Final Two Nights in Christchurch

We selected a different accommodation option for our return trip to Christchurch – this time opting for a simple Airbnb in Riccarton, a bit further out of the city center but close enough to a busy high street filled with amenities. It was also close to the gym we used previously, and they had let us use it for free!

During our time back in Christchurch, we discovered the Riverside Market, an awesome indoor market filled with bars, craft stalls, and street food options, and surrounded by an array of bigger bars and restaurants. It’s one of the coolest areas of the city, and as the name suggests, it’s right by the river.

We had the chance to meet up with a couple of Hannah’s second cousins currently living in Christchurch. We enjoyed a few nice beers together, sitting in the sun on one of the terraces atop the marketplace.

The End of the Road

Our traveling around New Zealand finished in Christchurch, we flew back to Auckland, drank whiskey in the airport lounge, and then directly on to Houston, Texas. It was fantastic to finally get to experience a country we had heard so much about and dreamed of visiting for many years,

Our time in New Zealand brought an end to an epic 15 months on the road. We left the UK for France in September 2023 and didn’t return to any sort of familiarity until early 2025. In that spell, we ticked off huge parts of Asia, including Vietnam, Singapore, and Bali, plus, of course, Australia and New Zealand.

Returning to Texas, a place we have come to know well, felt like going home, and after reconnecting with friends there and in Durham, NC, we would finally arrive back in the UK to have a proper reunion with friends and family after over three years on the road.

Top Tips for Traveling Around New Zealand on a Budget

Here are a few budget-friendly tips we learned while traveling around New Zealand;

Consider house sitting to save money on your accommodation. Click here to sign up and start browsing for free.
Book hotels, accommodation, and car hire with free cancelation options, allowing you to shop around until the last minute.
When hiring a car have a credit card in the main driver’s name, without this you will not be able to complete the booking and may lose any money paid.
Pick up a SIM card from local retailers like Spark or at Vodaphone outlets in major towns and cities to save on expensive roaming costs.
Look at internal flights and budget airlines as a means of getting between major destinations, they are often cheaper than driving or taking the train.
Consider volunteering some of your time through a site like Workaway. Many listings offer accommodation and meals in exchange for some help.
When in major cities, use reliable and affordable public transport systems to get around and avoid expensive taxis.
Do your grocery shopping at PAK’nSAVE and New World, both offer some of the best prices in New Zealand.

Traveling Around New Zealand – Additional Reading

Here is some further reading to help with your planning and itinerary for traveling around New Zealand.

Like This Post? Pin It!

Owner’s consent has been given to use all images in this post.