LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: Top to Bottom
4-6 WEEKS/AUCKLAND TO CHRISTCHURCH
(1-2 weeks minimum travel time)
Go loopy as you join the main attraction dots on this city-sampling, surf-riding, mountain-spotting tour of the country. You can go down this well-travelled road in a mere week, but we advise you to take at least a month and really savour the pleasures of dual-island travel.
After cruising inner-city Auckland, follow SH1 north to the glorious Bay of Islands to juggle surfboards, kayaks and scuba gear. Cross the island on SH12 and loop through the ancient Waipoua Kauri Forest on your way back to Auckland. Take SH1 to the gush and bubble of Rotorua after a sidetrip into the glow-worm-lit depths of Waitomo Caves. Continue south into the triple-peaked Tongariro National Park and then on towards the capital hills of Wellington.
After navigating Cook Strait, hug the east coast on SH1 to dolphin-friendly Kaikoura and cathedral-centred Christchurch. Further south are the faunal sanctuary of the Otago Peninsula and the Victorian facades of Dunedin. Mix-and-match highways across the island to reach Te Anau for the beguiling side-road to Milford Sound, then backtrack to SH6 and head north into the frenzy of Queens-town. Swap SH6 for SH8 for an eyeful of Aoraki/Mt Cook before veering east to regain the coast road to Christchurch.
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