What people always tell us they are most amazed at in New Zealand is the unbelievable variety of landscapes you see in such short travel times. Someone once said to me New Zealand it a ‘poor man’s trip around the world’, which took me a while to process, but she explained that visiting New Zealand is like travelling around the world all the same country (it was the poor man’s bit that I was struggling with).
It’s true, a travel itinerary taking in both New Zealand’s North and South Islands will take it all in - from the pristine beaches of ‘the winterless north’ and the volcanoes, boiling mud and Maori culture of the north to the Himalayan like peaks and lush rainforest of the south. You could be in Hawaii, Switzerland, Costa Rica, but no, it’s all down here on ‘Godzone’ as we call it.
And if you’re coming from overseas you’re luckier than most Kiwis, you’ll be able to see both islands on your trip, most of us tend to stick to just one when we take our holidays. It’s always good to know you’re getting one up on the locals.
Say you’ve got around two weeks and want to see both islands, here’s our pick for the best of both worlds: