Date of Trip: January 13-21, 2024
I always thought that I would have to wait until I retire to visit Oceana since professionally I don’t like to take off more than a full week at a time. But when we were in Madeira, Steve spotted a Delta flash sale to Auckland, and we couldn’t resist. Even if it meant just a short trip, the fare was too good to pass up—only 48,000 SkyMiles! To put it in perspective, that’s less than I’ve spent flying from Atlanta to Phoenix in the past. So we started planning (in advance this time since we were on such a tight schedule). I knew I wanted to sample both the North and South Island even with such a short trip, so we booked an Auckland Air flight from Auckland to Queenstown. We scheduled a few activities for the North Island ahead of time but waited until we arrived in Queenstown to decide on our adventures there.
Itinerary Overview:
Day 1 (Travel Day): ATL-AKL. Auckland – Waitomo Glowworm Caves-Sunset Hobbiton Tour- Airbnb near Tongariro National Park
Day 2: Hiking in Tongariro National Park- Polynesian Spa in Rotorua- Hotel near Auckland Airport
Day 3: Super early flight from Auckland to Queenstown- Fergberger- Ben Lomond Track (6.7 mile hike with 3300 ft. Elevation gain)- Airbnb at a winery near Shotover River
Day 4: Milford Sound Boat Tour- Hiking Fiordland National Park-Stargazing at our winery
Day 5: Packrafting Rees River near Glenorchy
Day 6: Aoraki/Mt. Cook (Plan was to heli-hike which was canceled due to weather)-Hike Clay Cliffs in Omarama- Hike Hooker Valley Track near Aoraki – Hokey Pokey Ice Cream downtown Queenstown
Day 7: Early flight to Auckland- Explored Ponsonby District/West Park-Airbnb on a cliff over Laingholm Beach
Day 8: Waiheke Island Wine Tour- Explored Downtown Auckland
Day 9: Walked to Laingholm Beach-Araraki Visitor Center-International flight back to Atlanta
Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: We flew ATL to LAX to AKL and due to time change lost a day. We landed in the morning NZ time and got our car and took off. I’ll give you the itinerary we did but keep in mind we did not plan well and ended up doubling our driving time. The activities we booked for the day were time specific- Glow Worm Caves at 3pm and Sunset at Hobbiton at 6pm. Which would have been fine but our airbnb was south of the Glow Worm Caves so we did a lot of unnecessary driving.
I’d recommend booking Hobbiton before the Waitomo Glowworm caves if you’re planning to travel south afterwards like we did (saves an hour and a half of driving time).
So first stop: Waitomo Glowworm Caves
We ate lunch nearby and had the iconic meat pies at Waitomo Homestead.
At our designated time, we drove to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. You take a boat ride through the dark caves, and thousands of tiny glowworms light up the ceiling like stars. The glowworms are actually larvae that use bioluminescence to catch insects, creating a magical, twinkling effect.
There is no photography in most of the caves so they snap a photo of you going in then photoshop you into the glowworms. I’m including that pic so you can see how cool the caves are!
From the caves, we drove back north to Hobbiton, the movie set for The Lord of the Rings. You’ll wander through the Shire, see the iconic hobbit holes, and they even let you grab a drink at the Green Dragon Inn. The guided tour shares behind-the-scenes stories as you explore the lush rolling hills. The scenery was so beautiful I’d recommend a visit whether you’re Lord of the Rings fans or not.
From here we made our way back south to our accommodation for the night. We stayed at the most comfortable airbnb near Tongariro National Park. It was a guest house on a serene farm with one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in.
https://www.airbnb.com/slink/2Ee09i3q
Gorgeous starry sky from our porch. I just wish we had more time to enjoy the property.
Day 2: We enjoyed a local breakfast courtesy of our airbnb hosts. And made some friends with the animals on the farm.
We then headed for Tongariro National Park, about a 45 minute drive south.
Our first stop was the Ranger Station for recommendations. Most people do the Tongariro Crossing Hike which is 12 miles but with our time limitations, we opted to do a few shorter hikes. We first went to the restaurant Pataka at the Knoll Ridge Chalet. We ate a nice lunch there then took the furnicular up to the top of the mountain to the hikes the rangers recommended for us.
The first hike started at the backdoor of the chalet. You hike up to Pinnacle Ridge for 360 views. It was 1.54 miles with 1022 feet elevation gain and it took us 1 hour 40 minutes. I’ve linked the AllTrails for the full hike but note we took the furnicular up halfway.
Pinnacle Ridge from Iwikau Village on AllTrails
After this hike, we headed to our next loop hike. It was a very scenic 4.2 mile loop. I’ve linked the AllTrails below.
Silica Rapids Loop Walk on AllTrails
Next stop was the easy half mile trail to Tawhai Falls.
Tawhai Falls Walk on AllTrails
We then left Tongariro and made the two-hour drive to Rotorua for our soak at the Polynesian Spa. It’s known for its sulfur baths with views of Lake Rotorua. We rented a private pool and it was great way to unwind after our Tongariro hike.
Next we drove back to Auckland and stayed at an airport hotel in preparation for our early flight to Queenstown.
Day 3: An early flight meant we caught the sunrise at the Auckland Airport.
We arrived in Queenstown by 8am and hit the ground running.
First we headed to the iconic Fergburger to fuel the strenuous hike Steve convinced me that we had to do on our first morning. Pro-tip, go to Fergburger for breakfast like we did to avoid the super long lines that wrap around the block later in the day.
Then after reading the details of the hike on AllTrails, I decided I probably needed better socks and definitely a hat so we went to an outdoor store nearby. It’s a 6.7 mile hike with over 3300 feet in elevation gain.
Ben Lomond Track via Skyline Gondola on AllTrails
The trail began after taking Skyline Gondola up from Queenstown. We hiked through a small forest with the only bit of shade before reaching the steepest parts of the trail. Although I struggled (blaming it on the pre-sunrise travel day), the views of Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables mountain range, and the surrounding Southern Alps made it worth it in the end.
It took us 6 hours and 20 minutes with all my breaks.
After the hike, we drove to our Queensland airbnb. It was a guesthouse on a winery near Shotover River with collapsible doors extending the whole unit for an indoor/outdoor vibe. Definitely my favorite stay of the trip.
https://www.airbnb.com/slink/o53lJJzS
Day 4: We enjoyed sunrise from our property then hit the road to catch our boat tour of Milford Sound, another pre-booked activity.
It’s a long but gorgeous 3 hour 40 minute hour drive.
We drove through the beautiful Fiordland National Park. ⬇️
We made our way to the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal to catch our boat. Parking was difficult so I’d say make sure you have plenty of time.
Milford Sound is famous for its moody, foggy photos, but we were fortunate (or perhaps a little unlucky, depending on how you see it) to have clear skies and incredible visibility during our visit.
After our boat tour of the sound, we decided to hit a few stops around Fiordland National Park. First stop was the bridge across the Tutoku River.
Next stop was the Hollyford River.
From this parking spot we ventured across the street to see this little waterfall then saw a Falls Creek Trailhead so we scrambled up the first mile of it (it’s a strenuous 4 mile hike up).
We continued along Milford Highway, stopping at all the viewpoints of Fiordland
During the long ride back, I started planning for the next day and stumbled upon a unique Airbnb experience—packrafting! I’d never heard of it before, but the glowing reviews sold us, so we booked it. The listing mentioned getting wet, and since we needed our boots dry for the following day’s adventure, I found a Kmart in Queenstown where we picked up some cheap tennis shoes. We also grabbed groceries for the evening. Honestly, the Kmart there was surprisingly cute—on par with Target even!
We made it back to our winery pretty late so we enjoyed the property with a charcuterie board and New Zealand bubbly.
There are hiking paths that lead to the river so I enjoyed a sunset stroll.
I woke up at 3am and snuck outside to snap some starry night pictures hoping to catch the southern cross.
Day 5: We woke up for sunrise and enjoyed our coffee before starting out for our packrafting adventure.
Before diving into the full adventure, let me just say this was hands down one of the highlights of our trip, and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone visiting. If you’re interested, here’s the Airbnb link to the adventure:
https://www.airbnb.com/slink/XIMOjzKi
Our guide met us in downtown Queenstown, and from there we drove about 45 minutes to Glenorchy, where we grabbed breakfast. After that we headed another 10 miles down a dirt road to the Rees River. There were six of us in total, and we had private access to this stunning area. We strapped on 25-pound packs and set off on a two-hour hike to the starting point of our rafting adventure. When I booked this, I totally thought we’d be in a double raft with Steve carrying it all! Turns out I had to not only carry my own pack, but actually paddle myself too.
Stunning views of the Richardson and Forbes Mountains where they filmed Mission Impossible Fallout and lots of other movies.
Then we had lunch and had to blow up our rafts using little bags to catch the wind. I have a pretty hilarious video I wish I could share- maybe it’ll end up on my Instagram.
Our first stop was a nearby canyon with crystal clear water and interesting rock formations.
Then we all made our way down the river and that was the hard part!
We rafted over an hour back and it was a ton of fun (and beautiful— and physically challenging).
When we returned to our winery we had a nice dinner and enjoyed the sunset.
Views from my nightly river stroll ⬇️
Day 6: We started the 3 hour drive early to Aoraki /Mt. Cook because Steve booked us a helicopter hike on the glacier. On the way there, the trip was canceled due wind speeds and fortunately we had stopped for gas in Omarama and I noticed a really cool trail we could do.
Clay Cliffs Track on AllTrails
It’s less than a mile with 331 foot elevation gain, so basically climbing up some really cool cliffs that look like the Badlands in South Dakota.
We did accidentally go up too far then had to go down this semi-treacherous path.
But we made it then headed toward Aoraki/Mount Cook to find some hikes.
We ended up doing this 6.8 mile out and back trail with views of the Mueller Glacier and end point of Hooker Lake.
When we got back to Queenstown, we prioritized finding the best Hokey Pokey Ice cream and it was delicious.
My last sunset stroll was the most beautiful.
Day 7: We had an early flight back to Auckland and I was excited to explore the city. We started in the Ponsonby District at Sol’s Place for brunch.
Notice the BOWL of coffee!
We strolled the streets, found a great bookstore and mostly just enjoyed the houses and shops.
We found a spa with last minute availability so we killed time until our appointment at the Western Park.
After our massages we left for our next accommodation about 45 minutes outside of Auckland in the Laingholm Beach area. I’ve linked the airbnb below.
https://www.airbnb.com/slink/TLFGudaB
It was basically a tiny home on the owner’s property… and we had to walk to the bathroom and shower. Definitely not the most luxurious or private of our stays, but really cool views!
Love a good grocery store charcuterie for dinner
Day 8: We took the advice of our hosts and decided to visit Waiheke Island for a wine tour. We booked last minute tour through viator and I’ve included the link for the 4 hour guided tour below.
We also had to buy ferry tickets separately and it used this site below. Make sure you get there super early because the lines are long and a little confusing.
The ferry ride was 35 minutes and pretty calm. We met our guide and headed to the wineries.
We sampled wines from 4 wineries and had a wonderful lunch on the bay before catching the ferry back to Auckland. We even bought a few to take home!
We took some time to explore Auckland a bit more then headed back to our airbnb.
Albert Park
Day 9: We woke up early to enjoy our last sunrise in New Zealand then walked down to nearby Laingholm Beach.
We then took Scenic Drive North to Arataki Visitor Center to explore and take in some final views.
We flew out uneventfully and made it home safely!
In closing:
I’m so glad we didn’t let the distance or travel time hold us back—this trip was truly magical and unforgettable! If you’re thinking of planning your own adventure, feel free to reach out—I’d love to help!
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