1st draft New Zealand
 

I’ve always had New Zealand high on the list, and it’s finally happening. We’re going late Jan – mid Feb 2026, for about 4 weeks. We could add a couple more days if needed. We’re interested in photography, views, short/easy walks, nature, wildlife, birding, coastal views, mountains, good food, wineries, hope we can do a little bit of everything. Here is a very, very first draft itinerary, but I need a starting point. We don’t like 1-night stays, and even 2 are too rushed for us, so we’re aiming for 3 min when possible. We're a couple in our late 50s early 60s.

Land in Auckland, 2 nights there
3n/2d in Rotorua – seeing the Waitomo Glowworm Caves on the way there
2n Tongariro NP – technically just a full day
1n Wellington, with a ferry the next day
3n Abel Tasman NP
1n Punakaiki
3n/2d Franz Josef glacier area
4n/3d Wanaka
3n Te Anau
4n/3d Aoraki Mt Cook
2n Oamaru, with the full day in between for Dunedin
1n Christchurch, with flight home the next day

Let me know how you’d tweak this, there is sooo much to see and so little time! Thanks.

Two nights in Auckland is not a lot of time, especially if this includes your arrival day. There's plenty to see and do in Auckland, as well as the islands on the Hauraki Gulf. My recommendation would be 4-5 nights.

Three nights in Te Anau is good, especially if you are looking to do day hikes as there are plenty of options. You can spend more time if you want more hiking.

I would reorganize your itinerary so that Dunedin follows Te Anau and go via the Catlins. There's plenty of places you can stop along the way; it was one of our favorite drives in New Zealand. Not even sure Te Anau to Aoraki Mount Cook is even doable in a single day given the distance. It took us almost an entire day to get from Aoraki to Queenstown, although we did stop along the way.

I assume your one night in Christchurch is simply to be close to the airport for your flight out; otherwise, you could spend more time.

I haven't been to the other places on your list so cannot comment on those.

Thanks!
Per google, we could get from Te Anau to Aoraki Mount Cook in about 5 hrs. So doable in a day, I'd think. I tried to include the Catlins in this itinerary, but I did not know how. If we do Te Anau - the Catlins - Dunedin, I'd love a couple of nights in the area to include Stewart island....but I'd need to cut some time from somewhere. Where?
I guess Te Anau - Dunedin - Mt Cook - Christchurch is an option, and I think I can do that. Without Stewart island though...
It pains me that we don't have much time in the Marlborough area for the wineries. Maybe we'll cut 1-2 days from the mountains/lakes and add them to either wineries or Auckland. Decisions, decisions...
Thanks again, this gave me some ideas I can work with.

xyz99, one thing I thought I should mention about drive times is that the driving will take longer than what google says. The driving is slower, and I guarantee you will want to make many stops for photo opportunities. And for lunch/bathroom stops. It took us almost a day, too, to drive from Aoraki/Mt. Cook to Queenstown.

Three nights in Te Anau is a good idea if you want to do more hiking, and also in case you have a day of rain, like we did. I initially scheduled 2 nights, and then our Milford Sound trip was cancelled because of rain, so luckily our motel had availability so we could add an extra night at the last minute.

For your nights at Wanaka and Mt. Cook, you could take one night away from each place to add somewhere else. That really depends on how much hiking you want to do. So it's a personal decision. I like your allocations for Abel Tasman, Punakaiki, and FJ.

While we enjoyed our stay in Marlborough, if that doesn't fit in your itinerary, there are other opportunities for visiting wineries -- including Central Otago (which you should be able to reach from Wanaka) and Waiheke Island (from Auckland), and near Abel Tasman depending on where you stay. We visited some Central Otago wineries on first trip and Waiheke Island in 2023.

Not to add to the challenge, but we did enjoy Wellington. Give yourself at least enough time there for the fabulous Te Papa museum. The botanic garden and Zealandia ecosanctuary are also highlights if the weather is good.

Decisions, decisons indeed!
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Good to know about wineries, we'll definitely include Central Otago, and hopefully one around Abel Tasman. Do you have a TR from your first trip? I'll look, I just read your 2nd one and took notes :-)
We'll have about 1/2 day in Wellington, and given my interest in birds it will be for Zealandia. But if weather does not cooperate, it's going to be Te Papa museum. Depending on how long it takes us to get to Wellington maybe we can fit in both if they are close by, I haven't checked locations, so we'll see.
I'm already at 30 days on the land there, I don't think I can stretch this any longer... add to this 2 days on the way going there, and probably 2 more coming home, this will be looong, our longest trip yet. Oh well...

Wow, how to see and do it all, right? I might confuse you more. But here goes...

I agree with tripplanner 001, that you might consider reorganizing your route/itinerary, to go from Te Anau to Dunedin via the Catlins, then Oamaru-Aoraki Mt. Cook-brief stop in Tekapo, before continuing on to Christchurch. Though given your limited time, I would recommend just driving from Te Anau to the Nugget Point Lighthouse parking lot, walking to the lighthouse, then, when done, continuing on to Dunedin via the coast as much as possible (I can offer more details, if needed), thereby seeing the pretty Dunedin south coast and walking the Tunnel Beach Track (which is this year has so far been closed due to slips caused by October 2024 flooding). But if you had more time, I would absolutely agree with tripplanner001, that the Catlins would easily merit a 2 to 3 full-days visit.

I would stay two nights in Dunedin, though this is not an impartial recommendation as I live here and have learned to love many things about it. This said, it has highly unpredictable weather, that teeter-totters between good to great and from fair to fairly awful. This said, Feb. and March tend to be our warmest, most-settled-weather months. We are best known for wildlife, heritage architecture, our Saturday morning farmers market, some of the South Island's best surfing beaches, and two popular breweries.

FYI: To visit Stewart Island, you'd drive from Te Anau to Invercargill to Bluff (home to an aluminum smelter and Bluff oyster farms), where you'd catch the ferry. OR you would skip Bluff and drive to Invercargill Airport and fly to Stewart Island. While I was there I met several people who'd flown in for the day just to take a guided walk of Ulva Island with Ruggedy Range tours. Later, that afternoon they flew back to Invercargill Airport, then continued on with their journeys. The tour was great. We saw all the species we'd hoped to see, and even got a bonus of seeing a kiwi (as they can be seen foraging during the day there). Over the next few days, I returned to Ulva Island for more solo birdwatching, but also spent a lot time seeing birds on tracks close to Oban and nearby Golden Bay. I did not walk the Rakiura Track. I also did a night-time kiwi spotting cruise to Paterson Inlet, where we disembarked at Little Golry Cove and walked to a beach to search for kiwis--for this, you need more time. I have both taken the ferry to and flown from Stewart Island.

Because you, like me, enjoy birdwatching, I should mention the possibility of spotting kiwis in the wild in Okarito Forest near FJ. I've done this tour as well. You can also take a kiwi spotting tour from Auckland. I've not done this, but met someone who had, which is how I learned about this. Other Auckland-based companies also offer kiwi-spotting tours. They are five kiwi species, the rarest being the Rowi, found in Okarito Forest. You can also see it in captivity in the Wildlife Centre in FJ. Zoos also have kiwi houses that mimic the nighttime environment during which the kiwi is active.

I also agree with tripplanner and ms_go that you'd enjoy the islands of Hauraki Gulf and the water views from these islands (Waiheke wineries or Tiritiri Matangi birdlife and walks, possibly Rangitoto). In addition, there is a gannet colony at Muriwai Beach on Auckland's West Coast. The West Auckland coast beaches are covered with black volcanic sand. To get to Auckland's West Coast, you'd need to drive or take a tour. Greater Auckland is vast. It's not only NZ most populous city, but NZ's largest city areawise, followed by Dunedin.

I also second ms_go in also recommending Central Otago wineries. In my opinion, the NZ's most scenic wine regions are Central Otago and Waiheke. Gibbston Valley would be easiest and not far out of your way, as it's close to Queenstown. Amisfield and Mora wineries are both near Lake Hakes so not out of your way; both are excellent. Keep in mind, there are also wineries in and around Wanaka (don't miss Rippon) and between Nelson and Abel Tasman. The ferry from Wellington will drop you off in Picton. The most expedient route to ATNP will take you through the outskirts of Blenheim so you could check out Hunter Wines or Nautilus Estate. Johanneshof Winery is only an 8-minute drive from Picton on the road to Blenheim.

If you change your itinerary and go from Oamaru to Aoraki Mt. Cook, you could visit a winery in Waitaki Valley or visit the tasting room in Kurow. This tiny wine region produces excellent pinot noir and riesling (two of the varieties that CO is also known for). One of the best pinots I've had was a Valli made from grapes from Waitaki Valley. Grant Taylor, Valli founder and winemaker, is one of Central Otago's (and NZ's) best winemakers. You can also taste Valli wines at the Kinross tasting room in Gibbston Valley, Central Otago.

I should point out that wineries and tasting rooms will often offer tastings from associated wineries that are from outside their region.

I also agree with ms_go, that Wellington's Te Papa Museum, Botanic Garden and Zealandia are wonderful. You'd need a whole day to see these attractions at leisure. You could take the Cable Car up to the Botanic Garden, have a look around, then board the Zealandia free shuttle that leaves from near the top of the cable car and botanic garden. After visiting Zealandia, you can take its shuttle down to the city center and walk a few blocks to to Te Papa.

KarenWoo is quite right, the drives will take much longer that Google says You'll want to get out to take photos, or use facilities, or have a closer look at, or pop into, roadside attractions, or the designated drive will just want to stop, step out to have a good look without having to concentrate on the road and driving at the same time.. Plus--and Karen can back me up here--the unexpected can happen. We can have unpredictable weather, even (though less likely in Jan. and Feb.) which can cause travel disruptions, road closures, diversions, etc. In summer, we can get ex-cyclones, but this mostly affects the North Island. Again, this is a rare occurence.The last bad summer cyclone was in Feb. 2023. Summer can be windy, causing Cook Strait to have huge swells. In Jan. 2025, some ferries were cancelled. Again, this is not common, but it can happen. This said, in fine weather, this is a gorgeous ferry journey.

Diamantina, you were supposed to help me narrow it down!!!!
I so wish I had another week or two (or three) to add to this trip and do all these places justice.
The only easy thing is the itinerary change: from Te Anau to Dunedin via the Catlins (maybe), then Oamaru-Aoraki Mt. Cook. The Nugget Point Lighthouse seems like a good compromise. Unfortunately, I don't think we have time for Stewart Island - unless we take a couple of days from somewhere else. I'll need to go make a list of all the drives, all the hikes we want to do, all the activities, boats, heli rides, wineries, etc. see what is a must do for us, and what to cut out. Thankfully, there is time for that.
I did not realize there are several kiwi species, I'll need to read on this. And thanks for the kiwi tour info.
Auckland area sounds wonderful, with lots of things to see and do. Again, what to cut to have another day or two there? As a first stop after the long flight is seems like a perfect time to get use to the new time zone.
Great info on wineries, pinot noir is probably our favorite wine these days, so thank you. And yes, the goal is to see it all in a non-rushed, relaxed way. 🤣

What do you most want to see or do Rotorua? Maybe you can cut a day from there. I know you prefer longer stays, but maybe after you get a whiff of their sulphur-scented air, you won’t feel so bad about having to move on.

Waiheke is not known for pinot noir, which as you’ll know needs warm days, but cool nights, which you'll get as you make your way south. Top areas for Pinot are Central Otago, Martinborough (about an hour's drive from Wellington), Marlborough, Waipara/North Canterbury, Nelson.

The drive from Te Anau to Nugget Point will take about three hours. But by getting out and taking a walk to the lighthouse, you'll also be taking a break, before driving the next 90-minute segment to Dunedin, follow "the Southern Scenic Route". If you leave Te Anau early, no later than 9 a.m., I don't think you'll feel hurried The drive from Dunedin to Oamaru takes about two hours, but there are places to stop! So it could take longer.

Currently in New Zealand, and spent some time in Wellington. We loved both Zealandia and Te Papua, and I would not bother with the shuttle to maximize time. Uber was pretty cheap and much faster. We took the 10 am tour at Zealandia, saw a lot, had lunch in the cafe when done, and didn’t get back to central Wellington until about 1:30.

Not sure where you are staying near Abel Tasman. We stayed in Kaiteriteri and if weather good, it was very nice, although we need warmer weather than Kiwis do to spend beach time. Unless you are planning to go all the way out to the spit, or taking long hikes, two nights there is sufficient we thought. It is beautiful when the sun is shining which it was for us.

Really liked Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula, but that was a prior trip. Did a wildlife tour that was fantastic.

Drive times: sometimes we equal the map times and sometimes take about 10% or so longer PLUS stopping time. We did have a 40 minute delay yesterday for road works on the way through Murchison. So check road conditions.

Have a good trip.

Diamantina, not a bad idea to cut Rotorua down to 1 day. We've been to Yellowstone, so this will not be completely new. I think I'll add the day to Dunedin for some wildlife tour, tbd.
I like the new itinerary better: Te Anau to Nugget Point then Dunedin, 2 nights there, Oamaru for 1 night then Aoraki Mt. Cook for 3-4 nights. Of course, this will still probably change again as I find more things to do and places to stop :-)

traveler318, great to hear Uber is a good option. I have nothing planned yet in terms of accommodations, but Kaiteriteri seems a good option recommended by a lot of people. We are not beach people, but we hike (not long hikes though) and do wildlife tours, so I'll consider shortening the time there too. We'll see. I'm so glad you're having good weather, it makes such a big difference! Do you remember who did you do the wildlife tour with in Dunedin/Otago peninsula? Enjoy the rest of your trip!

xyz99, personally, I would not shorten your time at Abel Tasman NP. Three nights gives you 2 full days. I think it's important to have a buffer in case of rain. It would be a shame to be there and not be able to experience Abel Tasman NP if you are there for only one full day and it's raining. As you know from my TR, we did a 4-hour cruise only of Abel Tasman NP, but the cruise companies offer quite a few different cruise and hike options. You could easily spend 6 - 8 hours there doing a combination of hikes and sails. Also, there are several wonderful wineries in the region for tastings and lunches. Most likely you will arrive in Kaiteriteri (or wherever you have reservations) late in the day so you wouldn't be able to do much on arrival. There are many interesting stops you can make along the way after you arrive in Picton from Wellington. The Queen Charlotte Drive is beautiful but slow. We loved our green lipped mussels lunch in Havelock, and we also enjoyed visiting Nelson. It took us the whole day to drive from Kaiteriteri to Picton with all the stops we made.

Kaiteriteri would be my first choice for access to Abel Tasman NP, too. The setting is very pretty and it’s a nice little village where you just have to walk down to the beach to catch a boat into the park. I agree, and don’t think 3 nts. will be too much. Only two full days of hiking — you wanted to see coastal views. You might be arriving later on that first day, especially if you stop along the way, say, to pop into a winery, or shop at a supermarket (though there is a small market in Kaiteriteri), or for lunch Havelock is the green mussel capital), so you won’t have much time for a hike that day. Also, as it’s high season you probably wouldn’t be able to check into your accommodation early. Yes, and as Karen says, more days will be allow for a day of less-than-optimum weather.

An alternative would be Marahau, where you could walk on part of the track that first day. Days are long in Jan-Feb., so you'd have time. I've never stayed in Marahau.

If you find you'd had enough of hiking, then you can consider just taking a cruise to Totaranui and back. If you do this, check the tide table. I took the cruise of one of my 4 days there and because it was high tide we were able too sail into Awaroa Inlet. It's a pretty inlet and this is where relatively recent crowdfunding resulted in the purchase of private land, that could be incorporated into the public areas of the park.

Or you can spend the entire day driving into nearby Golden Bay, which is a beautiful area with many short walks and coastal views (notbaly Wharariki Beach). This would be an all day excursion. Personally, I would choose to walk more of the track, but I'm just saying, you would have many options in this area.

KarenWoo and Diamantina: We will not have time for anything on the 1st day in Abel Tasman NP. That day will be busy with the ferry crossing, then the Queen Charlotte Drive with a stop in Havelock for green mussels and who knows how many other stops for just views and photos. Based on all you are suggesting in Abel Tasman, we could spend a lot more days there, so I see how just 2 (hopefully with nice weather) will only scratch the surface. A combination of hikes and a short cruise would be perfect!

When going for your wildlife outing on the Otago Peninsula, do include a visit with the hoihos as the penguins are endemic to New Zealand. We also saw albatross.

Oh, absolutely, that's on the list 😉 thank you!!

Sorry, this posting might be preceeded by a duplicate that I had no chance to proofread!

Two full days for ATT would be good. If the weather's fine, you'll see why Abel Tasman Track is one NZ's 11 "Great Walks" (the 11th, the Hump Ridge Track" joined the Great Walks in 2024, and the 10th, Paparoa Track, in 2020). It's one of only two predominantly coastal Great Walks (the other being Stewart Island's Rakiura Track). Undoubtedly, ATtrack more popular, more accessible, and has sunnier and drier weather. At this moment (nearly noon on Tues., Feb. 18). it's raining heavily and humid there, according to NIWA, so, yes, it's good to have at least two full days there. The top of the SI has some of NZ's best weather, but I can't overstate how unpredictable and changeable NZ's weather can be. The first time I visited Abel Tasman NP, I kayaked in heavy rain and winds (the day had started out fine, however, it wasn't summer).

On my last visit, I bought a three-day explorer pass with Wilson's and cruised to a different drop-off point and walked a different segment each day. I found the estimated times listed for the walks to be over-estimates--each day, I took my time, yet finished much earlier. Nor did I get off to the earliest of starts. As you do a lot of hiking, you could cover more of the track in two days than I did in three, making the most out of your time there.

I'm still thinking about what you can trim from your trip to fit it all in!

About Dunedin wildlife..The rare and endangered Yellow Eyed penguins/"hoiho" are in sharp decline and getting harder to spot. To give you an idea, when I first came to Dunedin more than 14 years ago, it was easy to see hoiho on the Otago Peninsula's Sandfly Bay Beach (no sandflies here, just flying sand), but, last year, Sandfly Bay's last breeding-age female drowned in a fishing net (this news broke many hearts). The endangered NZ sea lion, the world's rarest sea lions, are fairly easy to see here and you can find them of local beaches and sometimes on, or crossing, city streets, especially during breeding season. Both of these species are found from about Oamaru, through Dunedin and the Catlins, on Stewarts Island(s), but mainly in NZ's subantarctic islands. Heritage Expeditions offers cruises to these islands.You might want to read about "Mum". Beaches are best visited at low tide. My favorite Otago Peninsula beach is Allans Beach; my husband prefers Sandfly Bay. Sea lions rest on the warm sand, fur seals on the rocks (mostly)..
More about the sea lion from NZ Geograohic magazine.

The Otago Peninsula's Taiaroa Head is home to the Royal Albatross Colony. You can pay admission to tour the Royal Albatross Centre, where you'd be taken to a hide, where you can view adult Northern Royal albatrosses and chicks on their nests (chicks hatch from January to mid February), but they also have a screen fixed on one of the nests for a closer look (meanwhile, you can check out the DOC live webcam). If you stand outside the centre, you can see the albatrosses flying overhead for free. There is a very short public track adjacent to the track, where you can see fur seals on the rocks below, and other seabirds. You can also spot fur seals by walking down to nearby Pilot's Beach. At night, you must pay admission to Pilot's Beach. When the last light is on the horizon, the Little Blue Penguins begin to swim ashore in "rafts".

You can also view albatrosses (Northern Royal and Buller's) and many other seabirds, as well as NZ fur seals (which can be found all around NZ's coasts) from the Monarch Cruise. Note: they don't chum the water to attract the birds, so what you see is just natural behavior. So it'll be different every time. The albatrosses are more active on windy days (they need the wind for lift-off)..You can also see Otago Shags on their unusual "pedestal "nests on the rock cliff face below Tairoa Head. The cruise is lovely on a clear, sunny day.

Not on the Otago Peninsula, is another special place for viewing birds:Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Its doors open at 10 a.m. and, if you want, you can visit it on your way from Dunedin to Oamaru. Like Zealandia, this is a mainland island sanctuary with a predator-proof fence. You can see more birds at Zealandia, but Orokonui has many lovely walking tracks. Its visitor center offers beautiful views on a clear, sunny day.

Dunedin Botanic Garden is also good for spotting common native birds, such as bellbird (korimako), tui, kereru, and fantail (piwakawaka).

Diamantina
Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this down, not only the info, but the links too. This is sooo helpful, I can't even begin to tell you. I must admit, it's overwhelming: NZ is big, not huge, but there is so much to see and do that is difficult to decide what to focus on. Every place looks beautiful and different than the rest, and I'm having a hard time choosing.
I'll keep 2 full days at Abel Tasman, wish we could spare more...but see above. I'm hoping for good weather :-)
You're a brave soul, there will be no kayaking for us in bad weather. I'd be afraid to take my camera on a kayak in good weather, I'm not sure it would be wise anyway, but in bad weather, no way!

LOL, "I'm still thinking about what you can trim from your trip to fit it all in!" .... and then you list all these amazing wildlife experiences that you know I will have to stop for. It seems we'll need a couple of days in Dunedin too, that Monarch web site has so many interesting cruises and drives!!! Plus, the botanical garden, of course.
We are not beach people...the 2 beaches that you list as favorites are for beach/beach or wildlife?
We'll be there mid Feb, so I guess we're still going to have a chance to see the albatross chicks, right? And seeing the colony from both land and sea would not be redundant, I'm thinking...

We saw the albatrosses from both land and sea; from sea we were able to enjoy some of the other wildlife such as seals.

Thanks, sounds like a good combination.

Those two Otago Peninsula beaches are best for sea lions. In addition to sea lions on the sandy portion of the beach, Allan’s Beach has a rocky end that can be reached at low tide, where fur seals are often seen. To get to Allans Beach, you'll pass the adjacent Hooper's Inlet with its wading birds (and, from about late March to May, a sea lion nursery). Both beaches are scenic, however, Sandfly Bay requires walking down steep sand dunes (and climbing back up again).

Yes, two nts., one full day would be best for Dunedin/the Otago Peninsula.

Dunedin is known as the "wildlife capital of NZ". In addition to its easily accessible wildlife viewing opportunities and local wildlife tour operators, there is ample wildlife support here: various experts and researchers at Dunedin's University of Otago (NZ's oldest university) and at the local DOC (Dept. of Conservation) office, who work closely with other wildlife experts around the country; the Wildlife Hospital, which administers veterinary care (and not just for local wildlife) and OPERA penguin rehab, which cares for sick, injured and starving penguins; and local organizations, such as Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust, NZ Sea Lion Trust, Otago Peninsula Trust, Forest & Bird Dunedin Branch, Project Kereru, and countless community groups, volunteers and contributing businesses. Frankly, many NZ towns, municipalities, and regions offer wildlife support and excellent wildlife viewing opportunities, but possibly Dunedin has the most. Dunedin even holds an annual Wildlife Festival. Sadly, not all are protective of our local wildlife, there are also major threats to local wildlife, people who harass and harm them, or who'll throw things to get sea lions to move for their photos, or who'll try to take selfies with them.

You're best off taking a wildlife tour. Post-Covid, the highly regarded Elm Wildlife "almagated' with Monarch Cruise. Their "peninsula encounters" tour had previously included visits to a Otago Peninsula farm, instead it now visits OPERA (formerly Penguin Place), which has a penguin rehab and a working farm with penguin nest boxes, viewing hides, camouflaged walkways, and wonderful coastal views. In February, you should be able to see penguins moulting (who can't go out to sea), maybe some chicks, and, hopefully, a few hoiho returning from their daily fishing expeditions. The hoiho swim ashore in the late afternoon. You'll also see fur seals. Your visit will help support the penguin rehab. The Elm-Monarch peninsula encounters tour still offers hotel/motel pick-up, visits to Hooper's Inlet and Taiaroa Head, and options of visits to the Royal Albatross Centre and/or Monarch Cruise (for additional costs). They now also visit Allans Beach for sea lion viewing. Their guides are excellent.

The farm that Elm used to visit now operates its own small-group tours of its farm, Clearwater Tours.This private farm has hoiho nesting boxes, a small sandy beach with many sea lions (mostly males, I believe), and a viewing platform, from which you can view adult fur seals and pups on the rocks below and that includes a fur seal nursery, where pups can more safely play and hone their swimming skills. Clearwater picks up from the Octagon. I don't think their tours offer pick-ups from accommodation.

You don't need to take a comprehensive tour to visit OPERA or the Royal Albatross Centre, or Blue Penguins Pukekura, you can choose to go there on your own, but a more comprehensive tour makes things easier. Peninsula roads can be challenging (but views can be stunning in good weather).

The Blue Penguins Pukekura colony at Taiaroa Head's Pilot's Beach is smaller than the one in Oamaru. To view the penguins (also known as korora), you have to stand on a platform at the cold and sometimes windy mouth of the harbor. I have enjoyed seeing the penguins here, but I was cold. The biggest colony I've seen of these birds was on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. Otago's Blue penguins are supposedly genetically identical to Victoria's Blue penguins; other NZ penguins are genetically close but not identical!

If you happen to be in Dunedin on a Saturday morning, try to visit the Otago Farmers Market at the historic Railway Station. There is no better time to visit than January through February, when it bursts with Otago-grown summer fruits and flowers. You'll find free parking next to the market. It opens at 8 a.m.

I know it's not an isolated incident, but it shocks and pains me every time; I can't understand people harming or harassing the wildlife, for fun or a photo. It happens here too, so people are not posting locations of owls or other birds of pray nests. People would just go sooo close, stressing the poor parents and chicks for a photo. Unbelievable! And kicking a seal? What's wrong with these people?
Anyway, thanks for the tour links and all that good info. These little blue penguins are adorable, I can't wait to see them.
I don't have a final plan yet, and don't know the days of the week we'll be in Dunedin, but even if we miss the farmers market we'll have to visit the railway station. What an amazing building!

Bad behavior around wildlife ticks me off, too. My husband gets embarrassed when, on our beach walks, I remind overly eager observers to stand 10 to 20 metres back from sea lions and 50 metres back from hoiho (these are people that ignore the signs posted at beach entries). I remind them these animals have come ashore to breed or rest. But doing this is tiring and depressing. Sometimes, it's just ignorance: I once stopped a child from petting a fur seal, then warned the mother that this animal had sharp teeth.

Yes, the Little Blues are adorable!

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a63a47595c.jpg
Little blue penguins at Pilot's Beach, Taiaroa Head, swimming ashore in "rafts" after dusk. (Strength in numbers!)
Then, once on land, they disperse to their separate nests. The calls between the latest arrivals and their waiting mates or chicks is also impressive.
No flash allowed, which you can probably guess from my dark and grainy photo.

I was looking at your original schedule, and if you cut one nt. from both Rotorua and Oamaru, and use these two days for Dunedin, you will be left with the same number of days for your itinerary. You also said you could add couple of nts., if necessary. If so, you could add a nt. to Abel Tasman NP/Kaiteriteri or Wellington (so you can see both Te Papa and take your time at Zealandia)..

You've planned 3 nts. for FJ , 4 nts. for AMC, probably because you plan on taking a helihike to a glacier. If so, you'll want to read tripplanner001's 2019 excellent trip report (with photos) that includes a description of her walk with Mt. Cook Glacier Guiding.

tripplanner001, I hope you don't mind my bringing up that great NZ trip report of yours!

Don't forget if you'll be flying over the Pacific Ocean (and the international dateline), you'll arrive two days later.

Of course not, Diamantina; good to "see" you. And zyz99, feel free to ask questions as you review.

The thought for the overnight in Oamaru is (was?) to be close to the Blue Penguin Colony. It seems that we can see them at Taiaroa Head's Pilot's Beach, although in smaller numbers but a more natural setting. That would work better for our itinerary, but good photos are important to me too, and I think I can get those at Oamaru. In any case, that's an option to streamline the itinerary and I'm not against it.

1 day less in Rotorua is very doable. I've already made that change.

Yes, a helihike to the glacier would be so cool. I know weather is always a factor, so fingers crossed. I remember reading and saving tripplanner001's TR, and I need to go back and re-read it. Not sure if FJ or AMC is a better option, but I think I read somewhere that we could/should book both, and if we can do it at FJ (first in the itinerary) we can cancel the 2nd one. If weather is bad there, we can try again at AMC. Experience wise, are they similar?

It's good to "see" you, too, tripplanner001. I'll be looking forward to your next trip report as your last was so memorable and enjoyable. I also especially enjoyed your photos of your out-of-the-ordinary day on the Kepler Track.

xyz99, I'm sure your twilight photos would turn out better than mine as I had the most basic of cameras. It sounds like you are an experienced and well-equipped wildlife photographer and will be better prepared to handle the low light conditions of these quickly moving creatures. At Taiaroa Head's Pilot's Beach, there were no lights on the beach, but there was enough on the land above the beach to get good photos, though I suggest you email them to confirm this as I have not been there for years. Who knows? You might luck out by being there on a clear, full-moon light. More info here:
https://www.bluepenguins.co.nz/book-your-tour-

I don't think cameras are allowed during evening viewing at the Oamaru Blue Penguin colony. I think they were considering charging photographers, though I don't think they would ever allow flash photography because of the sensitive eyes of these nocturnally active penguins..You might be able to photograph outside the official blue penguin centre, as penguins cross the road from the harbor to nests outside the main colony.You might enjoy this short You Tube video.

Oamaru has more going for it than blue penguins. There is large shag nesting spot at Sumpter Wharf. Their Victorian Precinct is home to heritage buildings made of locally quarried white limestone, which have been beautifully preserved, while its Steampunk HQ captures the town's quirkiness. The Victorian Precinct almost looks like a movei set (and, in fact, Netflix has been filming the series "East of Eden", based on John Steinbeck's novel, there). Many of Dunedin's heritage buildings, including the railway station, are trimmed with this same "Whitestone". I've been in Oamaru for its yearly Victorian celebrations, when hundreds of people from all around turn up in Victorian and outrageous Steampunk attire: this and the annual Steampunk celebration exemplify Oamaru's uniqueness .Historically, Oamaru was a market town servicing the region's farmers and in the 1870s, the Port of Oamaru bustled with activity. These historic whitestone buildings were built thanks to this late 19th century properity. Outside of the Victorian Precinct, modern-day Oamaru is like most any other NZ small town, though whitestone buildings are scattered throughout it.

The Waitaki Valley is home to orchards, vineyards, the Elephant Rocks, dams, and fossil sites. The Clay Cliffs are near Omarama.

A night in Oamaru would break up your drive from Dunedin to Aoraki Mt. Cook and allow you to take your time. In traveling this route, you'd miss Lindis Pass, but as you'd be starting off from Oamaru, you could easily take a detour at Omarama to the Lindis Pass Lookout. This would not be too much out of your way.

If you like cheese, you might want to take a factory tour at Oamaru's Whitestone Cheese. (You can also sample their cheese at Dunedin's weekly Otago Farmers Market). Oamaru also has a lovely botanic garden, though it's not large.

You wrote, "...we could/should book both [helihikes at FJ and AMC], and if we can do it at FJ (first in the itinerary) we can cancel the 2nd one. If weather is bad there, we can try again at AMC." That sounds like a brilliant idea. I'm sure, if you cancel the AMC booking, someone would be grateful for the opportunity.

It occurs to me, if you can get that extra day, another option would be to stay a night in the Catlins. You could get some striking sunrise shots from there (weather permitting).

Diamantina,
I did not realize photos are not allowed at Oamaru Blue Penguin colony. I never use flash when photographing wildlife, but it seems any kind of photos (with or without flash) are not allowed. I'm disappointed, but I really understand and agree with this. Unfortunately, so many times, you cannot trust humans to behave. Because of that, the colony at Taiaroa Head's Pilot's Beach might be a better option for me. Not sure yet, it will all depend on what fits the itinerary and the schedule better. And of course, the desire to see it all :-) All the new ideas, links and great info you are including keep adding to the list.
Thanks for the video, they are adorable!!
I can live on cheese (plus a few other things), so now I need to try this Oamaru's Whitestone Cheese and other cheeses. I should've known, all these sheep, there should be a lot of good cheeses in NZ. I'm sure that even if we don't get to experience the Dunedin market, we'll still find plenty of options to sample the bounty.
A night in the Catlins is very tempting. I don't know if we can fit it, but...if we can, where do you suggest we stop? I know that Jan/Feb is high season, how flexible can we be? How easy will be to find accommodations without prior reservation?

Please DO NOT take Google maps as accurate information for travelling times in New Zealand.
https://www.aa.co.nz/travel/time-and...ce-calculator/ is a much better source.
Also look at https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/journey-planner. This is run by Waka Kotahi which is New Zealand's Transport Agency. As Diamantina mentions we have unpredictable weather here and a road can be closed at any time. The TV news at 6 pm is good at mentioning closed roads but how many tourists are watching NZ TV while they are here?
Google Maps used to have Turangi Burger King in completely the wrong place! So who knows what other mistakes they have made? There is the classic example of tourists being given a route from Blenheim to Christchurch through the back hills of Molesworth Station! Sure there is a gravel road there but it would be very slow driving for a 4 wheel drive only.
We had a road trip through the Catlins in 2021 and it is a lovely area with so much history. We stayed at the Whistling Frog Resort for 2 nights because it had a restaurant and there are no shops in the area. https://www.whistlingfrogresort.com/
Check the reviews and decide for yourself. It was the perfect choice in terms of location. Catlins' roads are narrow and winding and there were quite a few big trucks on the road.
Diamantina mentions the Elephant Rocks in Waitaki - we went there last September. It was very cool.
New Zealand is long and skinny and often there is only one road in and out of an area. If that's blocked - well you have to find another route. I'm trying to say that driving here takes longer than you think!

Oops forgot to add about booking in advance - you need to do it! Tourist numbers are up to pre Covid levels now and in the lock down we all got used to taking holidays around NZ and realised what a great little place we live in so everything gets busy!
Auckland and Northland have their Anniversary holiday on the last weekend of January. Nelson and Buller have theirs the following Monday and the whole country has Waitangi Day on the 6th February. This means the last week of Jan and the first week of Feb are very busy everywhere as people take the last break away of summer. I would book any accommodation required in this period.
Could you move your trip to mid February? Weather here in Auckland is lovely right now and much better than over Christmas. It's cooling down at night but the days are still war. School kids and university students are back in their classrooms so it's not as busy out there.

Tarakona,
Thank you, great points!! I had an idea that google might not be the best source for directions, and thank you for the alternative link. As in other countries, I am assuming that adding about 25% to their estimates is a generally good approach, but the wrong directions...you can't anticipate those. We've had surprises even at home, so I'm not surprised to hear that their NZ directions are not always the best.
You are right about watching the news, we never do when traveling. Although I can see the benefit in case of road closure or other local events.
Yes, we'll get reservations, we always do. The good thing about that, you don't have to worry about it. The bad part, well...you can't be very spontaneous and change your plans, add a day here, remove a day from there, change the itinerary, etc.
Moving the trip to mid February...that might be possible, but then it will push it to mid March. Considering that we'll get to the southern part of the South Island towards the end of our trip, how is the weather there in mid March? I'm not concerned about temperature, but I am about rain.

xyz99, I thought maybe you and your spouse were teachers or college professors because you were planning on coming to NZ around school holidays-Waitangi Day. For sure, you might consider coming at a less busy time, but not Feb. 17 through Mar..3, 2026, as that coincides with Chinese New Year-Spring Festival-Lantern Festival, which is also a busy.time. (Unless relations between China and NZ deteriorate, which I don't expect--or hope--will happen.) From December through February, there are probably as many as 50 direct weekly flights between China and New Zealand.

It's also worth checking special events before you firm up your itinerary. For instance, you might not want to time your visit to Wanaka during Challenge Wanaka, a large triathlon that takes place in mid-Feb.

March, in general, is lovely in the south of the South Island, the weather becomes more settled and less windy, though it will start getting darker earlier and it's not likely to be as warm as mid-January to mid-Feb--but it'll still be warm. If you plan on longer hikes, you might appreciate the slightly cooler weather of March, particularly when walking on tracks with little shade. (This summer actually brought wetter, windier, and at times colder, weather to many regions, perhaps due in part to La Niña.). January and February are not necessarily dry months, especially when ex-tropical Southwest Pacific cyclones arrive in NZ. These are not common, but can happen (Cyclone Gabrielle, Feb. 2023 is one example) These mostly affect the North Island and at times the top of the South Island. The NZTA trip planner site Tarakona gave you is great. Also check weather alerts on Metservice. Local DOC (Dept. of Conservation) and I-Site Visitor Info offices will have info on track closures. DOC also has its own alerts link. For instance, right now, if you were to click on alerts for "Otago", you'd learn that Dunedin's popular Tunnel Beach Track is temporarily closed due to Oct. 2024 flood damage.

By the end of March, you will begin to see the changing colors of the autumn leaves (non-native deciduous trees such as poplar, maple, willow, oaks, etc.) Stargazing and astrophotography are best from March to September. If you enjoy eating oysters, .Bluff oysters (also known as Chilean oysters, or ostra verde) come into season in early March. Many hoiho and blue penguins moult in March, hoiho chicks fledge in February.

March is my favorite month for traveling around NZ. It's still a busy month, but not as busy as late December through Feb.

As the Catlins offers a variety of environments and experiences, there are many opinions about where to stay in the Catlins. I'm glad Tarakona is offering advice on this, as I haven't been there for a while; she might have more up-to-date info. Also, have a look at these websites offering an overview of your many options.:
Official Catlins website
Catlins map
Catlins birdwatching
Southern Scenic Route
Clutha District-Catlins

I will follow up with my suggestions for your one-day Catlins base soon (though I have been having many problems with my laptop). If you are as passionate about birdwatching as it seems you are (I can relate to this), I would urge you to consider spending one of two nights on Stewart Island instead. You have some difficult choices to make!

My apologies, I made assumptions that Tarakona is "she". I was going to correct this to "Tarakona" but my laptop died on me! Also, I meant to write, "I would urge you to consider spending one or two nights on Stewart Island instead." I should add, one night might be sufficient if you were assured of good weather, but two nights would increase your chances of this. Flights from Invercargill Airport take 20 minutes. Ferries from Bluff take an hour. Stewart Island has just upgraded its tourist services.

Hi again xyz99, just got back from our second trip to New Zealand and had a wonderful time. I always seem to have contrary opions to many on this board. From your initial itinerary, personally I would not spend 3 or 4 nights in some of the places you have noted. For example, we had two nights in Franz Josef and that was plenty (now we did not take a helicopter but many of them were cancelled anyway). Note, we drove there from Hokitka in the morning, which is not on your list and we liked, and had time on day one to go to Lake Matheson for a walk, the Fox viewpoint, the Franz Josef glacier view trail (you can only walk to a spot 3000 meters from the glaicer) and still had time for one more short bushwalk. We were worried about rain the next day so we crammed as much as we could in that day. It started to rain on our second afternoon, so we watched the movie and went to the Kiwi center (we had a morning lake activity that day).

Also, you don't seem to be spending time in Queenstown. I know lots of people here say that it is too touristy and yes, it is, but so is Wanaka. The latter is just smaller. And we found much more to do in Queenstown than Wanaka, unless you are going to drive long distances everyday. I found the Glenorchy area a highlight of both trips and getting there from Wanaka is a stretch. The Dart River jet boat was really worthwhile, IMO. That being said, we had a couple very good meals in Wanaka, but we struggled to find things to do our second afternoon.

Now, I understand the desire not to be packing up every day, but many of these places are quite small so for us two nights was usually right. Maybe you'll take longer hikes than we did (I had a recent knee injury so we tended to average only 4-6 miles on this trip per day) and that will take you more time in places.

As to driving, on the South Island we made a little slower time than our iPhone estimated, I'd say 10% on average before counting stops. One time we hit roadworks that delayed us 45 minutes. On the North Island we were pretty close to the predicted travel times.

Weather: We were in New Zealand Feb 7th-27th and had only about 24 hours of rain that was hard enough to bother us (Franz Josef and Haast Pass), and really not much any other time, just a couple very short showers. It was warmer than expected on the west coast, everyone was in shorts. Oh, and our normal iphone weather was never right. The locals said to use Windy. Accuweather seemed more accurate that the Apple weather, no pun intended, too. Our first trip was a bit later, like mid February to first week of March (final week on north Island) and I only remember one or two days of rain then too, so Feb/early March seem to typically hold good weather.

Have a great trip.

Damantina,
We are not teachers and flexible with the dates. Between school summer break, various holidays and Chinese New Year, it seems the NZ summers are pretty busy :-) I haven't thought about March, I guess that would be like Sept in the Northern hemisphere? Which is one of my favorite travel months....hmmm, definitely an interesting idea, thank you.

I keep going back and forth, trying to add Stewart Island into the itinerary. Part of me wants to cut off the entire N Island, and spend all the time on the S.Island...We'd miss Rotorua (but we've seen Yellowstone), Tongariro NP and Wellington. But that will give us 5 days for the Catlins and Stewart island. Very tempting, what do you think?

Yes, everything will be more crowded in summer.

You can consider reversing your trip, beginning in Christchurch at the start of March, when it’ll be warmer than at the end of March. By the end of March, it should still be warm on the North Island.

If you were to arrive early morning into Auckland at the start of your trip, you might not even be able to check in early for an Auckland hotel. You might have to just store your luggage and come back at 2 p.m. So you might as well continue south.

Some international airlines—among them, United, fly directly into Christchurch (though not necessarily year round.

Yes, dropping the North Island entirely would give you that extra time you need for the South Island with time to spare. Do you think you would be returning to NZ after this upcoming trip? You could save the North Island for your return trip. If not, it seems your priorities would be interisland ferry, Zealandia in Wellington and Tongariro Crossing. You said you were already considering dropping Rotorua as you’ve already seen Yellowstone. Well, then, you could continue on to Auckland after a couple of nts. In Tongariro. You can do a glow worm cave tour in Te Anau, if you miss out on Waitomo. You can also see glow worms in FJ (Terrace Walk).

Could you list the attractions you hope to see and activities you hope to do in each place?

[QUOTE=Diamantina;17637202]Yes, everything will be more crowded in summer.

You can consider reversing your trip, beginning in Christchurch at the start of March, when it’ll be warmer than at the end of March. By the end of March, it should still be warm on the North Island.

If you were to arrive early morning into Auckland at the start of your trip, you might not even be able to check in early for an Auckland hotel. You might have to just store your luggage and come back at 2 p.m. So you might as well continue south.

Some international airlines—among them, United, fly directly into Christchurch (though not necessarily year round).

Yes, dropping the North Island entirely would give you that extra time you need for the South Island with time to spare. Do you think you would be returning to NZ after this upcoming trip? You could save the North Island for your return trip. If not, it seems your priorities would be interisland ferry, Zealandia in Wellington and Tongariro Crossing. You said you were already considering dropping Rotorua as you’ve already seen Yellowstone. Well, then, you could continue on to Auckland after a couple of nts. In Tongariro. You can do a glow worm cave tour in Te Anau, if you miss out on Waitomo. You can also see glow worms in FJ (Terrace Walk).

Could you list the attractions you hope to see and activities you hope to do in each place?

Yes, everything will be more crowded in summer.

You can consider reversing your trip, beginning in Christchurch at the start of March, when it’ll be warmer than at the end of March. By the end of March, it should still be warm on the North Island.

If you were to arrive early morning into Auckland at the start of your trip, you might not even be able to check in early for an Auckland hotel. You might have to just store your luggage and come back at 2 p.m. So you might as well continue south.

Some international airlines—among them, United, fly directly into Christchurch (though not necessarily year round).

Yes, dropping the North Island entirely would give you that extra time you need for the South Island with time to spare. Do you think you would be returning to NZ after this upcoming trip? You could save the North Island for your return trip. If not, it seems your priorities would be interisland ferry, Zealandia in Wellington and Tongariro Crossing. You said you were already considering dropping Rotorua as you’ve already seen Yellowstone. Well, then, you could continue on to Auckland after a couple of nights in Tongariro. You can do a glow worm cave tour in Te Anau, if you miss out on Waitomo. You can also see glow worms in FJ (Terrace Walk).

Could you list the attractions you hope to see and activities you hope to do in each place?

Sorry for the duplicates. The site was glitchy. There should be a way to remove one’s own duplicate posts!