There are going to be four of us taking about two and a half weeks to explore New Zealand, and since we are renting a camper to drive from Auckland on the South island down to Queenstown on the North, we have some flexibility about what do and where we go. We would definitely appreciate input about the can't miss sights on either of the islands! The tentative idea right now is:

3 nights in Auckland
2 nights in Coromundel
2 nights in Tongariro National park
2 nights in Rotorua
2 nights in Wellington
2 nights around Fox and Franz Josef Glacier
3 nights in Queenstown
2 nights in Dunedin
End in Christchurch

We've just started planning, and any thoughts on things to do where we are looking at going or sights that aren't in the (tentative) itinerary that should be are definitely welcome! I've heard Milford Sound is amazing, and Abel Tasman National Park? I don't know anyone who has gone to New Zealand before to run ideas by, so all input is very welcome!

<and since we are renting a camper to drive from Auckland on the South island down to Queenstown on the North>

Auckland is on the NI, QT on the SI.

You're giving short shrift to the SI, which is incredibly diverse and has some pretty spectacular scenery and outdoor pursuits.

Seven days on the SI will give you a taste, but you'll find it difficult to add any more than you already have, as distances are much longer then they appear on a map and it's easy to underestimate how long it takes to get from place to place.

I'm a huge fan of the SI and if it were me, I'd spend more time (or all of it) on the SI and less on the NI, particularly in Auckland which is just a big city. There's just so much to see and do on the SI. We're headed back to the SI next month for a three week trip (our 9th or 10th visit the SI, which pretty much speaks for itself).

This site will help you sort out drive times/distances:

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/main/td-calculator.php

How do you plan to get from Wellington to Fox and Franz Josef? Ferry and drive?

I would spend 1 night in Auckland, 2 in Coromandel, drive to Rotorua for a couple of nights, maybe one in Tongariro depending on what you are going to do there, the 2 nights in Wellington - assume you are travelling on the ferry - then the rest on the South Island. You have 2 options for the ferry - the Interislander line, or the Bluebridge. We prefer the latter.

When are you coming? Where from? What are your interests? ages?
These details would be useful for us to make more appropriate suggestions. Dot

Agree with Mel - spend most of your time on the South Island! I've been three times and feel I've only scratched the surface.

It does depend on what you like, where you spend your time. Countryside is countryside the world over, and that is what the South Island does best. If you like countryside, try Norway which easily equals and betters the South Island, and you get the "Midnight Sun" as well, with it dark just a few hours in summer.

I like towns and there is lots to see in and around Auckland as well as on the way down to Wellington. NZ excels in nice "old fashioned" towns.

I suppose it is the same with campers but if you have a car, you drop it one side, go across on the ferry as a foot passenger and pick up a replacement from the same hire company on the other side (there are booths by the terminal), which saves a lot of money. Don't miss a quick look around the old boat by the ferry terminal on South Island.

It is rather a long drive from the ferry, down the West coast through endless countryside to Fox Glacier and I stayed at Greymouth overnight a few times, with an early start in the morning.

I found one night in Queenstown ample, but that was just me.

I would have said spend more time in Christchurch normally but I don't know the present state of the town after the earthquake a while back. There is a good NZ Air Force museum on the outskirts of town.

Do watch out for speed cameras in the Auckland area.

If it isn't mandatory to return to Christchurch you may want to rearrange your itinerary to end in Dunedin or Queenstown. I'm surprised you aren't going to Milford Sound, or does that fall under Queenstown?

I would try to spend time slightly outside Queenstown, eg Arrowtown, as it would be less touristy, unless you like adventure sports. 3 days sounds like quite a lot. Although you would need to check where there are campsites where you might be able to park your van might (NZ seemed quite strict when I travelled there recently). I loved Wanaka.
You might also think about driving a bit further down, to Te Anau. Its v different scenery and worth the drive.

If you haven't already seen the NZ tourism website, it's very good.

www.newzealand.com

Will give you a taste for what is in and around your stops. Many day excursions can be had from Queenstown, depending on your interests, you are not limited to only seeing what is in the town itself. Arrowtown, Glenorchy, Kinloch, Routeburn, Skippers Canyon, Dart River, as well as Milford Sound (If you don't want to drive yourselves).

Thanks for all of your replies! I'm sorry it took me so long to post, but this is the first time I'm using the threads and didn't realize that you don't receive emails letting you know someone had replied, I had no idea there were any replies for me to read! We would love to spend more time on the south island, but unfortunately since we are going for the rugby world cup we have to follow where the games we are going to are. The first is in Auckland, a week later in rotorua and the final one a week after that in dunedin.

There are three of us going, all girls ages ranging from 26 to 30. We are all pretty athletic and love to hike which is one of the reasons New Zealand was such a draw. Two are Irish, and one American. We are an eclectic group!

We would love to do Milford Sound, but is it worth doing the day trip from Queenstown? I'd looked in to it and seems like a very long day but the Sound seems like a do-not-miss type of place. Is it worth it to go?

Also, is there a big difference between the Franz-Josef and Fox glacier? We know we will be doing a day trip on to one of the glaciers and want to make sure we get the best experience we can.

So if we do only have the seven days on the SI(which the plan is to take the camper on the ferry from the NI to the SI), what are the things we should definitely try and see, the highlights? I'm doing my best to narrow down to the top things we want to do, but from all my research it looks like I could spend a month on just the SI and not see everything I want to!

As you are making Dunedin your last stop, I suggest you fly out of Dunedin. Because the drive from Dunedin to Christchurch would make for a very long day.
There is a lot to see and do in Dunedin (though I imagine you will spending a good deal of your time here at the rugby world cup).
Since you have your own transport, you can drive out to the Otago Peninsula and visit the Royal Albatross Centre and Penguin Place. (It actually works out cheaper to buy a package through the tourist information center because you get a break on admissions). On the other side of Otago Harbor, you'll find Port Chalmers (you might spot some Royal Spoonbills on the way), and if you continue along this road you'll reach Aramaoana Beach/boardwalk/track, which is also a great place to walk. You might see blue penguins in the water, as well as sea lions perched on the rocks. Orokunui Ecosanctuary is nearby.
The Dunedin Botanical Gardens are lovely, though maybe not as colorful during this time of year. It offers great views of the city and has an aviary.
The Otago Museum, right next to the university is interesting and has a nice cafe that looks out onto the park. The Dunedin Public Art Gallery, which is right at the Octagon, also has a nice cafe. Both museums offer free admission.
The Dunedin Railway Station is an architectural gem and entrance to the building is also free.
Being a university town, Dunedin is sure to get even more lively/crazy during the rugby world cup.
The area offers plenty of hiking opportunities. The hike down to Sandfly Bay will get you to a beach often populated with rare New Zealand fur seals, Hooker sea lions, and sometimes yellow-eyed penguins (please don't get too close).
You have to hike down steep sand dunes.
The Tunnel Beach hike is also popular, but I think it might be closed for lambing season at this time.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/docume...nd-dunedin.pdf

http://www.dunedinnz.com/visit/home.aspx

http://www.atoz-nz.com/tramping.asp

http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealan...ighlights.html

http://www.newzealand.com/travel/sig...sid/63598.html

Regarding Fox vs. Franz Josef, there are a lot of recent threads about the glaciers on this website; you can do a search.
Meanwhile, here's a link to a recent thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...or-mt-cook.cfm

Correction to the above: I meant to write "Aramoana" beach/boardwalk/track

If there are a number of you, sharing the driving to Milford Sound won't be that bad. I do think it's worthwhile. If you are traveling around world cup locations I think you will want to book things in advance.

If you don't make it to Milford I'd try to drive out to Glenorchy and Kinloch for some of the great views on that drive. There's even a campsite at Kinloch.