We traveling to NZ in Feb. The other couple we're traveling with are suggesting
that we visit the North island only. My concern is this the equivalent
to visiting the US and skipping the Grand Canyon? We have 15 to 16 days
scheduled for NZ.....are we missing out on something significant???

You have enough time to visit both islands. What are you interested in seeing and doing?

Lee Ann

Probably more cultural than hiking but also interested in major photographic
opportunities...the Grand Canyon analogy stands.

The North Island has Maori-related cultural things in places like Rotorua, the East Cape, and Waitangi for starters. Te Papa Museum in Wellington is well worth a day's visit. Tongariro National Park has some fairly stunning scenery with its three volcanoes.

But if you want the jaw-dropping "Lord of the Rings" scenery, you'll want to spend time on the South Island.

If it will help, click on my screen name and you'll find a link to my trip report from April 2004, when we spent 10 days on the North Island. There will be a link to pictures there as well.

Lee Ann

If you skip the SI, you are missing the best of what NZ has to offer....don't do it!

If you want to go to see the 'real' NZ and go for the scenery, etc, don't skip the south. If you have to choose, I'd say to skip the north, although there's a lot to see there as well. NZ is very hard to visit properly in such a short time.

Personally, if arriving in Auckland, I'd get out of there ASAP and head north for 2 days. Take a day to do Waiheke Island and another day to do the surrounding area. Then head down and do Taupo, Rotorua, Hawkes Bay (Hastings/Napier)and Wellington. Te Papa in Wellington is well worth a day's visit, lots of culture there and all free.

From Wellington, take the ferry to Picton. Picton, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin are all definitely worth seeing in the south. The west coast is also stunning if you get the chance.

I lived in NZ for 4 years and still didn't get to see everything I wanted to see, so it's really hard for me to narrow everything down to a 2 week trip, but I'd definitely make sure you do the south island. That's where you see all the stunning scenery, and the real Kiwi lifestyle. 'She'll be right' is still very much alive in the south!

Enjoy your trip and make sure to take lots of photos! Don't rush it, better to come back a second time than to rush through everything

As I've said before on this forum, per square mile, the South Island has to be one of the most beautiful places on the Earth. Don't miss it!

Coastal stops aren't really going to get you to the most stunning scenery which is the Southern Alps (Mt. Cook, Queenstown, Milford Sound). You might do Rotorua in the North Island as a short trip and then fly south. Christchurch has some good museums and the Arts Centre, so I would include that based on your interests.

Te Papa is good but unless you want to drive from Auckland to Wellington I would give the whole south half NI/north half SI a miss on the first trip, there just isn't enough time to do everything.

Other places mentioned above that are not first-short trip worthy are Hawkes Bay/Napier, East Cape, Picton. Dunedin is a favorite of mine but again it's a bit out of the way for a rushed first trip.

If I were you I would just follow indiancouple's itinerary..and pray for their weather!

Two weeks is enough time to see a lot of both Islands. New Zealand is wonderful but the South Island is like no place else. To go to NZ and miss it would be a sin.