My roommate and I will be flying into Auckland in early September, and have three weeks in which to tour both Islands and (at her request) spend a weekend in Sydney. Three questions:

1. While we've booked accomodation for our first and last nights, should we go ahead and book rooms for the entire trip? Or is it possible to just play it by ear?

2. Which City would be easiest (and least expensive) to use for the hop over to Sydney? As a part of that--can we buy tickets while in New Zealand, or is it just easier to buy them before we leave for our trip?

3. I know there's so much to see, and that we really are cutting it fine on the time we're spending. If you could pick only one or two places to absolutely see, what would they be?

Thank you all so much for your help.

Cheers!

I don't know what to advise you about booking rooms. We stayed in hostels and booked each morning for that night. The only time we booked ahead was in the Queenstown area. SO, I'm not sure aobut hotels.

As far as 2 thinkgs not to miss. That's a tough one. Eveything is so beautiful. But if I really had to pick two favourites they would be, the overnight Doubtful Sound Cruise. That whole area is stunning.
The second thing I'd definately not miss would be Rotorua. It's incredible to see.
Good luck with your planning.

You shouldn't have trouble booking hotels that time of year unless there are school holidays.

We really enjoyed the concert and hangi at Te Whakarewarewa (the NZ Maori Arts and Crafts Institute) in Rotorua, black water cave rafting in Waitomo, and the city of Wellington. Actually, we enjoyed everything we did in New Zealand, but those were some of the highlights.

Lee Ann

Sydneysiders going to New Zealand always get the best deal flying in and out of Auckland, because there's so much traffic between those two cities... I would imagine this would also be true going in reverse direction. While you can. of course, buy in New Zealand, the best bargains are usually to be had by buying on the net when Virginblue and Qantas have one of their periodic sales. Keep checking their websites, and as soon as you see a price you like (I think about $AUD150 each way is pretty frequent), then grab it -- don't tarry, as the bargain seats get snapped up fast.

You will be so suprised how much ground you can cover in 3 weeks, but without a doubt try to make your way north from Auckland to the Bay of Islands (about 180miles north) You can go through an amazing Kaori (huge trees) forest along the way if you go via Waipoua and you can go to the very tip of N.Z (pretty neat). I would also wing it on the accomodation as there are lots of great little motels around, very cheap and clean and friendly, this will also give you more flexibility in where you stop (everywhere in NZ is beautiful). You can get really cheap airfares once you are over there using Virgin Blue (a Branson offspring from Virgin Atlantic) Which is a no-frills, low cost carrier (with really attractive ground staff). Air New Zealand and Qantas can also be pretty competitive (gotta love a low cost carrier to add some competition) Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington are good easy airports to leave from/to. I would also suggest if you have never been to Australia to split your 3 weeks, using 1 week for the North Island, 1 week in Australia, then 1 week on the South Island (depending on how your flights end up) That way you can get out off just Sydney and see some of the "real" country in New South Wales, or even if you can drive up to Brisbane/Gold Coast from down south you will pass through some really great spots and often the one way fares between AUS/NZ are not increased if you fly into one city and out of the other. Check out www.standbycars.com.au for great deals on one way car and camper rentals for specific dates etc (look under hot deals) Good in both New Zealand and Australia for companies trying to relocate their vehicles, sometimes they even pay you for gas. Beware on some NZ roads that are very curvy and narrow, even though a camper would solve your accomodation concerns. (wow sounds like I am planning my own trip AGAIN-sorry) Good luck, have fun.

I think booking ahead worked best for me since I didn't have to spend vacation time checking around for lodging. I winged it only in Hokitika and almost ended up sleeping in my car.

Don't miss- anywhere on the West Coast of the South Island, esp. Fjordland and the area around Pancake Rocks. For adventure I also loved black water rafting in Waitomo, fun but not too strenuous.

Fantastic suggestions from everyone--thank you so much. We're going to start planning the trip in earnest shortly, and everything you've been kind enough to share will definitely go into the mix!

hi, EchoBunny,
NZ school holidays commence Friday 23 September for 2 weeks, so you should be okay as far as not booking ahead.
Do look through the postings here for some great advice and trip reports - you'll find some very knowledgeable travellers use this forum.
Enjoy your trip, both preparation and travelling.

We free wheeled and road tripped around the North Island in March last year and the only time we found it hard to get accommodation was on a Friday and Saturday night. The rest of the week was fine.

We recommend Bay Cabinz www.baycabinz.co.nz in Paihia ($95.00 per night for a modern cedar cabin/motel) and Coromandel Court Motel in Coromandel ($125.00 per night) for a NEW two bedroom motel room with kitchen and two king sized beds. It was one of the best looked-after Motels we have ever stayed in. Just behind the Coromandel Information Centre and walking distance to the town and meals. We ate at the Peppertree. Very enjoyable.

Have a good time, we are busy planning 3 weeks on the South Island in a campervan in September. Can't wait.

It is also a good idea to book ahead for Christchurch, and definitely for the West Coast glaciers.
My two favorite sights would be Milford Sound and Lake Pukaki/Mt. Cook in fine weather (good luck).