100% Pure Romance, Pure New Zealand
11 Day Itinerary – NZ through my lens
Day 1
Reach and spend the day in Auckland

We landed at the Auckland airport around 12 in the afternoon.
Immigration Tips: Do not carry fruits/ flowers/ mud in shoes
Airport is around 20kms from the city center and we booked a “Super Shuttle” in advance. There’s a SuperShuttle every 10 mins.
#Supershuttle: Punctual, convenient, speedy and economic option for airport transfer, throughout New Zealand.

#Tip: Opt for a hotel in the center of the city, for easy and walkable distance to the Sky Tower and other hangouts. It’s totally safe to walk back to the hotel at night.
We reached hotel around 3pm and after settling down and fighting jet-lag, walked to the Sky Tower. It’s an awesome 60 storied, highest man-made structure in NZ and a must visit for a majestic view of the commercial hub.
Timings: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
#Sky Tower recommended visit during the day/ before sunset.
Do raid the SKYCITY Auckland Casino. It’s is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for non-stop fun and excitement.
There’re a lot of Desifood options, (like #Raviz).
#Wow factor: Vegetarians, there’re a lot of options for you in the NZ cuisine, so you may lighten your baggage by a few of those MTR ready to eat packets! Also, must try local food!
For those interested in Museums, Auckland Museum - Tamaki Paenga Hira is world’s most extensive Maori and Pacific Island Collection located a few minutes from the city center.
Timings - Daily 10am to 5pm

Day 2
Queenstown arrival, Gondola ride & Pub Crawl

We took a morning flight to the most beautiful place of the South Island, Queenstown.
Our flight was a bit delayed and we reached by afternoon. One of the spectacular landing views awaited us. Mesmerized, took a few pics around and took a SuperShuttle!
Tip: Take a hotel/motel with the Lake (Wakatipu) View and close proximity to the market.
We spent the day at leisure by strolling around the city, lake and Gondola ride up the #Skyline
Skyline has a lot of Luge Rides - to enjoy those try to reach before 5pm. View from the top, overlooking “The Remarkables” mountain range, is simply spectacular. We spent some time at the restaurant there, absorbing the view.
Queenstown night life has a lot to offer. We took a Pub Crawl with the #BigNightoutgroup and hopped around. It was super fun.
We stayed at closed proximity from the city center and it was safe to walk back to our hotel. 

Day 3
Drive to Milford Sound and spend the night in cruise

We booked an overnight cruise to the world famous fiord, dominated by Mitre Peak and cascading waterfalls, Miford Sound Nature with #realjourneys. They pick you from your hotel in the morning and drop you back the next afternoon. They have a 1-day package too, but we suggest an overnight stay, to experience, relax, absorb the wonders of nature and encounter seals, seagulls, if lucky – dolphins.
#Tip: Opt for Milford Mariner Overnight Cruise over Milford Wanderer
#RealJourneys has packages from Queenstown:
We suggest, atleast one way you must travel by a bus/coach for the most amazing scenic beauty and adventurous stories that the guide would narrate. You’d be travel across Lake Wakatipu, TeAnau, the Eglinton Valley and travel through the breath taking man made Homer Tunnel to reach Milford Sound.
You may opt for Doubtful Sound or TeAnau also.
#RealJourneys is a real partner of your journey.
#Wow: you may Kayak in the evening or opt for a nature guide who’ll take you around in a speed boat. At the time of booking we requested a vegetarian meal option, and to our surprise they kept Indian vegetarian main course dishes in the buffet.
#Note: There are options to avail fly back as well.

Day 4
Return from Cruise & Leisure walks exploring Queenstown

Today, we woke up and rushed for the cruise breakfast, as we were heading towards the #Tasman #Sea, mysterious opening of the fiord, out in the sea, from where the explorer Able Tasman came in.
It was COLD, really cold winds blowing crazy and one couple stood at the tip of the deck, braving it all, throughout – a 70yr old couple from France. Salute!
We opted for a coach back to Queenstown, as it gave us a good view of the highest, most painted & photographed peak of the South Island. A real cute encounter was with #Kea, one of the rare and intelligent mountain bird.
Suggest an evening stroll along the Lake Wakatipu and the #QueenstownGardens. The sky, the lake and the city looks painted in a mulberry palette.
Evening was the time to take out the checklist and TICK one the “Must Dos” of the town, i.e “Eat a Ferg Burger”!!
#Must try: Non-veggies, check out for venison meat cuisine in NZ. Being a foodie couldn’t resist trying it in a Fergburger.
Numerous souvenir shops, #SkyCity #Casino, gourmet restaurants will keep you mesmerized that you simply wouldn’t want to head back to your hotel.
You might have a big day tomorrow – Bungee at Kawarau Gorge or Tandem Skydiving. If you’re a weak heart like me – watch the freaked out jumpers taking a plunge!

Day 5
Hot Air Ballooning & Wine Tour in Queenstown

Queenstown is possibly the best landscape in the world to view, and it's even better during a sunrise hot air balloon ride followed by a champagne celebration.
#sunriseballoons were our partner of this journey.
They picked up us early morning, er.. or I must say, before sunrise!
Well, I wouldn’t say I was all excited for the tour, but once I was Up in the Air, witnessing the first of those lukewarm sunrays on my cheeks, whoa..boy, I was on literally on cloud no.9.
After the most ecstatic part of our itinerary, we returned to gear ourselves for the wine tour.
We had booked our wine tour with #AppellationCentralWineTours. They took us into the heart of Central Otago famous for its boutique vineyards producing the famous - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling, dramatic scenery (apparently some parts of Lord of the Rings was shot here) and great history waiting for us.
#Wow factor: they had arranged a vegetarian meal on request.
NZ ensures, you don’t miss out on local cuisine or waste your time hunting for Indian Restaurants!

Day 6
Drive to Franz Jozef& Hot Pool

And here we start our self-drive in Camry, which we booked through #Apex rentals from Queenstown to Greymouth.
Start early in the moring as you’ve got miles to go before you reach Franz Josef. Distance from Queenstown to Franz Josef is approximately 350 kms and may take upto 5 hours.
For those who want to cover the bungee jump, route via #Kawarau suspension bridge.
The scenery is full of dramatic variations, we started with arid mountains on a bright and sunny morning (Wakatipu, Arrowtown and all along the lake Wanaka) and traversed through the deep rainforests, with dense clouds (no rain), river basin to along side the Tasman sea. Finally, to the foggy Fox Glacier and a cooler Franz Jozef.
We took a lunch break at Wanaka and gorged into yum #luxury burgers. We even spotted an Indian restaurant, but preferred tasting the local cuisine. If you’ve time in hand, on the way, you may make a stop at the #Puzzling World.
#Tip : Carry munchies for the road trip, you may not want to make many stops as we’d like to reach destination in daylight
After the long drive, unwind yourself in the midst of the rainforest. Hop in to the #glacierhotpools. They offer a superb way to relax and rejuvenate. Take a dip in the glacier water and chill in the natural sanctuary. There are varying temperatures of pools.
#Tip: You may carry your own swimwear and towel

Day 7
Drive to Greymouth & ride the TranzAlpine to Christchurch

Early morning start for Greymouth. Mornings in March are foggy and a little cold. It’s around 175 kms drive. In case you’ve taken the TranzAlpine train ticket, plan accordingly. The train comes to Greymouth station at around 12:45 and departs 1 hour later.
#Hokitika is a lovely little town on the way and you may want to stretch your legs and some coffee here. There are some lovely old buildings to admire. The road between Hokitika and Greymouth provides great views of the wild west coast.

You’ll have to drop the car and the keys at a designated parking and counter in Greymouth. After you collect your tickets, there are options for buying souvenirs from the station’s gift shop or chilling with some locally brewed ale.
Few recommended places - #SpeightsAleHouse (as it is opposite the railway station, you have one eye on the train) or #MonteithsBrewingCo
Train ride is a nice scenic and relaxing journey. It’s a great experience to traverse through the Southern Alps to the Canterbury plains, as the scenery changes dynamically. Enjoy it with some ginger ale.
#Alternate Plan
If you’re planning to ditch the train and drive from the Fox Glacier/ Franz Joseph, then maybe you may drive down to Nelson and then take a flight to the North Island. We went to Christchurch, as we chose to hop on the Tranzalpine train

Day 8
Christchurch & Flight to Rotorua

Christchurch is on the east coast of the South Island and is set on the Canterbury Plains. As rightly said on all travel forums, it is coping resiliently and #creatively. Artists from around the world have come and helped the city sprung back with new and innovative attractions, along with the old favorites.
We had an overnight stay in Christchurch and took an afternoon flight to Rotorua. This gave us ample time to go around the city.
#Things to do
#City Tour - You may take a guided day tour or just stroll around on foot. There are also for options - #SegawayTours or #BikeTours
Witness the creative projects around the city, for some history :
#AirForceMuseum , #InternationalAntarticCentre, beautiful and tranquil #Botanic Gardens, #Gondola Ride
take that #vintage #Tram ride around the central city or a smooth canoe ride down the Avon River
and finally head to #Re:START container mall which is a funky shopping destination surrounding the other souvenir shop like #DFSouvenirs ..
We then summoned at #SuperShuttle for airport transfers from the hotel. Ours was a connecting flight from #Wellignton.
#Tip – if you’ve time and are absolutely gaga over the LOTR series, you can plan a day tour to the #MiddleEarth set up here in Wellington. The airport itself has so many #Hobbit themed installations. However, there’s a whole #Hobbiton movie set at Matamata, enroute Auckland from Rotorua and you may cover it there.

Day 9
Te Puia - Geysers, Mitai Maori, Rainbow Springs

We boarded the Air New Zealand around late afternoon. It was a small craft and boy, was it shaky?!! We flew over the majestic Pacific with a blur horizon. And just when we thought we were landing on water, we felt the craft bounce on the land. Phew.
Kia Ora, Rotorua
The first thing you have do, after coming out of the airport, is – smell sulphur in the air (smell of rotten eggs).

We picked up our rented car from the parking and drove to Lake Rotorua. It was a pleasant evening to enjoy the lakeside along with the black swans, sea plane and lots of seagulls to feed.
There’s an #EatStreet near the lake and you may stroll around munching and enjoying the live performances. This is also a must try.
Next morning we left for #TePuia. You may do either Te Puia or Whakarewarewa the Living Maori Village. We wanted to get the #Maori food and cultural experience and covered that in the evening at #Mitai Village.
#TePuia
It is 5-10mins ride from city center. Te Puia features the world famous Phohutu Geyser. You may take a basic pass which involves a guided inside the place. The guides take you around the Whakarewarewa geothermal valley and share stories and insights of this unique place. Their tradition of guiding in the valley extends for generations and many guides have direct links to Rotorua’s earliest hosts.
Geysers erupt every 2-3 times in an hour. You may experience Māori cultural performances, live Kiwi watching, boiling mud pools, blue pool and native bush.
Te Puia is also has Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, which conserves the traditional Māori skills of carving and weaving for future generations.
#Gyan : It’s okay, to feel a little under the weather here. Rotorua’s nickname is ‘Sulphur City’ and you may feel a little sick with the smell and if it’s a sunny day. But, after a while, you get acclimatized.

We decided to rest in the afternoon. However , there’re plenty of tours that you can opt for – segway tour of the city, zorbing, Rotorua Museum, Mud Spa/Polynesian Spa, Agrodome Farm Tour (unique farm tour) etc.

#Mitai Maori Village
In the evening we hit the the Mitai Maori Village. Book a combo package which includes a traditional hangi meal, cultural performances, warrior canoe, glow worms in the dark and sacred freshwater spring. We have added the night walk through Rainbow Springs to see the kiwi bird, you may decide accordingly. The speaker was one quirky entertainer. The large group involved audience from 20+ countries but he greeted each one in their language, which was quite cool.
An evening at Mitai will give you an authentic introduction to the Maori Culture. The act of warriors in traditional dressing, coming in canoe, is enthralling. It’s captivating to see their display of weaponry and combat, coupled with the grace and beauty of the poi dance, followed by haka finale. Seeing the glow worms in the dark is an amazing experience.
Mitai is a 5-minute drive from the city center, and open 7 nights a week.
#Suggestion: You may plan a visit to the Waitomo Glow worm caves next day. As the routes to Hobbiton and Waitomo are different, it’ll be hectic to cover both the same day.
Day 10
Drive to Hobbiton & Auckland

Leave early morning. It’ll take around 1-1.5 hours to reach Matamata, for the Hobbiton tour. This is a place where Hobbit fans can visit the #Hobbiton Movie set and take a guided tour to the Shire. It has more than 44 unique hobbit holes, including Bag End (Bilbo’s house). As you stroll around the Shire, you’ll be told all the fables and folkore on how this was created, by the guide. In the end, you can chill at The Green Dragon for some freshly brewed craft beer or cider.
Tickets are available on the spot. There’s a coach to shuttle from the car park to the set and back, a 2 hour guided tour and an included drink (beer, cider or non-alcoholic ginger ale) at the Green Dragon pub end. The tour bus starts every 30mins from the Shire.
It took around 2-2.5hrs for us, from Matamata to Auckland. Once we reached Auckland, there was plenty of time to chill and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
Enjoy the evening at Auckland. If you’re a museum enthusiast, make sure, you visit on time. Usually the closing time is 5pm. Also, you may stroll at the harbor and take a plunge into the city nightlife.
It was time to say bye-bye NZee.. Till we meet again!!
Points to ponder
1. Unlike the Euro counties, usually the tours offer bottled water. Tap water is safe to drink
2. No worries for vegetarians
3. Must drive along the countryside. Check out the car rentals before travelling. You may book on the spot
4. Online payments and Card payments are accepted. So, don’t worry about carrying lot of cash.
5. Country is very safe from the theft perspectives, so chill and enjoy