New Zealand road trips and itineraries
My best tips and routes for exploring New Zealand by road.
In this guide
☼ ITINERARIES BY LENGTH
☼ CAMPERVAN TRIPS
☼ ROAD TRIP TIPS
A road trip is the best way to explore New Zealand
The first vehicle I ever bought was a campervan. It had wooden furnishings, flax linen bedsheets, and fairy lights, and it was the perfect road trip vehicle.
That was where my love for New Zealand road trips started.
Since then, I have driven the length and breadth of New Zealand. Road trips aren’t just a fun way to explore the country; they are almost a necessity. Destinations are spread out and New Zealand is larger than it looks on a map, so you’ll probably need to move most days and do a decent amount of driving.
I’ve pulled together some of my favourite road trips and itineraries into the guides you’ll find on this page. If you’re in the throes of planning your New Zealand itinerary, I hope this helps.
Resources for planning your New Zealand road trip
RENTING A CAMPERVAN: Motorhome Republic is the easiest way to compare prices across a range of campervan companies (it’s clunky but still the most useful comparison site at the moment)
RENTAL CARS: RentalCars.com for comparing the prices of rental cars
MONEY: New Zealand is mostly cash free, with the occasional exception of campgrounds and roadside fruit stands. Generally, you can get away with paying for everything with a credit or debit card.
I use Wise, including in New Zealand (I love the way it helps me track my spending). You can use the card almost everywhere. The only exception I have found is at self-service gas stations, which refuse to recognise it as a credit card. As a work around, you’ll have to visit petrol stations with a shop/attendant inside.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: I recommend World Nomads (it’s what I use outside of New Zealand — when I’m here, I only occasionally get a cheap plan to cover rental cars).
If you take out travel insurance, you probably don’t need to pay for ‘excess reduction’ when you pick up your rental vehicle (most travel insurance policies should cover excess reduction for car rentals). However, you will need a credit card, which the rental car company will place a hold against — I don’t have a credit card, so this is niggly for me.
FINDING ACCOMMODATION: Booking.com is my preferred website for finding hostel or hotel accommodation in New Zealand, but it’s also worth checking Vrbo when you’re looking for places to stay outside of towns (some of the best places to stay are more remote).
Canopy Camping is great for a special stay.
BOOKING ACTIVITIES: Viator is an easy way to book tours.
USEFUL APPS:
Gaspy is a great app for finding the cheapest petrol prices on your road trip (Waitomo and NPD are often the cheapest gas stations in New Zealand)
Campermate and Rankers are apps you can use to find campsites all over the country.
EATING OUT ON A BUDGET: When you’re on the go a lot, it can be hard to find the time or energy to cook meals. I use First Table and Bookme to find restaurant deals so I can eat out more often without spending too much money.
KEEP YOUR SANITY: TripIt — an all-in one travel organiser for when the number of bookings starts to get overwhelming.
FOR TAILORED ADVICE: Book a call with me! If you need feedback on your itinerary or personalised travel tips, feel free to put some time in my calendar and let’s chat.
Epic New Zealand road trips
Some of my favourite scenic drives around the country — whether you’re looking for coastal views, remote camping spots, or mountains roads.
New Zealand has some of the greatest scenic drives in the world; it’s the ideal country for a road trip.
Whether it’s driving down the West Coast of the South Island, stopping to look at the rock formations in Punakaiki or glaciers in Franz Josef. Or, driving from Christchurch to Queenstown past Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki. Or making your way to the tip of the North Island to Cape Reinga and the point where two oceans meet.
These itineraries cover some of New Zealand’s key highlights. They are all self drive options, so you will need a rental car or a camperven.
Queenstown to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
The drive alongside the edge of bright blue Lake Pukaki, with the shimmering peak of AorakiMount Cook looming directly ahead, is one of the most beautiful in the country.
West Coast of the South Island, from Punakaiki to Franz Josef
A tour of rugged coastlines, rainforests, and ink-black lakes.
Wanaka to Haast, through Mount Aspiring NP
The drive alongside the edge of bright blue Lake Pukaki, with the shimmering peak of AorakiMount Cook looming directly ahead, is one of the most beautiful in the country.
The Coromandel Peninsula loop
The Coromandel makes for the perfect road trip, with a road looping up the west coast and down the east. To get well and truly off the beaten track, follow the gravel road to to very top of the peninsula.
Auckland to Cape Reinga
The reward for reaching the northernmost point of New Zealand is deserted beaches and blissful camping grounds.
Picton to Christchurch
The coastal road down the upper east coast of the South Island goes via the marine wildlife haven of Kaikoura, along with rocky beaches, seal colonies. and vineyards
Dunedin to Invercargill, along the Catlins Coast
Wind-swept beaches, sea lions, a fossilised forest, and if you’re very lucky, penguins.
Itineraries of one week or less
ONE WEEK
SOUTH ISLAND
A one week South Island itinerary
In one week you can see the highlights of the South Island.
ONE WEEK
NORTH ISLAND
One week road trip from Auckland to Cape Reinga
Drive to the far north of the country in 7 days.
FIVE DAYS
NORTH ISLAND
Driving from Auckland to Wellington
A 5 day North Island road trip.
FOUR DAYS
SOUTH ISLAND
Driving from Christchurch to Queenstown
See the South Island’s highlights in 3-4 days.
Itineraries of two weeks or more
TWO WEEKS
BOTH ISLANDS
The ultimate two week New Zealand itinerary
Spend 14 days road tripping across both the North and South Islands.
TWO WEEKS
NORTH ISLAND
A two week road trip around the North Island
Spend 14 days exploring the North Island’s highlights.
TWO WEEKS
SOUTH ISLAND
A two week road trip around the South Island
Spend 14 days road travelling in a loop of the South Island.
THREE WEEKS
BOTH ISLANDS
A three week road trip from Auckland to Christchurch
Spend 21 days road tripping across both the North and South Islands.
Road tripping around New Zealand should feel like fun, and freedom. It shouldn’t feel like an exercise in trying to see as much as possible, or drive as many hours as you can in the daylight you have. Slow it down. Leave room for the little moments of magic, like coffee in the golden morning light or a little roadside fruit and vege stall which provides you with everything you need for dinner. Don’t worry about trying to see everything. Don’t worry at all. Relax. Once you’re in New Zealand, you’ll see many beautiful places. It doesn’t matter if you skip a few. Take lots of photos but stay present. This is your trip of a lifetime.
Travelling New Zealand by campervan
The beauty of travelling in a campervan is the freedom it allows you. No need to book accommodation each night; you can make it up as you go.
Campervans also give you the chance to stay in some of the wildest and most remote parts of New Zealand, where the only other accommodation option, if any, is a tent.
Hiring a campervan makes for the ultimate New Zealand road trip.
It does cost a little more to rent a campervan than a car, but the overall experience is different. If you want to be closer to nature and have more spontaneity in your travels, rent a motorhome/campervan.
RENTAL CAR OR CAMPERVAN?
There’s no easy answer to this one — it comes down to whether you like to spend more time in remote areas and don’t mind roughing it a little (in which case you should get a campervan) or whether you prefer to have creature comforts (which might mean a rental car and hotel combination suits you better).
Get a personalised road trip itinerary
If you’re overwhelmed planning your New Zealand road trip, and don’t know where to start — or you just need to sense check your route — I might be able to help.
Road trip FAQs
Planning a road trip around New Zealand can be difficult when you don’t know the lay of the land — these are some of my best tips for first time visitors.
How many days do you need for a road trips around New Zealand?
You could go on an epic road trip in one week — I’ve done as little as five days between Queenstown and Christchurch. But, to really get the most out of your trip, I recommend at least two weeks.
How much should you budget for a road trip in New Zealand?
Your main costs are going to be your rental vehicle (a campervan is much more expensive than a car), accommodation (cheaper to camp, but you can find budget motel rooms for around $120 a night, or mid-range rooms for around $200 a night), and food.
On top of that, you have to factor in petrol, which costs a lot in New Zealand, and any activities. Hiking and beaches are free, but you could easily spend several hundred dollars a day on bungy jumps, jet boats, or heli flights.
Overall, you should budget at least $200 a day if you want to travel with a degree of comfort and enjoy occasional meals out and paid activities.