Unfortunately for us, the time had to come when we said goodbye to New Zealand. Our family has fallen in love with this small but incredibly beautiful country. We were immediately transfixed by this place, from the moment we stepped off of the airplane at the Queenstown airport. For three and a half weeks we toured New Zealand, bottom to top, and in that time we hardly scraped the surface of what this country has to offer. There is so much to see and do here, and I have no doubt that we will be back again someday.
New Zealand has to be one of the best countries in the world for a road trip. The scenery is stunning, the roads are well paved and very safe, there is little traffic on the streets, and around every turn is another gorgeous view. Normally, the thought of a four to six hour drive would be torture for us. Not in New Zealand! We looked forward to these drives. Of course, the four to six hour estimate would get lengthened as I was always popping out of the car to grab some more photos.
The South definitely wins in the spectacular scenery department but there is a lot of beauty on the North Island as well. For first timers coming to New Zealand, I would recommend starting in Auckland and working your way down to the bottom of the South Island. This way, your views keep getting better and better.
I took thousands of photos in New Zealand, a lot of them while on the road traveling from place to place. Here are some of my favorite photos taken from the side of the road. Enjoy!
Our rental car and the road from Queenstown to Te Anau…
Driving to the Milford Sound on a very cloudy morning…
A misty morning on our way to Wanaka…
Autumn colors just outside Wanaka…
The Ahuriri River, driving from Wanaka to Mt Cook…
Another view of the Ahuriri River…
Driving to Aoraki Mt Cook…
Sheep along the road on our way to Aoraki Mt Cook…
A rainbow and blue skies…
Lake Pukaki…
Driving from Twizel to Lake Tekapo…
A New Zealand road…
The town of Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula, not far from Christchurch…
Railroad crossing…
They herd cows with dirt bikes here in New Zealand…
Here is “The Shire,” the bucolic countryside near Matamata and Rotorua…
Goodbye, New Zealand! We’ll miss you…
Planning a trip to New Zealand? Read all of our articles in our New Zealand Travel Guide.
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Comments 10
Hi Julie, I just stumbled across this site while I was looking for guides for our NZ trip in April 2023 and i must admit that i’m stoked with the wealth of Information. We are planning for 14 days to cover both North and South Island by road do you think this will be tight ? I wish we had more time but unfortunately not. Shankar
Author
Hello Shankar. Thanks for writing in. Yes, 14 days is tight for both islands but it is doable, you will just have to give up a few things. Using our 3 week New Zealand itinerary, I recommend condensing your time on the North Island (combining Taupo and Rotorua into one day, combining Waitomo Caves and Hobbiton into one day or skipping them all together, combining days 8 and 9 into one day, and then skipping a day at Abel Tasman). That should get you in around 14 days and you’ll still see the best of New Zealand, which in my opinion, is the final week of our itinerary, the sights in and around Queenstown. Cheers, Julie
Hello! What is your favorite lens for shooting your travel photos like the ones in this post, please? We will be visiting South Island soon.
Author
Check out our photography gear guide for everything we use. My go-to lens is a Canon 24-70 mm 2.8. I have used this lens for 99.9% of the photos you see on our website. Cheers, Julie
It has been a while since you last heard from me.
As ever I am in awe of your epic journeys.
I have not been to New Zealand, but it has always been on my wish list.
You must be nearing the end of your travels.Do you have many places left to see?
Whatever is left i look forward to hearing about.
Best Wishes
Vinod
Author
Hello, Vinod!
We are in Australia now, and have three weeks left here before moving on. Not that it is a secret, but we still have five more countries to visit before our grand global tour comes to an end. We will travel for a total of 13 months, heading back up into Asia before flying to the US. I don’t want to spoil where we are going next, so keep reading! We are all very excited about our final few countries!
Hi Julie and Tim –
I’m part of the group of Kiwi’s that you met in Fiji (Castaway and Cloud Nine). So great to see you made it to NZ and it sounds like you enjoyed it!
All the best for a safe, interesting and fun journey as you make your way home…
Naomi
Julie,
Your pictures are stunning!! New Zealand is on our list to visit in a few years. Enjoy Australia…. It is an amazing, beautiful place. I spent a few weeks there awhile back and it ranks as one of my favorite trips.
Julie, your pictures are gorgeous!! They all could become postcards in New Zealand stores. You could definitely put together a coffee table book of your travels.
Author
Thank you! The book idea sure sounds nice to us, too!