Stop planning your New Zealand trip from forty open tabs.
We’ve lived in New Zealand for over 10 years, and spent a full year just travelling the country ourselves. We already made the mistakes, so you don’t have to.
One payment, yours forever. Delivered to your inbox in under a minute.
Planning a trip to New Zealand can feel harder than it should. You watch one reel about New Zealand, then five more, and suddenly your whole Instagram feed is full of it. Different recommendations, different opinions, everywhere. And somehow you end up more confused than when you started.
Here’s what you’ll get:
- Car or campervan, which one to pick
- How much everything actually costs
- Where to stay, from free camping to hotels
- Ready-made trip plans, 10 to 21 days
- The best things to do, and what to skip
- Getting between the North and South Island
- Phone plans and apps that actually work here
- Mistakes most first timers make
- A checklist for before you fly
- What to pack for New Zealand weather
- Discount codes on things we’ve actually used
About 65 minutes read start to finish. Everything is clickable and interactive, so open it on your phone, tap through to the section you need, and book straight from the page.
We keep travelling New Zealand ourselves. When a price changes, a place closes, or we find somewhere new worth going, we add it straight into the guide. Every update is free, for as long as you own it.
Whether it’s your first time in New Zealand or you come here all the time, this guide helps you get around like you already know the place.
Four full itineraries, built on real roads
Not just a line between dots. Full day by day itineraries, morning through evening, with every stop marked, so you know exactly what your days look like before you book a thing.
South Island only
Christchurch to Queenstown. If you only have ten days, this is how you do the South Island properly instead of rushing both.
Both islands
Auckland to Christchurch. Auckland and Rotorua first, then fly south. The route most first timers should be doing.
Both islands, unrushed
Auckland to Christchurch with the days you actually want. Adds Waiheke, an extra Rotorua day, and Wanaka.
The full loop
Auckland to Christchurch by road and ferry. North Island loop, the Cook Strait crossing, then the whole South Island circuit, built for a campervan.
Fifteen regions, each with its own map
Every activity we recommend is pinned. Tap a pin and you either get a book now button straight to the operator, or a note telling you it is free and there is nothing to book.
Where to actually stay, not just what is popular
Real picks across six towns on the route, Auckland, Rotorua, Queenstown, Christchurch, Tekapo and Mount Cook, each with a budget, a mid-range and a luxury option, filtered from thousands down to what is actually worth booking. Three from Queenstown below, so you can see the format.
Central, clean, consistently well reviewed and walkable to everything.
Reliable Accor property right on the lake.
Our luxury pick for the CBD.
What this is, and what it is not
What you get
- Four full itineraries with real driving maps
- Fifteen regions with every activity pinned and bookable
- Real daily costs across four budget styles
- Our honest opinions, including what to skip
- Pre-trip and packing checklists
- Lifetime access, including future updates
What it is not
- A day-by-day plan built around your exact dates
- A list of specific hotels booked for you
- Advice on which skydive or which jet boat is right for you
- Anything personalised to your budget or group
That is what our 1:1 call and customised itineraries are for, and both are linked inside the guide. Guide readers get $10 off the call.
We are Sagar and Ami
We have lived in New Zealand for ten years, and spent a full year of that living full time on the road, in a campervan called Wander Bee. Not a two week holiday. Driving these roads in every season, sleeping at the campsites, paying for the activities with our own money.
Everything in this guide is something we have actually done. Where we think something is overrated, we say so. Where we think you should spend the extra money, we say that too.
Before you buy
How do I get the guide after paying?
You will get an email within a minute of paying with your private link. Open it on your phone or laptop, whichever you prefer. There is nothing to download and no app to install.
Does it work offline?
Once you have opened it on your phone it stays available, which matters on the West Coast and around Fiordland where signal disappears entirely. The interactive maps need data to load the first time, so open it before you head into remote areas.
Is this a PDF?
No, and that is deliberate. It is a live page, which means the maps are interactive, the routes follow real roads, and every activity links straight through to where you book it. A PDF cannot do any of that.
Will it still be useful if I am not doing a campervan trip?
Yes. The itineraries work the same whether you are in a campervan or a rental car, and the accommodation section covers the full range from free camping through to hotels. The campervan detail is there if you want it, not assumed.
What if I want help with my specific dates?
Book a 1:1 planning call. Sixty minutes on video where we go through your actual trip, and you get a written summary afterwards. Guide readers get $10 off, and the booking link is inside the guide.
Do you update it?
Yes, and you get every update at no extra cost. Prices change, operators change, and we keep it current as we keep travelling.
Do you make money from the links inside?
Some of them, yes. If you book through a link in the guide we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend, and we only link to things we have done ourselves. We would rather tell you that up front than bury it.
Get your itinerary sorted tonight.
Fifteen dollars, one payment, and you can close all those tabs. Everything we know about travelling New Zealand for the first time, in one place you can actually use while you are here.
One payment, yours forever, including every future update.
Want us to look at your actual trip?
A sixty minute 1:1 planning call, on video, with a written summary afterwards. Guide readers get $10 off, applied automatically from inside the guide.
Want the whole thing planned for you?
A customised itinerary built day by day around your dates, your budget and what you actually care about. Bookings, timings, the lot.