If you like the idea of a plan but you're not a planner these tried and tested travel itineraries are ideal. Photo / 123rf
If you like the idea of a plan but you're not a planner these tried and tested travel itineraries are ideal. Photo / 123rf
Organising a great holiday really shouldn't be an arduous experience. Unless you're a meticulous planner who enjoys the process of putting together the day-to-day agenda, it can feel quite overwhelming - dare we say tedious - to bring all the elements together.
Seeing as we still have a little time before the borders open, why not sit back and take a look through some of our favourite 'tried and tested' NZ travel itineraries. We've done the hard yard so you don't have to.
Invercargill over a long weekend
Car enthusiast, history lover, chocoholic, architectural buff, keen gardener… or perhaps you are just into discovering as much as possible about a place? Invercargill, an easy city to negotiate with its grid street layout and quiet roads, has plenty to keep visitors entertained over a long weekend.
The historic Water Tower in Invercargill. Photo / AirNZ
Three days in Wairarapa
Windswept coastlines, solitary lighthouses and one-road towns make the Wairarapa perfect for travellers with a sense of adventure and a penchant for van life. This isolated corner of the North Island is ripe for exploration on a campervan trip out of Wellington. In two nights, three days, and about seven hours of driving, you can see some of the wildest corners of the region.
Never mind A to B – how about the road less travelled? Post-lockdown, head north from Auckland, avoid the well-worn rut of State Highway 1 and discover what there is to enjoy on a detour to the west.
Waikahoa Campground in Northland. Photo / Supplied
Road trip from Nelson to Hanmer Springs via Lewis Pass
The popular Alpine resort town of Hanmer Springs is an easy getaway for residents of, or visitors to, Christchurch. But since moving to Nelson from Northland I've encountered many people "just popping down" to Hanmer for the weekend. I have a hunch that only South Islanders could consider a day-long drive that traverses an alpine pass to be a quick weekend getaway, but when in Rome…
Big and bold, the South Island's Te Tai o Poutini (West Coast) is nothing short of spectacular. Wedged between the Southern Alps and the wild Tasman Sea is a dramatic, rain-buffeted coastline with beauty at every turn. For the ultimate luxury, explore it all on a small-group coach holiday.
Okarito Lagoon, on the West Coast. Photo / Lizzy Sutcliffe
Follow in the footsteps of moa
Welcome to "Flightless Tours", a completely fanciful tour group, imagined in ode to our largest flightless bird. Buckle in for a three-day trip you'll never forget. It's completely self-led and you'll have to provide your own commentary, but if it's moa you're after, it's moa you'll get.
A travel company is trialling day-trips to the Roaring Forties to cope with the high demand for the Chatham Islands and their limited space for overnight visitors.
Sunrise over Waitangi Bay, Chatham Islands. Photo / Juliette Silversten
No wheels. No worries. Join an Auckland craft beer pub crawl
This hop-fuelled 'Beer Mile' itinerary from Eden Terrace via Kingsland to Morningside is actually about 4.5km, but when the beer's this good, who's quibbling? Mini enclaves feature along the way, with two or three venues gathered in close proximity, making it easy to also focus on smaller sections of the Beer Mile.
