Aotearoa or The Land of the Long White Cloud as it’s known to the Māori natives, or New Zealand to many others, has always been on my bucket list. Though I lived for a time in Sydney, Australia, I never hopped across the Tasman Sea to see New Zealand for myself. And if I’m being honest, I never thought the opportunity would come. It’s just so far away and typically so expensive. It’s hard to justify the expense and time commitment when there are more easily accessible spots. But I also never gave up, looked for deals, and always daydreamed of what I’d do and see if and when the time came.
The first serendipitous step in making this travel dream a reality was my path crossing with a Kiwi native who would come to be a dear friend. I was living in Norman, Oklahoma, and he had recently moved there for graduate school. We had several similar interests and were in the same social circles and a friendship was born. Almost immediately we talked of a future day when I would go to New Zealand with him and he’d show me around. It was a lot of talk and little action. Over the years I saw him come and go to New Zealand to see family and friends and each time it just wasn’t the right time for me to join.
Fast forward to July 2024. My wife and I were considering a trip in and around our anniversary in October. I scoured flights and tour packages and sites looking for exciting trips and exciting deals. We were about to lock-in a trip to Iceland (which is still very much high on my list) when, like a revelation from the travel gods, I got an email alert from a travel company I follow telling me flights to Auckland from Los Angeles were at an almost all-time low. I immediately forwarded the email to my buddy, thinking he’d definitely want to seize the opportunity to get home to see his family. He responded within seconds and said this was IT. This was THE opportunity I’d been waiting on for a decade and it was too good to miss. I got on the phone with my wife and buddy and we sat down at the computer and within twenty minutes had flights booked. We were committed. We were going!
Then came the fun part. I rolled up my sleeves and started to plan. I’m not sure how many tabs I had open on my computer, but it was well into the twenties. I was up late into the nights and up early in the mornings researching, mapping, planning and ultimately booking. I love this part of travel. It’s why I’m a travel advisor. I love the hard work, investigation, and creating a vision and then seeing it pay off in smiles and cherished memories. Our family trip would be no different. Unique to this trip, and like a puzzle to be solved, was the fact we would be bringing my seventy year old mother as a surprise for her birthday, as well as our eight year old daughter. Planning adventures and excursions appropriate to both ends of our age bracket and considering everyone’s wishes and abilities was definitely a challenge. But at the end of the day I built a perfect itinerary and the trip was magical from start to finish. And it didn’t break the bank.
A glimpse at our itinerary
Day 1:Los Angeles to Auckland
Berry picking in Whatawhata (pronounced FataFata)
Night in Hamilton
Day 2: Hobbiton Movie Set Tour in MataMata
Polynesian Spa & Pools in Rotorua
Night redwoods tree walk in Rotorua
Night at AirBNB in Rotrua
Day 3: Skyline Adventures in Rotorua
Te Puia Māori Cultural Institute tour
Return and night in Hamilton
Day 4: Rest, Lunch and tour of Hamilton Gardens
Day 5: Flight ~Auckland to Queenstown
Shotover Jet experience in Queenstown
Night at AirBNB in Queenstown
Day 6: Day trip to Milford Sound
Milford Sound Discover More Cruise & lunch
Night at AirBNB in Te Anau
Day 7: Day trip to Wanaka
Puzzling World experience
Lunch & bird sanctuary
Return to Queenstown
Night at AirBNB in Queenstown
Day 8: Flight ~ Queenstown to Auckland
Auckland Aquarium experience
Night in Hamilton
Day 9: Day trip to Waitomo
Waitomo and Ruakari Cave tours [glowworm caves]
Night in Hamilton
Day 10: Day trip to Raglan
Stop and hike to waterfall
Afternoon in Raglan and at the beach
Night in Hamilton
Day 11: Flight ~ Auckland to Los Angeles
What was our favorite? It’s just too hard to pin down. We elected to rent a car and spend most of our days driving from one destination to another. Yes, the Kiwi drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road. I’ve had ample experience with this over the years, but even newbies need not fear. When your life is on the line you’d be amazed at how quickly you figure it out!
Hobbiton exceeded my expectations. Yes, I love the movies and have seen them all. But my mother hadn’t and she will tell you the movie set tour was very much worth it and a trip highlight. The collaboration between the land owner/farmer and Peter Jackson’s production company makes for a magical experience. Book the experience in advance. Take the tour. And enjoy Middle Earth like you never imagined possible.
Another highlight was the sacrifice we made in going to the south island. I say sacrifice because there was so much we could have/should have done and seen in the north island and we scrapped in order to spend three beautiful days in the gorgeous, lush, and wild south island. The Shotover Jet experience was a favorite for sure. But even just strolling along the lakeshore in old Queenstown was pure heaven. I found myself saying over and over again how we could’ve stayed at each spot for the entire trip. Milford Sound was our main priority and goal for making the trek to the south island. It was a long drive from Queenstown, but beautiful and well worth the kilometers. While the ferry ride was cold and wet and overcast, we still got to see amazing waterfalls, trees, and animals.
The people, the food, the scenery, the ice cream. I have no complaints and no regrets. Perhaps if we get the chance to return, and if we don’t have quite the age differences with us, we will do more active adventure activities. We spotted so many trails and hikes and adventures along our journey and everyone we talked to along the way was having their own trips of a lifetime.
Trust me when I say, New Zealand needs to be on your list!
