We travel back to New Zealand frequently to see family and friends and drive around to photograph the stunning scenery. Many of these photos are the inspiration for my fused-glass pendants and the colours in the beaded necklaces. Here is a 21 day road planner and itinerary for our next trip to New Zealand. I’ve included photos from our past trips so that you can see how amazing the country is. You can drive from sea to snow in less than a day and there is stunning scenery around each corner. I’ve included links to relevant websites from the photos and within the text to help you plan your travel itinerary. Remember when you fly to New Zealand from North America you will cross the international date line, effectively losing a day. Our trip planners usually have us staying at least 2 nights in each location so that we can have enough time to see what we want as well as having some rest time. Check out some more travel itineraries at Travels in Retirement.
Christchurch (Day 1-2)

Christchurch is called the ‘Garden City’ and so attractions include the Botanical Gardens which is located next to the Museum and Art Gallery. You can also go on a Gondola on the Port Hills as well as Zip Lining. Another fun thing to do is going punting on the River Avon and floating through the Botanic Gardens. I have several pendants that were created with photos of flowers from the gardens. I really enjoy the challenge of taking photos of bees and have been happy with the results. These include the ‘Pink Nectar‘ pendant, this brilliant ‘Blue Hydrangea‘ pendant and necklace, and this unique ‘Amethyst Depths‘ pendant and necklace. Several layers of dichroic glass give all of these pieces additional depth and shine. A place to stay in Christchurch is the Peppers Clearwater Resort.
The 4 hour road trip to Mount Cook passes by Lake Tekapo which is a lovely quiet township to stay. Every lake has a different colour and Lake Tekapo in the South Island is a deep blue, bordering on turquoise. The rocks in the foreground blend into the lake and sky. The views from this lake inspired my ‘Lake Tekapo Blues‘ pendant and necklace. I prefer the views of Mount Cook lifting out of Lake Pukaki. The lake’s blue colour and is caused by glacial flour, or ground rocks from the Tasman Glacier.
Mount Cook (Aoraki) National Park (Day 3-4)

It’s about a 4 hour drive from Christchurch to Mount Cook (Aoraki), New Zealand’s highest mountain. If you do this in one day, you should still have time for a nice walk on the travel day with a full day for the longer walks on the next day. We like to stay in the Hermitage Hotel which has stunning views from most rooms as well as a great restaurant. This photo was taken from the hotel at sunset and is the inspiration for my pendant called ‘Aoraki Sunset‘. There are cheaper places to stay as well in the village.
The two main walks are the Hooker Valley and the Tasman Valley. Either can be done as free-walking or as organized tours. You will cross raging rivers on swing bridges, potentially see some avalanches on the distant mountains of Mount Sefton (Maukatua) and Mount Tasman (Horokoau) as well as climb to the terminal lake for the Tasman Glacier. On one of our Hooker Valley walks we took some photos of a small waterfall. Sometimes we are happy to walk in the rain as you can then see more waterfalls such as this inspiration for my ‘Waterfall Sparkles‘ pendant.
Queenstown (Day 5-7)

It’s about a 3 hour drive from Mount Cook National Park to Queenstown. This itinerary has us staying in Queenstown for 4 days. Queenstown sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and styles itself the Adventure Capital of the World so if you want to Bungy Jump, Zip Line or throw yourself off of something else – this is the place. Our favourite place to stay is the Hilton Queenstown Resort and Spa which is close to the airport and looks out over the Queenstown township. There are great restaurants and coffee shops, especially when we are on a hunt for a flat white coffee. One cafe had this wonderful green chair to relax in and inspired my ‘Green Contemplation‘ pendant.
Some recommended activities include a speedboat trip down the Dart River, an all day bus and cruise tour to Milford Sound, visit an old gold-mining town called Arrowtown and pan for gold, along with numerous wineries which would include the tasting menu at Wild Earth.
You can also visit some of the shooting locations for the Lord of the Rings that can be found in the Glenorchy area plus some nice golf courses. This is the inspiration for my ‘Glenorchy Calm‘ pendant. Our last trip to New Zealand was our first visit in the winter and there was lots of snow on the mountains as well as some wonderful hoar frost near Twizel.
Wanaka (Day 8)

The drive to Wanaka, crossing the Cadrona Pass, is just 1 hour and will pass the “famous” longest bra fence.
Wanaka is situated on the south end of Lake Wanaka and close to Mount Aspiring National Park. There are a number of walks/hikes in the area including Roy’s Peak which would take half a day.
It is a tourist town so there are plenty of other things to do including visiting some Lavender farms. It’s also possible to fly to Milford Sound over the Alps which is an incredible trip and we prefer that to the bus version in Queenstown.
Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers (Day 9-10)

Time to head over to the lush West Coast via the Haast Pass. The route has numerous short walks and waterfalls to see on the way which will extend out the 3 hour drive. The drive into the Franz Josef glacier viewpoint shows how far the glacier has receded with markers indicating its position over the last 100 years or so. You can walk to the glacier over a rocky path that would take a few hours, or fly to land on the glacier itself.
You should also visit Lake Mattheson which has a circular walk via a viewpoint that provides a mirror reflection of Mount Cook in the water. The area is also known for its Jade and you can carve your own jewelry in Hokitika. You can also stop at the White Heron Sanctuary for a guided boat tour to New Zealand’s only nesting site.
There are many little lakes and picnic spots to have lunch while you drive along the West Coast. A black and white photo of one of these stops is the inspiration for my ‘Stand Out Red‘ pendant.
A warning about the sandfly biting insect that is a nuisance on the West Coast. Visitors to New Zealand may want to take some additional Vitamin B for a couple of weeks before the trip to increase immunity to the bites.
Punakaiki (Day 11-12)

You then continue up the West Coast to Punakaiki – home of the pancake rock formations from centuries of erosion by the sea. This is one of our favourite places in New Zealand and we always stay at the same hotel overlooking the beach, the Punakaiki Resort.
The rocks contain blowholes which explode when the weather conditions are right so check the high tide time before you visit. It took us several trips before there was enough storm surge to create the blowholes and it meant that the weather was stormy for a few days. These blowholes are the inspiration for my ‘Punakaiki Blowhole‘ pendant.
The area also has a number of bush walks where you’ll really get a feel for the rain forest environment and the famous New Zealand ferns. You may get a glimpse of a New Zealand Wood Pigeon (Kereru) which has similar shimmering colours to my ‘Kereru Depths‘ fused glass pendant. The iridescent sheen to the blue and grey dichroic glass changes when it catches the light.
Nelson (Day 13)

We head for our final destination on the South Island which is Nelson, a holiday destination. The 3 hour drive from Punakaiki is through rain forest and gorges with sights like the Pelorus Bridge, a location for The Hobbit. We like staying at the Rutherford Hotel although there are numerous motels as well. One B&B that we stayed at had a balcony overlooking a pond and inspired my ‘Calm Reflections‘ pendant with this serene heron.
North of Nelson are the golden sand beaches of Kaiteriteri and there is a boat cruise to Split Apple Rock. Nelson also has a thriving art culture and craft market for any shopping desires. My inspiration for my ‘Blue Horizon‘ pendant fused-glass pendant is from the sea to sky horizons in New Zealand. I have so many memories of traveling beside the sea or a lake on our trips back to New Zealand. The blue and green dichroic glass shimmers like the sea on a summer day. .
There are also picturesque journeys along Queen Charlotte Sound and the Takaka Drive. From here there is a choice to get to Wellington in the North island. You can drive the scenic 2 hours to Picton and take your car/van on a 3 hour interislander ferry ride through the Queen Charlotte Sound and across the Cook Strait. The other option is to fly from Nelson (or Picton) to Wellington however, you would then need to pick up a new car rental booking in Wellington.
Wellington (Day 14-15)

The main sights would be the cable car and the Beehive, the common name for the Parliament building. Other great things to do include the Mount Victoria lookout and a tour of the Weta workshop, Peter Jackson’s company. The Botanic Gardens are a great place for taking photos of roses and honeybees. One of the peony flowers was the inspiration for one of my first pendants – ‘Pink Peony‘.
I lived in Wellington for a few years and liked walking on the beach in Eastbourne, driving around the bays, and sailing in the harbour. This itinerary sees you driving over the winding Remutaka Hill road and through the wine country of the Wairarapa. There are numerous hikes (tramps) in the Tararua Ranges as well as coastal walks if you have the time.
Another route to take to Auckland is via the West Coast of the North Island. From Wellington you drive up the Ngauranga Gorge and continue through Waikanae, Paraparaumu and Paekakariki. These were familiar places to me on tramping trips in the Tararua Forest Park.
Napier (Day 16-17)

Today you travel to Napier, one of two cities in the World that are in the Art Deco style. High on the list of things to do is a vintage car tour that we did with Bertie in a 1930’s car. You can see Bertie in the doorway on the left. We stayed at the Crown Hotel which is nice and quiet and away from the harbour if there are cruise ships docked.
Napier is also home to our favourite winery, Elephant Hill which has an excellent restaurant and wine tastings. Napier is in the Hawkes Bay wine region so the tasting options are extensive. For a golfing experience, Cape Kidnappers is phenomenal – for a price.
One time on our drive from Napier to Rotorua we saw some wild horses and their foals running in a field. The photo of this memory is the inspiration for my ‘Wild Horses‘ pendant. The orange and brown shapes on this fused glass pendant remind me of the horses. There’s also an amazing turquoise colour to the farmland so the 3 hour drive opens up new vistas at each corner.
Rotorua (Day 18-19)

Rotorua is the centre for the geothermal springs and also has a significant Maori cultural presence. The 3 hour drive from Napier will pass Lake Taupo with its views of Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand’s largest active volcano. The lake itself is formed from the crater of another volcano that erupted 5,000 years ago. Huka Falls is situated close by and shows an impressive amount of water. The last time we travelled here our trip took us to the other side of Mount Ruapehu where we were able to drive up to the active ski field on the top of the mountain. We also viewed the two other active volcanoes, Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe shown in a photo that inspired my ‘Volcanic Reflections‘ pendant.
It’s worth waiting to arrive at Rotorua for the geothermal experience. The Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is the best we’ve seen and Whakarewarewa Maori village is also a great activity. You can decide on whether to base yourselves at Lake Taupo or Rotorua. A warning that the sulphur smell in Rotorua is pervasive. It’s an hour between the locations.
Auckland (Day 20-21)

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and known as the City of Sails. It’s a 3 hour drive from Rotorua and stops along the way could include Hobbiton at Matamata or a bit further afield, the Glow Worm caves at Waitomo.
Once in Auckland, there is plenty to do and see. A visit to Goat Island for snorkelling, watching the fish through a glass bottomed boat or a visit to the top of Mount Eden. Numerous waterside bars and restaurants will allow you to relax after a busy few weeks going through New Zealand.
Auckland is the best departure point as most international flights originate from here meaning no internal flights are required. Bear in mind you will cross the international date line if you fly across the Pacific so you can leave on Sunday and arrive the same day in Toronto.