New Zealand Travel Guides

More about New Zealand

Where to base yourself

Most of the guides here cover the South Island, and they cluster around three bases that each open up a different part of it.

• Queenstown — the adventure hub and the base for most of the hiking and wine country below. Start with the first-timer’s itinerary or where to stay.
• Arrowtown — a gold-rush village twenty minutes away, quieter than Queenstown and worth comparing before you book: Queenstown vs Arrowtown.
• Christchurch — the gateway to Banks Peninsula, Akaroa and Orton Bradley Park.

The fiords

Fiordland gets its own set of guides because the logistics are the hard part — the cruises book out, the drives are long, and the two famous sounds are not interchangeable.

• Milford Sound vs Doubtful Sound — read this first if you only have time for one.
• Doubtful Sound cruises, including overnight options, how to get there from Queenstown and when to go.
• Milford Sound and the wider Fiordland National Park.

The hikes

Each of these has its own track guide with trailhead directions, timing and what to pack.

• Roy’s Peak — the view most people picture when they picture Wanaka.
• Ben Lomond — the big one directly above Queenstown.
• Lake Alta and Lake Marian — shorter alpine tracks.

Planning the trip

For the wider picture before you pick a route, start with whether New Zealand is worth the flight, then the best day trips near Queenstown. Wine country is covered in the Gibbston Valley winery guide and the bike trail. Hobbiton sits on the North Island and needs its own detour.