New Zealand Road trips are among some of the best in the world, the country is made for exploring by car, as it has some of the most breath-taking scenery I have ever seen.
Road trips can be tedious, especially if long distances are involved.
New Zealand Road Trip Routes
Below is just a selection of routes that are popular for driving around New Zealand. There are a number of routes you can do as well as these, such as around Southland.
The distances between cities in the North and South Islands can be disregarded unless you plan on taking your car across the Cook Strait!
Wellington <> Auckland
Although I spent the majority of my working holiday working on the rebuild in Christchurch, visiting the North Island was a particular highlight for me.
We did a road trip from Wellington to Auckland, which was great as we saw great places and even better scenery!
There are a number of great places to stop along the way, so it’s best to do this trip in a week or more. You don’t want to rush through places such as Coromandel, Rotorua and Taupo, as the scenery is fantastic!
It’s amazing how diverse the scenery is on this trip, considering it’s not a long one. Driving from Wellington to Auckland, you experience rapid rivers, high mountains and beautiful beaches, it’s simply incredible!
It may be the smaller of the two main islands, but there are plenty of places to visit on the North Island. An Auckland to Wellington road trip is the best way to see all of this!
Christchurch <> Queenstown
If you are living in Christchurch and working on the rebuild, then this is a trip I recommend as a great weekend break. We did this trip a number of times when there was a long weekend.
Travelling to Queenstown is a must in any New Zealand itinerary as it’s a haven for backpackers. There are plenty of things to do and if you can get there when it is ski season all the better!
This isn’t so much a road trip, as most people will drive straight to Christchurch or Queenstown. However, you can string it out and visit Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo if getting to either destination quickly is not your goal!
This is one of the best road trips in New Zealand. Christchurch and Queenstown are beautiful places and the scenery in between is worth the drive alone!
East Coast
The East Coast of the South Island is a fantastic place to do a road trip. In the north of the coast, you have Picton and the incredible Marlborough Sounds, which are just as scenic as Milford Sound.
Kaikoura further down is another great location with incredible scenery and interesting things to do. You can see a seal colony in a waterfall if you visit during early autumn.
Christchurch is the main city on the route, and although it’s still recovering from the devastating earthquakes in 2011, travelling to Christchurch is a must.
The city is being rebuilt which makes it unique. It’s an ever-changing city with amazing scenery. Visit Godley Head and Lyttleton Bay to get some amazing views of the city and coast!
The only downside to this trip is that there isn’t an awful lot to see before you reach Oamaru. Ashburton and Timaru are uninspiring and there isn’t much to see in between.
However, after Oamaru, you get to the Moeraki Boulders, which are one of the stranger places to visit in New Zealand! The giant rocks on the beach are mystifying and amazing in equal measure!
West Coast
A West Coast of New Zealand road trip is one of the best in the country!. The scenery here is absolutely incredible. From the beautiful beaches of Golden Bay in the North to the majestic Fiordland in the South, the landscapes are as diverse as they are stunning!
The only downside to a West Coast road trip is the weather. This is one of the wettest places in the world, with an average rainfall of 300mm a year!
So, odds are you’ll encounter rain if travel here regardless of whether it’s summer or winter!
This route takes about a week to complete and takes in some of the best places to visit on the South Island such as Milford Sound.
There are also some lesser-known spots such as Buller Gorge and the Pancake Rocks which you shouldn’t miss either!
It’s amazing to see the scenery change from lush green, to wet glacial landscapes as you head further south.
South Island
It’s possible to do a road trip around the South Island that includes both the East and West Coast. This is a good option if you have limited time in New Zealand!
As there’s a lot to see in the South Island, you would ideally need to do this trip over a 1 month period to ensure that you see everything!
The South Island is a lot bigger than most people think, as it’s about the same size as Great Britain! It makes for one epic road trip in New Zealand if you can find the time to do it.
Ideally, you would start from one of the main cities such as Christchurch, Dunedin or Nelson, and then drive in a loop back to where you started.
Most of the places to see on the South Island are on the coasts with the exception of Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo, which is inland.
A South Island Road trip is a fantastic experience and one that I highly recommend. This road trip offers a lot of diverse sights and activities, so if you have the time this is a great way to spend a New Zealand holiday!
CONCLUSION
In the end I would like to conclude this article by saying that New Zealand Road trips are definitely something you’ll end up doing while in the country.
Driving in New Zealand is easily the best way to get around the country, due to its size and scenery. It would be an absolute waste of time and money to fly between cities!
Self-driving in New Zealand is something that I highly recommend. You probably won’t find a better country to do a road trip in than New Zealand!
