The long way
south

The route · at a glance

drive the islands, fly the gaps

Flights · at a glance

every leg, in order · all confirmed

Times are local to each airport. The LAX→Auckland leg crosses the international date line, so you depart Jan 2 and land Jan 4 (Jan 3 vanishes) — which is why you’ve booked the Auckland room from Jan 3. Coming home, the date line runs in reverse: you leave Christchurch on Mar 3 and land LAX earlier the same morning.

North Island · the appetizer

~14 nights · early January

Mon Jan 4 – Thu Jan 73 ntsSettle

Auckland

Land, shake off the date line, ease in. Harbour city, Ponsonby food — and once your legs are under you, a full day on Waiheke Island: early ferry, e-bikes down the coast to the beaches, long lunch, a couple of wineries (Kim & Hudson's tip — and the reason for the extra night). Then point the car south.

🍇 Chardonnay: Kumeu River (~30 min NW) is NZ’s benchmark — world-class, beats Burgundy blind. Don’t miss it.

In: fly Savannah → LAX → Auckland (AKL) · the long haul

Clay: St Andrews Rd Tennis Club, Epsom — Auckland's only clay, casual hits welcome

🎟️ Must-do: Waiheke Island wine-lunch (Mudbrick — on the reservations list), a harbour sail, and the Sky Tower at dusk.

🥾 Rangitoto summit — ferry out, ~2.5 hr return up the volcanic cone for the best harbour view in the city.

🦭 Wildlife: Tiritiri Matangi — an open island sanctuary (ferry day-trip) where wild takahē, kākā, saddleback & little spotted kiwi wander the trails; or a Hauraki Gulf cruise for Bryde’s whales, orca & dolphins.

✅ Booked: Adina Auckland Britomart · 1BR apartment, central, 24hr reception, ~5-min walk to the Waiheke ferry · Jan 3–7 (incl. the pre-arrival night for the 5:50am landing)

Thu Jan 7 – Tue Jan 125 ntsSettle · hub

Rotorua & Taupō

The North Island's tightest cluster, so you unpack and the sights come to you: Hobbiton (en route, non-negotiable), geothermal parks, a Māori hāngī feast and concert, the Redwoods, and Lake Taupō. Food and music in one evening. Book Hobbiton tickets well ahead (Hudson's warning — they sell out), and consider splitting the five nights across two bases.

Drive: Auckland → Rotorua ~3 hr (Hobbiton's right on the way)

✅ Hobbiton booked — Signature Tour, 1:00 PM Thu Jan 7, Shire's Rest (self-drive), 2 adults. Check in by 12:40. Flow: pick up car Auckland Downtown 9am → ~2 hr drive → 1pm tour (~2.5 hr, pint at the Green Dragon) → Rotorua ~45 min on.

Jodi's picks: the Agrodome sheep-shearing farm show (10 min from town — live shearing, 19 sheep breeds, dog trials, ~2.5 hr; book ahead) and a geothermal soak — Polynesian Spa (lakefront mineral pools) or Waikite Valley (natural pools, more scenic).

🎟️ Book ahead: a Māori cultural evening + hāngī feast (Te Puia, Mitai or Tamaki — these sell out), and Wai-O-Tapu’s thermal park (catch Lady Knox geyser, 10:15am). The Redwoods Treewalk (night-lights version) is magic.

🥾 Walk: the Redwoods / Whakarewarewa forest trails — easy, right in town; Rainbow Mountain for a short climb.

◷ Lodging TBD — 1BR + separate lounge

Tue Jan 12 – Thu Jan 142 ntsMove & sleep

Napier & Hawke's Bay

Art Deco town wrapped in premier wine country — Syrah, Chardonnay, long lunches. Pure you, and a natural stop on the way south.

🍇 Chardonnay heartland: Tony Bish (the specialist, cellar door in town), Te Mata (Elston) & Craggy Range (Kidnappers, at your Terrôir lunch).

☀️ Lay out: skip pebbly Marine Parade for Pandora / the Ahuriri side to actually stretch out in the sun.

🎟️ Book ahead: the Cape Kidnappers gannet safari (world’s largest mainland gannet colony — your January dates are peak season, and the small vans sell out) and the guided Art Deco walk through NZ’s deco capital.

🥾 Te Mata Peak — short loop above the vineyards for the Hawke’s Bay panorama.

🦭 Wildlife: the Cape Kidnappers gannet colony is the headliner (above) — thousands of nesting birds & chicks up close in January; the National Aquarium has little blue penguins & a kiwi house.

Drive: Rotorua → Napier ~2.5 hr

◷ Lodging TBD — 1BR + separate lounge

Thu Jan 14 – Sat Jan 162 ntsMove & sleep

Martinborough · clay & Pinot

A clay-and-wine interlude in the Wairarapa, and the reason it earns a stop: this is home to New Zealand's only clay courts. Do a proper hit — or a short training block — to keep your game sharp for the season back home, then walk it off among Martinborough's Pinot Noir cellar doors.

◈ Middle-earth: the Putangirua Pinnacles — the Paths of the Dead — are a short Wairarapa drive.

Drive: Napier → Martinborough ~3.5 hr (down through the Wairarapa)

Clay: Dry River Tennis Centre / Red Clay Tennis — 2 Italian clay courts, public hire (book ahead), rooms on site

🎟️ Must-do: rent bikes and ride the Martinborough wine loop — a dozen cellar doors flat and walkable/rideable from the village square.

◷ Lodging TBD — 1BR + separate lounge / on-site rooms

Sat Jan 16 – Mon Jan 182 ntsSettle

Wellington

NZ's best food, coffee, craft beer and live music, plus the Weta Workshop for the LOTR thread. Walkable cool-city energy — then fly the Tasman.

◈ Middle-earth: Rivendell (Kaitoke), the Outer Shire (Mt Victoria) & the Helm’s Deep set — plus the Wētā Cave.

🎟️ Book ahead: the Wētā Workshop tour (the film-effects studio behind LOTR — slots go fast) and Zealandia’s night tour (little spotted kiwi in the wild). Te Papa museum is free and superb.

🥾 Mt Victoria loop — the Outer Shire itself, straight up from downtown for the harbour panorama.

🦭 Wildlife: walk the wild south coast to the Red Rocks fur seal colony (Sinclair Head — seals hauled out on the rocks), plus Zealandia (above) for kiwi, tuatara & kākā.

Drive: Martinborough → Wellington ~1.25 hr · then fly WLG → Melbourne

◷ Lodging TBD — 1BR + separate lounge

The hinge · Australia

~5 nights · mid January

Jan 18 – 23 · the Australian Open

Melbourne

The tennis is the pivot between the islands. You fly in Monday the 18th — skipping the quiet opening Sunday — and catch first-week main-draw sessions: Tuesday through Thursday, maybe Friday, while every star's still in and the grounds are electric (weekday seats also beat the middle-weekend crush). Walk to Melbourne Park each day, then the laneways for food and music. Fly into Queenstown Saturday the 23rd.

South Island · the main course

~39 nights · the prize

Sat Jan 23 – Sun Jan 318 ntsSettle · hub

Queenstown

The country's strongest hub and your big settle — Arrowtown, Glenorchy (Middle-earth country), the Gibbston wine valley, and the lakes all within a short hop. Food, wine, energy on tap, your own door to close.

🍇 Chardonnay: Felton Road (Bannockburn, ~1 hr; appointment-only) — world-class Block 2 & 6; plus Amisfield at Lake Hayes.

🚤 Shotover Jet (Jodi’s must-do) — the original canyon jet boat: 85 km/h & 360° spins through the Shotover Canyons, ~25 min. Arthurs Point, 10 min out (free shuttle). Book a time slot — summer afternoons fill.

☀️ Lay out: the Queenstown Gardens peninsula lawns & Frankton Beach on Lake Wakatipu.

◈ Middle-earth: Lothlórien, Isengard, Ithilien & Rohan are all day-trips from here — NZ’s densest film cluster (see the Middle-earth table).

🎟️ Book ahead: the TSS Earnslaw steamship to Walter Peak (vintage coal-fired, lakeside dinner), the Onsen Hot Pools (private cliffside tubs — they sell out), and the Skyline Gondola + luge.

🥾 Ben Lomond Summit — the big one, best 360° in town (6–8 hr, or halve it from the top of the gondola); Queenstown Hill is the easy in-town version.

In: fly Melbourne → Queenstown (ZQN) · pick up the South Island car

✅ Booked: The Waterfront · Beach St · 2BR/2bath, lakefront & central · Jan 23–31 (8 nts)

Sun Jan 31 – Wed Feb 33 ntsMove & sleep

Milford Sound

Kim & Hudson's play: skip a Te Anau base, drive Queenstown all the way into Milford and sleep in the Sound itself for the cruise at its quietest — then a one-night heli-in lodge they highly recommend (name coming). The drive in is half the spectacle.

🎟️ Book ahead: your Milford cruise (go early-morning or overnight for the quiet) and a sea-kayak paddle under Mitre Peak.

🥾 Key Summit (easy–moderate, 3 hr, off the Milford road) and Lake Marian are the standout walks; Gertrude Saddle if the weather’s clear and you want a scramble.

🦭 Wildlife: the cruise passes NZ fur seals hauled out on Seal Rock, Fiordland crested penguins (tawaki) on the rocks, and resident bottlenose dolphins in the fiord.

Drive: Queenstown → Milford ~4 hr (the full scenic run; Te Anau's just a coffee stop)

◷ Milford lodge + heli-in lodge TBD (splurge)

Wed Feb 3 – Tue Feb 96 ntsSettle · hub

Wanaka

The calm counterweight to Queenstown — lake-stunning, slower, gorgeous. Roys Peak, Rippon wines, easy days. (Mt Cook is a worthwhile detour from here if you want the alpine fix — ~2.5 hr each way, your call on whether it earns a night.)

🍇 Chardonnay: Rippon — biodynamic, lakeside, the best cellar-door view in NZ (walkable from town).

☀️ Lay out: Glendhu Bay & the lakefront by the Wanaka Tree — warm, calm, swimmable.

♫ The Valley festival — Queenstown, Feb 7 (~1 hr from Wanaka). Verify the 2027 lineup/date, then it’s an easy evening trip.

🥾 Rob Roy Glacier — your medium hike: 3–4 hr to glacier and waterfalls at the valley head (you’re skipping the brutal Roys Peak, and this is arguably the better payoff anyway). Big day-trip option: Hooker Valley at Mt Cook (~2 hr each way, then an easy flat walk — swing bridges to a glacial lake under Aoraki).

🎟️ Must-do: Puzzling World, the Rippon cellar door, and a Mou Waho island cruise on the lake.

Drive: Te Anau → Wanaka ~3 hr

✅ Booked: Belvedere Apartments · in-town Wanaka · 1BR Superior (bedroom + separate lounge), reserved parking · Feb 3–9 (6 nts)

Tue Feb 9 – Sat Feb 134 ntsMove & sleep

Franz Josef & the Glacier Coast

Ice meeting rainforest — heli-hikes onto the glacier, wild West Coast beaches. The fourth night is deliberate weather insurance: glacier choppers get grounded for days, and a spare day is what turns "we never got up on the ice" into "we waited a day and went."

🎟️ Book the heli-hike early — it’s the signature here and the choppers get weather-grounded, so book the first of your four days and keep the rest as backup.

🥾 Lake Matheson — the famous mirror-reflection walk (easy, 1.5 hr; dawn or dusk doubles Aoraki and Tasman in the water). Roberts Point or Alex Knob if you want a real climb.

🦭 Wildlife: Okarito Lagoon (20 min north) — NZ’s white heron (kōtuku) colony & a guided night tour for the rare rowi kiwi; and Monro Beach on the Haast drive for Fiordland crested penguins at dusk.

Drive: Wanaka → Haast Pass → Franz Josef ~3.5 hr (one of NZ's great drives)

✅ Booked: Franz Alpine Retreat · 2 Donovan Dr · 2BR cottage w/ separate lounge · Feb 9–13 (4 nts)

Sat Feb 13 – Sat Feb 207 ntsSettle · hub

Nelson & Abel Tasman

The second big settle: golden-sand beaches, the Abel Tasman park by kayak or water-taxi, the sunniest corner of the country, and a genuinely good food-and-arts town. Pure summer.

🍇 Chardonnay: Neudorf’s Moutere (Upper Moutere, ~40 min) is one of NZ’s greatest whites.

☀️ Lay out (the jackpot): Kaiteriteri & the golden-sand coves in Abel Tasman (Anchorage, Te Pukatea); Tahunanui Beach is right in town.

🦭 Wildlife: kayak or water-taxi to the Tonga Island fur seal colony in Abel Tasman (seals & pups up close), the seal pools at Wharariki Beach, and the gannets of Farewell Spit.

Drive: Franz Josef → Nelson ~6 hr up the West Coast — the one long leg; break it at Punakaiki

✅ Booked: 95 Hardy Street Apartments · central Nelson CBD · 2BR + separate living room · Feb 13–20 (7 nts)

Sat Feb 20 – Mon Feb 222 ntsMove & sleep

Marlborough

Sauvignon Blanc country — Cloudy Bay and a hundred cellar doors, long lunches among the vines. Pre-book an e-bike winery tour (not walk-in like California), and get out on the water in the Marlborough Sounds — a day trip, or a ferry-in lodge for a night (Kim & Hudson).

🎟️ Must-do: the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre — Peter Jackson’s WWI/WWII aircraft collection, staged by Wētā (unmissable even if you’re not a plane person) — plus a Marlborough Sounds cruise or the Pelorus Mail Boat.

🦭 Wildlife: out in the Sounds — Motuara Island bird sanctuary (saddleback, the rare king shag), plus dolphins & little blue penguins on a wildlife cruise.

Drive: Nelson → Blenheim ~2 hr

✅ Booked: Carnmore Chateau · 95-117 High St, central Blenheim · 1BR Grande Apartment w/ balcony, lounge & spa bath · Feb 20–22 (2 nts)

Mon Feb 22 – Thu Feb 253 ntsMove & sleep

Kaikoura

Whales offshore, crayfish on the dock, the Seaward Kaikoura range falling into the sea. A dramatic coastal pause on the way south.

🎟️ ✅ Whale Watch Kaikoura booked — Wed Feb 24, 11:15am, direct. Now 3 nights here (bumped from 2) for the seals, albatross & penguins. Still to grab: the Dolphin Encounter swim — it sells out, so book a free morning (Feb 23 or 25).

🥾 Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway — easy clifftop loop past the seal colony (free).

🦭 Wildlife central: beyond the whales — the Ohau Point fur seal colony & its waterfall pup nursery, Albatross Encounter (wandering albatross & petrels up close), and little blue penguins. The richest wildlife stop of the whole trip.

Drive: Marlborough → Kaikoura ~1.5 hr

✅ Booked: Kaikoura Waterfront Apartments · 126 Esplanade · 2-bed, 1st-floor, ocean view · Feb 22–25 (3 nts)

Thu Feb 25 – Sat Feb 272 ntsSettle · unwind

Hanmer Springs

A soft landing before the finale: a walkable alpine spa village wrapped in forest and mountains. Soak in the thermal hot pools, good restaurants and a wine bar or two a stroll from your door — decompress after the long push down the island. (Swapped in for Flockhill Lodge, whose peak-season rates had gone stratospheric.)

🎟️ Must-do: the thermal pools (pre-book any spa treatment) — otherwise just unwind. 🥾 Conical Hill is a short, steep hour return to a village-and-mountains panorama; Mt Isobel if you want a half-day climb.

Drive: Kaikoura → Hanmer Springs ~2 hr (inland via the Waiau valley)

✅ Booked: Village Lake Apartments · 1 Rutherford Cres, in the village · 1BR Luxury Apartment w/ separate lounge · Feb 25–27 (2 nts)

Sat Feb 27 – Wed Mar 34 ntsSettle · finale

Christchurch · the finale

Rebuilt garden city — the one Hudson loved — and a finish with two terrific day trips. One day, Akaroa & Banks Peninsula by car: French-village harbour, little bays, a long lunch. Another, the TranzAlpine — one of the world's great scenic trains, coast-to-coast over Arthur's Pass and back through viaducts, gorges and beech forest behind panoramic glass. Settle, explore, then the flight-eve before home.

♫ Electric Avenue — NZ’s biggest music festival, North Hagley Park, Feb 26–27 (Kings of Leon + Calvin Harris). You arrive Feb 27 — catch the final day. Sells out, so book ahead.

🎟️ Book ahead: on your Akaroa day, the swim with Hector’s dolphins (world’s smallest and rarest — books out in summer). In town: the International Antarctic Centre and punting on the Avon.

🥾 Godley Head coastal loop on Banks Peninsula, or the Bridle Path up from the gondola.

🦭 Wildlife: on the Akaroa day — Pōhatu, NZ’s largest little-penguin colony (evening tours), plus fur seals & Hector’s dolphins on Banks Peninsula; the Antarctic Centre has rescued little blue penguins.

Drive: Hanmer Springs → Christchurch ~1.5 hr · keep the car for the Akaroa day, drop it at CHC airport on departure · fly home Wed Mar 3

Rail: TranzAlpine day return — out ~8:15am, back early evening; book ahead (it sells out), Scenic Plus worth it. No car needed — it just parks.

◷ Lodging TBD — 1BR + separate lounge

From friends who've lived it · Kim & Hudson

three months on the ground, distilled

Logistics · the moving parts

flights, cars & honest drive times

The flight chain

1. 1Savannah → LAX · Delta, on miles · ✅ booked — Thu Dec 31, then two nights in Manhattan Beach to reset before the big haul.
2. 2LAX → Auckland · Air NZ Business Premier · ✅ booked — Sat Jan 2, 8:00pm → lands Auckland Mon Jan 4, 5:50am. The long one; year-round, no seasonal cliff.
3. 3Wellington → Melbourne · ✅ booked — Qantas QF172 nonstop, Mon Jan 18, 2:35pm → 4:40pm (4h05m). Lands mid-afternoon — relaxed settle before Tue's opening AO session.
4. 4Melbourne → Queenstown · ✅ booked — Qantas QF177 nonstop, Sat Jan 23, 7:20am → 12:25pm (3h05m). Lands lunchtime — full first afternoon on the South Island (Hertz pickup 1pm — tight but fine).
5. 5Christchurch → Auckland → LAX · Air NZ, one ticket · ✅ booked — Wed Mar 3 (CHC 4:05pm → AKL → LAX 11:25am). Solves the Christchurch dead-end, no Sydney detour, bags check through.
6. 6LAX → Savannah · Delta, on miles · ✅ booked — Thu Mar 4, after an LA overnight → home.

Dates: depart Savannah Thu Dec 31 → 2 nts Shade Hotel, Redondo Beach ✅ → LAX→Auckland Sat Jan 2 (8:00pm) → land Auckland Mon Jan 4, 5:50am — book the Jan 3 night so the room's ready when you stumble in. Home: Wed Mar 3 Christchurch→Auckland→LAX (one Air NZ ticket, land LAX 11:25am) → overnight LA (Mar 3 — still to book) → Thu Mar 4 LAX→Savannah. The Delta bookends and the Air NZ ticket are separate tickets — keep the LA cushion each way; no through-checked bags across airlines.

Two one-way rental cars

No ferry-with-vehicle — two separate rentals, both on NZ's most popular one-way routes:

• North Island car: ✅ Booked — Hertz, Kia Sportage (midsize SUV). Pick up Auckland Downtown Jan 7 · 9am → drop Wellington Airport Jan 18 · 9am. Confirm Amex NZ coverage or add LDW.
• South Island car: ✅ Booked — Hertz, Kia Seltos (compact SUV). Pick up Queenstown Airport Jan 23 · 1pm → drop Christchurch Airport Mar 3 · 1pm (clears your 4:05pm flight). Add excess cover / LDW or confirm Amex NZ coverage before pickup.

Accurate drive times

Real distances and typical times — NZ roads drive slower than the kilometres suggest (winding, hilly), so these are honest, not optimistic:

Along the drives · don't blow past these

the best stops between each base — half the trip is the road itself

Most are free, 5–20 min roadside stops; the one worth pre-booking (Waitomo rafting) is on the reservations list. Time Pancake Rocks for high tide and Aratiatia Rapids for a dam release (check the day's times). The Franz Josef → Nelson leg is the one long haul (~6 hr) — Punakaiki splits it nicely.

Reservations to flag · book ahead

suggested dates tie each to where you’ll be — shuffle any of them

The only one that still needs action soon is Amisfield (~Nov 29). Attica is ✅ booked — Wed Jan 20, 6:30pm. Your Melbourne dinners (Jan 18–21) are spread above so nothing doubles up; Fri Jan 22 is left light before the early Queenstown flight. 🟢 Everywhere else, wing it — Rotorua, Napier town, Martinborough, Franz Josef, Nelson, Kaikoura, Hanmer, Christchurch are all fine day-before or walk-in. Chin Chin & Supernormal (Melbourne) are walk-in/queue — go early. And Milford has no real dining — sort dinner through your lodge. 🎟️ Activities (new group above) open ~3 months out — set reminders, and grab the sellout risks (Kaikoura whale watch & dolphin swim, the Franz heli-hike, the gannet safari) the day they open.

Middle-earth · where it was filmed

you’re driving through it — every scene, tied to a base

The on-the-ground bible is Ian Brodie’s “The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook” — GPS coordinates for every site. Films: Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), Return of the King (2003), plus The Hobbit trilogy (2012–14). Most sites are free, self-drive; full-day guided LOTR tours also run from Queenstown and Wellington.

Climate · what to expect

average daily high / low (°F) on your dates — what to pack for, not a forecast

NIWA climate normals (1991–2020). Martinborough / Wanaka / Hanmer use the nearest station (Masterton / Queenstown / inland Canterbury) — within a degree. The pattern that matters: it’s mild everywhere (highs in the 70s°F), the eastern wine stops are sunniest & driest, and only the West Coast — Milford & Franz Josef — is genuinely wet. NZ summer changes fast, so pack layers and a rain shell regardless.

Wine · the Chardonnay trail

NZ Chardonnay is world-class & underpriced — your route runs through the best of it

The must-do trio: Kumeu River (Auckland), Tony Bish (Napier) & Neudorf (Nelson) — the very top of NZ Chardonnay, spread across your trip. ★ = appointment-only (now on the reservations list). Most others are walk-in — but line up a driver or a tour; NZ drink-drive limits are strict.

Pins to remember

• TennisAO is Jan 11–31; you're catching first-week sessions Tue–Thu (~Jan 19–22), done by the middle Saturday. Weekday seats are easier than the middle weekend — but book early.
• SeasonFebruary is NZ's peak. Best weather, highest prices, and cars and lodging book out — Queenstown and Christchurch especially. Lock early.
• CarsTwo rentals, not one — a North Island car, then a South Island car after Melbourne. No ferry-with-vehicle, no big one-way fees.
• DrivesThe glacier coast → Nelson leg is the one long haul (~6 hr). Break it at Punakaiki. Everything else is ≤3.5 hr and scenic.
• AlpineMt Cook is east, the glaciers are west. Pick one as your alpine fix or detour to Mt Cook from Wanaka — don't try to chain both.
• PaceEvery base has a separate living room and ≥2 nights, two week-long hubs anchor each island, and ~10 nights of slack let you slow whatever grabs you.