It does not matter how long you are staying in New Zealand, you can find a road trip, or two, to take your breath away. Around every corner, stunning scenery unfolds before your eyes. To make the best of your stay, plan your road trips before you arrive. This helps to make sure that you can get out on the road straight away, and see everything that you want to.
It’s also a good idea to find out where you can hire reliable rental cars, so that you can travel in comfort and safety. Book your car in advance, then all you need to do is pick up the keys, sign the paperwork and set out on one of these amazing road trips.
Auckland’s west coast
The west coast of Auckland is stunningly rugged. You can spend time exploring local areas of rainforest and incredible beaches of black sand. One of these beaches is at Piha which is around a 55 minutes’ drive from Auckland. If you are looking for a short road trip while you are in New Zealand, this is a good choice. You can admire the local surfers doing their thing or take time to hire a bike and go for a ride along the beach, getting to know the local bird population.
From Napier to Wellington via the vineyards
New Zealand is well-known for having some excellent vineyards, and you can find some of them if you take a road trip from Napier to Wellington. You can choose to visit the vineyards on an organised tour, but it’s fun to visit by car or bike as well. You can spend an entire day just sampling the sights of Napier or you can make a brief visit to some of the local wineries before heading off to Martinborough on the second day of your trip.
It takes around 3 hours and 10 minutes to make this trip, and there are plenty of interesting potential stops along the way. You can visit the Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre and get to know some of the native wildlife of New Zealand. You can also do some vintage shopping in Greytown. Once you arrive in Martinborough, it’s a wine lovers’ paradise, with over 20 wineries that can be reached on foot or by bike.
After spending the night in Martinborough, you can make the 1 hour and 10 minutes’ drive to Wellington; the nation’s capital. It’s a compact city with an interesting history. Do not forget to take a ride in the famous cable car.
The Great Alpine Highway
The third of our featured road trips is a journey along the Great Alpine Highway, on New Zealand’s South Island. On the first day of the trip, you can hang out in Christchurch. This is the largest city on South Island and it has a fun and quirky vibe. You can visit one of the many cafes of bars, or spend time boating on the River Avon.
The next day you can take to your hire car, and head off along the highway, towards Arthur’s Pass. This is only a small village, but it’s a popular starting point for hiking trails in the Southern Alps. Leave your car in the village and head off to explore. It takes around 2 hours to reach Arthur’s Pass from Christchurch.
Spend the third day of your trip taking the 1 hour 20 minutes journey to Greymouth. You can enjoy a tour of the local breweries and head out sea kayaking if you are feeling adventurous.
Any, or all, of these road trips can help to introduce you to the incredible and unique landscapes and culture of New Zealand.