Should I skip North Island NZ?

It's a no-brainer that if you are travelling to New Zealand for more than a couple of weeks, you should visit both islands! Yet, with limited time off work and/or a limited budget, you may have no other choice than to make the most of either the North Island or South Island. One island isn't “better” than the other.



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Generally speaking, if you want to engage with city culture or explore Maori history, the North Island is for you. If you want to deep-dive into nature, the South Island has plenty of lakes, mountains, fjords, and glaciers to discover.

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5-10 days will mean you can take a tour with more time to explore and more 2 nights stops on one island 10-14 days will allow you to visit both the North and South Island starting on one and finishing on the other.

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For a 10-day trip, we recommend visiting up to four or five different destinations. Our 10-day itinerary locations are some of the most popular: Auckland the City of Sails, Wellington the cultural, art and food capital, and Queenstown the home of world-class adrenaline activities.

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New Zealand is jaw droppingly beautiful in a dozen different ways - from mountains to oceans to forests. Iceland is a unique landscape with fantastic light for photography, but misses, “lush” by several miles. In my experience Iceland had better food, if you like seafood or lamb. Both places had very nice people.

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Five days may seem short, but allows for an eventful adventure through New Zealand. Since there is not much time, it is ideal to travel within the South Island or the North Island—which budgets for a successful road trip with a few scenic stops.

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High and low season in New Zealand The shoulder seasons (Mar–May and Sept–Nov) offer good value and accommodation discounts apply. The low season (June–Oct) is the cheapest time to travel, however prices remain high at resort towns with ski fields.

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The cost of living in New Zealand, for one person in a major city, is between NZ$3,000-NZ$4,000 per month. A family of four can expect to need NZ$5,000-NZ$6,000 per month to live.

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