New Zealand Driving Holidays
Take a scenic trip through New Zealand with this travel guide.
New Zealand is the perfect destination for a driving holiday. Its roads are well formed and largely uncluttered, its tourist infrastructure world class, and New Zealanders take seriously their commitment to protecting, as well as making accessible, the beauty of their natural environment. As committed globetrotters themselves, kiwis combine pride in the homeland with empathy for fellow travellers and this is reflected in the warm welcome visitors often comment upon. However, like their feathery namesakes, kiwis are known to shun the limelight and many a world-class experience is tucked away behind an unassuming exterior off the beaten track. A self-drive holiday allows you the freedom to create your own unique and memorable experiences, and local knowledge is the key that unlocks a world of hidden delights.
New Zealand Driving Holidays is a result of a happy collaboration between Donna Blaber, a New Zealand travel writer/photographer, a family friend named Bob, and Apex Car Rentals. The end result is a true “insider’s guide” to New Zealand. The itineraries enable visitors to see the country at a pace that leaves time to savour the moment, with breakout options highlighting day trips of special interest. You could also select from different itineraries to create your own pathway through this fascinating land. Whether you choose the beaten track or the road less travelled, we’re sure you’ll agree, New Zealand is a very special place indeed.
North Island Travel Guides
Adventure beckons throughout New Zealand’s North Island, and unique scenery awaits. In subtropical Northland proud forests of majestic kauri trees, some thousands of years old, share space with remnants of its gum digging past. Gnarled pohutukawa cling to windswept cliffs over golden beaches, and green rolling hills of farmland span across the island from coast to coast. Read our North Island Travel Guides…
- Auckland to Bay of Islands and Northland
- Cape Reinga and the Far North
- Auckland’s West Coast Beaches
- Waiheke Island
- Auckland to Whakatane and the Bay of Plenty
- East Cape and Poverty Bay
- Whakatane to Hawkes Bay
- Rotorua Action
- Hawkes Bay to Wellington
- Wairarapa – The home of Martinborough Wine
- Wellington to New Plymouth
- New Plymouth to Auckland
South Island Travel Guides
The South Island, an awe-inspiring panorama of majestic snowy mountains, dripping rainforest, silent fiords and sounds, ancient glaciers, wide open plains, and blue lakes and rivers, is home to only one quarter of NZ’s population. It’s a place of grandeur and solitude, where visitors can truly become at one with nature. In parts you can drive for hours before meeting another soul. Read our South Island Travel Guides…
- Picton to Christchurch
- Akaroa and Banks Peninsula
- Christchurch to Queenstown
- Queenstown Action
- Christchurch to Dunedin
- Dunedin to Te Anau
- Stewart Island
- Fiordland to Milford Sounds
- Central Otago
- Queenstown to Greymouth
- Greymouth to Nelson
- Murchison Action
- Nelson to Golden Bay
- Nelson to Picton
Special Feature Travel Guides
The Special Features chapters provide essential information on “must do’s” in New Zealand that didn’t get enough coverage in the North Island and South Island chapters. Discover more on the beautiful journey across Cook Strait aboard the Interislander Ferry. Relax in Rotorua or Hanmer Springs world class thermal springs and spas. Enjoy a round of golf with the backdrop of amazing scenery New Zealand has on offer. These are just a few examples of our special feature chapters. Read our Special Feature Travel Guides…