Topic: Recommended New Zealand Itineraries

I know a lot of people travelling to NZ either do not have much time to see the sights, or underestimate the actual size and scope of the country.
Does anyone have suggestions for itineraries that fit in as much as possible in a certain time?

Bearing in mind that the most spectacular scenery is generally well away from the cities, I tend to suggest back roads and more rural accommodation when I'm asked where to go.

Here's one from me:
3 weeks in NZ, rental car or campervan.
[Day 1] Fly in to Auckland (generally most convenient)
Stay one night if necessary, to find your feet. Time in the morning to have a nosy round the city and check out galleries and museums - tomorrow's not a long drive.
[Day 2] Drive south to Waitomo (195km, 3hrs)- the cave formations and glow-worms are pretty cool. There's a B&B on the Waitomo/Main Road corner (Big Bird) that has an ostrich farm, and Ross there used to be a Dept. of Conservation ranger and has a wealth of knowledge about local flora and fauna. He might even take you to a nearby non-commercial glow-worm cave and bush walk!
[Day 3] The next day, I would suggest cutting across to Taupo (170km, 2.5hrs) to see the majesty of Huka Falls (160 cubic metres/sec). Although Taupo will be a convenient place to stop for lunch, and there are many fine cafés, as an overnight stop it doesn't offer anything too exciting. You can only spend so much time looking at the lake! My recommendation is to continue south around the lakeside, and either stick to Highway 1 through the Desert Road (a barren yet beautiful post-volcanic landscape offering views of the Central Plateau mountains), or head off at Turangi to take in the skifield towns of National Park and Ohakune. You get much close to the mountains here, and can drive right up to the skifield areas summer or winter. *In summer and good weather guided crossings of the volcanic area are available though these leave early morning and can account for most of a day.
Either path will take you to the army base town of Waiouru where for the historically inclined there is a splendid military museum that documents the role of the NZ army in past conflicts. Worth a look even for the non-violent types, as it is a fine example of a museum that tells it as it was, without any glorification.
(Taupo-Ohakune-Waiouru 160km, 2.5hrs; Taupo-Waiouru 109km, 1.5hrs)
This night's stay must be the hill-country B&B of Mairenui, just off the main highway at Mangaweka (Waiouru-Mairenui 50km, ¾hr). Mairenui has been running since 1984, and your hosts Sue & David are very well-travelled and delight in making you wish you had more time to stay with them!
[Day 4] In the morning, Sue & David will point you in the direction of Wellington via Feilding (14 times NZ's most beautiful town!) and after scenic back road driving, you reacquire Highway 1 south of Levin, and follow it through to Wellington for your next night.
(Mairenui-Wellington 280km, 4hrs)
While in Wellington, there are some great galleries and museums (especially the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa) but don't stay out too late as you have a ferry to catch in the morning!
[Day 5] Catching an 8.30am ferry to the South Island, you'll arrive in Picton around midday. If you're hiring a car, it should be possible to drop yours off in Wellington and collect a fresh one in Picton, saving on ferry prices.
Head down the east coast - do stop for a bite to eat at the iconic café "The Store" - about as far as Kaikoura (156km, 2¼hrs) and try to catch a glimpse of the Sperm whales and various dolphins through one of several accredited companies.
This will probably account for your day, so grab a bed and dream of whales!
[Day 6] A bit of a drive today, but well worth it (Kaikoura-Westport 330km, 5hrs). Head back inland via Hanmer Springs and the Lewis Pass. Heading through Victoria Forest Park you'll encounter bush-clad gorges and gravelly river valleys. There are a couple of options for reaching the West Coast but once you do, make sure you're within driving distance of Paparoa National Park and Punakaiki, with it's dramatic rock formations.
Make camp at one of of many lovely B&Bs on The Coast.
[Day 7] Pack your kit and your tin pan - there's GOLD in them thar hills! Shantytown, 10km south of Greymouth, is a gold town recreation where you can try your skills to pan for gold. OK, so you'll walk away with a small amount of gold dust that they've spiked your sample with, but there is still gold in the mountain streams. In fact, my cousins used to travel down there every year, and paid for their holiday with the gold they panned!
Next on the agenda is glaciers. Get in there before global warming does! Franz Josef is 280km (4 hrs) south of Westport and Fox Glacier a further 23km. If time, weather and finances allow, take a flight to see the full majesty of these ice rivers, otherwise talk a drive/walk to the foot of one to get an idea of what all the fuss is about.
You'll probably be ready for a bed by now, so either Fox or FJ will offer plenty of accommodation options.
[Day 8] Continuing down the Coast to Haast, take Haast Pass back across the Alps to Wanaka (Franz Josef-Wanaka 235km, 4hrs). although a bit of a tourist town, Wanaka is a good stop with dramatic mountain scenery and ancient glacial lakes.
[Day 9] 230km, 3.5hrs further south is Te Anau, though a midday stop at Queenstown will offer some adrenaline thrills for those so inclined. Others may have already got their thrills from the mountain passes! Stay overnight in Te Anau, and take the 1¾hr drive to Milford sound for the obligatory cruise in the fjord the following day. This return trip and boat ride will take up most of the day, so head back to your Te Anau accommodation and take a well-deserved spa or something.
[Day 10] Head across to the Catlins region via Invercargill and Bluff (just to say you've been to mainland NZ's southermost point!). At isolated Curio Bay, there are beachfront self-contained cabins with local restaurant, café, art gallery and museum only five minutes drive away. Nearby is a 160 million year old fossil forest, and platform viewing of Yellow-eyed penguins.
[Day 11] On the morrow, 230km (3.5hrs) will take you (via Dunedin) to Oamaru, where renowned Oamaru stone graces the town in Victorian architecture. On the way there, don't miss spectacular Nugget Point and its lighthouse!
[Day 12] From Oamaru, move on up to the Garden City, Christchurch . Driving to the top of the Port Hills (actually the rim of a long-extinct volcano that created Lyttleton Harbour) will afford you a view right across the Canterbury Plains to the Southern Alps themselves. Do spend some time in Christchurch before heading out to another ancient crater on Banks Peninsula where you will find the lovely french-styled town of Akaroa where you will spend the night.
(Oamaru-Christchurch 250km, 3.5 hrs, Christchurch-Akaroa 94km, 1.5hrs)
[Day 13 Head back into the city, dump the car, and catch a flight to Wellington. Hire a fresh vehicle and take the east coast of the North Island across the Rimutaka Hill to the Wairarapa district (Wellington-Martinborough 82km, 1¼hrs). Martinborough is slightly off the beaten track, but is the home of Wairarapa's Wine & Food Festival, and the center of the region's wine culture.
[Day 14] carry on up through the farmland regions of Wairarapa, Tararua and Hawkes Bay to Napier, the 'Art Deco capital of the World' The city was virtually destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1931, and rebuilt in the style of the time, making it one of the most complete examples of art deco architecture you could find. Hawkes Bay also specialises in wine, with many of NZ's finest hailing from this area. (287km, 4hrs)
[Day 15] Take time out for a wine tasting tour of Hawkes Bay's vineyards. Leave the car at home - grab a guided tour bus, or get on yer bike and do it the old-fashioned way!
[Day 16] If you're not too hung over after all that 'tasting', cross the mountain range and head to Rotorua (via Taupo), where you can experience the Maori culture with professional, experienced operators. Try to get out of town for the night though, as the geothermal nature of the area tends to make the town a bit whiffy.
[Day 17] You'll probably need another half day in this area, as you've missed out on the natural wonders of Rotorua, such as active geothermal fields. Having seen the geysers etc, travel north-east to Whakatane, and Ohope Beach - you'll probably welcome some quiet time and fresh sea air.
[Day 18] From here, cruise up the around the Bay of Plenty onto the Coromandel Peninsula for a stopover at Whitianga (Whakatane-Whitanga 270km, 4hrs).
[Day 19] Based here, you can have a coastal charterboat trip, visit Cathedral Cove, Hotwater Beach, and other superb spots of coastal beauty.
[Day 20] Driving from Coromandel through Auckland, head north and try to get all the way to Paihia/Russell. It is a long drive, but I'm running out of days! (Whitianga-Paihia 400km, 6hrs)
[Day 21] It's a squeeze, but 5½hrs will take you across to Omapere and down through Waipoua Forest, where you can see NZ's largest tree. If really big trees really aren't your thing, then you can get the whole trip in easily within three weeks without these last two days' long drives!

Thanks styx!

(Odd. I promoted this to an Article and added the New Zealand to the title, and it's changed the title here too.