9 Days in New Zealand Itinerary

I’m absolutely so ecstatic to start sharing my 9 days adventure in this heaven on earth Island country.

Day 1: March 24, 2024 in📍Auckland

⚪️Flew into Auckland’s International Airport. Auckland is a city in the North Island and the largest city in NZ.

⚪️Did the currency exchange from USD to NZ at the Airport.

⚪️Stayed 3 nights at Rydges Auckland Hotel. Located in the of the city. Appreciate the accommodation.

⚪️Went grocery shopping at one of the local supermarket.

⚪️Had Tip Top ice cream for dinner. It’s one of the richest, milkiest, tastiest and darn delicious ice cream l’ve ever tasted. Think it has to do with all the cows in NZ; they are known for their top notch dairy products.

Day 2: March 25, 2024 in📍Auckland

⚪️Because I’m a ringer of “The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit” movies and books; I had to explore a few of the movie filming location in New Zealand.

⚪️I literally traveled to the real Middle-earth in the📍Waikato region in heavenly Auckland.

⚪️I immediately spotted the colorful Hobbit Hole doors that scattered on the so healthy and green hillsides, including the iconic Bag End, home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Darn you beautiful life!

⚪️Had a sweet welcoming opportunity to enter the Hobbits home. I so appreciated his imaginary library and superb kitchen.

⚪️Next stop was the Green Dragon Inn; where I and other curious travelers had a complimentary beverage and freshly baked scones evenly spread with fresh butter. Y’all omg!

***Posing with a local Kiwi/New Zealander***

⚪️ Imagine your whole life was hanging from the roof of a cave waiting to catch bugs on your sticky drool to eat.

⚪️Had such an authentic and impactful experience exploring the📍Glowworm caves in Waitomo, NZ. Sorry no cameras were allowed in the caves.

⚪️So you go on a little canoe and stroll through the cave in silence and complete darkness, just looking up at these strange little sparkling glowworms. It’s almost spiritual because you’re reminded of all the wonderful things God has created, and we have the chance to experience at some point on our journey. Truly a beautiful place to see.

⚪️Ended the evening with the most delicious lamb chops. It’s a must to try when in NZ

Day 3: March 26, 2024 in📍Auckland

⚪️Took a Day trip to📍Rotorua; it’s the volcanic and geothermal of “The North Island” in NZ.

⚪️The Indigenous Mãori people of the Te Arawa tribe have been thriving in all the geothermal areas in and around Rotorua for centuries too as I was told.

⚪️They call this entire area including the redwoods “Whakarewarewa” which simply means the gathering place of many geysers and natives. It’s obviously breathtaking!

⚪️I love Rotorua and all the springs and stinky volcanoes.

⚪️What I love most is their buffet, all you can eat, food haven and the bath house. Haha!

⚪️Highly recommend visiting when in NZ and booking a tour through viator.

⚪️Ended the night by having an Indian dinner. There is a large Indian population in Auckland.

Day 4: March 27, 2024

📍Auckland, NZ

⚪️Enjoyed tea and a muffin in the lobby of Rydges Hotel

⚪️Visited Sky Tower in Auckland; it’s the second tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere.

⚪️Had some responsible fun in Sky City’s casino.

⚪️Spent half day learning and exploring Auckland’s Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki. It’s the largest art gallery in NZ with a load of diverse art work for y’all art appreciator!

⚪️Devoured some incredible tasty fush and chups as the New Zealanders/Kiwi would say…

📍Queenstown

⚪️And I made it to the “Adventure Capital of the World”…

⚪️Flew from Auckland’s International Airport to Queenstown International Airport via Air New Zealand.

⚪️Queenstown is a city in the South Island in NZ. And it’s known for its adrenaline activities.

⚪️Stayed 6 nights at Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown Lakefront. It’s about a 10 minute walk uphill from the town center.

***View from Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown Lakefront***

⚪️Thoroughly enjoyed the bathhouse/hot tub located in the hotel for about 30 minutes…there are some excellent health benefits from doing this…

Day 5: March 28, 2024 in 📍Queenstown

⚪️Took a helicopter and boat ride over the magnificent Milford Sound!

⚪️Mildford Sound is unofficially named the “Eighth Wonder of the World”…

⚪️Majestic is the only word I can think of to describe the glory of the mountains with snowy tops and gigantic waterfalls ….along with a million wows…

⚪️I was lucky to see Milford Sound in the sun – Fiordland has 200 rain days per a year as l was told…

⚪️Our New Zealander/Kiwi pilot was fantastic. The precision of his piloting, and the views he provided us with, were absolutely spectacular. I shared the ride with two couples from Australia.

⚪️Enjoyed some delicious pizza and local New Zealander beer

Day 6: March 29, 2024 in📍Queenstown

“Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. Not Today. Good morning! But please come to tea – any time you like! Why not tomorrow? Good bye!” ~ Bilbo Baggins/J.R.R. Tolkien

***Our Kiwi/New Zealander showing us where part of the LOTR movie was filmed***

⚪️And the adventure continued with exploring a few of the movie filming location of “The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit” (LOTR) in📍 Glenorchy & 📍Mt Aspiring National Park in NZ.

⚪️Shout out to our New Zealander/Kiwi tour guide for being absolutely fantastic at sharing her knowledge and passion of LOTR! It’s great that us ringers can talk geek and share our common experiences. By the way I booked my tour through viator.

***Here is where part of the LOTR movie was filmed***

⚪️Enjoyed an authentic Thai dinner in Queenstown

Day 7: March 30, 2024 in 📍Queenstown

⚪️And I did my first skydive 12,000ft above “The

Remarkable” with a thrilling 40 second freefall followed by a 4 minute parachuting in NZ.

⚪️And darn it’s an experience of a lifetime. You can’t put it into words… all I can say is stay calm, enjoy the freefall and juicy endorphine rush in real time and silently count the change in speed your body is moving at as soon as you jump out of the plane…

***Serbian/Kiwi/New Zealander Sky Diving Instructor***

⚪️Shoutout to the NZONE Skydive team and my Serbian/Kiwi instructor Uros for taking care of me…

⚪️This part of my trip was not planned…It was nice to connect with a fellow traveler visiting from Australia…

⚪️We admired the stunning Skyline in Queenstown with a beautiful mix of adventure and breathtaking views! The gondola ride up is an experience in itself, offering stunning panoramic views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountains.

⚪️We had an early dinner at the Piers located in the heart of Queenstown.

⚪️I noticed there were lots of Aussies vacationing in NZ and I had a chance to mingle with a few of them. And because I have visited both countries; I noticed both the Aussies and Kiwi/New Zealanders have a laid back culture, a similar sense of humour and similar outlook on life. I think both find each other amusing.

Day 8: March 31, 2024 in 📍Queenstown

⚪️If you have this fantastical and so so beautiful country on your dream list to just “wild out” then you must have a killa burger at “Ferburger” when in Queenstown.

⚪️Ufff! And devour a scoop of their hokey pokey and cookies gelato. NZ won the Ice Cream and Gelato Awards in 2022 and 2023; l’m about to cast my vote y’all for 2024…

⚪️That time I tend and befriend my soul in

📍Queenstown Gardens. Gardening is good because it keeps you grounded.

⚪️As human beings we need the earth we need to feel connected we need to feel the earth with our hands and feet.

⚪️Ended my evening by having some delicious wings and a local New Zealander beer in the restaurant in my hotel.

Day 9: April 1, 2024 in 📍Queenstown

⚪️On my last day in NZ, I took a wine tour to “Valley of the Vines” also known as the Gibbston area of Queenstown with the most stunning scenery.

⚪️Tasted some of the world’s finest Pinot Noir right here in NZ before enjoying a winery lunch.

I’ve learned that 70% of the grapes grown here are pinot noir. And NZ has received loads of worldwide wine recognition awards.

⚪️Ended the evening by having delicious lamb chops for dinner with a fellow traveler from Australia.

***Wine tasting in a cave is brilliant***

⚪️Had such an amazing vacation in NZ learning about its history, culture, food, wine, people, purpose and taking advantage of a few of its incredible outdoor activities.