How many days do I need in New Zealand?

This plan can fill up to 10 days from 121 things worth doing across 23 places. Most Australians going to New Zealand take between five and ten.

New Zealand food on a budget

Doing New Zealand on a budget means the cheapest third of what is worth doing: Traditional hangi feast, Waiheke Island wine, olives and oysters. Activities in this plan start from about $27.

What kind of trip

Wellness Rest, move, and come home better than you left Sightseeing Landscapes, landmarks and the views worth the detour Food and drink Eat where the queue is locals, not tourists Highlights The best of everything, if you have not decided yet

Pace

Laid-back Packed

How long

3 days 5 days 7 days 10 days

How much do you want to spend

Any budget Everything worth doing Budget The cheapest third of what is worth doing Mid-range The middle third, without the extremes Luxury The top third, where the money buys something

Price bands are thirds of what New Zealand itself charges, not a fixed dollar figure - the cheapest third in Vietnam and in Norway are nowhere near the same number. Flights and accommodation are not included.

Your 5-day food and drink plan for New Zealand

Where you stayRotorua 3 nightsAuckland 2 nightsabout 195 km between them

5 days · packed · 7 of 18 bookable now · activities from about $641

Day 1 Rotorua
1. morning
  
  Traditional hangi feast
  
  Rotorua · from $95
  
  Meat and vegetables cooked in an earth oven - a Maori tradition, and the one meal in New Zealand with real ceremony attached.
  
  Just turn up
2. afternoonalso worth doing
  
  Polynesian Spa Geothermal Hot Springs Ticket
  
  4.6203 reviewsRotorua · from $27
  
  Book
3. eveningalso worth doing
  
  Secret Spot Hot Tubs Rotorua
  
  4.752 reviewsRotorua · from $36 · 4.2 km from Polynesian Spa Geothermal Hot Springs Ticket
  
  Book
4. eveningalso worth doing
  
  ZORB Inflatable Ball Adventure in Rotorua
  
  4.950 reviewsRotorua · from $85
  
  Book
Where to eat
- Dinner
  
  Rotorua Night Market
  
  An evening market, open 5pm to 9pm.
  
  Rotorua · 0.6 km away
Day 2 Rotorua
1. morningalso worth doing
  
  Lake Rotorua / Te Rotorua nui ā Kahumatamomoe
  
  Rotorua
  
  Crater lake in the North Island of New Zealand.
  
  Just turn up
2. afternoonalso worth doing
  
  Rotorua Museum
  
  Rotorua · 5.9 km from Lake Rotorua / Te Rotorua nui ā Kahumatamomoe
  
  Museum in Rotorua, New Zealand. Dates from 1988.
  
  Official site
3. eveningalso worth doing
  
  Kaituna Whitewater Rafting Experience
  
  Rotorua · from $109
  
  Book
4. eveningalso worth doing
  
  Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve & Mud Spa Experience
  
  4.5299 reviewsRotorua · from $36
  
  Book
Day 3 Rotorua
1. morningalso worth doing
  
  Wairere Falls
  
  Matamata
  
  Waterfall in Waikato, New Zealand.
  
  Just turn up
2. afternoonalso worth doing
  
  Pōhutu Geyser
  
  Rotorua · 57.9 km from Wairere Falls
  
  Geyser in New Zealand.
  
  Just turn up
3. eveningalso worth doing
  
  Lake Tarawera
  
  Rotorua · 16.6 km from Pōhutu Geyser
  
  Lake in the North Island of New Zealand.
  
  Just turn up
Day 4 Auckland
1. Travel day
  
  Rotorua to Auckland
  
  About 195 km by road · allow around 4h 30m
  
  Journey time is an estimate rather than a timetable - check the operator before you book anything tight on either side of it.
  
  Book direct
2. afternoon
  
  Waiheke Island wine, olives and oysters
  
  Auckland · from $110
  
  Forty minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland. The olives and oysters are as much the point as the wine.
  
  Just turn up
3. eveningalso worth doing
  
  Weta Workshop Unleashed Admission Ticket
  
  4.890 reviewsAuckland · from $53
  
  Book
4. eveningalso worth doing
  
  Rotoroa Island Day Trip from Auckland
  
  Auckland · from $89
  
  Book
Day 5 Auckland
1. morningalso worth doing
  
  Auckland Art Gallery
  
  Auckland
  
  Art museum in Auckland, New Zealand. Dates from 1887.
  
  Official site
2. afternoonalso worth doing
  
  St Patrick's Cathedral
  
  Auckland · 0.6 km from Auckland Art Gallery
  
  Cathedral in Auckland, New Zealand. Dates from 1885. Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place listing.
  
  Official site
3. eveningalso worth doing
  
  Auckland Domain Wintergardens
  
  Auckland · 1.8 km from St Patrick's Cathedral
  
  Botanic garden in Auckland. Dates from 1928. Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place listing.
  
  Just turn up
4. eveningalso worth doing
  
  Rangitoto Island
  
  Auckland · 11.2 km from Auckland Domain Wintergardens
  
  Island in New Zealand.
  
  Just turn up

Prices are indicative and in Australian dollars. Flights and accommodation are not included. Distances between stops are straight-line, so a walking or driving route will be longer, and they are shown only where both stops have a known location. Items marked also worth doing sit outside the food and drink theme and are there because they are among the best things to do in New Zealand.

Before you fly to New Zealand

The part an itinerary app leaves out. These are New Zealand's rules for Australian passport holders, re-read from the official source and dated below.

Entry

No - Australian passport holders can enter New Zealand without a visa for up to Indefinite - Australian citizens are granted a resident visa on arrival.

New Zealand visa and entry rules

Passport

Check your passport covers the whole trip with room to spare. A fare is non-refundable long before a passport renewal is.

Check your passport against this rule

Your checklist

21 things to sort for New Zealand, built from these same rules, 3 of them essential.

New Zealand travel checklist

Passport valid - valid on arrival and departure for australian citizens travelling on an australian passport
Complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD)
Take out travel insurance

Last reviewed 2026-10-24. Entry requirements change without notice. Always confirm with the official sources below before you book or fly.

Sort these before you go

The two things worth having arranged before a food and drink trip to New Zealand, compared on price.

New Zealand eSIM plans

Airalo

1GB · 7 days

32k

Works in New Zealand1GB of data7 days validity

$7.50 AUD

View deal

Saily Cheapest 10GB

10GB · 15 days

Works in New Zealand10GB of data15 days validity

$13 AUD

View deal

Airalo Recommended

10GB · 15 days

32k

Works in New Zealand10GB of data15 days validity

$15 AUD

View deal

New Zealand money and cards

Wise Best exchange rate

Wise debit card

45k

Mid-market exchange rateHold 40+ currenciesFree ATM allowance each month

0.43%-0.65% conversion fee

View details

Revolut No weekday FX fee

Revolut Standard

30k

Interbank rates Monday to Friday30+ currenciesInstant spend notifications

0% FX fee

Compare only

ING Orange Everyday ATM fees rebated

ING Orange Everyday

22k

Rebates international ATM feesNo international transaction feeFull Australian bank account

0% FX fee

View details

Prices are indicative, shown in AUD and refreshed from provider APIs where available. Always confirm the final price on the provider's site - it is the price that applies. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, which never changes what you pay. Partners are listed before providers who pay us nothing, as our terms set out; sorting by price ignores all of that and orders on the number alone. How we make money.

Budget food questions

What counts as budget here?

The lowest-priced third of everything worth doing in that country, measured against that country's own prices rather than a fixed dollar figure. A budget day in Norway and a budget day in Vietnam are not the same number, and pretending otherwise would just describe the exchange rate.

Does a cheaper plan mean a worse one?

No, and the ordering is the same either way: everything is ranked on its review score first, so a budget plan is the best-reviewed cheap things rather than the cheapest things. Flights and accommodation are not included in any of these figures.

Do I need to book restaurants and food tours in advance?

Cooking classes and food tours, yes - they run small and fill up. Street food and markets, no. The plan marks which is which, and anything bookable can be held before you leave Australia.

What if I have dietary requirements?

Cooking classes and organised tours will almost always accommodate them if you say so when booking rather than on the day. Street food is harder to control, so it is worth learning the phrase for what you cannot eat in the local language before you go.

Other ways to do New Zealand

New Zealand wellness itinerary Hot springs and spa days, but also gyms, yoga, hiking and open water. Rest and movement, not one or the other. New Zealand sightseeing itinerary Coastlines, lookouts, day trips and the landmarks that are actually worth the queue. New Zealand highlights itinerary Some rest, some scenery, some good eating. For the trip you have not decided the shape of yet.

Food and drink trips in other countries

Still deciding where to go? These are built the same way - real activities, in an order that works, with the entry rules for Australians attached.

🇯🇵 Japan food itinerary Visa-free, cash-friendly, and worth over-preparing for. 🇮🇩 Indonesia food itinerary Visa on arrival, plus two fees most Australians don't budget for. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom food itinerary Australians now need an ETA - this changed in 2025. 🇹🇭 Thailand food itinerary 60 days visa-free - but the arrival card is now compulsory.

All food and drink itineraries

New Zealand food on a budget

Your 5-day food and drink plan for New Zealand

Day 1 Rotorua

Where to eat

Day 2 Rotorua

Day 3 Rotorua

Day 4 Auckland

Day 5 Auckland

Before you fly to New Zealand

Entry

Passport

Your checklist

Sort these before you go

New Zealand eSIM plans

Airalo

Saily Cheapest 10GB

Airalo Recommended

New Zealand money and cards

Wise Best exchange rate

Revolut No weekday FX fee

ING Orange Everyday ATM fees rebated

Budget food questions

Other ways to do New Zealand

Food and drink trips in other countries