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 highlights on a budget

Doing New Zealand on a budget means the cheapest third of what is worth doing: Polynesian Spa Geothermal Hot Springs Ticket, Secret Spot Hot Tubs Rotorua. 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 highlights 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
  
  Polynesian Spa Geothermal Hot Springs Ticket
  
  4.6203 reviewsRotorua · from $27
  
  Book
2. afternoon
  
  Secret Spot Hot Tubs Rotorua
  
  4.752 reviewsRotorua · from $36 · 4.2 km from Polynesian Spa Geothermal Hot Springs Ticket
  
  Book
3. evening
  
  ZORB Inflatable Ball Adventure in Rotorua
  
  4.950 reviewsRotorua · from $85
  
  Book
4. evening
  
  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
Where to eat
- Dinner
  
  Rotorua Night Market
  
  An evening market, open 5pm to 9pm.
  
  Rotorua · 0.6 km away
Day 2 Rotorua
1. morning
  
  Pōhutu Geyser
  
  Rotorua
  
  Geyser in New Zealand.
  
  Just turn up
2. afternoon
  
  Rotorua Museum
  
  Rotorua · 3.1 km from Pōhutu Geyser
  
  Museum in Rotorua, New Zealand. Dates from 1988.
  
  Official site
3. evening
  
  Kaituna Whitewater Rafting Experience
  
  Rotorua · from $109
  
  Book
4. evening
  
  Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve & Mud Spa Experience
  
  4.5299 reviewsRotorua · from $36
  
  Book
Day 3 Rotorua
1. morning
  
  Wairere Falls
  
  Matamata
  
  Waterfall in Waikato, New Zealand.
  
  Just turn up
2. afternoon
  
  Lake Rotorua / Te Rotorua nui ā Kahumatamomoe
  
  Rotorua · 51.7 km from Wairere Falls
  
  Crater lake in the North Island of New Zealand.
  
  Just turn up
3. evening
  
  Lake Tarawera
  
  Rotorua · 19.5 km from Lake Rotorua / Te Rotorua nui ā Kahumatamomoe
  
  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
  
  Weta Workshop Unleashed Admission Ticket
  
  4.890 reviewsAuckland · from $53
  
  Book
3. evening
  
  Rotoroa Island Day Trip from Auckland
  
  Auckland · from $89
  
  Book
4. evening
  
  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
Day 5 Auckland
1. morning
  
  Auckland Domain Wintergardens
  
  Auckland
  
  Botanic garden in Auckland. Dates from 1928. Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place listing.
  
  Just turn up
2. afternoon
  
  Holy Trinity Cathedral
  
  Auckland · 0.8 km from Auckland Domain Wintergardens
  
  Cathedral in Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand.
  
  Official site
3. evening
  
  St Patrick's Cathedral
  
  Auckland · 2.3 km from Holy Trinity Cathedral
  
  Cathedral in Auckland, New Zealand. Dates from 1885. Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place listing.
  
  Official site
4. evening
  
  Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill
  
  Auckland · 6.2 km from St Patrick's Cathedral
  
  Mountain 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 highlights 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 highlights trip to New Zealand, compared on price.

New Zealand travel insurance

EKTA

Gold

Overseas medical expenses to US$150,000No excess to pay on a claimSold per day, so a long trip costs proportionally

$36.48 AUD

View deal

Klook

Travel insurance

Priced per destinationMedical, cancellation and baggageAdventure cover options

Set at quote

Get a quote

Fast Cover Best value

Standard Saver

Overseas medical expensesTrip cancellationLuggage & personal items

$16.20 AUD

Compare only

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

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 highlights 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.

What goes into a highlights plan?

It rotates between wellness, sightseeing and food items rather than clustering them, so no single day is three museums or three meals. If you would rather lean one way, switch the theme at the top of the page and the plan rebuilds.

Can I change the plan once it is built?

Yes. Pace and length are controls on the page, and changing either rebuilds the plan instantly. The itinerary is deterministic, so the same choices always produce the same plan - you can send someone the link and they will see what you see.

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 food itinerary Markets, cooking classes, wine regions and the places worth planning a day around.

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

All highlights itineraries

New Zealand highlights on a budget

Your 5-day highlights 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 travel insurance

EKTA

Klook

Fast Cover Best value

New Zealand eSIM plans

Airalo

Saily Cheapest 10GB

Airalo Recommended

Budget highlights questions

Other ways to do New Zealand

Highlights trips in other countries