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AirportLink bus + train
Cheapest option. Bus to Puhinui, then train to Britomart. Tag on with a contactless card.
$9 AUD
New Zealand sightseeing on a budget
Doing New Zealand on a budget means the cheapest third of what is worth doing: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Weta Workshop Unleashed Admission Ticket. Activities in this plan start from about $27.
Your 5-day sightseeing plan for New Zealand
Where you stayAuckland 3 nightsRotorua 2 nightsabout 195 km between them
5 days · packed · 7 of 16 bookable now · activities from about $546
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Day 1 Auckland
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morning
Holy Trinity Cathedral
Cathedral in Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand.
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afternoon
Weta Workshop Unleashed Admission Ticket
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evening
Rotoroa Island Day Trip from Auckland
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Day 2 Auckland
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morning
Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill
Mountain in New Zealand.
Just turn up -
afternoon
St Patrick's Cathedral
Cathedral in Auckland, New Zealand. Dates from 1885. Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place listing.
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evening
Rangitoto Island
Island in New Zealand.
Just turn up
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Day 3 Auckland
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morning
Auckland Art Gallery
Art museum in Auckland, New Zealand. Dates from 1887.
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afternoon
Waiheke Island wine, olives and oysters
Forty minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland. The olives and oysters are as much the point as the wine.
Just turn up -
eveningalso worth doing
Auckland Domain Wintergardens
Botanic garden in Auckland. Dates from 1928. Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place listing.
Just turn up
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Day 4 Rotorua
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Travel day
Auckland to Rotorua
Journey time is an estimate rather than a timetable - check the operator before you book anything tight on either side of it.
Book direct -
afternoon
Polynesian Spa Geothermal Hot Springs Ticket
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eveningalso worth doing
Secret Spot Hot Tubs Rotorua
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eveningalso worth doing
ZORB Inflatable Ball Adventure in Rotorua
Where to eat
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Dinner
An evening market, open 5pm to 9pm.
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Day 5 Rotorua
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morning
Lake Rotorua / Te Rotorua nui ā Kahumatamomoe
Crater lake in the North Island of New Zealand.
Just turn up -
afternoon
Pōhutu Geyser
Geyser in New Zealand.
Just turn up -
eveningalso worth doing
Kaituna Whitewater Rafting Experience
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eveningalso worth doing
Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve & Mud Spa Experience
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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 sightseeing 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.
Passport
Check your passport covers the whole trip with room to spare. A fare is non-refundable long before a passport renewal is.
Your checklist
21 things to sort for New Zealand, built from these same rules, 3 of them essential.
- 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 sightseeing trip to New Zealand, compared on price.
New Zealand airport transfers
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SkyDrive express bus Best value
Direct to the Sky City terminal in the CBD.
$17 AUD
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Super Shuttle
Shared van, cheaper per person for solo travellers than a taxi.
$35 AUD
Driving in New Zealand
Trip.com Featured partner
Car hire in New Zealand
Search live prices
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 sightseeing 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.
Are the big landmarks worth the queue?
Some are, some are not, and the difference is usually timing rather than the place. Where a timed ticket exists the plan flags it, because the same sight at nine in the morning and at midday are different experiences.
How much sightseeing needs a car?
It depends on the destination, and the plan tells you which items sit outside the main city. If you are driving, check the International Driving Permit rules for the country first - several require one alongside your Australian licence.
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 food itinerary
Markets, cooking classes, wine regions and the places worth planning a day around.
New Zealand highlights itinerary
Some rest, some scenery, some good eating. For the trip you have not decided the shape of yet.
Sightseeing 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 sightseeing itinerary
Visa-free, cash-friendly, and worth over-preparing for.
🇮🇩 Indonesia sightseeing itinerary
Visa on arrival, plus two fees most Australians don't budget for.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom sightseeing itinerary
Australians now need an ETA - this changed in 2025.
🇹🇭 Thailand sightseeing itinerary
60 days visa-free - but the arrival card is now compulsory.