With only three weeks in New Zealand, I made it mission to see all that I could see while getting a taste of both the south and north islands in just three weeks. Stray provided me the opportunity to do just that. My Stray Bus hop on hop off passes allowed me the schedule to see a ton of places in a short amount of time, while also providing me the flexibility to hop off in a place I’d like to spend more time in.
South Island- Pleasant Recreation Point
Days 1-10 South Island Tour: Willy Pass–
Fly into Christchurch
Kaikoura
Ohau Point Lookout- Seal colony
Picton
Marahau
Abel Tasman National Park
Cape Foulwind Walkway
Punakaiki
Greymouth
Franz Josef Glacier
Lake Matheson & Fox Glacier
Ship Creek/Tauparikaka
Pleasant Recreation Point
Blue Pools & Young Valley
Lake Hawea Lookout
Wanaka
Kawarau River & Suspension Bridge
Queenstown
Glenorchy
Lord of the Rings Tour
Fly from Queenstown to Auckland
North Island- Waireinga/Bridal Veil Falls
Day 11-18 North Island Tour: Tom Pass–
Auckland
Waireinga/Bridal Veil Falls
Raglan
Waitomo Caves
Bay of Plenty
Mourea
Rotorura
Taupo
Tongariro National Park
Whakahoro
Auckland
Fly from Auckland to Sydney
The great thing about Stray is that I stayed in really iconic destinations, yet stopped in places off the beaten path. The Stray Bus allowed us to stray off the main routes so to speak to see incredible local spots along the way. Stay tuned to hear all about my incredible trip to New Zealand.
South Island- Ship Creek/Tauparikaka
*Media coverage for Stray
Turquoise Compass Wellness 
interesting. I’ve never done hop-on hop-off, because I LOVE train travel so much, but for NZ this sounds like a great option! Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, train travel is not the best (or possible) option in New Zealand so the hop on hop off bus pass worked well for me while I was traveling in New Zealand.
Wow beautiful.
Thank you so much. Are you dreaming of visiting New Zealand?
I am forever in love with New Zealand. Thanks for showing me again why I am in love with her. 🙂
You are welcome. Stay tuned for posts of my adventures in New Zealand.
Hey Jessica, Great post! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much. I hope you enjoy reading about New Zealand.
Such an awesome post, Jess! Those photos took my breath away and the Stray Bus sounds like a great option.
Happy weekend! xo
Thanks so much Donna. New Zealand is amazing and it is easy to get shots of great places. My breath was taken away in almost every destination that I visited.
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Thanks – great job as usual, brought back some memories of our trip back in the early 90’s. If you have never been to New Zealand here is a great taster plate for you.
Reblogged this on sara33ia.
ethereal!
It’s definitely a place to see at least once in a lifetime. My time was this year. Do you have plans to go?
Wow I’m looking forward to see and read more from this trip Jessica. Your photos give us a great taste in front 😀
Yes, there will be lots more on New Zealand. After Australia, the New Zealand posts will give my blog a new lively twist.
Jessica, Turquoise Compass
I loved your post and Bridal Veil Falls so beautiful!!
Thanks for your sharing.
Thank you so much! It was an amazing place to see. I assume you have been? Thanks for stopping by my blog! I’ve followed you so we can stay in touch!
Jessica, Turquoise Compass
You got to see so much in a short time. Glad you enjoyed your stay in our beautiful country. 🙂
Thank you so much. My whirl wind tour allowed me to see so much (you are right about that). I wish I could stay in New Zealand forever, as I feel with many countries. What is your favorite place/part/aspect of New Zealand?
Jessica, Turquoise Compass
There are just too many to list! I am based in Christchurch at the moment, and we love sailing Banks Peninsula and the Marlborough Sounds. We love skiing in the Southern Alps, tramping the Abel Tasman, Stewart Island and the Catlins are also stunning. We are heading over to the West Coast next week to check out the Glaciers. Safe travels on your next adventures!
I would have loved to sailed Banks Peninsula and the Marlborough Sounds (I missed those spots). There is just so much to see and do in NZ. I LOVED Abel Tasman, it was one of my favorite national parks. The wild west coast was also my favorite coast on the south island. You should write about this for the same campaign I submitted mine for.
The hop-on-hop-off bus sounds like just the ticket to see as much of NZ as possible, in a manageable three weeks. I could see myself doing that in the future too. 🙂
Yes, it literally was the ticket to see all that I did in a limited amount of time. Stray does similar tours in south east Asia as well. I’d be interested in trying one there too. I vote Stray all the way!
Jessica, Turquoise Compass
I’m doing a driving tour in a couple weeks from Christchurch to Queenstown! Can’t wait to hear more about your time there. I’m hoping it won’t be too crazy cold when I go!
Great! I hope I can help you plan some of your destinations. It will definitely be cold there when you go, especially in the south island. When I left Queenstown on May 3rd it was -1 Celsius in the evenings/mornings and about 5-10 degrees during the day. It was definitely a shock for me after leaving warm Australia. Manageable though. Be prepared. Seeing the snow capped mountains makes it all worth it.
Jessica, Turquoise Compass