Treasure Islands:

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first trip to New Zealand

First-timers’ guide to New Zealand: Choosing between North or South Islands

At last, the bubble is starting to inflate... It’s getting bigger and bigger, stretching out across the Tasman Sea to cover New Zealand. But now you can play in this beautiful big bubble, you have another dilemma—if it’s your first time to New Zealand, should I visit the North or South Island?

 

Your choices are way bigger than you imagine. It isn’t just a question of the South vs North Island in New Zealand, there are so many untouched islands to explore. Some travellers will love the wine regions and food, others the largest cities, some will prefer the quaint small towns, still others will want to climb the Southern Alps and ski their way down.

 

So, where do you start? That’s the question that we’re here to help you answer. We’re going to take a Kiwi bird’s eye view over New Zealand’s North vs South—and all the islands in between— to help you plan your next holiday.

 

Adventures to the real Middle Earth

In New Zealand, an adventure of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But, once you start walking, it’s nearly impossible to stop. Let’s take our first step in the north and keep moving south.

 

New Zealand’s North Island boasts the country’s two largest cities, Auckland, and Wellington, both of which are set on magnificent harbours. Do you love adventures in cities? Start here with these two very different cities offering a classic Kiwi twist on world-class dining, arts, and culture.

 

Auckland is one of the world’s most livable cities. This cosmopolitan city is also close to surfing and swimming beaches, hiking trails and stunning landscapes, including the Bay of Islands and Waiheke Island.

 

Two hours south of Auckland by road, journey into the land of Hobbiton featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies. Here you can explore the lush pastures of the Shire and take a guided walking tour of the movie set.

As we make our way to the South Island, we arrive in the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown, where there is no shortage of thrill- seeking activities for all ages. Here, you can discover an endless list of adrenalin-fueled activities: Skydiving, bungy jumping, zip-lining, paragliding, cliff-walking, white water rafting and jet boating.

 

Do all this even before you jump into a helicopter and fly to the top of Mt Cook in the Southern Alps and ski down. Then do it again. On the Southern Island, few places come close to matching the number and variety of exciting adventures.

The land that time couldn’t forget

The natural wonders of New Zealand are simply unforgettable and like no other. It’s truly incredible just how unique and different the North and South Island are to one another. The one thing that they share is that they will take your breath away.

 

Make your Instagram the envy of your friends with posts from the North Island boasting geothermal wonders, volcanic landscapes, and neon lakes. In Rotorua, find boiling mud pools, giant geysers, and acid-green lakes. From here the geothermal activity stretches to Coromandel Peninsula where you can dig your own spa bath on Hot Water Beach.

 

Head down south and you’ll discover an unforgettable coastline that takes in mountains, fjords and lakes. On the West Coast of the South Island, discover the 12km Franz Josef Glacier. The south is also home to eight of the ten biggest lakes in New Zealand including Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki with their vivid turquoise water.

THE NATURAL WONDERS OF
NEW ZEALAND ARE SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE AND LIKE NO OTHER. IT'S TRULY INCREDIBLE JUST HOW UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT THE NORTH AND SOUTH ISLAND ARE TO ONE OTHER.

On the west coast, discover one of the south islands and one of the southern hemisphere’s natural wonders—Milford Sound. Here plunging cliffs and raging waterfalls meet to create New Zealand’s wild side. Continue south and you’ll find the snow-capped Southern Alps, which includes the country’s largest mountain, Mt Cook.

Meet Maori culture

Maoritanga, or the Maori way of life, is all around you in the land of the long white cloud. But no place more so than the North Island where the vast majority of New Zealand’s Maori people reside.

 

To really immerse yourself in Maori culture, head for Rotorua. Take in a cultural performance at a local Marae, or Māori meeting place. Try hangi, a traditional Māori food of meats and vegetables slow cooked to perfection using heated rocks in a pit oven.

 

Explore the central North Island through to Waitangi in the Bay of Islands to discover and experience more of the Maori heritage.

Pairing food and wine regions

New Zealand is a heaven for foodies, producing some of the world’s most sought-after fresh food and wine. Go straight to the source to discover an abundance on both the North and South Islands.

 

On the North Island, delight your tastebuds at some of New Zealand’s award-winning restaurants in Auckland and Wellington. But venture out of these cities to discover amazingly fresh food in coastal port towns like Mangonui. Have you ever enjoyed geothermal-farmed prawns and other Maori delicacies? No, well head to Taupo where you can.

 

What to pair this great food with? Discover the wine regions of Hawke’s Bay, known for its red wines like Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Then there’s the Maori area of Gisborne known for its Chardonnays.

ON THE SOUTH ISLAND, YOU ENTER A MORE SPARSELY POPULATED REGION, BUT MOST ABUNDANTLY POPULATED WITH FARMLANDS AND AWARD-WINNING VINEYARDS.

On the South Island, you enter a more sparsely populated region, but most abundantly populated with farmlands and award-winning vineyards. Venture to Marlborough, the country’s largest wine-making region with around 65 wineries producing some of the best Sauvignon Blancs. Further south in Canterbury and the lakes around Queenstown you also have plenty more wineries to explore.

 

In Kaikoura in northern Canterbury, you’ll find fresh lobsters and crayfish sold in caravans along the coastal highway. Don’t forget, New Zealand is famous for her sheep and lamb dishes, so you’ll find no better spot to enjoy some Canterbury lamb than in Christchurch.

Ski south to a natural high

If you are a snow seeker, fly south for the winter. From June to October, snow transforms New Zealand’s alpine landscapes and mountain ranges into winter wonderlands.

 

In the Southern Alps around Queenstown, there are four epic mountains: The Remarkables, Cardrona, Coronet Peak and Treble Cone.

 

Then within an hour or two of Christchurch, you’ll find the Canterbury region with even more choice from family-friendly beginner runs to pristine backcountry powder.

 

Further afield, head up Aoraki Mt Cook, to look out from atop of New Zealand’s highest mountain and discover Edmund Hilary’s training ground for his ascent of Everest.

 

Nearby in the Canterbury-Southern Alps region, there are a number of boutique ski fields to be explored—Ohau, Roundhill and Mt Dobson. With few queues and uncrowded slopes, you’re never being freer to make your own tracks in the fresh snow.

North or South: Your choice isn’t All Blacks or All White

There are so many options for your first time to New Zealand’s North or South Island. Picking just one island is no easy black or white choice. Go north if you are more into the buzz of the largest cities, culture, and endless beaches. But if you are more into adventure, go south. Whichever island you choose first it doesn’t matter— you’ll be back to explore the other island.

 

One choice that's easier to make is to travel with your American Express Card. If you have an eligible card, discover Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection1, which offers you some of the best accommodation in New Zealand. Some cards also come with complimentary insurances2, airport lounge access and the option to transfer Membership Rewards points to up to 10 airline partner programs and 2 hotel partners3.

 

To make your life a little simpler, you can choose from a few ways to make your Card payments. American Express  Plan It® gives you a flexible option that allows you to pay off recent transactions or your balance in monthly instalments with 0% p.a. interest, however a monthly plan fee applies.2

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