New Zealand

[theintern43]

A friend and I are in the early stages of planning a New Zealand trip (probably December 2020 or the following January).

Looking to backpack/camp/hike for a week then explore the cities and metropolis areas for a week.

Any recommendations or tips?

[tortfeasor]

northlands is amazing.  up by cape reinga is Te Hapua which i loved. there is also a long as beach highway there which is pretty special to drive on.

i did a semester abroad there in undergrad to study the moari people.  lived in waikato... here is my non skate take of some places to see---

lake taupo is beautiful and great kayaking.  cool town too. 
rotorua has some of the best white water rafter i have ever done. massive waterfalls. dirt cheap too.
there is a semi secret natural waterslide in Rere which is really fun.  its a cool drive to get there too.
Raglan is the Cool Surf town.  best youth hostel on the planet if thats your thing. good sushi there too.
waitomo has the glow worm caves.  repelling down a waterfall in a cave full glowworms may have been a top five moment of my life. its unlike anything else in the world. 
Whangarei has more waterfalls per square mile than any place i have ever seen.
Napier/Hawkes bay is gorgeous and has amazing wine if you are classy.

grab ketchup when you find it.  they eat a lot of burgers and use tomato chutney which is not the same.

[homegrown83]

I did a semester abroad there in undergrad and I stayed in Wellington (the Capitol, at the bottom of the north island.) If you're looking to backpack/hike, then you definitely want to check out the south island. My recommendations are to check to see if you can get a permit to do the Milford track (4-5 days) or the Routeburn track (2-3 days). I did the Routeburn track and it was amazing!

As far as cities go, definitely check out Queenstown and Dunedin. Queenstown is a lil touristy but is absolutely gorgeous. You can bungee jump nearby by at a bridge (forget the name, starts with a K).

Another place to check out is Milford sounds. You can take a boat ride to check them out and I recommend taking the cheapest tour (Juicy was the one I took).

Definitely take a boat across the Cook strait (the water between the north and south island.)

As far as the north island goes, the previous poster covered a good chunk but I would recommend climbing Mount Taranaki since you'll be there in the Summer. Don't worry, you should be able to do it within a day.

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

[roscoemoore1]

Epic, definitely hit try and hit both the North and South Island if you can.

The DOC website has you sorted for pretty much every outdoor activity: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/things-to-do/

Te Papa in Wellington is the best museum in the country and worth a visit: https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/

If you are planning on heading South PM me and I can maybe help with some more specific info

Most importantly, try a meat pie.

[theintern43]

awesome! thanks for all the recommendations

[fang]

Check the other NZ thread for more also. I'm going there in 2 months, but mostly just to see my wife's family. (She is a kiwi, half Maori). Lived there for 5 years, not sure if I will sk ate on the trip, due to it being 99% to see her family.