New Zealand had been my wife's dream destination for years. As someone who loves nature, she had always wanted to experience the country's beautiful landscapes and unique geothermal areas firsthand.
As the family's unofficial trip planner, I had to turn that into a realistic 7-day itinerary across the North Island, balancing long driving distances, limited time, and the realities of traveling with two kids.
The kids had interests of their own. They had learned about glowworms at school and were fascinated by the idea of seeing them in the wild. They had also read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, so the chance to visit real filming locations (and even walk through Hobbiton) made the trip feel like an adventure long before we boarded the plane.
Who This Series Is For
These articles are for anyone trying to plan a realistic, kid?friendly, and not?entirely?chaotic trip across the northern part of New Zealand's North Island who prefer honest experiences over polished, sponsored itineraries. If your children are old enough to appreciate glowworms but young enough to need snacks or bathroom breaks at the worst possible moments, you'll feel right at home here.
Ultimately, this series is for me too. It's a reminder of the adventure we shared as a family: the good moments, the unexpected detours, and the parts where going with the flow worked better than all my careful planning. A keepsake of what was one of our biggest family trips.
You can read this series straight through or jump to the days that interest you most. Each post includes practical tips, driving notes, and honest impressions from traveling with kids.
Table of Contents: Our Visit
- Day 1: Arrival and Matamata
- Day 2: Hobbiton and Ruakuri Walk
- Day 3: Waitomo Caves and Māori Show
- Day 4: Rotorua: Luge, Māori Culture, and Treewalks
- Day 5: Rotorua and Wai-O-Tapu
- Day 6: Taupō: Carvings, Huka Falls, and Craters of the Moon
- Day 7: Ka kite anō, New Zealand!
Before Traveling to New Zealand
I must admit I didn't know much about New Zealand. This was my wife's "dream trip" and, as the designated family trip organizer, I had to figure out what we were going to do.
It was a short trip, too. We only had a week, so the goal was to fit in as much as possible without making the itinerary exhausting. At the same time, we were traveling with kids (9 and 11), which meant we couldn't plan a super aggressive schedule. It turned into a surprisingly fun challenge. New Zealand has so many interesting places to visit and things to do that choosing what to leave out was often harder than deciding what to include. That's why you'll notice some famous destinations missing from this itinerary. With only a week available, we had to make choices.
Early Planning...
As an important side note, I booked the flights almost a full year in advance. We found a great fare to Australia with Fiji Airways and decided to fit New Zealand into the middle of that trip. The original plan looked something like this:
Once I finalized the itinerary, I made the classic mistake of asking the Internet for feedback. I started on Reddit (first on r/newzealand and later on r/newzealand_travel after someone complained about the original post didn't belong in the first subreddit.) We got some mixed responses:
- New Zealand locals on Reddit were concerned about driving times and how long some of the roads would take, especially since we had rented a car. They also seemed worried about my driving skills and me not being used to driving on the left.
- Other travelers seemed much more enthusiastic about the itinerary and thought it looked perfectly reasonable. Maybe even not enough or not a good use of our time.
We also asked AI for feedback once the trip was complete, but the responses were mostly AI-style ("this looks great!") with some concerns about timing, especially considering we were traveling with children.
...and some setbacks
Needless to say, a lot can happen in twelve months: Better Hobbiton tickets became available on different dates, weather forced a few adjustments, and other circumstances required us to rethink parts of the plan.
In the end, we dropped Mount Maunganui and Cathedral Cove and spent more time around Rotorua and Lake Taupō instead. With news of landslides that "closed" some of the locations we wanted to visit, I followed the locals' advice and avoided the coast in winter.
By the time we landed in New Zealand, the itinerary looked very different from the original version:
Important Legal Requirements
One last thing before arriving in New Zealand, there is some important paperwork to complete:
- New Zealand ETA: a few days before the flight, you must get a visa waiver for entry. We did it on the app (you'll need your passports and a well-lit place to take photos). It barely took 10-15 minutes per person, and the approval was almost immediate.
- Customs declarations: we did this one online too, the day before the flight, but you can also fill out a paper form on the plane. The good thing about doing it online is that you get to skip some lines later and go directly to the Express counters.
After a year of planning, countless tweaks, a few cancellations, and more Google Maps tabs than I care to remember, we were finally ready for the trip. The original neat route had evolved into something a bit messier, with extra driving and a few inefficient detours. The itinerary wasn't perfect anymore... but it was ours.
Here's how the first day unfolded: Read "Day 1: Arrival and Matamata".