The best way to see New Zealand is on land.  Sailing around New Zealand can be challenging as they have deep bays, rough seas, high winds, and not many anchor spots (so we have been told).  Plus, we have a lot of work going on Sugar Shack right now so moving her away from the docks is not really an option. So, a road trip is the perfect solution.

I had been planning this road trip for months and months.  Originally, Matt, Wayne, and I were going to take a campervan (or RV) but we decided to take our car instead.  Why do you ask?  Well, first of all the roads in NZ are incredibly windy, small, two lane (one lane each way) roads and driving a giant campervan seemed scary.  Also, the campervan sites are located between 2-10 miles away from the center of the main towns and we would not have had a way to get to and from the campsites.  And third, it was cheaper to take our car and stay in hotels than it was to rent the campervan.

We bought a car

You are probably thinking we are crazy, right? Well, we are a wee bit nutso, but not in this instance.  We were not planning on buying a car, but we did because the deal was just too good.  We bought a 2006 323i BMW with 18k miles for $3,800 USD.  Yep, and she was a beauty.

So, we had the reliable car, we had insurance, we had a jam packed itinerary full of action and adventure and we were set to go!

The Road Trip

Matt and I had already ventured to Coromandel and Whitanga which is on the East side of the North Island.  If you missed this blog, go back and read it! 

I had the opportunity to go to the North tip of the North island with friends and will take Matt back another time.  Check out this road trip to Cape Reigna.

So, our goal was to focus on the South Island. while still hitting a few highlights in the North Island.  We anticipated this being a 4500-5000km trip.  This is a rough idea of where we planned to go.  I anticipated several detours and unplanned stops along the way.

For the next three months, you will be reading all about our fabulous road trip, how long it took us to get to each destination, where we stayed, what we did, and what kind of mischief we got into with our friend Wayne.

So, please stay tuned and enjoy the ride!  It was a fantastic one.

Events from this blog post occurred between 20 February through 18 March 2023.  Our blog posts are running 10-12 weeks behind actual live events, so please be patient with us.