Road Trips
HubDay-by-day routes with real drive times, overnight stops and what to book before you go. Our times are routing estimates without stops, so add time for photos, roadworks and slow mountain roads.
Quick facts
- North Island classic
- Auckland to Wellington, about 1,300 km over 10 days
- From our The 10-day North Island road trip guide
- South Island loop
- About 2,000 km over 14 days from Christchurch
- From our The 14-day South Island road trip guide
Drive times are routing estimates without stops. Prices and rules were checked for each guide; follow the link for the official sources.
Official links: transport, weather and safety
All useful linksNZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (opens in a new tab)
The official source for road rules, licences, vehicle licensing and state highways.
MetService (opens in a new tab)
New Zealand's official weather forecasts, rain radar and warnings.
NZTA Journey Planner (opens in a new tab)
Live road conditions, closures, webcams and a journey planner for state highways.
MetService warnings (opens in a new tab)
Severe weather warnings and watches. Read these before a mountain or west-coast drive.
Traffic and travel information (opens in a new tab)
Official updates on highway conditions, delays and planned roadworks.
Mountain weather (opens in a new tab)
Alpine and ski-field forecasts, which can be a different day entirely from the nearest town.
Visiting drivers (opens in a new tab)
Road rules aimed at visitors, including keep left, one-lane bridges and giving way.
Marine weather (opens in a new tab)
Coastal and recreational marine forecasts, useful for kayak trips and boat days.
More Road Trips guides
North IslandAuckland to Wellington drive: the best stops and overnight options
OtagoChristchurch to Dunedin drive: 艑amaru, Moeraki Boulders and the coast road
South IslandChristchurch to Queenstown: the best route, stops and how long it takes
OtagoDunedin to Queenstown drive: Central Otago stops, wineries and drive times
North IslandThe 10-day North Island road trip: Auckland to Wellington the fun way
West CoastQueenstown to Franz Josef via Haast Pass: stops and drive times
North IslandThermal Explorer road trip: Auckland to Rotorua and Taup艒
NorthlandTwin Coast Discovery road trip: a Northland loop in 5 days
West Coast