North Island vs South Island, New Zealand
Lonely Planet have announced they are releasing their first guidebook that only features the South Island of New Zealand. Perhaps it has been a long time coming.
The iconic Sky Tower in Auckland
Travellers often only have time for one Island when visiting New Zealand. They have either left themselves too little time or just run out of time because they are having too good a time on one or the other island.
There are also more cheap flights than ever flying directly into Christchurch and Queenstown from Australia because of the increased airline competition. This allows people to do short breaks to the South Island where as they once would choose the cheaper flights to Auckland.
When you meet people who are going to New Zealand and you tell them that you’ve been there, the first question most people ask is: what’s better, the North or South Island?
The easy answer is they are like apples and oranges. The better answer is give yourself enough time to see both. Another way to look at it is to consider what interests you more. Here are some reasons parochial North and South Island residents might explain why they live where they do.
5 reasons why the North Island is the best:
- The beaches and surf are better and the water is warmer
- There’s more Maori culture to experience
- There are more hot pools and geothermal activity to see here
- Sky Tower and Auckland Harbour Bridge - Experience two of the largest man made structures in NZ
- The Bay of Islands…thats reason in itself to visit the North Island
Typical South Island alpine scenery
5 reasons why the South Island is the best:
- The North Island only has 4 serious mountains. The South Island has the Southern Alps which stretches for the length of the Island.
- There are less people living here, which means more open spaces all to yourself.
- The most scenic ski fields, and the most diverse club fields are in the south.
- Queenstown - the adventure capital of the world.
- The share diversity of nature, displayed in all its glory from the Sounds at the tip of the South Island to the Fiords at the bottom of the South Island.
Your turn:
Which do you think is best and why?
Photos from:
Sky Tower: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kclama
South Island: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwinz/
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Comments
lelelele says:
can someone tell me the strengths and weeknesses of new zealand? plz :)
8 months ago
Nihoan says:
Been living in New Zealand for two years now, and I've seen a good chunk of it. If you're making the trip for the first time, you should try and see a little of both, as they are vastly different.That being said, you should consider what you want to be able to do while you're here. If you want to see the great outdoors and the breathtaking scenery of Aotearoa, then don't bother leaving Auckland airport and head straight for the South Island. Excepting maybe downtown CHCH, you won't find any spot on that island that you can't climb on top of and get a fantastic view. It won't really matter where you decide to base out of, as the tramping is terrific everywhere you go. However, if you want a more diverse vacation and don't care to spend it all covered in sunscreen and mozzie repellant, you'll have a much greater range on the North Island. Beaches, wineries, thermal pools, shopping, cultural activities and more are far more accessible up North, and you can still go hike one of those four mountains if you feel the need! Tickets are cheap now, so get booking!
1 year ago
punky pom says:
Ok so how long would we need to see both islands?
1 month ago