New Zealand Travel Guide: Hand-Drawn Itinerary for Type-A Planners!

New Zealand = heaven on earth! Scenery rivals Switzerland & Iceland, but costs way less. Our 10-day South Island road trip cost just ¥16K/person (incl. flights). Still dreaming of: ✨ Queenstown’s starry nights ✨ Franz Josef Glacier hikes ✨ Kaikoura’s whales & dolphins ...and that pure, untamed freedom. ✈️ Pre-Trip Prep ❶ Visa: Apply for NZ visa OR use Australian visa + NZeTA (from Nov 2025, max 3 months). ❷ Adapters: Same as China’s 3-pin plugs. ❸ Rental Car Hack: Bring a phone mount! 🚗 Transport Tips ❶ Flights: Flew Air New Zealand—game-changing "Skycouch" lets you lie flat in economy! New cabins (since June 2024) for biz/premium economy. Promo (7/15-7/28): Book on net, get ¥500 off with Alipay (min spend ¥8000). Bonus: Show boarding pass for attraction discounts! ❷ Getting Around: Public transport? Barely exists. Rent a car! (~¥500/day with insurance). 🗺️ 12-Day Itinerary (Customizable) *(Skip North Island = 10 days)* D1-3: Auckland → Christchurch D4-5: Christchurch → Lake Tekapo → Lake Pukaki → Mt. Cook D6-8: Mt. Cook → Queenstown (detour to Milford Sound) D9: Queenstown → Wanaka → Fox Glacier D10: Fox Glacier → Greymouth D11-12: Greymouth → Kaikoura → Christchurch ⚠️ Key Notes ❶ Drive LEFT! (Easy to adapt—roads are empty.) ❷ Queenstown = Soul Food. Stay longer for stargazing (Milky Way guaranteed!). ❸ Book Airbnbs: Historic homes/garden villas > hotels. #NZTravel #SouthIslandNZ #RoadTrip #AirNZ #Queenstown #Christchurch #TravelHack