New Zealand
Twenty-one days, two islands, one rented car driven on the wrong side of the road, and a boot full of khakhra. We came for Middle-earth. We left with sandfly bites and a permanent ache to go back.
The trip we were almost too scared to book
Three weeks. Self-drive. Both islands. Over Christmas and New Year, on the other side of the planet, on the other side of the road. On paper it was the most un-Gujju thing imaginable — no group tour, no fixed thali timings, just us, Google Maps, and a rented hatchback. We nearly chickened out twice. Booking it anyway is still the best travel decision we’ve ever made.
New Zealand packs an absurd amount of planet into a small space: glowworm caves, geysers that erupt on schedule, glaciers you can walk on, fjords, the adventure capital of the world, and penguins — often within a single day’s drive. We looped Auckland down through the volcanic North Island, ferried across Cook Strait, ran the wild South Island top to bottom, then flew back north for dolphins at the Bay of Islands. Open any leg below for the full day-by-day.
3,000 km, drawn on the map
The full route, in order. Solid lines are drives, dashes are the Cook Strait ferry and the flight north. Tap any pin for the stop.
Where every day went
Build your dare-o-meter
NZ will try to throw you off a bridge, a plane, and a waterfall — usually all in Queenstown. Tap what you’d actually do and see your thrill score.
For the Gujju traveller, specifically
Veg-ease: 🟢🟢🟢⚪⚪ Doable, not effortless. Big cities and Queenstown have Indian restaurants; the small towns do not. Our hack: book motels with a kitchenette, hit a Countdown or New World supermarket, and cook dal-rice-sabzi at night. You’ll eat better and save a fortune.
Carry from home: theplas, khakhra, ready-to-eat packs, and a small masala dabba. Customs is strict about food — declare everything, keep it sealed and vegetarian, and you’ll be fine. An undeclared packet is how holidays turn into fines.
The flex: cooking khichdi in a Queenstown apartment on Christmas night, lake outside the window, mountains behind it. Five-star view, ghar-ka-khaana. Peak Gujju.
What 21 days cost, per head
| International flights (India ⇄ Auckland, return) | ₹ 55,000 |
| Car rental + fuel (21 days, split 2 ways) | ₹ 25,000 |
| Stays (motels & apartments, split) | ₹ 45,000 |
| Activities (Milford cruise, glaciers, Queenstown, glowworms) | ₹ 30,000 |
| Food (lots of self-cooking to survive NZ prices) | ₹ 18,000 |
| Visa, insurance, domestic flight & misc | ₹ 14,000 |
| Approx. total, per person | ₹ 1,87,000 |
⚠ Illustrative numbers from a December 2015 trip — treat as a shape, not a quote. NZ is pricey; self-catering is what makes it doable. Swap in your own figures before publishing.
One real warning, one must-do
The warning: NZ distances lie. “Two hours” on a winding South Island road with photo stops is really four, and you’re driving on the left, often tired, often in the dark. Don’t over-pack your days, never night-drive the mountain roads if you can help it, and book the Cook Strait ferry and Milford cruise well in advance — they sell out in summer.
The must-do: the Milford Sound cruise, even if it rains — especially if it rains, when a thousand waterfalls switch on at once. It is the most beautiful place we have ever stood.