If you are planning a trip to this island nation in the Pacific Ocean there are many places that you might have already decided to visit but wherever you go, I would seriously consider including the 5 attractions listed below in your holiday itinerary. To make it easy to travel from one to another at your own pace it is worth thinking about taking advantage of one of the cheap RV rentals available in New Zealand. As long as you have a full driving licence and a few years’ experience on the roads in your home country, you should have no trouble finding a competitive deal from a local hire company.

1. Tongariro National Park  – Home to three active volcanoes as well as several beautiful lakes and popular ski resorts, this is one place that you should definitely make time to visit when holidaying in New Zealand. If you are feeling energetic and have all day to spend in the park, you can tackle the 19km walk that takes in all the essential sights. Being situated in the middle of the North Island, Tongariro National Park is an excellent place to stop for a day or two when driving from Auckland to Wellington.

2. If you are starting your trip from Auckland, you might like to head North before you make your way down to Wellington, and visit the Bay of Islands where many beautiful beaches can be found. However, if you are an enthusiastic angler or eager to see dolphins and whales in their natural habitat, sunbathing will probably be the last thing on your mind. The Bay of Islands is one of the most popular spots around the world for big game fishing and is renowned for its abundant marine wildlife. If you would like to get up close and personal with this wildlife, you can charter a yacht whilst in the area.

3. Queenstown – moving on to the South Island we have Queenstown, which is a resort town located in the Otago region. The activities on offer here include skiing (in season), bungee jumping, mountain biking and a variety of water sports. If you are driving all the way from Auckland to this resort, via the other attractions mentioned above, you should follow the same maintenance and inspection routine for your vehicle as you would if you were driving your own car. Although there are plenty of competent mechanics in the towns and cities across the country, you do not want to be stranded in one of the more remote parts of New Zealand just because you didn’t bother to check the engine oil or coolant level in your RV.

4. At the other end of the South Island, in the north-eastern corner, is Kaikoura, a town that enjoys a reputation as being the best place for whale watching in New Zealand. No matter what time of year you are visiting, there is an excellent chance that you will see sperm whales in the local waters and many other species of marine life besides. Kaikoura is a small town so do not expect much in the way of nightlife if you are staying for a few days but it is set in such a beautiful part of the country that it is worth a visit just for the scenery.

5. Auckland – although many visitors are primarily interested in the wildlife and scenic views that New Zealand has to offer, I think it would be a shame to leave without spending at least a couple of days in the largest city that the country boasts. As you would expect in such a populous region, there is a huge variety of entertainment and leisure options in Auckland that will keep you busy for quite some time.

Whether you include all of the above suggestions in your holiday itinerary or just one or two that particularly appeal to you, I sincerely hope that you have a fantastic time exploring everything that this beautiful country has to offer and have fond memories of your trip that you can enjoy for the rest of your life. In my opinion, it is one of the countries in the world that everybody should visit at least once.