Not to mince words, the North can't hold a candle to the South, scenery-wise. We arrived in the North Island after spending slightly more than a week in the South Island, and the contrast was stark from the get go. The grass was not as green, the lakes were not as blue, the waterfalls were less impressive, and there were far fewer grazing sheep and cattle.
Unsurprisingly, 4 out of 5 in my Top 5 for NZ list reside in the South:-
1. Seeing the milky blue Lake Tekapo with all the colourful wild lupins around it, and the equally stunning Lake Pukaki nearby.
2. Milford Sound Breakfast Cruise and exploring Milford Road.
3. Rafting the mighty Tongariro River, and finding the courage to leap off the cliff into the river.
4. Exploring the waterfalls and rugged coastline of The Catlins.
5. Taking the Queenstown Skyline & Luge ride, and seeing Lake Wakatipu and its surrounding area from up top.
