I did a driving trip through NZ - both islands, though we only got as far as Auckland on the North Island. It took a month. While the roads are well maintained and relatively empty of traffic, even in the Jan-Feb high season, they are fairly slow. There are no freeways/motorways and the police are fairly aggressive in speed checks. It's a leisurely country and a bit of a time warp, which people like. You know the saying - "New Zealand is 12 hours ahead and 20 years behind."

A few tips on places and things to do:

Wellington is very pleasant, by far the nicest city, with a great museum and interesting architecture.

Dunedin is next best and the penguin/albatross colony is worth seeing.

Christchurch is very dull, and that's before the tragic earthquake struck.

Auckland is boring.

Fiordland is dramatic, especially if you've not been to Norway. Milford Sound can be seen from the jetty - it's all there, that iconic peak etc. Drive down there, see the view, and drive back. Doubtful Sound is far more beautiful and you should take a day cruise. This will take the best part of a day. Fiordland has unreliable weather, so if you want some nice photos, you need to spend at least 3 days there, preferably in the Te Anau area.

We avoided Queenstown which seems to be a big mass market tourist resort. Not our thing at all.

We stayed at Fox Glacier, had booked in for 2 nights and checked out a day early. Our least favourite area but we didn't do the touristy/adventure/hiking things.

Blenheim is a dump, Nelson is lovely and the surrounding winelands are wonderful. We did 4 nights up there, cooking for ourselves and drinking great wines.

Napier on the North Island gets raves from most people - it has some vaguely interesting art deco buildings and a lousy beach.

Rotorua - the geysers are dramatic but probably not if you've been to Yellowstone. We did just a night in this area and that was enough for us.

Tongariro is a wonderful drive-through park.

Way up north is the Bay of Islands area around the town of Russell. We went up here by ship en route to Vanuatu and the Solomons. We thought Russell was utterly delightful, but very touristy. Nevertheless we could easily send a week or two around these parts.

Our main memory of NZ is just driving around and the scenery. There really isn't a lot more to it. For instance, can you name a single building that's internationally famous? NZ is all about fields, flowers, mountains, the beaches, the ocean. I know many people will disagree with this . . . but I found it all a bit bland, anonymous. It doesn't say, This Is New Zealand in the way that America or Australia say it.

Hope these quick random thoughts on a cold and wet morning helps . . .