Originally Posted by
PsiFighter37
For driving - it really is a matter of YMMV. I found driving Christchurch-Franz Josef and Franz Josef-Queenstown rather doable, in large part because it is so scenic, and we split up the ~4.75 hour drives with a multi-hour hike in the middle. The only drive that I found to be quite difficult was driving from Martinborough to Tongariro National Park, as you have a lot of flat, rolling hills with very little to look at until you get closer to the park.
That said, 9 days is pretty tight for the entire country. I did both islands in 2 weeks and that was a bit of a stretch (although I did one-way car rentals, so did not have to worry about returning to a starting destination point).
Sorry if I didn't clear this up. I planned on a 9 day trip but have found out 9 days is NOT enough. I've changed my itinerary to 13 days which adds a bit more time. I do agree this may still be a stretch!
Thank you all for the recommendations and comments. I'm currently working on the hotels. I will probably stay at Hilton properties in Queenstown and Auckland since I have Hilton Diamond.