<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by number_6:
Auckland: 1 day (2 at the very most). The rest of NZ: 20 days. I know that leaves 0 for Australia, but you asked for my opinion.</font>
I second this opinion. I have been to both countries, and New Zealand is really special. In Australia, the distances are so great that you need to fly from city to city. New Zealand has spectacular scenery in both islands and particularly in the south island. You can only effectively see New Zealand by getting in a car and savouring all the sights as you go.