I have a 12 night trip planned to NZ in November. My itinerary is 2 nights in Christchurch, 3 nights in Queenstown and then 7 nights in Auckland. After, I need to head to Melbourne to catch my flight back to Canada.

With that said, I can now extend my trip by another 9 nights. I've been to Australia many times before but have only spent a few cold and rainy days in Melbourne before. Should I use the extra time to enjoy Melbourne assuming the weather will be decent in November?

I've also never been to the west coast of Australia so I'm thinking of heading to Perth for a few days. The only downside is that flying 4 hours from Auckland to Melbourne and then another 4 hours to Perth seems like a long journey. Is it worth the long trek?

I'm also open to spending more time in NZ but I feel like I'll get a nice overview of the country and extending my stay there would make my budget explode. I'm traveling a lot this year so I have to be careful.

I'm a big city kinda person but I also enjoy nature and beaches.