We rented a camper van, and hit South Island first, with the Doubtful Sound and the Glaciers on the west coast of South Island.
I don't think Chris is sure that she should have done this white water rafting down the Shotover River, but the experience was something memorable!
The Glaciers
Then North Island and the Treaty Area at Waitangi. One of the finest overnight stopping places we have ever found, and I doubt that one could camp there today