Two weeks in Australia / NZ next summer

Thanks for the reply.

Likely going to squeeze at least Sydney in.

I was initially going to do 50/50 between Aus and NZ, but the travel and match dates may mean 75/25 NZ.

I hadn't planned on doing the south island at all, so maybe that's interesting.

I've spent about 6 weeks between Australia and New Zealand and agree with the suggestions so far. Unless you are absolutely dead set on stepping foot on Australia, skip it and try to go again on another trip in the future.

On New Zealand, the women's world cup really gets in the way of planning an ideal trip. As others have said, the North Island is cool, but the South Island is on a whole other level. If you'd skip the first match, you could connect directly to Queenstown upon arrival and make your way up to Wellington for the second match, then spend the last couple days making your way to Auckland and fly out from there.

Don't have much else. Really you need to decide if this a women's world cup trip where you get to see bits of New Zealand or if it is a New Zealand trip where you happen to catch a women's soccer match.

In that case, I don't know that you have a lot of great options. Timing is kind of rough...you land in Auckland and have to be in Auckland 5 days after that, then you have to be in Wellington 5 days after that. Auckland and Wellington are fine, but they are the last places in New Zealand or Australia I'd focus my time.

Knowing your restrictions, I'd say fly into Sydney, then fly to Auckland for the game, drive to Wellington stopping at a spot or two along the way (Rotorua, Hawke's Bay), then fly to Melbourne and fly home from there. But, you have your flight booked into Auckland, so that is not an option unless you can change it.

If you can add a flight to Queenstown on you arrival flight, that would at least get you a couple days on the south island, then you could fly back to Auckland, Drive to Wellington with stops, catch the game, then ride the Ferry to the South Island and start your return flight from Nelson (where you could spend a couple days or golden bay in Abel Tasman). This would probably be the best option in terms of seeing parts of New Zealand, but it adds a couple flights in what is already a pretty compact timeframe.

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It seems like Auckland is the least interesting of Sydney/Melbourne/Wellington?

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I would say that Melbourne is. Seriously - with 2 weeks I would not include Sydney, though if you are determined then OK. But I REALLY would not take any time away from NZ for Melbourne.

Sorry, but you're going to Australia/New Zealand and you want to see "cities"? I just don't understand that at all.

As others have said, the South Island of New Zealand is stunningly beautiful, but you're going in their winter, so a lot of the great hiking in the Southern Alps is out. I've only been in the summer, so I don't really know how to advise you.

But, unless you're in a wheelchair or something, you should spend this trip seeing the remarkable scenery and fauna.