Matt Mathai Loc: Annapolis, MD

Here's the suggestion I make to any photographer traveling to a new, unfamiliar place on a tight schedule.

Since you won't have time to do much location scouting, your best friend is Google Maps. Find the region and then add the photos layer. You'll be able to see many examples of photos people have taken and the exact places they took them. That'll give you a sense of where to go.

Then take a look at The Photographer's Ephemeris That tool shows you the times and directions of natural light anywhere in the world

I've done this planning for many trips, both domestic and overseas, and I've always felt much better prepared.

Good luck, and I look forward to seeing your images when you return.

Kereru Loc: Wellington, New Zealand

With only 4 days I think you really only have 2 choices
1. Base yourself in Queenstown. I would try to get either an early morning flight there from your arrival city (most likely Auckland or Christchurch) or if possible get a same day connection as your arrival flight. That way you can hit the ground running. From there you can explore Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, around Lake Wakatipu - all are great landscape spots. You could also hire a car to do an overnight trip to Mount Cook Village. You may be able to fly directly to Australia from Queenstown saving some time by avoiding a return flight to Christchurch or Auckland.
2. North Island alternative would be to fly or drive to Taupo from Auckland. From there you can explore the lake and rivers, local geothermal areas and Tongariro National Park - again great landscape photography opportunities.

As a completely left field alternative you can fly from Auckland to Great Barrier Island (Claris), book a homestay, hire a car and explore the island, again fantastic landscape photography options.

But as others have said, to do the country justice an absolute minimum of 2 weeks would be required. I've been here 30 years and there are still amazing places I have yet to visit

mainshipper Loc: Hernando, Florida

FYI, you are going in the dead of winter. I was there in February on a cruise to Australia and made many stops and side trips between Auckland and Milford Sound and I can say that New Zealand is a nice peaceful country but I would not go out of my way to go there again. The day we cruised Milford Sound it was rainy and reminded me of the Patagonia region of Chile. We understood that the rainy thing happens a lot in that area. The rest of what I saw was a nice pastoral landscape that was scenic but was not as breathtaking as other spots I have traveled.

steve1503 Loc: Tallahassee, FL, USA

There are also a lot of interesting small towns in NZ. I was there in November 2011, Springtime nice weather. Strictly point & shoot photos on my Flickr page - look for album names starting with New Zealand, then check map.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spclark99/sets/
Very enjoyable 2 weeks.

Preachdude Loc: Geneva, OH

Almost twenty years ago I spent 24 days in New Zealand, doing a self-guided tour in a rented motorhome. I've always been a landscape photographer, so I did extensive research before going. Landing in Auckland, I took a commuter flight to Christchurch, where I rented the motor home. Going west, I headed towards Mount Cook and the park on the east side. I made some good images there, but not the most memorable. Heading further south, I spent a few days in Queenstown, the most wondrous of that being the world heritage park west of Queenstown. Do NOT attempt to drive in, but take a day tour by bus. You will see flora and fauna (50+ foot tall ferns and perhaps Kiwis) that are truly memorable, and if you take the boat ride down the river, you will see some amazingly rugged coastline. That world heritage park typically sees 300 inches of rain each year, so be prepared! I took me two days to get up the West Coast of South Island, and I spent the night in Blenheim before crossing on the ferry to North Island. Wellington and Auckland, are the largest communities, but I did not make many images. Rotorua has geysers and geothermal generating plants, but nothing more spectacular than Yellowstone in the USA. The one area on North Island where I could make some great images was on the northern tip at Bay of Islands. I shot twenty rolls of 645 format images for slides on the trip, but they've not been scanned yet. (I've not gotten around to it.?!?!?!)

Kuzano

Many who went to NZ for 4 days never came back... and are very happy there.

Count one more if Trump is elected to POTUS!

paulhw Loc: Los Angeles

If you have the time you might want to take a jet boat ride on the river in Queenstown. Too fast and wet for a big camera, but if you have one of the smaller waterproof ones, it might work. Nothing like making a high-speed turn in the water with a rooster tail about 40 feet in the air! Have a good one.

gwdupree

We were there for a month and didn't begin to see enough of New Zealand. It depends on what your favorite interests are. They have beautiful botanical gardens. Our favorite city was Hamilton. I don't like urban areas, therefore I was not fond of Auckland or Wellington. Queenstown on the south island is magnificent. Their seasons are opposite of the northern hemisphere, therefore November is like May. The countryside is beautiful. I didn't like driving in NZ. The highways are well designed and maintained, but the lanes are narrow, therefore you are closer to big rigs when you pass. Combine that with right hand driving in the left lane. There are very nice photo ops everywhere.

khalidikram

If you are going to be in South Island, I would strongly recommend a trip on the Trans-Alpine express. This goes from Christchurch to Greymouth across the island, and you see every kind of scenery that you can imagine, from Alpine to tropical. The train has an open deck at the end (or at least had one when I traveled on it) which would be excellent for photography. New Zealand is a wonderful place, and I wish you a very happy trip to it.

MontanaTrace

Franz Joseph Glacier was a favorite visit.

Lagoonguy Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

I agree with Bri. We spent a month in Nov-Dec in New Zealand with a cruise and a land tour and Bri's itinerary would be the best use of your time in my opinion. Wonderful views and great people. Try to get in the boat tour of Milford sound. We did it with a big cruise ship and a sailboat tour and the latter was much preferred. Drive carefully- it can get tricky with some tourist doing some crazy things trying to get photos. You might consider spending your four extra days in Sydney and local surroundings (great place) and tour New Zealand when you have more time. Also consider A four day tour of Tasmania by auto. Easy flight connections from Sydney and very nice place to visit. If you may not get back to NZ then I would go with Bri's suggestions. Have a great time!

Dan De Lion Loc: Montana

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For something off-the-wall, go to Hobbiton.

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Daryl New Loc: Wellington,New Zealand

Hi from Wellington NZ,Bri has the right idea.The south island is the prettier of the two.Four days is not long enough,thats for sure

mainshipper Loc: Hernando, Florida

I confess I did not notice you were going in late November which is spring in the Southern Hemisphere and usually a nice time of year. Everything else I said about NZ still applies. I also forgot to mention that it's very expensive (like Australia) and the tourist attractions (harbor cruise, hop on hop off) only run about six hours a day in Auckland.

Ike

Try to make it to Milford Sound - it's a fabulous destination in a beautiful country.
Ike