Travelling New Zealand - advise please

Hey all. Hubby and I - mid 50’s are looking to have a holiday in May 2026 for about 10 days.

Looking to do and see some of the beautiful places but we don’t really do the whole planning an itinerary and sticking to it. We much prefer to book our first and last nights accommodation and then just go where we want.

We are thinking of flying onto Christchurch and then flying out of Auckland.

So my question is what type of accommodation options are there. We normally do pub stays or cabins in Australia. If we find a place we like we stay for a day or 2 then move on. If we don’t like the vibe of a place we just move on.

Also what are some must do’s along the way.