Oh man you gotta check out north island too!! Kiwi's are super friendly and the car scene here ain't too bad either. I'm based in Auckland and there's quite a few places thats worth a visit. Never been to south island myself so can't help you with that but if your thinking of coming to NZ, definitely gotta check out north island. Would recommend summer time too
enjoy the lovely beaches NZ has to offer
. if you need more information regarding the north island part then feel free to pm me bro!