New Zealand North to - Group Travel

My plan is to head to New Zealand, travel for a bit, then make my way North. I am planning on keeping the costs down by Hitching thru OZ, and maybe a few other places. I plan on only seeing the East coast in OZ and not much else as the Asia countries are a but cheaper for the tourist stuff. I plan on enjoying as many days at the beach as possible, and also doing some hiking and maybe climb a few mountains. I am pretty last minute and wing everything so if you have a huge plan on what to see then we may not last long. I like to show up and look at maps and pictures and then make my way to things and places I thought would be cool or nice. I am pretty open to trying new things, either the culture, or something I have never done before. I am not a huge fan of the big citys so and going to try to stay out of then as much as possible. If money and time allow I would love to make it to Nepal also.

New Zealand North to