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New Zealand

The Big Shrimp

Zone Photographer
Joined
Aug 26, 2006
Messages
5,758
I'm looking to spend a month in New Zealand next year & wondered if anybody could give any advise or share some knowledge from their visits there. I am mainly looking for ideas or places to visit, especially when in Christchurch or Auckland. So anything ranging from what is the best beer to drink (I drink ale) local dishes to try, places to visit etc

I expect I will over there in March & April & will be back in time to see us clinch promotion!

Thanking you in advance
 
Plenty of places to visit mate, it's got virtually everything on the entire place! Hope you've got plenty of time on your hands :)

North Island:

Auckland is a great city.
Paihia and the bay of Islands - few hours north of Auckland. Beautiful. 12 mile beach.
Rotorua with it's Maori culture and the hot springs. Stinks of rotten egg though.
Wellington - a VERY windy city.
Lake Taupo

South Island.

Franz Josef Glacier
Te Anau national park.
Queenstown for your extreme sports malarky. (I watched!)
Dunedin, Invarcargill and Stewart Island - if you can handle the 40ft waves when you cross!
Christchurch
Kaikorau for Whale Watching.

..and probably loads of places I've forgotten.

I traveled with a company called Kiwi Experience. Probably be loads of 20 something backpackers on a gap year (I was one once), but there was always a few "older" people just on holiday. Check it out. http://www.kiwiexperience.com/new-zealand-passes-tours.aspx
 
Mount Cook in the South Island along with the Catlins National Park I would both recommend. Abel Tasman National Park at the top tip of the South Island is also a must. A selection of beautiful beach island which you can only travel to my water taxi. On the west of the South Island is the Fjords which you travel through by boat tours and they are just south of the glaciers which MK mentioned. Queenstown is a must for your extreme sports but also in Rotorua do the luge - there is one in Queenstown as well but this one is better. I did it over two months in a Campervan and if doing it in a group of people or a couple I would highly recommend. If doing it on your own then the Kiwi Experience is the best option although there is magic bus as well which is recommended. I spend most of my time in the South Island which has more natual beauty. In the North there are more towns but also the Marlborough region which is full of wineries. We hired a bike and peddled (fell) from place to place and is a good day. Good food as well. In Rotura I would recommend spending time embracing Maori culture and trying the hangi - it is where they cook food in ground ovens and is top stuff!

If I think of anything else will post but you will have a very busy month. In my opinion I spend only two months in NZ but fell in love with it. The people are extremely friendly and will always be willing to help with directions or suggestions. The best thing - you can go from a beach to forest to mountains all in the space of a few miles and it really does look like no one else has been there before you.
 
The restuarants in Kaikura do splendid crayfish
The Banks peninsular and Akaroa near Christchurch
Rotorua and the Waitapo thermals
The two glaciers and the two passes (Arthurs and Lewis)
Haast pass near Queens town.

March / April will be the start of the Autumn so the weather may be changeable, we wnet in February and the Farm Shows in the towns were on (indicating the harvest had finished) and many were called off because of bad weather.

If you are driving the speed cameras are hidden (in wheelie bins amongst other things !) and the limits are low so be careful.
 
I am a big fan of The New Zealand Story.

[video=youtube;YViBVvjn5K4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YViBVvjn5K4[/video]
 
Thanks lads, that has got me thinking. MK, I think you have mentioned all the places I'm heading to, so its sorting out the finer details now!

I wish I could get more than a month off work, but I think I've done well to get this amount of time off! I've found some tours with a NZ company called Haka Tours & they seem to be highly rated. They do a 16 & 24 tour that covers most places that I want to visit, but whilst over there I want to see a Super 15's match, spend bit more time around The Bay Of Islands & above, as well as Christchurch & Auckland. I also have the option of going back to places too, but I may end up going over to Oz too if my relatives get to move there!

Decisions, decisions! I can't book it yet until I get the money through, but that shouldn't be too long. Do flight prices get more expensive the nearer the date you want to fly & can anybody recommend a place to get cheap flights?

Thanks again.
 
Thanks lads, that has got me thinking. MK, I think you have mentioned all the places I'm heading to, so its sorting out the finer details now!

I wish I could get more than a month off work, but I think I've done well to get this amount of time off! I've found some tours with a NZ company called Haka Tours & they seem to be highly rated. They do a 16 & 24 tour that covers most places that I want to visit, but whilst over there I want to see a Super 15's match, spend bit more time around The Bay Of Islands & above, as well as Christchurch & Auckland. I also have the option of going back to places too, but I may end up going over to Oz too if my relatives get to move there!

Decisions, decisions! I can't book it yet until I get the money through, but that shouldn't be too long. Do flight prices get more expensive the nearer the date you want to fly & can anybody recommend a place to get cheap flights?

Thanks again.

Like train fares, the further out you book the flight the cheaper it'll be. Try Ebooker?
 
The flights can be a 'mare. We had 12 hours to KL then 4 hours in the Airport before a further 13 hours to Auckland.

On the way home it was the reverse but due to a tailwind the KL-Heathrow flight left 2 hours later than scheduled.

Next time we will stop over
 
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