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DH and I are beginning to plan our holiday for when we go in 2012. We are currently compiling a list of places we want to go to. So tell me...
What were the highlights for you?
What is essential that we see?
What should we avoid?
Any accommodation you might be able to recommend and places to stay away from?
Thanks in advance :D
we have just done 2 holidays in NZ - both just ti Auckland and Waiheke island. gorgeous places and great hol. we rented houses through bookabach (dot co dot nz)
Thanks :)
What kinds of things do you like? What sort of activities/scenery etc? There's quite a lot of different things to see and do and NZ
I've travelled around the south island a bit - hiking, hot springs, beach, glacier, etc...
We were thinking of a white christmas next year... Is NZ snowy at christmas?
nope not snowy - you'd need to go to USA or Europe for a white xmas...
We have started compiling a list of places we would like to go to and things we would like to do/see::
Rotorua
Auckland
Wellington
Waitomo Caves
The Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki
Craters of the Moon
The Glacier
Matamata - Hobbiton
Zorbing
We both like the outdoorsy type stuff, but haven't decided if we're going to take the girls with us or not and make it our "honeymoon."
Canada us another place where you could have a White Christmas :):
Friends are doing a NZ cruise in a few weeks. They have loads of tours booked at each stop.
There was swimming with dolphins and also some ice - penguin place underground??. Sorry its as much detail as I remember as we did catch up on saturday night lol.
So it looks like you are thinking mainly the top of the North Island and the West Coast of the South Island - good choices! Wellington isn't that special unless there is a specific reason you want to go there.
As Mamapan said, bookabach co nz is a good place to find reasonably priced accommodation, especially if you have the kids with you because you can get a whole house rather than trying to entertain them in a hotel room at night.
Rotorua, Waitomo Caves, Craters of the Moon (Taupo), Matamata - Hobbiton, Zorbing -(Rotorua) are all within about an hour of Taupo so you could set up there and do day trips. There is also a massive system of caves and rivers from Waitomo all the way down to Wanganui where you can go black or white water rafting. They cater to any time frame so you can do anything from a half day to a full week.
'The Glacier' - lol, we have more than just the one! I am assuming you mean Fox Glacier or Franz Josef which are on the West Coast and have helicopter rides up to the glacier (my BIL is one of the pilots at Franz). Nice spot. If you are driving down the West Coast then I would recommend continuing down to Milford Sound if you have the time. It is the best spot in the entire country (imo). When in the South Island, don't bother with Southland. Unless you like cows. But if you happen to be going past Kaikoura it is well worth a stop - you don't have to go on the whale watching tours to sit and appreciate the beauty of it. Pristine rocky beach on one side with the Southern Alps rising up behing - stunning.
Queenstown in overrated and expensive, not worth going unless you are actually going to ski. But Central Otago is beautiful - a bit of LOTR was shot around Cromwell. There is also a North Island ski field open from June until around October. It isn't as good as the South lsland ones, but it is only about an hour south of Taupo. I feel I should plug it because I live there lol. And Mt Ngauruhoe was digitally altered to appear as Mt Doom.
Sconeonamission, re the white christmas, it is summer here just like in Australia. Just think of NZ like Tasmania, only a few more sheep and a bit less cousin lovin' lol.
LOL... I though there may have been more than one glacier, wasn't sure... meh, call me a tourist... lol
We haven't decided if we're going to take the kids with us or not, they will be 2 1/2 and 5 1/2 round the time we go.
We're still working on a list of places that we'd like you visit, trying to find some activities for the kids if we do decide to bring them.