Discussion
istonheads.comI went for my honeymoon some years ago. I avoid tourist traps, so my opinion is subjective.
We flew to aukland, then hired a car - drove south, visiting various places, and left it in wellington port. got the ferry.
In the south island, took the 7 hour scenic train to christchurch, flew to queenstown to ski for several days, then flew to aukland and back home.
Quick Review:
Loved: 3 day stop over in hong kong, really didnt fancy it but loved it.
Loved: 3 day stop over in vegas on the way back - same as above.
Aukland - ferry/tour over to devonport, lovely and peacful.
sky tower - ok if you like/hate heights - jump off for £80, casino and restaurants (nice hotel opposite) - normal town centre vibe, commercial, not for tourists really.
Napier - unexpected Gem. rebuilt in the 50's after a big earthquake (they get a few - you may have heard) But was mid art deco, so town still exists (did the museum tour for extra pockets of info)
did a nice wine tasting day, round lots of vineyards, bought some for the journey - shame couldnt bring much back in suitcases..
Rotorua: rubbish tourist trap, drive through mcdonalds, cashpoints and drug stores. - stinks of sulphar, hotels a let down, one feature - live hot mud baths. not my bag.
Did the odd mouri experiences which was fun, but not more than a nights worth with dinner, didnt do the "authentic" mouri village, looked a tourist trap/con.
found some nice towns by just going off the map..
wellington - was meant to be a stop over, turned out a very nice place, great shopping, fab museum on the front, great cable car thing to long walks in outdoor tropical gardens
nice hotels.
ferry - standard dover type - dull.
south - scenic train journey, not that exciting, noisy uncomfortable. little to see.
queenstown - didnt see much, but enjoyed it. would live there. shame about the cathedral, trams going round town, nice bars.
queenstown - fab, trendy, enjoyed the skiing, if a little remote and limited.
plenty of tourist trap "adventure" trips to do (zorbing, jet rafting etc)
overall: suprised at mass of malayian influence/people (curry for breakfast in one hotel!)
its REALLY quiet. I live in the countryside, but even a sleepy town with a bushwackers is buzzing compared to ANYTHING outside aukland. They dont appear to DO nightlife, so dont expect it. a TOWN means 4 houses near each other, maybe a post box.
great scenery, chilled pace, little or nothing to "do". nice wine.
feel very remote and cut off from civilisation.
would go back!
We flew to aukland, then hired a car - drove south, visiting various places, and left it in wellington port. got the ferry.
In the south island, took the 7 hour scenic train to christchurch, flew to queenstown to ski for several days, then flew to aukland and back home.
Quick Review:
Loved: 3 day stop over in hong kong, really didnt fancy it but loved it.
Loved: 3 day stop over in vegas on the way back - same as above.
Aukland - ferry/tour over to devonport, lovely and peacful.
sky tower - ok if you like/hate heights - jump off for £80, casino and restaurants (nice hotel opposite) - normal town centre vibe, commercial, not for tourists really.
Napier - unexpected Gem. rebuilt in the 50's after a big earthquake (they get a few - you may have heard) But was mid art deco, so town still exists (did the museum tour for extra pockets of info)
did a nice wine tasting day, round lots of vineyards, bought some for the journey - shame couldnt bring much back in suitcases..
Rotorua: rubbish tourist trap, drive through mcdonalds, cashpoints and drug stores. - stinks of sulphar, hotels a let down, one feature - live hot mud baths. not my bag.
Did the odd mouri experiences which was fun, but not more than a nights worth with dinner, didnt do the "authentic" mouri village, looked a tourist trap/con.
found some nice towns by just going off the map..
wellington - was meant to be a stop over, turned out a very nice place, great shopping, fab museum on the front, great cable car thing to long walks in outdoor tropical gardens
nice hotels.
ferry - standard dover type - dull.
south - scenic train journey, not that exciting, noisy uncomfortable. little to see.
queenstown - didnt see much, but enjoyed it. would live there. shame about the cathedral, trams going round town, nice bars.
queenstown - fab, trendy, enjoyed the skiing, if a little remote and limited.
plenty of tourist trap "adventure" trips to do (zorbing, jet rafting etc)
overall: suprised at mass of malayian influence/people (curry for breakfast in one hotel!)
its REALLY quiet. I live in the countryside, but even a sleepy town with a bushwackers is buzzing compared to ANYTHING outside aukland. They dont appear to DO nightlife, so dont expect it. a TOWN means 4 houses near each other, maybe a post box.
great scenery, chilled pace, little or nothing to "do". nice wine.
feel very remote and cut off from civilisation.
would go back!
Well that review has to be one of the most bizarre I've read about NZ. Sounds like someone with Bi-polar, loves it one minute, hates it in the next sentence!
The South is spectacular, particularly the Southern Alps, Fjords and Arthurs Pass. The towns can be quiet, but there is always somewhere to eat, drink and be merry. Main tourist towns of Christchurch/Queenstown have lots of choice as does Wanaka.
We went for 3 1/2 weeks, 2 weeks in the South and 1 in the north with the rest, travelling time from UK. We found we didnt really have enough hours in the day to do what we wanted and much of it was a whistlestop. We would love to go back and spend more time as there is loads to see, do and experience. It is an amazing part of the world and I would recommend it to anyone. Probably has something for everyone unless all you want to do is sleep on a beach all day and party by night. You have to be more selective to find that. If you want scenery or activity or both then you wont go wrong. Loads to see in the North too but we only managed Auckland and Rotorua
Rotorua isnt as bad as its been made out. Sure the sulphur does smell but thats only in places where it is active. The town doesnt get swamped by the smell and there are some really nice restaurants and bars in town. We stayed at the Millennium which was a great hotel. If you werent going to QT in the South then you could do a fair few adventure activities here instead.
I'd fully recommend the Bay of Islands and Paihia as a location to stay. It has such a laid back atmosphere that after a hectic trip, its nice to wind down a bit. The temps tend to be hotter up there although it can rain a bit too! Great sea fishing and a totally different environment to the South (Sub-tropical as opposed to temperate).
The South is spectacular, particularly the Southern Alps, Fjords and Arthurs Pass. The towns can be quiet, but there is always somewhere to eat, drink and be merry. Main tourist towns of Christchurch/Queenstown have lots of choice as does Wanaka.
We went for 3 1/2 weeks, 2 weeks in the South and 1 in the north with the rest, travelling time from UK. We found we didnt really have enough hours in the day to do what we wanted and much of it was a whistlestop. We would love to go back and spend more time as there is loads to see, do and experience. It is an amazing part of the world and I would recommend it to anyone. Probably has something for everyone unless all you want to do is sleep on a beach all day and party by night. You have to be more selective to find that. If you want scenery or activity or both then you wont go wrong. Loads to see in the North too but we only managed Auckland and Rotorua
Rotorua isnt as bad as its been made out. Sure the sulphur does smell but thats only in places where it is active. The town doesnt get swamped by the smell and there are some really nice restaurants and bars in town. We stayed at the Millennium which was a great hotel. If you werent going to QT in the South then you could do a fair few adventure activities here instead.
I'd fully recommend the Bay of Islands and Paihia as a location to stay. It has such a laid back atmosphere that after a hectic trip, its nice to wind down a bit. The temps tend to be hotter up there although it can rain a bit too! Great sea fishing and a totally different environment to the South (Sub-tropical as opposed to temperate).
Skiing's out as I do but the Mrs dosent!
Need to draw up a proper itinery as there is obviously a lot to do and not enough time, (is there ever?). Havent considered stop overs, not particularly interested in the US for various reasons, although HK could be a goer.
How long is the flight? Aus was just shy of 23 hours if I remember, (11 years ago now!)
Need to draw up a proper itinery as there is obviously a lot to do and not enough time, (is there ever?). Havent considered stop overs, not particularly interested in the US for various reasons, although HK could be a goer.
How long is the flight? Aus was just shy of 23 hours if I remember, (11 years ago now!)
Just got back a couple of days ago. I went with Emirates this time (excellent service) and it was around 7 hours from London to Dubai, 2 hour stop off there, followed by 19 hours to Auckland including a 2 hour break in Brisbane.
Normally we stop off en-route and spend a few days in US or Thailand but I didn't take family this time so went direct. I wouldn't do direct in economy - I suspect I'd kill somebody, but business class was fine.
Normally we stop off en-route and spend a few days in US or Thailand but I didn't take family this time so went direct. I wouldn't do direct in economy - I suspect I'd kill somebody, but business class was fine.
That won't be happening any time soon!Chicken Chaser said:
Well that review has to be one of the most bizarre I've read about NZ. Sounds like someone with Bi-polar, loves it one minute, hates it in the next sentence!
really? which bit? this isnt me doing some sort of defensive "you talking to me?" routine, just wanted an opportunity to clarify where I might have been misleading?I suspect it comes from my suprise at what I liked I thought I wouldnt, whilst still suggesting it might just be a personal opinion, and not to everyones taste
NB, OP have a look at "special economy", not sure the exact name - but more legroom/width etc for a little more.
I went through all the firms and found air NZ gave the best economy legroom seats.
s2ooz said:
really? which bit? this isnt me doing some sort of defensive "you talking to me?" routine, just wanted an opportunity to clarify where I might have been misleading?
I suspect it comes from my suprise at what I liked I thought I wouldnt, whilst still suggesting it might just be a personal opinion, and not to everyones taste
NB, OP have a look at "special economy", not sure the exact name - but more legroom/width etc for a little more.
I went through all the firms and found air NZ gave the best economy legroom seats.
Well you use phrases like "Dull" "little to see" yet fail to elaborate why. You say Rotorua is a rubbish tourist trap, and dont give any positives about the place. How many hotels in Rotorua did you go to? For what its worth I thought the Maori village was a very entertaining evening out as did all who we met that evening. They do a very good job of providing you with a good time.I suspect it comes from my suprise at what I liked I thought I wouldnt, whilst still suggesting it might just be a personal opinion, and not to everyones taste
NB, OP have a look at "special economy", not sure the exact name - but more legroom/width etc for a little more.
I went through all the firms and found air NZ gave the best economy legroom seats.
How could you say there was little to "do" ? What do you want to "Do"?!?! Its got some outstanding terrain that outdoor lovers would die for whether it be cycling, walking, climbing, airsports, watersports etc. Food wise, its similar to UK with a wide variety. For drink it has some great wines although I didnt think a lot of their beer/lager.
Ok. Rotorua I was least impressed by. I had before and after enjoyed many towns in NZ south and north.
My stop over was short and we went in summer - or NZ winter. So it was cold wet and miserable. There was no buzz, no energy, lots of drive throughs, pizza places, macdonalds, and flat dull faceless housing (unlike napier)
The mauori visit was deserted and wouldn't threaten the worst of british tourist entrapments - a few fake huts and two mauris in track suits smoking awaiting the next visitor to pretend to be original in front of.
The rain really did put a different perspective on things I think.
The mud pits were a few mud holes and a big tourist shop. Most UK spas offer that sort of treatment, maybe not a ground heated mud pool, but still a mud pool. I have seen better in Turkey.
My stop over was short and we went in summer - or NZ winter. So it was cold wet and miserable. There was no buzz, no energy, lots of drive throughs, pizza places, macdonalds, and flat dull faceless housing (unlike napier)
The mauori visit was deserted and wouldn't threaten the worst of british tourist entrapments - a few fake huts and two mauris in track suits smoking awaiting the next visitor to pretend to be original in front of.
The rain really did put a different perspective on things I think.
The mud pits were a few mud holes and a big tourist shop. Most UK spas offer that sort of treatment, maybe not a ground heated mud pool, but still a mud pool. I have seen better in Turkey.
Sounds like you fell foul of going out of season. If I was going to NZ in winter, It would be for the Skiing and nothing else. We were fortunate in that we had excellent weather for most of the time we were there. Puts a different perspective on the place like anywhere does when its sunny.
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