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North Island (New Zealand Region) Reviews |
MAT AND EMILY
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Matthew (age 9) and I (Emily age 11) traveled to New Zealand on a fly drive holiday, we had to take our parents along to drive us around. My parents booked a flight on the internet into Auckland and two weeks later out of Christchurch. Dad had pre booked a car hire through AVIS and motel/hotel accommodation after shopping around on the internet (wotif.com.au & aatravel.co.nz).
We arrived in Auckland late in the afternoon and headed south to Hamilton, dad said Auckland was like any other big city. Hamilton was a good starting point the next day to go to the Waitomo Caves, we stopped at Otorohanga (Kiwi Town) a nice little town (1hr drive). The Glowworm caves were great and it included a boat ride. We then had a 2 hour drive to Rotorua, we stayed at the Park Heritage and attended their Maori performance and Hangi. The next day we went to Hells Gate geothermal field, Polynesian Spa and Rotorua museum. Matt and dad went to the pitch and putt golf whilst mum and I went to Xtreme Body Flying, mum thought I might fly away.
We got up early the next day for our 4-5hr drive to Wellington stopping at the Haka falls and a little town just after to see the North Island skiing mountains. In Wellington we went to The National Museum (Te Papa) and up the cable car to the museum. The next morning we again up early to catch the interislander to Picton, it was a 3 hour trip, we played in timezone, went outside, ate and before we knew it we were there. We then had a long trip 4–5 hours to Greymouth.
From Greymouth we drove to Franz Josef Glacier, stopping at a little town called Hokitka. We got to Franz Josef about 11.30 and booked to do a half day Glacier walk. This was hard work in our boots and jackets, all the walking, climbing and holding on to ropes. The best bit was climbing up the “ice block” when we reached the top we could look back at how high we had climbed. We checked out the souvenir shops in town then went to our cottage 2.5km from town that had views looking at the glacier. We had dinner at Alice May Hotel and ate lots after such an exhausting day. The next morning we got up early for our drive to Queenstown which took about 6 hours, Dad said he should have filled up on petrol in Greymouth as he was paying up 40% more on the way to Queenstown.
In Queenstown we stayed at the Heritage again and the next day we went to Kiwi Birdlife Park, up the gondola, luge, and Arrowtown. Matt and Dad went to Caddyshack indoor putt putt whilst mum and I went bike riding. The next morning we were off to Milford Sound 4+ hours. At Milford Sound we went on the Nature Trip that lasted for 2 hours, we saw lots of waterfalls but it rained a lot of the time. We then drove back to Te Anua for the night having dinner at “The Ranch”.
The next day we drove to Dunedin getting there about 12.30, we went to the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame this didn’t take long to see, then we drove to Larnach castle and looked around the gardens. The next day we went to Cadbury Chocolate Factory, Baldwin St (Steepest Street in the world), Matt and dad went to the footy and mum and I went shopping and to the museum.
Today was our last drive to Christchurch, we stopped at Omerou and looked at the markets and penguins. In Christchurch was stayed at “The Chateau” which was a short drive from the centre of town. We went bike riding and you could have played golf across the road. Near the airport was “Antarctic centre”, we spent over 3 hours including going on the Hagglund ride. Then it was off to the airport and home. What a great holiday and thanks to mum and dad for bringing the portable DVD player for the back of the car.
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mARCUS
Guest
Voted this Destination:Not voted yet
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Ein sehr hübsches kleines Bed and Breakfast, mit sechs verschiedenen, charmanten Zimmern.
Das Frühstück ist einmalig und wird frisch von der Houselady zubereitet.
Die Lage ist sehr ruhig, in Devonport, 10 Fährminuten von der City Auckland entfernt.
Wirklich sehr empfehlenswert!
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Mike Tonneson.
Guest
Voted this Destination:Not voted yet
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| Absolutely loved New Zealand - its really paradise - but no-one mentioned that I would have to deal with clouds of tiny biting sandflies! I reckon they are there to see that the country remains unspoilt by too many people - otherwise there is nothing that would keep the hoards away!
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Mark Bablesmore.
Guest
Voted this Destination:Not voted yet
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| You MUST see the Lord of the Rings films to get an idea of the awesome scenery in New Zealand - this is where they are set and it is inspiring stuff! The country is really as beautiful as everyone says.
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Jeff.
Guest
Voted this Destination:Not voted yet
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If you love the outdoors and huge landscapes this is the country you need to see. My wife and I hired a camper van and toured both islands over a 3 week period.
For me the South Island was simple breathtaking. It got to the point where you'd turn a corner and... oh, it's another amazing view. The roads were good—quite too—and if like activities New Zealand has them aplenty. In fact i was so taken with the country (and a memorable visit to Hobbiton film set) that I created a non-commercial website documenting our travels. You can see it at:
I hope it inspires you to think about going to New Zealand. The only downside for me is that it is a fairly new country. Yes there is of course the Maori culture, but most of the towns are fairly similar and lack a bit of history. But the landscapes more than make up for it. Tour Operator: Travelbag
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Bilbo Steyn
Guest
Voted this Destination:Not voted yet
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| My good friend invited me along for a 2 months holiday in New Zealand, flying there from the UK. We managed to buy a old, tired looking Toyota stationwagon and travelled through NZ with Penny(the car). We were on a very strict budget, so we were very particular about what we wanted to see. We bought a blow up mattress that fit perfect in the car, and so we travelled from spot to spot. If we felt like stopping, we would. If we wanted some adventure, we'd venture into a town. We travelled all over NZ, meeting the most amazing people. Buying a 2nd hand car was the best and most affordable way for us to travel through NZ. The North Island was by far our favourite, and Nevis Bungy in Queenstown our most daunting adventure. Although we didn't have all the money to do all the touristy things, we experienced New Zealand the best way we could. 2 things that is a must: have good
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