Florida1

My husband and I will fly in to Auckland on a Tuesday morning from the West coast of the U.S. We will have all that day and the following three full days (Wed, Thurs, Fri) there, then leave Auckland Saturday afternoon for Sydney. I have been doing some research and just would like some personal opinions on how we could best spend our time in New Zealand.

Some background on the trip: We are not going to get to the South Island (despite it having more dramatic scenery and more to do) this time. I know this is criminal. This is the first stop on a round the world ticket we put together using frequent flyer miles (hence the flight to Auckland, as opposed to the South Island) and we don't want to run ourselves ragged with extra flights on the first stop. We do plan to get back to NZ again to see the South Island, so this isn't a once in a lifetime visit.

We will have a rental car during our stay. While in Auckland, I think I would like to visit Tiritiri Matangi in the Hauraki Islands to see the birds and wildlife - any opinions on that trip? Is it a 1/2 day or full day? I would also like to get out into the countryside for two of our days. It seems like there is a good bit to see around Rotorua, but the Northlands area above Auckland also seems interesting (such as Waipoua Forest, Whangarei) and I am sure it is too much driving to do both. We don't mind some driving, but don't want to spend 8 hours driving from one place to another with no stop...if we can keep the "hard" driving to 3-4 hours in a day, that would be good. We certainly don't mind leisurely drives once in our intended destination area that are interspersed with visits to interesting places or walks to overlooks, etc. We like interesting scenery, historic/cultural sights and light hiking/walking. We don't want to spend an entire day hiking just to one spot. We don't have any physical restrictions, but we aren't big on long, major, hard hikes.

Any hotel or restaurant recommendations are also appreciated! We are trying to keep hotels around or under $150 per night, but could spend a little more on something special or highly recommended.

I am happy to answer any further questions that will help you answer my questions. For some reason, I'm just having a hard time getting my head around this portion of our trip. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me!

Songdoc

If I had to choose between the area north or Auckland and Rotorua -- I'd go with Rotorua. Why? The area north of Auckland (i.e., Paihia, Russell, Bay of Islands ...) is very pretty--but IMO it's not significantly different from pretty coastal areas that you could see in many places.

But ... Waimangu Volcanic Park (just outside Rotorua) had scenery that was unlike anything I'd ever imagined. I felt I'd stepped on another planet. In Rotorua you can also do a Maori Hangi. The town itself is nothing special -- although I do recommend the lake walk.

When I return to Rotorua this time I'll be including a tour to White Island which looks very interesting.

The ideal would be to split your time between these two areas -- but they're too far apart for me to do the driving and enjoy it.

ElendilPickle

For the geothermal areas (we visited Waiotapu) and Maori culture, I'd also pick Rotorua.

Lee Ann

Florida1

Thank you so much, Songdoc and ElendilPickle!

I think we will do the Rotorua route. The Volcanic park and Waiotapu areas sound very interesting and I definitely would like to see some Maori culture.

Do you have any hotels in the area that you can recommend?

Thanks again for your help!

ElendilPickle

Keep in mind we went in 2004, so the quality of hotels may have changed, but...

We spent a night at the New President in Auckland. It's about a block off Queen Street and handy for downtown.

In Rotorua, we stayed at the Lake Plaza. It's a great location for the Government Gardens and walking around the center of town.

Both of these are mid-range hotels, IMO. They were included in the trip we won, so we didn't have other choices in those cities.

Don't go to a hangi at a hotel. We did the evening concert and hangi at Te Puia, the NZ Maori Arts and Crafts Centre just outside Rotorua. They have a shuttle that picks you up in town, so you don't have to drive. Other people here have recommended Mitai.

Are you renting a car? If so, I'd plan to spend my first night in Auckland, then head out. We picked up our car after our LAX-AKL flight and drove to Whakatane. If we had it to do again, I don't think we would drive that far. We had to stop for a nap along the way.

Lee Ann

ElendilPickle

I should add that both Songdoc and I have trip reports for New Zealand; click on our screen names to find them.

Lee Ann

Florida1

Thanks for the hotel recommendations, Lee Ann. I'll look into those. Mid range hotels are fine for us. We will have rental car and did plan to stay in Auckland the first night. I bet you were tired on that first drive!

Thanks also for the advice on the hangi also!

You won a trip to New Zealand?? How fabulous!!

I will click on your name and Songdoc's to read your trip reports.

Thanks again for the advice!

Patty

Tiritiri Matangi looks like a full day http://www.360discovery.co.nz/timeta...-timetable.php

If anyone has done this trip, I'd like to hear about it too.

Florida1, when is your trip?

Florida1

Thanks for that link, Patty! I'll check with my husband to see what he thinks. We went to Galapagos about 2 years ago and loved it-I love wildlife, so this trip appealed to me...

We leave on our trip at the end of June. Sometimes it seems like it's a long way off, and other times, I panic thinking how soon it really is! We are having great fun planning this trip, but I almost wish I had more time to anticipate it!

Patty

If you end up going to Tiritiri Matangi, could you post a follow up if you get a chance?

We have a 3 night Auckland stopover in August on our way home from Australia (only routing we could get with miles, unfortunately not a RTW) and that's one of the things we're thinking of doing.

I know what you mean about more time to anticipate. Have a great trip!

Florida1

Thanks, Patty! You have a great trip too!

I promise to post a trip report when we return and will include info on Tiritiri Matangi if we do that. We'll be gone about 5 1/2 weeks, so a trip report will come in August.

ElendilPickle

We were fine until the adrenaline wore off. After that, we really needed a nap! We found a park somewhere around Te Puke, sacked out for an hour, and that got us to Whakatane.

We won the trip as part of a Lord of the Rings promotion in 2003. Definitely one of the best things we've ever won!

Lee Ann

syamanz

On the way back to Akld, you could visit Kiwi 360 (just out of Te Puke) & see the workings of our Kiwi fruit industry. Close by is Comivita which has an interesting visitors centre - they are a very sucessful exporting business using medicinal active manuka honey. (native to NZ) Now used round the world - in hospitals incorporated into special bandages to aid wound healing. Interested in seeing a cheese making factory? Great cafe attached to it in Whataroa (en route)

Florida1

Thank you for these suggestions, syamanz! I will put them on our list of things to do...which is growing rapidly. I do like the idea of stopping on the drive back, and these do sound like interesting places we would not have known about!

I already know that we won't get to do everything we'd like, so I'm sure by the time we leave, we'll already be planning our next trip!