We are stopping over 5 days NZ (Auckland) on our way back from French Polynesia in May 2009. We don't really want to stay in the city, we'd rather see scenery, culture, etc. I guess no time to go the the South Island (fjords), although we are used to driving long distances (but is it too far?). What would you recommend and how to get there (bus tours, self-drives?) There's only 2 of us. Thanks.

Forget SI. Driving would be impossible, and flying would take too much time of your few days.

You should consider Rotorua, Coromandel, Waitomo glowworm caves, and Northland. There are bus tours from Auckland, unless you are comfortable driving on the wrong side of the road, and have a good sense of direction.

I agree five days won't be enough to see the South Island.

But you could always base yourself in a south island town/city and then do day trips from there - i.e Queenstown where you can go on walks/bus trips to wineries etc or more extreme sports like bungy jumping, rafting.

Otherwise I'd recommend Auckland - it is a city but it's really not huge. And from there you could easily visit Rotorua, Coromandel or Northland. Or it's just a 45 min ferry ride to Waiheke - which is stunning. For me it's one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand.

Thanks for you ideas. I think I should stick with the North Island (not a bungee fan!). We are usually very good driving (I'm an awsome navigator!) but we are NOT used to driving the "wrong" side of the road. That might be a bit stressful but you can go where you want, when you want.

Any recommendations as far as a circuit? I'm sure we'll want to spend some time in Auckland too, but we have no idea where to stay. Downtown?

How many days? Time of arrival and leaving?

We stayed downtown in the Quay West Suites. It was excellent for us.

Arriving May 30 and departing June 5 late afternoon, so we basically have June 1-2-3-4. I think driving back to be in Auckland at the end of the day June 4 would be wise so we have plenty of time the next day and make our way to the airport in the pm. Think we can do an Auckland-Rotorua-Bay of Island-Auckland in that timeframe including some activities (i.e. glow worms and abseiling)?

Yes to your circuit. It takes about a day to reach Rotorua, with a stopover at Waitomo caves.

Also takes about a half-day to reach Bay of Islands. Since you're getting back from Polynesia, I might opt for the Rotorua direction rather than the Bay of Islands direction. They're in opposite directions and you have to pass thru Auckland, so I don't know that I'd do both.

A day trip that's worth while is out to the "wild west" Coast, around Muriwai, Piha or Bethell's Beach, if the weather is good.

Sounds good...thanks!

Yeah the circuit is definitely do-able in that time. And I'd also recommend a day trip to the west - it's beautiful out there but in a very different way - no white sand and turqoise waters but it's stunning. And the bush walks in the Waitakere are excellent.

There are quite a few apartment/hotel places downtown Auckland which are good value. Not sure what your budget is but there are loads to choose from and it's very easy to get around from there. There's also a lot of car rentals down on Beach Road/Customs Street which is downtown too.

That's good to hear. I will have seen plenty of white sand and turquoise water in FP, so I don't mind seeing something else.

As far as hotel in Auckland, we don't need a 5 star, but definitely not a dump in a shady part of town! A decent a middle of the road rate wise will do. What would you recommend and which car rental agency is the best to contact?

Two things we enjoyed on our last trip to the north island which haven't been suggested so far. One was the ferry from Auckland to Devonport, a wander around the town and lookout and back to Auckland.

The other was the Kauri museum near Dargaville.

It seems a lot of people opt for serviced apartments over hotels as they can be cheaper. But there could be restrictions around length of stay or something.

A couple of friends stayed at the Bankside Waldorf - right in town -and paid about NZ$90 a night. Very clean and tidy serviced studio apartments and ample room for two. It's a bit of a walk up hill though. Waldorf also runs serviced apartments at the Scene Two buildings (also right in town) but I'd imagine it's much more expensive there. http://www.auckland-apartments.co.nz/

The other one to try is Oak Apartments (I think they're on Fort Street)

I stayed at Elliot Street Apartments Hotel in Auckland. Really central location. I got a fantastic rate online and even though I booked a studio, they upgraded me to a 2 bedroom. Nice size unit with well-stocked kitchenette off living room/dining room and a washer/dryer in bathroom.

Well ... I just got back from New Zealand and here are my thoughts.

If you want breathtakingly beautiful scenery with snow-capped mountains, hop the relatively short & inexpensive flight to Queenstown. It was nothing short of spectacular. You can see my pictures by clicking on share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2QctG7hu0ZOXA.

I have a feeling you'll be heading there if you look at the pix.

From Queenstown you can (and should) do the day trip to Milford Sound.

To me, Auckland was "a city" -- not anyplace I would visit if I were interested in scenery. But if you're certain you want the North Island, it's a little more than three hours to drive to Rotorua -- and that had some wonderful scenery nearby (especially Waimangu Volcanic Valley).

Bear in mind that it would take LESS time to fly to Queenstown -- than it would to drive to Rotorua.

But my vote would be definitely to NOT stay in Auckland. If you don't want to fly to Q'twn, I'd suggest your circuit -- but not spending any time in Auckland.

Lastly, with a GPS and an automatic, I found driving to be easy.

OOPS. Wrong link (unless you like Kauai!)

Here's the correct link to the NZ and Oz pix:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...=2QctG7hu0ZO1A

Songdoc - nice pictures. As much as I'd love to visit the fjords, I don't think I'll have the drive to get another flight into my trip...I'm already back tracking from Polynesia to get back home to Eastern Canada. It's a long detour...! I think I would enjoy the Rotorua area. Where did you stay in Auckland and Rotorua?

I do understand not wanting another flight. But I don't recommend much time in Auckland.

Loved Rotorua. In Rotorua, I stayed at the Sudima Lakeview Plaza. (It recently underwent a name change -- and I think that's what they're calling it now.) I'd definitely recommend it. It was very reasonably priced, well located, and nicer than I'd expected.

In Auckland, I rented an apartment at Auckland City Hotel. It was not the best area -- and though it was fine, and the apt. itself was very nice, next time, I'd probably move a few blocks over -- toward the Queen St. area next time -- unless the price was prohibitive.

It would probably be helpful for you to read my recent trip report. Hope you have a wonderful trip. I'm jealous about French Polynesia!!!

Thanks Songdoc. We don't want to spend lots of time in Auckland, just rent a car and go! From your picture, it looks like the Rotorua area is nice and different.

This is our second trip to French Polynesia; if there is paradise on earth, that's where it is! You'll have to go one of these days. The water IS really that clear and blue! Thanks for all the info.

My husband and I just returned (today!) from New Zealand, where we spent 6 days--close to what you are planning to spend. Like you, we added the NZ portion to a longer trip elsewhere--in our case, 5 weeks in Australia. Since we had only 6 nights and were landing in Auckland, we confined ourselves to a couple of areas of the North Island--Rotorua and Bay of Islands (with a night in Thames at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula in between). We were able to do this comfortably in a rental car.

A couple of tips that are fresh in my mind:

We rented from Apex, which has an office a couple of minutes from the airport--you just have to call them on their toll-free number when you get your bags and they'll send their courtesy van. Their rates were much cheaper than the better-known international agencies, and their service was friendly and attentive. The car wasn't the very newest, but it was just fine. Recommended.

In Rotorua (approx. 3-hour drive from the airport) we stayed at Eaton Hall guest house, a simple B&B accommodation in the center of town ($110 NZ per night). There are lots of other options, and at this time of year everyplace seemed to have vacancies. We enjoyed two meals out and would recommend them--Indian Star for really excellent Indian food, and Ciccio Italian Cafe for good Italian. Visited two thermal areas south of town, both had much of interest to see, including nice walks. Like everything in NZ, entrance fees were pricey -- about $30 NZ per person -- but certainly worthwhile.

After 2 nights in Rotorua we drove north toward Auckland. Ended up in the town of Thames overnight, at a beautifully located B&B called Cotswold Cottage -- we opted for the room with the spa bath for $150 NZ. Friendly and gracious hosts, who made sure we were comfortable (they offer evening meals as well, and she's an excellent cook). Highly recommended. If we had had more time, we would have spent it exploring the Coromandel Peninsula--a beautiful place with gorgeous coastline, green, green hills (like all of the North Island that we saw), and cute towns.

But we had the Bay of Islands in our sights, so we drove up there the next morning (about 4 hours from Thames). It was worth the drive -- beautiful coastline, awesome vistas, and engaging towns. We stayed 3 nights in Paihia, which is well-located for ferry service to Russell and lots of boating options. We stayed at the At Our Place B&B, right across the street from the water with big windows and a small patio--just wonderful. And a chatty, helpful hostess who made our stay lots of fun. The highlight was a 3-hour guided kayak trip among the islands and into the mangrove swamp -- $55 NZ per person, and such a treat, with a great young guy from the kayak/sail shop as our guide. We also enjoyed excellent (if pricey) meals at 35 Degrees South, Seafood Only, and a Thai restaurant.

The weather this time of year is on again, off again -- if you don't like it right now, wait 10 minutes and it will be different. Rain was predicted everyday, and we did get that, but we also got a multitude of rainbows and plenty of sunny breaks that made walking and boating lots of fun. Paihia is also the site of the Waitangi Treaty House, where the treaty was signed between the Maoris and the English in the 1830s, so it has a lot of historical interest.

Driving on the left isn't that hard to get used to -- though I did keep turning on the windshield wipers when I meant to turn on the turn signal. That was a bit disconcerting! But other than that, no problems. Keep in mind, though, that fuel is currently about $2.10 NZ per liter -- that is, about $6.00 a gallon. Bring lots of money!

I'm sure you will have a great trip.

Aprillilacs - Thank you for the valuable information and recommendation. I'll check out the rental car agency and the B&Bs. Let me know if you have pictures posted somewhere!