6 full days in New Zealand

Old May 6th, 2010, 03:50 PM
  #21  
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Melnq8,
you are right on the money. I actually made a mistake. My plan is really to fly to Christchurch as you suggested. And yes, am considering to take the TranzAlpine to Greymouth just like you said.
My bad.
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Old May 9th, 2010, 03:04 AM
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Ok, I'm going to confuse you - Do you really want to see Cathedral cove? It's a pretty windy road to get there & what New Zealand is all about is the boiling mud & gysers in Rotorua! You could fly back to Akld & spend that night in Rotorua ( just over 3 hours drive - about the same as to the Coromandal, but better roads) I don't know that anyone else in the world has the highly active volcanic activity going on.(Correct me someone??) It really is unbelievable. You could also see some Maori culture & be back in Akld the next day. Our main tourist areas are Queenstown & Rotorua. In fact, why fly back to Akld. Fly direct Queenstown - Rotorua. Makes more sense.
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Old May 9th, 2010, 06:13 PM
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"I don't know that anyone else in the world has the highly active volcanic activity going on.(Correct me someone??)"

Well...since you asked...there's this little place called Yellowstone...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park
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Old May 10th, 2010, 04:17 AM
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syamanz,
point taken. Is it in Rotorua that they throw in soap into the geiser to induce it go active? I found that pretty lame. Anyway, will look into that. Thanks for letting us know about the "windiness" (does that word exist?) of the road to Coromandel. Being the last leg of our trip, I am not looking forward to that. But ultimate decision is going to be made by the one who calls the shots: Wife (hehehe)
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Old May 12th, 2010, 09:05 PM
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satrijoe, just in reference to your questions on may 4.
1. We did the glacier walk at Franz Josef, and soon afer finishing drove to wanaka. I found it a reasonable drive BUT it was summer so we had a lot of light.
3.generally in/from Te anau, people generally go to Milford or Doubtful Sound. hard to know which to recommend as you'll find very differing opinions among travelers.
4.We drove to Coromandel from Auckland airport in the night. It is a windy, and pretty slow road but we managed ok. The beaches are beautiful, although it will be winter.Our kids loved Hot Water Beach, as it's a great experience. Rotorua is a very fun place. Yes, at Lady Knox Geyser they 'encourage' it with soap (Yellowstone does put it to shame) but overall our kids really enjoyed Roturua. Remember that geyser is just one of many things to see, and on a 3 month trip, our kids voted zorbing the funnest thing they did in all that time !
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Old May 13th, 2010, 02:12 AM
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Matakana is a new destination. It's an hour north of Auckland, there are 24? vineyards in the area. Award winning cafe, bakery, $ weekend market. Very quaint little town that has just become famous in New Zealand! 5 mins from gorgeous beaches. Just thought that may make life easier for you - it covers vineyards & beaches & is so accessible.....
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Old May 13th, 2010, 02:14 AM
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Also just re-read your initial 'wants'- kiwi farm - well Rotorua has the Agridome, tourist venture, when you can get to mingle with sheep & see them being shorn etc
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Old May 13th, 2010, 03:43 AM
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travellingdad and syamanz,

thanks a bunch for your inputs. Really appreciate it.

syamanz, Matakana seems a great option. My wife will be really interested in combining wineries with a beach trip, especially being so accessible from Auckland. About Rotorua, the direct flights are too expensive (we will be towards the end of our journey to spend that kind of money for just a one night stay...)

travellingdad: Do you remember what was the driving time to Coromandel? I think we saw one video about zorbing. It sounded really fun even though my wife was probably sick just watching it. Did yo do it as well?

Thanks!!!
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Old May 13th, 2010, 11:38 AM
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You don't actually turn upside down when Zorbing - the outer ball does - you're in an inner ball, where you do move about but not a huge amount - at least that was our experience. there is an age limit - kids have to be old enough - can't remember what - I could check it out if you want me to.
I mentioned MAtakana, thinking you could leave out NelsON/maRLBOROUGH & Coramandel as matakana sort of covers both. Then you may be able to have an extra night in Rotorua. Definately cheaper to hire a car, especially as 3 of you. Great scenery on the way. ! 3 hours drive to Rotorua - an easy drive. Drive to Coromandel would be all of 21/2 - 3 hours as well.
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Old May 13th, 2010, 01:54 PM
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syamanz, I just checked the age limit and it is 6 years old. But it seems kind of odd to ask for minimum height of 1.6m. There are many adults that don't qualify...
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Old May 14th, 2010, 01:38 PM
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ok, have just checked for you. There are 2 rides. wet ride has a 6years age restriction. They throw a bucket of warm water in there with you - helps you slide around. The dry ride has a height restriction od 1.6m. This one they strap you in & you do go over & over - roly poly down the hill!
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 11:12 AM
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So this is what we decided to do:

Day 1 (Sa): arrive in Auckland and fly straight to Christchurch
Day 2 (Su): TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth - Rental Car to Franz Josef glacier
Day 3 (M): Tour the glacier / Drive to Wanaka
Day 4 (Tu): Winery Tours / Drive to Te Anau
Day 5 (W): Milford Sound Tour
Day 6 (Th): Sightseeing around Te Anau - Drive to Queenstown
Day 7 (F): Fly to Auckland
Day 8 (S): Fly back home

All hotels are booked. We only need to book the Glacier hike and we (think) are done!

Thanks for the comments and support! I plan to post our trip report in my blog and possibly copy parts of it here. It depends on the amount of time available during the trip.
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