Any recommendations of visiting one or both mid March '07. Will self drive from Auckland, and could spend one or two nights in either or both locations. Any opinions on places----Whitianga on Coromandel & Paihia, Russell at B of I? Primary interest is sightseeing---Beach, mountains, animals, etc.
Thanks.
Art

Hi Art,

That's a tough call -- you don't say what the rest of your travel plans are, (as in: are you continuing to drive south or flying to the South Island; or how long you have for vacation -- because the thing with the Bay of Islands is the "backtracking factor".

Because of that, (time factor), I will have clients leave Auckland, go to Coromandel then on from there.

Hope this is helpful!

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Kiwi Specialist

the ocean view apartments at Hahei and the catherdral cove kayaks on the Coromandel are hard to beat.

Thanks Melodie

Our thought was AKL to Bay of Islands, on to Coromandel, and continuing on to Rotorua. From there ending up in Wellington, ferrying to Picton and spending 10 days or so on the south island.

We planned on something like 19 nights in NZ, flying from Christchurch to MEL. We would then visit Tasmania, fly to Cairns, ending up in SYD as final stop.
Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

By the way, we are retired, so time is not critical----only money. We figured on 33 days total, including travel from AZ USA.
Art

I enjoyed staying at a B&B in Kuaotunu, nice clean sandy beaches with seashell hunting. Cathedral Cove can also be reached by a short trail. Didn't think all that much of Hotwater Beach.

We stayed 3 nights at Marina Park Apartments in Whitianga in late February this year. The views of the marina and across the inlet to the hills on the other side were lovely, and there are lots of cafes and restaurants. We used Whitianga as a base and drove to all the nearby places of interest such as Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove.

Can't quite agree with Melodie about the "backtracking factor" out of Northland. Go up one side and back down t'other. That avoids any backtracking, especially if you take State Highway 16 back into Auckland from Wellsford. You are on a tight timetable, so allow say two days for Northland (nowhere near enough). Day 1 up to the Bay of Islands. Do a few of the Bay things. Day 2 back to Auckland via the Waipoua Kauri Forest and the West Coast road, SH12. Make a certainty of the Matakohe Kauri Museum - you think life is tough today, you should see how these fellas worked in the colonial days!

Depending on your timing you might even pass straight through Auckland (pity - there is a lot here worth the stop) and make the 1 1/2 hour drive from AKL to Thames at the southern lip of the Coromandel.

A day trip up and around the peninsular - stay at Hahei. Great option. Or at Hot Water Beach. Then on out and away to Rotorua the following day.

All far too fast of course. Should be at least a six day trip. But make the best of what you have.

If you have the time as you say, then spin the money out by staying where I stay - in motor camps (they call them Holiday Parks in these upmarket days). Simple cabins can be rented for as litle as $30 a night. Even quite comfortable self-contained tourist flats will only cost $50-70. You could then give yourself a few more days to really enjoy NZ. There are people who come here, spend three months touring and still grumble that they didn't have near enough time to do everything.

For some other ideas on what to see and do have a look at

http://New-Zealand-Travel-Guide.com/northland.htm or
http://New-Zealand-Travel-Guide.com/coro

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