We're going to New Zealand this November and would like to know what guidebooks people recommend besides Fodors of course.

We like to use Fodors for hotels, restaurants, and as a general guidebook but like to have another that has more indepth information on what to see.

Thanks

I like the Lonely Planet guide to NZ.

Recommend the Moon Handbook guide to NZ.

Another vote for Lonely Planet. If you're interested in hiking/walking, you might also like LP's Tramping in NZ.

At the risk of being banished from this site, I have to admit I don't care for Fodor's guidebooks much.

Their travel site is another story however!

Hi:

My vote goes to "The Rough Guide to New Zealand". For our trip to New Zealand last October (and for our trip to Kenya the previous October) we picked up both the Fodor's and Rough Guide books. In both cases we found the Rough Guide to be more in line with what/where 'real people' would want to see, do, stay, eat, etc.. Hate to say that on a Fodor's site, as this web site is is the best travel site I've seen.

Just my opinion,

Z

I'm working on a NZ trip for next year and using 3 books. I start with Fodors Guide for general info, the major places to go and things to do, and hotels. Fodor's Exploring is good for more in depth activities, and I recommend you check this out. Having decided on the itinerary, where I want to go and what to see, then I find LP indispensible for more detailed info on how to do these things and more detailed maps.

Then it is necessary to go on the net for the most detailed and latest info on specific hotels and places.

In addition, I find that the Frommers site is wonderful for its more extensive list of accommodations.

It is a lot of work, as I am developing an itinerary for 2 couples with a lot of specific needs and desires.

I found it difficult to find one guide book for NZ. I had to buy several to get a well-rounded picture. I did not like LP, though I bought it and used it, because "everyone" recommended it, but then I am not a LP's fan. It did not give me the information I needed. I could not rely on it alone.

We checked out a variety of guidebooks to read, and ended up buying the Frommer's guide.

Lonely Planet has a lot of good information as well, as does the Rough Guide. My husband and I thought the Rough Guide is a bit too opinionated, however.

The Let's Go guide is great for budget travelers. I used it to copy down addresses of grocery stores and things like that.

Lee Ann

Thanks for the recommendations. I am not a big fan of Lonely Planet guides. They seem to cater to the backpackers and have a lot of info that I don't need but maybe they are better closer to home.

I was hoping to find something more local. For example, when we go to Hawaii, there are some wonderful guidebooks written by locals that have info you can't find in the big house books.

Also, I found that LP's hotel descriptions were not accurate. I wonder when they last visited some of their recommendations. One place they described as spacious was tiny. With the TV jutting out of the wall in front of the bed, it was next to impossible to walk around the bed and not walk into the TV. A real hazzard at night!