carylspall

Hi there!
We are taking a 4 week trip to NZ in October and finding all the info quite overwhelming. There seems to be so much to do and see.
I would really appreciate it if you could tell me some of your best places you visited,good motels/hotels,restaurants....
We are late 40s , not into the adventure or beach scene.
Any info appreciated.
Thanks for your time.
Caryl

Tim_and_Liz

We were in the South Island for 12 nights in January. Here is a link to our trip report. Let me know if you have any questions!

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...3&tid=34745614

carylspall

That was just the help I was looking for.
Thanks so much -a well written report.

ElendilPickle

Our trip report is somewhere in this forum; if you click on my name and scroll down, it will show up. Or you can look at pictures with a shorter trip report at http://community.webshots.com/user/ElendilPickle to see how we spent 10 days on the North Island.

We used the Go Kiwi Silver Pass, which gave us vouchers for a variety of mid-range hotels. I liked the Bay Plaza in Wellington for its excellent location. The bathroom was sort of small, but we had a great view of the harbor. The President Plaza in Auckland upgraded us to a two-bedroom suite. This was our last night of the trip, and it was really nice to have the room to spread our stuff out and repack. We had a full kitchen, too, so saved some money by fixing dinner and breakfast.

Lee Ann

margo_oz

The most spectacular thing I did in NZ was the helicopter trip over the glaciers in the South Island - brilliant.

flygirl

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/239096/index.html

hope this helps a little bit.

carylspall

Can any of you tell me what the helicopter trip costs please.

Tim_and_Liz

Prices are listed here.
http://www.helicopter.co.nz/glaciers.asp

carylspall

Phoooooooooeeeeee!
Its pricey! Might just have to skip that one.

dmjapril

In the North Island - we did a day tour across to the active volcano White Island from Whakatane and had a guided walk around the base of the crater. We also spent some time around Rotorua and would defintely recommend the Wai o Tapu thermal park and had a guided tour around the maori village of Whakarewarewa.
In the South Island we also had a helicopter flight over the glaciers, cruised along Milford Sound - stunning scenery both on the Milford Road and through the Sound. I think the most amazing experience was swimming with the wild dolphins in Kaikoura.

flygirl

Caryl - remember it's in NZ dollars, which are around 70% of USD (or so) if I recall. so knock 30% off the price. I'd go for the adventures as much as you can, when are you going back??

carylspall

Silly me!!!
Thanks

renforth1

Swim with the dolphins in Kaikoura, hike the Queen Charlotte track, watch the penguins come ashore on the Otago Peninsula, explore the wineries of the Marlborough Sound. Enjoy the restaurants and museums of Wellington and Auckland, marvel at the thermal wonders of Rotorua, spend lazy days on Waiheke, cruise the idyllic Bay of Islands .... whatever your time there, it's not enough. Enjoy.

StrayKat

South Island is one of my favourite places. Fantastic scenery. You are sooooo lucky to have four weeks in NZ.
Milford Sound cruise.
Place where the sheep dog statue is had a great view of a lake. One of my favourite photos ever.
Off roading with a company which takes you to where the Lord of the Rings was filmed around Queenstown. Great photo ops there, too.
Christchurch has lots of neat things to see and do.
Several of the older (60 plus) people in our group went jet-boating and loved it.

LouUS

Caryl, a lot depends on how you are planning to get around. Driving?-be sure to ask for automatic. Get a good map book at the airport. You can get maps at AA around the country if you are a AAA member in US. Our favorite (6 trips) is the North Island (Devonport, Russell, Napier, Rotorua and even Auckland). We like to wander little areas - go to local markets, haunt bookstores. Boat trips are wonderful - whale watching (and dolphins) in Kaikoura. Christchurch has lots to do on South Island. Check bus itineraries just to get a feel for what you can do in the time and then cut back so you aren't dashing from place to place. Pick out something that sounds fun in a half dozen places that sound good and then explore. You'll be amazed and the people are fantastic, friendly and helpful.