Hi,
My wife and I will be going to NZ for the month of Feb. and we will rent a car in Aukland and maybe fly to Wellington to save taking the ferry.
We hope to take in all the sights, enjoy B&Bs, and not book them in advance to allow total flexibility for each destination.
Really interested in all the popular spots such as Milford Sound, Mt. Cook etc.
I would really appreciate comments on what to expect in Feb. plus the latest in sights, events and whatever else.
Thank you.
Dave

Do you mean fly to Christchurch, rahter than Wellington as the ferry crossing is between Wellington and Picton at the top of the South Island not between Auckland and Wellington.

February is a fabulous month to travel, the weather is more settled, and the school holidays finish at the end of January so not so many people around.

I've done NZ three times in Jan/Feb period. Once I had a fair bit of rain, the other two times sunny.

A month is ample time to drive both islands (I do them in two). Why fly? There are endless nice small towns to see on the way and it's only a short hop on the ferry, dropping off a car in Wellington and picking up a replacement car in Picton.

B&B is no trouble in February. Many garages sell hot pies of several varieties which make a good snack. Fish and Chips seem to be an NZ dish. Cheap and good. Try them.

Pick yourself up a GOOD guidebook (I used the Lonely Planet) and a good road map. I still have an old street map of Auckland. Watch out for speed cameras, notably Auckland.

Remeber the whole country is on 2/3 the size of CA! We flew the last time, but this time we are taking the ferry. Flying is such a pain these days and by the time you figure your elapsed time portal to portal I double you will save much time doing it. We missed all those national parks on the northern tip of the south island last time because of flying. NZ is really a place to enjoy being in the moment and interacting with the kiwis, and airports just don't add to that experience.

Thank you for your comments.
Dave

That should read : I do both islands in two weeks. It depends on how much driving you want to do per day and what you want to see for how long it takes. I see a lot in a short time.

Kaneda, it's interesting reading the comments about some of your postings, are you sure you aren't reading old guide books that have been lying gathering dust on a book shelf? Others may like to take a look. We got over the 'pie bought from a service station' years ago, you can still do that if you wish but what about all of our fabulous restaurants everywhere, some to be found in the most remotest of places? Plus you say, 'fish and chips seem to be a NZ dish, if you had been here at all you would know it is and not have to write, 'seems to be'. Please leave latest updated info that is correct to the posters who have recent knowledge, empty musings are a waste of peoples time. Many people take a lot of time and thought to get their facts correct before writing a posting. And NZ in two weeks is ridiculous to see anything indepth.

I would love to spend at least 3 months travelling through both islands!It's a wonderful country!
Speed cameras are not just in Auckland. We had 2 speeding fines to pay when we got back from our month in NZ last October.The problem we found was that the speed limit changed so often -especially coming in and going out of towns. You really have to pay attention.

davelangf:

We have visited NZ four times now and look forward to our next with pleasurable anticipation.

Each visit has been for two months so I felt I had enough time to have a good look at my chosen places. I would not expect to "do" the whole country in two months, that is, if I want to enjoy what I see.

Having said that, flying Auckland to Wellington eliminates a lot of pleasure to be had between these places.

Rotorua is well travelled by the international groups and is well worth a visit.

Lake Taupo both north and south shores are great places to visit.

All are accessable by road giving you the freedome to spend as much time at each as you may wish.

Consider reading a good travelbook on the places between Auckland and Wellington. If you do not want to do a lot of reading, get a brochure on bus tours. They will list short itineraries naming spots to visit, then do it on your own.

The i sight is a good place to get tourist information. There are two styles of i sights. One is tourism and the other is DOC, department of conservation for camping and trecking.

Not to be left out, also read up on the northern part, north of Auckland, 90 mile beach, the Coromandel Peninsual and so many other great places in NZ.

Fish and Chips are good, but be sure to try Lamb Shanks. To die for.

Where ever you go in NZ, you are sure to enjoy. Do not cheat yourself by rushing past great places to visit.

As you drive, frequently think "Keep Left" and you will have no problems. I assume that you are from north America.

Gave a great visit.

Woodie

Fish and Chips, pies, sounds like kaneda is English. Loves his boiled peas too, I imagine. A true gourmet.

KathyNZ and Kaneda,

Oh Puleeze, can't we all just get
along?

The poster just wanted some information on NZ, not to be embroiled in a fight! Sheesh!

While I've never had a meat pie in a service station before, (and I'm sure they exist),but if there was one available, my husband would be getting it! I'm sure Kaneda was just alluding to the fact that Davelanf is going to be travelling and flexible = eating on the fly as it were.

Fish and chips? Awesome. Ditto lamb and venison, not to mention NZ's amazing choices of seafood. And eating food not offered at a service station doesn't equal getting "fleeced" either -there's great food in pubs and bakeries as well.

Kathy, while 2 weeks is not enough time to see NZ "in depth", as you say, please keep in mind, that unfortunately, for most Americans, that's all the vacation time they have, so be glad that out of all the places in the world to visit, they've chosen NZ - don't worry, they'll probably be back for a second trip!

Just my $.02.

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Kiwi Specialist

Hi Dave

You could do the road trip thing, there are many itineries on here from previous travellers.

Or you could pick three or four locations and set yourself up in each to travel out from them. The advatage of the later is that you are not forever unpacking and repacking your bags.

Some locations to consider at that time of year are in no particular order of preference.

Bay of Islands. Great for trips out on the Bay to explore the islands, the Maori culture onshore (6 Feb is our national day, celebrated in the Bay of Islands at Waitangi). Good base to head out and do trips such as big game fishing if that is your thing, head up to cape Reinga via ninety mile beach. Explore the native bush and see magnificant Kauri trees. Some good walks in the area too.

Bit of advice though, if you park your car in a remote area round the Bay make sure no valuables are inside, sadly rental cars are targetted a bit.

Down the North Island a ways to Auckland, the Hauraki gulf has some fine islands. Waiheke at that time of year will be buzzing, especially the wineries. There is a food and wine festival in Devonport (North shore beach suburb in Auckland) around the 10th of Feb. Worth checking out if you are around. Check out also the West Coast beaches of Auckland. If your brave enough, splash in the surf there, pretty wild beaches but the black sand is a bit different.

Further down is Coromandel. Still has its Bohemian pockets with slightly feral folk. Very friendly spots. On the East coast of Coromandel it is a bit more "suburban" around places like Whangamata, Pauanui, and Tairua. Lots of Aucklanders in Holiday homes. Head out from the towns and it is a lot nicer (IMHO)

Down to the Bay of Plenty and in February you will see it at its best. All along the Bay, the beaches are fantastic. Pleanty of spots to stay.

Slightly off the beaten track you could check out the East Coast. Largley untouched by commercial tourism. Very friendly locals. You will find the highest concentration of Maori on the East Coast and maori is widely spoken there.

Inland Bay of Plenty is Rotorua. Search on the name and great amount of detail on the place will come up.

Further down to Taupo. I always associate the place with winter and the mountains to the south of the lake. But still looks good in summer.

Hawkes bay on the East coast is a Mecca for wines. Time your visit right and you will be there for the Art Deco weekend.

Wellington at the bottom of the North Island has IMO a great museum worth checking out - Te Papa. On the waterfront.

Over the Strait is Marlborough, again great wines, great scenery. Nearby is Nelson. Worth staying around here for a few days, check out the Abel Tasman national park, the artists studios, the beaches, the fishing out on Golden bay.

Then the South Island stretches out before you. Too many top spots to list here as I think the entire Island is an attraction in itself, however considering it is about half the size of the UK, there is too much to describe to do it justice. I would suggest you search on key workd like glacier, Mt Cook, Queenstown, Wanaka, Otago, Caitlins, Hanmer and check out some others comments on the fantastic spots to see.

I hope this helps a little (and has not caused confusion at all)

mlgb. Yeah, English but I now live in France. The England I grew up in no longer exists.

I had an aunt and uncle who moved to NZ in 1952 with other families and they got together and built each other houses in Papatoetoe, south of Auckland. Sadly both are dead now though I still have other relatives scattered around the northern half of North island.

I like good food, not fancy food. I see no point in paying a fortune for food which is no better than (say) fish and chips. That is for people with more money than sense.

A book I read years ago exposed a lot of restaurants including Maxim's in Paris. You don't want to know what goes on in many restaurants.

I just want to say thank you again for all your help. I have made notes on the special places that you have recommended and will be sure to visit as many of them as we can.

God Bless