carrom

Hello please can the experts comment on this itinerary for first 2 weeks December 2009?
We are 2 adults, first time in NZ and probably last for various reasons so would like to see a lot. We are not interested in relaxing or resting but very inquisitive about local life, food, towns, nature, trekking. We are from Italy but will (hopefully) be flying into Auckland after a week in Tonga.
We like driving and don’t mind long hours. Would consider a camper though we prefer b&b’s and small hotels.
Day 1 Fly into Auckland 2 nights
Day 3 Coromandel
Day 4-5 stay with friends in Tauranga
Day 6 visit friends in Raglan
Day 7 Rotorua
Day 8,9 Tongariro National Park
Day 10-11 Wellington
Day 12-13 Christchurch
Day 14-15 Queenstown
Day 16 Fly to Sydney
It is approximately 2000 km in 15 days. Should we redistribute some of our nights? Are we missing anything vital?
Thanks a lot any comments greatly appreciated.

TrekthePlanet

In my opinion, yes, you are missing something vital. Fiordland National Park.

Maybe you are trying to see some of it through Queenstown? I wasn't as impressed with Queenstown as I was with all the other towns in NZ. I thought it was too touristy - and that was 7 years ago! Seriously, there was nothing there but 5 million bungy jumping outfits and 10 million drunk backpackers. Too bad because the location is stunning.

I would take out the Coromandel, and maybe take out 1 day of Wellington and 1 day of Queenstown. Instead, try and hit Milford Sound and Glenorchy (nearby Queenstown) on the South Island. I would also recommend Cape Reinga on the North island, but it is really out of your way and you are doing A TON OF DRIVING as it is. Luckily the roads are beautiful (and dangerous.....)

Tongariro definitely.

As I said, 1 day off Wellington, instead spend it on the other island in the Marlborough Sounds?

And also no way to do it in this amount of time, but Golden Bay is stunning too.

mlgb

Are your friend's visit dates fixed or flexible? If fixed you are sort of stuck with diddling around between Auckland and Tauranga.

If not, on night two go straight to Raglan.

If you are really interested in towns and local life then you might want to take a different approach to your entire trip. Outside of visiting your friend's homes, you are hitting the bigger cities and tourist traps, Rotorua and Queenstown in particular. Instead pick a town a bit removed and stay in a B&B or homestay is a good way to meet the locals. I've used www.bnb.co.nz successfully.

As an eg instead of Queenstown, I stayed in Clyde and Arrowtown.

Of course they are tourist traps because there are things to see.

carrom

Thank-you for 2 very useful comments!
Ok agree with skipping Coromandel and cutting my stay around Auckland by one day. This will give me an extra night to play with. I can also cut one night from Wellington though my kids were there this winter and loved it.
Queenstown I put down as a base for the South because that is where we will be flying back to Sydney from but will definitely look at glenorchy and Milford Sound suggestion.
Thank-you for the B&B web site. Is Rotorua a tourist trap too?
Will do more homework and come back for more help.
Thanks!

ElendilPickle

Rotorua is a little touristy due to the geothermal attractions and the many Maori culture offerings, but we enjoyed our time there in 2004. We went to Te Puia, the NZ Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, which was pretty interesting, and attended their evening concert and hangi.

The next day we spent a little time in town, went to Ohinemutu to see St. Faith's Anglican Church (very nice), then drove down to Waiotapu Geothermal area on our way to Tongariro National Park.

I *love* Wellington! We spent a couple of days there - most of a day at Te Papa museum and just wandering around. But you would have a little more time in the South Island if you only spend a day there.

Lee Ann

mlgb

Rotorua is definitely a tourist town but is still a worthwhile stop, and you're just taking one night there.

Taupo is another option if you finish up with all you wanted to see in Rotorua and don't wish to stay there overnight.

Songdoc

Everybody has different opinions ... here's mine.

Rotorua was fantastic. But NOT the town itself. You need to visit one of the Volcanic Parks. We had a remarkable day walking at Waimangu Volcanic Park. Some of the most spectacular, "unearthly" scenery I've ever seen. Also enjoyed a Maori hangi in the evening. Yes, it was touristy -- but very enjoyable, as well.

Queenstown is not to be missed. Granted I was there during the "off season" (May) but I didn't find it overly crowded. There's a good reason why so many tourists flock there: because it's GORGEOUS. Again, I think it's important to get out of town to see the scenery. We took a tour (Nomad Tours -- with "Fran") to Skipper's Canyon and the scenery was literally breathtaking.

I took a bus tour from Queenstown to Milford Sound. I thought the cruise on the Sound was "nice" -- but not "wow." Not nearly as beautiful or impressive as some of the scenery along the way. Mirror Lakes was magnificent.

I'd skip Christchurch. It's a nice city -- but not a highlight. Similarly, I'd cut a night off of Auckland. No way I'd drive to Cape Reinga. Way too far.

Wellington's a terrific city. Love the Cuba Street area and walking along the beautiful harbor. If you enjoy nature and scenery, it's a very easy drive to the beautiful Kapiti Coast from Wellington. You could spend a few hours walking on a beach.

Trekking and taking a boat tour in Abel Tasman Park was another highlight among highlights.

Frankly, I prefer concentrating on only a couple of areas -- and doing less driving. But different strokes for different folks. NZ's a gorgeous country and you're bound to enjoy whatever you do.

carrom

Thank-you. I need to re-think things here! I would like to see the geothermal attractions in Rotorua.....but I really don't like theme parks and guided tours...Is it possible to visit these places independently? I had a look at the Waimangu website it looks amazing, at the same time I am put off by the idea of crowds, visitor centres and paying to go for walks...maybe I'm just being old fashioned!

Songdoc

I think you have the completely wrong idea about Waimangu. It's not even remotely anything like a theme park--and there are no guided tours once you get there. We drove there ourselves, ate lunch overlooking a MAGNIFICENT view, and then walked on trails for hours -- seeing very few people along the way. There's nothing there but incredible scenery and a boat that wasn't running when I was there.

You can look at my photos at:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/re...3889b15a3fcf45

The pictures of Waimangu are #19-33. I think you'll see that it's not to be missed.

ElendilPickle

What Songdoc said goes for Waiotapu as well.

Lee Ann

ElendilPickle

I should have included my pictures, which are at

community.webshots.com/user/ElendilPickle

Lee Ann

carrom

Thanks for the great photos Songdoc. Unfortunately I couldn't open Lee Ann's, something wrong with the link maybe?
I am so glad I'm wrong about the parks. Waiotapu looks great too. They seem to be pretty close, is it worth doing both or which would you reccommend?
I was thinking we could go straight from Auckland to Raglan for one night then Tauranga and do one of the Rotorua parks as a day trip on the way down stopping somewhere south like Taupo for the night.

ElendilPickle

Try the link again, carrom. I just checked it and it opened with no problems. Maybe Webshots had a brain freeze or something.

Lee Ann

carrom

Saw them this time. Thanks!

Songdoc

I only did the one. On my next trip (May 2010) I hope to do the other. I'm guessing they're pretty similar and that one Volcanic Park per trip would suffice.

carrom

I have posted my revised itinerary after your suggestions. Please have a look and thanks so much!