My wife and I will be on an extended trip touring parts of Australia and New Zealand during the months of Oct and Nov. We will be arriving in Wellington on the 19th of Nov. and have to depart from Auckland back to the U.S. on the 25th. I know this is not a lot of time but it's all we have left. We will be driving. Could anyone guide us as to the best route to experience as much of the culture, people, history and scenic parts of the island as possible in that short of time.<BR>We will have already been on the south island for two weeks.

Hi gary, <BR>This is going to be very predictable but I would stick to the main trunk line...<BR>A couple of days in Wellington then head to Taupo.<BR>Check out the National Park area and the mountains?<BR>From Taupo, straight ahead to Rotorua for a couple of days cultural experiences.<BR>Onwards to Auckland...depending on your time frame you could go via Tauranga/Coromandel.<BR>Good luck and I hope your trip goes smoothly.

Christa,<BR> Although the trip you just described is predictable for you, its very new and hopefully exciting for first timers like myself. We are going in November and are basically following the path you described. We'll only have one afternoon,maybe 6 hours in the Tongariro Nat'l Park. Can you offer any suggestions as where we should go in the park? We'd love to do the Tongariro Crossing walk but doubt we'll have enough time. I've read something about a lift ride up the mountain do you know anything about it? One last question. What spots in Taupo and Rotorua do you recommend we visit? Seems like so many sound like "tourist traps." Do you have some favorites to recommend. Thanks

Hi Gary<BR>There are other shorter walks in the Tongariro National Park that you could do instead of the crossing. It is the major one and pretty strenuous. Drive to the chateau and you will get all information on the walks from near there. A chairlift will be running as we have had the best snow season for years, they will probably still be skiing up there. As for Rotorua and Taupo, my favourite sights are Waiotapu and Waimangu, very diverse and natural beauty. In Taupo you could go trout fishing or go out on the lake on the lovely old sailboat Barbary. Just go down to the marina to book a place. There is also the prawn farm, honey centre, thermal areas, they are all worth a visit and very interesting. Go into purenz.com you'll get all the info on there.

Thank you Christa and Kathy. We will take your advice and just bum around the taupo/rotoua area and then head for auckland to catch our flight home....Gary

If you have time, and especially if you're fond of wine tasting and/or art deco architecture, try to fit in a day or two in Napier and the Hawkes Bay area. You won't be sorry.

My own personal opinion, having made the mistake of choosing to spend much of my holiday in the North Island rather than the South, is to head for the Coromandel. I was so disapointed by Rotorua, too commercial and I don't know what all the fuss is about. Hawkes Bay/Napier is great if you like architecture. All this aside, the drive from Wellington to Auckland is a wondrous experience even before you stop off anywhere. Have a great trip.