We will be flying in to Auckland for 4 nights before heading on to Australia. We are thinking of going to the South Island for 3 of the 4 nights. Queenstown seems to be the top suggestion I have been getting. Can anyone please help with...

1-a good activity list for that area for 3 nights and 3-4 days

2-any lodging suggestions

3-general tips regarding proper dress, dining, etc.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

Where are you coming from? You may have a lot of jet lag to overcome.

When will you be in NZ, and what are your interests?

Dress is casual, and wearing layers is good.

Lee Ann

We'll be coming from the states, so there will be some jetlag...although we tend to be far worse on our return (I guess the excitement keeps us going). We will be there Feb 19 through the 22 (leaving on the 23rd...we may need to stay in Auckland the night of the 22nd). While we are city people, we really appreciate the culture of the countries we visit. I wouldn't consider us typical tourists (for instance I would take Kyoto over Tokyo any day)and tend to enjoy less typical places. We love good and interesting food, beautiful terrain, etc. While I am not terribly athletic, my husband is a professional skateboarder and would probably love to partake in some crazy activity while we are there (yikes). I understand the Fiords are supposed to be amazing and obviously, something we have no chance of seeing in our own country.We don't have unlimited funds, though we do tend to stay in nicer establishments. We are not opposed to B&B's or other more interesting accomodations. Hopefully, that gives you an idea. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

Hi there Angelsix

Queenstown is an option for you as the flight is only around 1:45 direct from Auckland to Queenstown.

There are plenty of adrenalin pumping activities there, Bungy, Jet boating, Paragliding.

In saying that though since your visit is so short, you could combine a bit of scenic driving with action activities and maybe a bit of pampering at a spa for you . This could be done if you head down to Rotorua. You will get a bit of exposure to Maori culture there as well.

The following link has a few details of what you can do there.

http://www.rotoruanz.com/home.asp

If you do not fancy driving ther, you can of course fly. 45 minute flight from Auckland to Rotorua. 2:45 if you drive. (At least it is when I drive).

As Lee Ann says, informal is good. NZ'ers are not formal people unless we are at the top of the top restaurants or lodges.

Accomodation wise you can get motels for NZD80 per night through to lodges at $2,000 a night. With many choices in between.

Climate wise.

In February you can get days up in the 30's (Celcius) down to the teens. Bring layers. Easy to take them off or put back on that way.

Another thing to consider -- NZ has lots of great wineries. You might consider visiting some of those. If you do go to QT -- we took a short flight over to Milford Sound and really enjoyed that.

Your other option could be north of Auckland, to the Bay of Islands for your short stay. Great spots and sights.
Enjoy
Glenn
www.newzealandatoz.com

Thanks for all the good suggestions thus far.

I like the idea of scenic drives mixed with some active stuff. This may be a strange question, but is it difficult to drive in NZ? Also, is Millford Sound drivable distance?

Another weird question...any chance of seeing a Kiwi (the bird, not the people). It's a husband request...

I have been doing so much research on the Oz part of our trip that I have neglected New Zealand. I will start looking more carefully and will surely have a ton more questions.

Keep the suggestions coming!!

With only 4 nights your options are rather limited. I would suggest you either stay in the North Island, & do Rotorua, or fly to Queenstown, and spend all your time there.
Where are you leaving from for Australia? If it's from Auckland I think you would get more value if you stayed around the top end. Bay of Islands, Rotorua. Do you or your husband skuba dive? If so, look up the Poor Knights Islands, off Tutakaka. Absolutely fabulous diving. Or you could dive on the Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace ship which was bombed by the French.

If you are/can depart from Christchurch, then Queenstown is fabulous. (you can also fly direct from Queenstown to Australia on Air NZ & Qantas).

THere's far to much offering in Qtn to list them all here, but if you like adrenalin pumping activities, this is ground zero.

THe West Coast Fiords are worth a visit if you can fit them in. I think with just 4 (actually probably 3) days you might be stretching it a bit. You can fly from Qtn to Milford Sound in a few hours, and with limited time this is probably the best option.

Here's a list I compiled for 3 girls contemplating a visit in July/ Some of the activities, such as skiing, will not be available to you in February, but there's plenty else available.

QUEENSTOWN HIGHLIGHTS.

Action and Adventure.
Skiing. in July there are 4 great ski firelds within at the most 2 hours drive.
Jet Boating. many operators, great variety of trips.
White Water Rafting (yes, even in winter.)
Bungy Jumping. Every bridge, canyon, cliff etc has some means of jumping off it.
Parapenting, Tandem Sky dive, Hang Gliding.
Giant Swing. You want stomach churning, this is it.
Luge, on Bob's Peak. Get there on the Gondola.
Heli skiing.
Canyoning
River Surfing
Trail Bike riding

Relaxing.

Wine trail & Vineyard tours
TSS Earnslaw. Vintage Steam Ship.
Kingston Flyer, Vintage Steam Train
Skyine Gondola
Two Casinos
Lord of the Rings tours of all shapes sizes and cost.
Golf. Milbrook resort, and Frankton
Arrowtown. Old gold mining town. Great museum
Dorothy Brown's Arrowtown Cinema
Goldfields Mining Centre
Warbirds Museum at Wanaka.
Puzzling World, at Wanaka.
Tour or Flight to Milford Sound
Overnight on Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound (maybe not in July)

Dining and Nightlife. (Too many to list them all, but try)

Minus 5 bar (everything is frozen, including the seats)
The Cow, in Cow Lane. Great Pizza.
Pog Malones Irish Pub
Roaring Megs
Skyline restaurant. on Bob's Peak.
The Colonels Homestead, at Walter Peak. Get there on the Earnslaw.
Safron's. in Arrowtown.
Also Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian, Maori, McDonalds, KFC Subway, Pizza Hut, etc.

Walks and Tramping trips.

Frankton Walkway. From Frankton to Queenstown.
Routeburn Track. from Glenorchy to the Milford Road.
Dart and Rees Valleys.

THis has just scratched the surface, and I've probably omitted someones favourite place, but you get the idea.


The time you have is realy just enough to whet your appetite, and you should be booking your return vistit, with more time.

I wouldn't leave NZ without visiting one of the glowworm caves. Waitomo area caves are great, but you can combine this with a Fjordland trip and tour the cave near Te Anu. Fjordland isn't far from Queenstown, so you can easily do it in three days. A day cruise in Doubtful Sound or Milford Sound followed by an afternoon cave tour in Te Anu would make a great day.

I mentioned that I was planning to visit Qtown for a few days in July and a friend said, "Why? You don't ski and you aren't going to bungy jump or any of that extreme stuff."

But I thought it was very scenic and there was still a lot to do there . . . isn't there? Even in July? Or should I not bother with Qtown and stick to the North Island only?

cheryllj, Your friend sounds like a wet blanket and a kill joy. Ignore him/her, and go with your instincts.

There is plenty to do in Queenstown, and the Southern Lakes, even if you are not into 'adventure' stuff. Who knows, you might decide to throw off your inhibitions, and try skiing, or a bunjy jump.

Best advice: in July, just book your first night, and a rental car, and go wherever the road takes you Ask at hotels/motels for advice on what to see, and pick up some brochures/guide books which are available everywhere. It is really difficult to have a bad holiday in New Zealand

i saw the list vbca compiled n i will like to noe is there anything u will recomment for june or r there anything which i can't do in june?

besides that, is there a prob with bed bugs??? no offense really..

Personally I would stay put in Auckland. We stayed at a great b&b in Ponsonby which is the hippest area of the city-the Great Ponsonby B&B. We did day trips, a whale watching trip in Auckland harbour!! Small coach to Rotorua and back so we did not have to drive. We left at about 7am and returned around 7pm. Great day.
Ponsonby is full of restaurants and New Zealanders [kiwis] are casual. You can wear virtually anything. We did go downtwon to the Ice Bar where we dressed up warmly but they gave us snow suits.

We thought Queenstown, although beautiful, is geared to tourists.

Hi angelsix66
I can offer you some of the best highlights of NZ - if u r ready for full & long days:

3 nights in Southern Island:
1 Queenstown after flight from Auck
don't miss the Gondolla cable-car at dusk + the fantastic buffet dinner (tip: buy a combined ticket).
2. Milford Sound. night at Te Anau
drive Q'Town through TeAnau to Milford Sound. Boat trip (check times)
& back to Te Anau. do the boat early & u can fit the glow-worm Caves nearby.
3. CATLINS. night at Dunedin
whole day drive, drive along the less touristic beautiful "Scenic Road" + lots of waterfalls, short walks, bays (with dolphins), Petrified Forest ("Jurassic Park&quot near Curio Bay. Leave time for Nugget Point: Fur-Seals playing in the pools (need good binocs)
4. Depends on your flight:
1/2 day Otago Peninsula with Yellow Eyed-Penguins & Albatross nesting.
fly for overnight in Auckland !!