A couple of friends and I are traveling to Australia in February and would like to extend the trip with a short stay in New Zealand somewhere - any special spots? We would kinda like to rent a house? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks

Hi Carrie<BR>Pleased to hear that you are planning to visit NZ. <BR>1.The first question is how long is a short stay?<BR>2. Are you city people (cafes, nightclubs, shops) or country people (beaches, mountains, farms etc)<BR>3. Do you have any special interests? swimming, surf, sailing, exploring, mountains and streams, volcanos, extreme activities (bungy jumping, tandem sky diving etc)sightseeing, whitewater rafting, fishing, swiming with dolphins<BR>4. Would you like to rent a house for the whole period and explore the area or be on the move?<BR><BR>NZ has so much to offer - just give us a few clues and we will be delighted to help you - that's the NZ way.<BR>Kerry

We are looking at spending about one week. The activities we are looking for are more outdoor (nothing extreme), with maybe a city trip thrown in. We would also prefer to have one place to stay - we would not mind driving alittle for the comfort of coming back to the same place every night. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

If you are coming to Australia first then I would think you would like something completely different. If that is the case I would suggest Queenstown which is a real treat. You have got activities and scenery and you have Milford Sound not that far ( you can do it in a day ) and getting there from Christchurch for instance will give you a real feel of the country.<BR>

I would agree with Liz..Queenstown is charming, beautiful and has every sport you could imagine (and some you couldn't) <BR><BR>Melodie

new zealand might look small on the world map , but it is a long way between beautiful places of interest.<BR>if you are young and into adventure, i reacomend Queenstown, alsorts of scenery , night life, adventure trips to do and see. plus day drives as well.<BR>I the nth you can base in Auckland, you are 3 hrs from Rotorua and all the thermal regions, 3 1/2 hrs from the bay of islands , or the waipoua forest, or 2 hrs from the coromandel region, or 3hrs from Taupo.<BR>if you can fit another week in _<BR>DO IT !!! <BR>eh!! enjoy your visit , its a beautiful country<BR>lorrie