cbegbie

We just got back on Sunday from 2 1/2 weeks in New Zealand and had a great time. We managed to see the highlights of both islands but had a fairly rushed schedule since several days of the trip were spent hiking the Milford track in Fiordland National Park. If anyone has specific questions, feel free to post them and I'll write back.

For reference's sake, here was our itinerary:
DAY 1 - arrive Auckland in early morning; drive to Coromandel Peninsula; see Cathedral Beach and Hot Springs Beach
DAY 2 - drive to Rotorua; visit Agrodome & zorb
DAY 3 - see thermal springs; drive to Waitomo; black water rafting/gloworm trip
DAY 4 - abseil and caving trip; drive to Pipiriki; boat to Bridge To Nowhere Lodge on Wanganui River
DAY 5 - do Bridge to Nowhere walk; boat to Pipiriki; drive to Levin
DAY 6 - drive to Wellington; ferry to Picton; drive to Blenhiem
DAY 7 - drive to Marahau; boat to Awaroa Lodge in Abel Tasman National Park; hike
DAY 8 - hike in Abel Tasman National Park
DAY 9 - drive to Timaru
DAY 10 - drive to Duntroon; see Elephant rocks, Maori drawings and whale skeleton; drive to Queenstown
DAY 11 - bus to Manapouri; overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound
DAY 12 - bus to Te Anau
DAY 13-16 - tramp Milford Track
DAY 17 - Milford Sound morning cruise; bus to Queenstown; shop
DAY 18 - Shotover jetboat ride, fly home

There was much flooding in the lower part of the North Island and it affected our travels somewhat. They expected the River Road (in the Wanganui River National Park) to be closed for up to 4 weeks so that may change your plans too.

Hope this can help someone in planning their own travels.

alise

I want to Zorb but it is worth it to check out the activities at the Agrodome?

Would you recommend Coromandel area?

Which thermal area did you visit near Rotorua?


Would love to do the black water rafting at Waitomo but it will be AUGUST and probably too cold so we will just have to see the normal glow worms tour.

feel free to reply this way or email me at

[email protected]

cbegbie

Alise,
Zorbing was so much fun. I did the zig-zag course with water in the ball and I laughed/giggled all the way down. We had heard great things about the Agrodome but I'm reluctant about recommending it. We only saw the sheep show (where they got a little rough with the animals in our opinion and made fun of the non-English speaking tourists). If you were interested in doing other things besides the sheep show at the Agrodome maybe it's worth it?
I thought the Coromandel Penninsula was very pretty. We drove up one side one day and back down the next day. Cathedral Cove is gorgeous. The photos on this page (http://purenz.com/index.cfm/purenz_p...2E5B6D9EE.html) on the New Zealand offical tourist site was what enticed me to go.
In Rotorua, we went to Wai-O-Tapu instead Waimangu for the thermal sites as we heard there was more variety at Wai-O-Tapu.
The black water rafting trip in Waitomo was really more of a float in an inner-tube. There are several different companies that offer this and each company uses different caves so the water temp may vary per company. I had heard the water was freezing but hardly thought it was cold at all (but this was just a week and a half ago). They outfit you with a wetsuit and after trudging though the countryside wearing it (in order to get to the cave), the cool water felt refreshing. It's definately worth it to see if the companies are still offering trips in August because it was a very unique experience.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

galoha

I've got 3 days each to spend in the following cities: Auckland, Christchurch, and Queenstown. Any suggestions for things to do and see in that time?

USNR

Auckland: we enjoyed seeing Kelly Tarlton's underwater world -- great aquarium you can walk under.

Christchurch: took a rental car and drove to Akaroa, a small town where both French and British learned to get along -- great seafood places.

Queenstown: took the steamboat "Earnslaw" to the far end of Lake Wakatipu and saw a fine show of sheep dogs at work. Great picnic.

galoha

Sounds like you had a lot of fun. Thanks for the help. Did you rent a car from a New Zealand company or from or from a big international firm?

alise

I kinda had a weird feeling about the Agrodome show-seemed like too much $ for what you get and can't imagine I would see or learn anything new that I haven't seen on farms here in the States. Probably will not be doing Zorbing with any kind of water in the winter time! I will just do the dry/strapped in one!

What company did you use for the Waitomo rafting trip?


Glad to hear about Kelly Tarltons! I wasn't sure if we would try to make time for that or not.

I believe I have Wai o Tapu for my to do list as well as Waimangu (I was interested in the Boat ride part) but don't want to be repetitive. Wai O Tapu seems to have a large variety of sites at one place.

As it stands right now, I have us driving back (the faster way) from Rotorua back to Auckland but if we change our White Island trip then we might be able to drive back the Coromandel scenic route.

Any idea on drive time to/from Auckland to Cathedral Beach?

thanks

cbegbie

galoha,
I didn't spend any time in Auckland or Christchurch so I can't help you too much there (but luckily USNR had some suggestions for you). In Queenstown there are so many activities offered for the not-so-faint-of-heart like bungy jumping, paragliding, whitewater rafting, jetboating on the Shotover River, etc. There are plenty of shops, wineries and a gondola ride to the top of a mountain to overlook the city, lake and mountains. Hope that gives you a couple ideas... I rented a car from a service called Nova which searches all the rental car companies to find the best rate. Their site is http://www.rentacar-newzealand.com

cbegbie

alise,
For the wet zorb they add warm water in the ball and have changing rooms so it might be possible for you do it with our too much discomfort in the winter. I've heard from people who have done the wet and dry that they like the wet so much better.

In Waitomo we signed up with a company that goes by several names (Waitomo Adventures or Luminosa) but offered two types of trips that we wanted (abseiling/caving and tubeing/glowworms). Their website is waitomo.nz.co. Because there had been so much rain when we went, the cave they use for the tubeing was flooded and they sent us with another company called Down Under as they use a different cave. If you are planning on going to Waitomo, I highly, highly recommend staying at the Abseil Inn. The owners are so nice and their rooms are beautiful. Definately one of the nicer places we stayed in on our trip. It was recommended to us by friends so the owners gave us a slight discount. Maybe it will work for you too.

The drive time from Auckland to Cathedral Cove is 3 hours. Cathedral Cove to Rotorua should also be about 3 hours.

jonesie

How were the Maori drawings?? How did you find them??

cbegbie

jonsie,
We were told that the Maori drawings we saw were some of the most famous in New Zealand. Unfortunately, they were not in great shape (some vandelism and large chunks were blasted out so they could be taken to museums).

I would not recommend going out of your way to see them. We happened to be in the area (near the town of Duntroon which is west of Oamaru on the east coast) so we stopped to see them. They are not very well-marked but luckily there were cars parked right beside them so we knew it must be something.

If you are interested in seeing them they are on the 83 between Oamaru and Omarama, just west of Duntroon.

SusanVT

I have a couple of questions:
WAs the Able Tasman Park wonderfuL? I am thinking of going there. In other words, was it worth it and would yourecommend this to one who has 5 days in NZ, period.
#2) What the heck is Zorbing?!
Thanks!
SusanVT

cbegbie

SusanVT,
5 days!!! You definatetly need to concentrate on one area since you have such a limited time. I think where you should go depends on what you want to see and what your hobbies are.

I thought Abel Tasman was very pretty. The beaches are sandy (and mostly white), the water is turquoise, the foliage is lush and green. The area has good hiking and kayaking. You could combine Abel Tasman with a day or two in the Blenheim area to do some wine tasting.

I also liked Fiordland National Park(with the Doubtful and Milford Sounds). There we hiked, kayaked and took some boat trips. Fiordland combined with Queenstown could take 5 days.

If you prefer mountain/lake/alpine views you could do a trip to Mt. Cook and Queenstown.

If you are into adventure trips, Waitomo (on the North Island) has plenty to offer with hiking, caves, abseils, and underground water activites.

If you let me know what your interests are I can probably make some more targeted recommendations.


As for zorbing...how can I explain this odd concept? Picture an enormous inflatable ball...now picture yourself climbing inside with some water...and then rolling/slip-sliding down a big hill. No, I'm not kidding. Check it out on www.zorb.com. It was very fun...I've never giggled so hard in all my adult life.

Let me know if you want some more specific ideas of where to go in your short 5 days.

sasi

cbeqbie, wondering if you went on a cruise on Milford Sound? If so, which boat did you take and do you recommend it? We would like to make reservations soon for a late April visit. Also, want to go to a glow worm cave, in Te Anau or on North Island? So many choices.....! Thanks, Sasi

cbegbie

sasi,
Sorry it took me awhile to reply.

We did take a cuise on the Milford Sound as it was part of the Milford Track Guided Walk package. I'm not sure which company we went with but in all honesty the boats all looked the same and they all cover the same area. I would have trouble believing that there is anything that different or special between the different operators.

Though Milford is certainly more popular, Doubtful Sound was much more spectacular in my mind. The sound is longer than Milford and much more peaceful as there is only one company (Real Journeys) that operates there. On Doubtful sound we never saw another boat but on Milford there were easily 8 large boats in view at all times.

As for the glowworms, we primarily experienced those on the North Island in Waitomo. They offer some amazing trips where you go inner-tubing in caves on underground rivers. It is an amazing experience to peacefully float downriver with glowworms above looking like the Milky Way.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

LittleNell

My daughter and I are hoping to hike the Milford Track next January. Do you think it is more advisable to go with a guided tour or just hike on your own? Also, how did you go about booking? I called and was told that you cannot book for 2005 until after July 1. Thanks.

cbegbie

LittleNell,
I think your fitness level and backpacking experience level should determine whether you do the Milford Track independently or guided.
Either way you go, you still have to carry a pack for 33.5 miles. It's just a matter of how much you carry. Unlike the guided walkers, independent trampers have to carry bedding, towels and food. To me, that is the biggest difference but here are a couple others:
- It is much easier to book the guided walk. We were able to book a month and a half out. The independent slots fill up as early as a year in advance.
- Accommodations for the independents tend to be large bunk rooms, whereas guided walkers either sleep in small bunk rooms (separated by sex) or a double room.
- The guided walk accommodations have areas to wash your clothes and enormous forced-air drying rooms. You are able to wash and dry your clothes every night which means you can carry less.
- All meals are prepared for guided walkers so you have more leisure time.
- The guided walk is very expensive while the independent way is very cheap.

I knew the only way I would be able to do the walk would be guided because I don?t have enough experience carrying a pack and didn?t have enough time to prepare before the trip.

Feel free to ask me more questions for check out the following two sites:

DOC site for independent hikers: http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/002~T...rack/index.asp

Only guided walk for Milford Track: http://www.ultimatehikes.co.nz

LittleNell

Thanks so much for the good information. I will check out those websites and then will probably have more questions!

LittleNell

Hi. I will be hiking the Milford Track with my daughter in Jan. Just wanted to know if any of the swing bridges are really high since I have a fear of heights. I am in good shape so I am not worried about the hike-just the heights! Thanks. Kris

ishki

Hello cbegbie - I just found your thread and as I am spending 3 nights in Nelson in early November have some questions about the Abel Tasman walk. Firstly, do you need to pre-book water taxis etc., and would you recommend the walk you took (how far was it?) We thought we'd have lunch at Awaroa Lodge rather than trying to take our own - was the cafe nice? Thankyou.