3 Weeks in New Zealand

onimpulse

Hi Folks,

I'm planning a holiday with my boyfriend to New Zealand in Late Oct / Nov for three weeks. We're trying to get a rough idea of where we want to go so we can plan car hire etc... The guide book doesn't really help narrow things down - Just wondering if anyone who's been there could recommend some highlights... also, would you plan half the time in each Island or a week in one & two in the other? Where is there more to do / see?

Thanks

amy85

hi there. i travelled to new zealand a few years ago for 3 months and it wasnt half long enough so it really will be hard to narrow things down into 3 weeks. i went the same time as you are planning to go so it is just coming into there summer so weather will be great.

first off i would probably spend 2 weeks in south island and maybe the last week in the north. there is loads more to see and do in the south island.
the highlights of my time there and things definetly worth seeing:

milford sound-if you can afford it,do the over night cruise.its well worth it. absolutely fantastic place. stunning!

queenstown-be brave and do a sky dive there. i did one with vertical descent in glenorchy(best experience ever).the scenery is just breathtaking! again if funds will stretch get it videoed and pictures too.

franz josef glacier-do one day trek on it. great fun and a brill place to go and see. glacier is just huge!

kiakoura is also great place to spend a day or two. i went whale watching and swam with dolphins. was brilliant.

abel tasman national park is also great place to spend a few days. you can go on a day trip kayaking around the national park. stop off on a deserted beach,have a picnic. bliss!

north island:

if time is short i would head straight up to lake taupo(lots to do and see),try the zorbing in rotaroua. halarious.

travel up to whitianga in the coramandel. its like heaven up there. go out to cathedral cove. its so beautiful up there.

definetly a lovely place to spend your last day or two before you head home. i only went up as far as auckland so i cant say much more about the north of the island. 90 mile beach is meant to be class. you can see it from the plane when your flying into new zealand.

i really hope this helps. NZ is a fantastic place,you wont want to come home. hope you have a great time. enjoy!

amy

spurious

Napier on the North Island - Art Deco town. Very cool.

G-Money

I was in NZ in 2002, although it was just the South Island and we spent about 2 1/2 weeks there. The first thing I think of when I think about NZ is Milford Sound. The place is stunning and like my sisters said when they seen the pics, it looks just like Lord of the Rings. It really is jawdropping. There's another place called Doubtful Sound (I think that's its name) and as far as I know you have to take some sort of overnight or 2/3 day trip to get there. We were staying in the hostel in Milford Sound itself and I think it's a bit more accessible from "civilisation" if you don't want to head too far off the beaten track.

Queenstown is a great wee spot, I really liked it there. I didn't do the sky dive or anything but it's a cool wee town. The Pizza Hut there used to do all you can eat for about $12 NZ so it was great before a night on the beer

Christchurch is ok also, but we didn't see or do much there from what I can remember. Definitely check out Milford Sound, you won't be disappointed. Although beware that it rains there a lot, like 2 out of every 3 days or something. Although we were lucky, when we arrived it was raining, but the next morning it was very sunny.

IHPA

I tend to agree with the others, spend 1 1/2 to 2 weeks in the South Island and 1 to 1 1/2 weeks in the North. If you are flying into Auckland, head up north for a 1-2 day trip to Northland. Go to Waitangi. Learn about our culture. Head down the coast to the beautiful Tutukaka Coast for the best selection of beaches. Go for a surf at Sandy Bay, and go for a dive or snorkel at the Poor Knights Islands off Tutukaka. It's a nature reserve so you get to see lots of huge fish close up, maybe an orca, dolphins, turtles. Then head back to Auckland and on down to Rotorua to experience Maori culture, troutfishing, geysers and mudpools, and the Waitomo glow-worm caves.

New Zealand is not just Lord of the Rings country, so don't just spend all your time in the South Island, you'll miss out on too much cool scenery that you can fit it, in just a few days.

All the best!

Macca3000

First off 3 weeks just won't be enough to see all New Zealand. I had 2 months and it still wasn't enough. Still, use this as your excuse to get back out there.

As most people have said spend a little extra time on the South Island. I would choose Doubtful Sound over Milford Sound, however because of your time limit do Milford as the other would take 2 extra days on you.

Queenstown is a must. Try get a package that incorporates a few adrenaline items through the course of a day. Then have a day to take the gondola to the top of the hill, have lunch enjoy the views, try tobogganing and then back to town. Head to the World Bar for some shots in a china tea pot (have a good meal before you head out).

Probably stick to the west coast and visit the glaciers and gloworm caves. If money permits get a helicoppter to the top of Franz Josef glacier and hike around the top, less crowded, the ice is pristine and squeeze into a few caverns but not if you're claustophobic. The blue tinted other worldly effect is mind blowing.

Continue up to Nelson and Abel Tasman National park. Kayak for a day (if you had time 3day 2nights would be amazing) you will still see some spectacular hidden beaches, rock formations and some seals might even swim alongside you.

Also on the South Island is a train journey call ed Arthur's Pass. It goes from Christchurch in the east to...I can't remember the town in the west but it is simply stunning to cut across the island like that. I don't think your time will permit this though.

Right, I'd better get back to work. I'll do a bit on the North Island tonight. No I'm not a Kiwi Im as Irish as they come but I know I left a big piece of me out there when I left. It's just heartening to know places as beautiful and unspoilt as these exsist.

rgiller

Here's what we did in south island in 12 days - it was great and not as rushed as it sounds:

Flew into Christchurch, rented a car
Drove to Kaikoura, stayed over night and swam with dolphins the next morning. Kaikoura is amazing
Drove to Greymouth in the afternoon - not much there but the drive was fantastic and it was somewhere to stay on the way to franz josef
Drove to Franz josef and did a helicopter flight over the glacier - class. This is a great little town to stay for a couple of days.
Drove to Wanaka, which I wasn't that impressed with. We were using it as a stop on the way to Queenstown
Drove to Queenstown and stayed for 4/5 days. Brilliant place: did the sky dive, also loads of cool shops and restaurants there. Went up the cable cars and did the luge (this was class).
Went on a doubtful sound cruise from Queenstown. Contrary to what another poster said, the doubtful sound is only ~2 hours from QT and closer than milford. The cruise was expensive (€125 each) but really worth. We were the only boat out there, which I think is a feature the doubtful has over milford. Saw dolphins, seals, penguins, shark. Went kayaking, swimming. It's so peaceful and dark at night time - amazing.
Drove to Omarama on the way back to Christchurch - again amazing drive. not much to do there though.
Back to CHC for a couple of days.

GOing back I would like to spend more time in Kaikoura, Queenstown, Franz Josef and Doubtful. All amazing places