New Zealand

Ticking and Bashing

Hi all,

I'm looking into a trip to NZ in Sept / Oct 2014 - (I need something to look forward to in 2014!) I would very much appreciate any advice boardies can give me

As I'll be going by myself, I looked at guided tours by Contiki and Intrepid which last 19 - 22 days but I don't think this is long enough and could be too rushed, and also since I'm flying all the way over I may as well stay 4 - 6 weeks (I know I wouldn't see all of NZ in 4 - 6 weeks!).

I'm not sure how exactly to start planning this, should I look at sample intineries by those tour companies and build on those? Or can someone point me towards finding a good intinery online that covers both islands?

Also, would I need to have hostel accomodation, bus tickets etc booked in advance? Or is that something that can be sorted while I'm actually there?

I'm planning on spending a couple of days in Asia (Singapore or Kuala Lumper or Hong Kong on the way over) and maybe a few days stop over on the way back somewhere else in Asia or Dubai maybe.

I would very much appreciate any advice anyone can give me. I'm pretty clueless about it but looking forward to it.

Thanks.

lc180

I spent 5 days in NZ in November when I was over that part of the world, can't really give you any itinerary advice as I only visited Christchurch and Queenstown.

Christchurch - I found it quite disappointing, its still recovering from the earthquake a couple years ago and its still pretty shocking to see how seriously devastated the city really is. There is not a whole lot to do but if you go a bit outside the city the scenery is beautiful. I under prepared for here and paid the price. I'd say 2 or 3 day max is enough.

Queenstown - Make this top of your list, this is possibly the most beautiful place I have ever been! Its essentially a small seaside town but is the extreme sport capital of the world. Bungy jumping, Skydiving, paragliding, canyoning etc etc you name it you can do it there. It also has a lot more chilled out activities like hikes, bike trails and cruises if that's more your cup of tea. If you need a hostel I recommend the Adventure Hostel, its top notch but reserve well in advance as it books up fast!

Regarding time of year, I'm not sure what the weather will be like in Sept/Oct. I was there in Mid November and it was early springtime, the weather was hit or miss, mostly really nice and warm but its rained a fair bit. Either way you will have an amazing time - I'm very jealous!

Enjoy.

J-B

You lucky thing!! I spent 3 weeks in NZ a few years ago and loved it. Had a campervan so cant really assist with bus query - maybe you should get the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet to help with planning? Places we visited and loved (not in any order) were Lake Wanaka (beautiful massive lake in mountainous area in the South Island - lots of cycling, hill walking etc), Queenstown, Nelson (lovely town at the top of the South Island where you can hike the Abel Tasman track or do sea kayaking (highly recommend this as a guide brings you out, one of our best days there), Mount Cook region where you can visit the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, Marlborough (if you like wine), you can rent a bike and cycle around all the vineyards sampling the different wines , Rotorua (North Island) where you can visit the natural hot springs and geysers, Wellington (South Island) is also nice to visit. There is so much to do and depending on your interests you can decide what suits you. I think we adapted one of the itineraries in the Rough Guide to suit what we wanted to do (spent 80% of our time on the South Island). There are very good tourist offices in most of the bigger towns so once you have a general plan of where you are going would recommend going there on your first day in each new place as they are very helpful in recommending things to see and do. We found that tourists are treated really well in NZ and that locals will go out of their way to help you if you are lost etc. You could try starting off with the official NZ tourist website which might help you with ideas.

eoin88

Planning a similar trip myself for a month or so around Christmas, probably 2nd week December to 2nd week January. I'd like to stop off somewhere in Asia for a day or two just to break up the travel there and back. Was thinking maybe Hong Kong or somewhere in Vietnam. Does anyone know if it's any cheaper to book flights yourself rather than going through an agency like Trailfinders? Is it worth the hassle?

shamrock02

eoin88 wrote: »

Planning a similar trip myself for a month or so around Christmas, probably 2nd week December to 2nd week January. I'd like to stop off somewhere in Asia for a day or two just to break up the travel there and back. Was thinking maybe Hong Kong or somewhere in Vietnam. Does anyone know if it's any cheaper to book flights yourself rather than going through an agency like Trailfinders? Is it worth the hassle?

Eoin have a good search through skyscanner. Ive tried every website and travel agents and skyscanner has beaten them all every time. I got flights home this christmas for next to nothing

sadnav

when we were in Vietnam earlier this year we toured with a company called G-adventures. very local and small groups. They also do tours of NZ, although we were down under for seven weeks so had time to do our own thing. worth a look though JR

on_my_oe

Have a look at kiwi experience They offer hop on / hop off, so you can tailor your trip to suit yourself but the drivers are also tour guides so you get the Top Deck /Contiki style commentary with 20s/early 30s fellow travellers.

If you have a rough idea where you want to go / see, post it here; I was born in invercargill, lived in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and the coromandel, and visited pretty much everywhere from Ninety Mile Beach right down to Stewart Island.

Ticking and Bashing

I was actually looking at the NZ G-adventures tours for October. I think it'll be either China or NZ in Oct but I can't decide