New Zealand Travel tips

[Bzab32]

Hello Everyone,

The wife and I are heading to New Zealand in April/May for our honeymoon and will be visiting both islands. We will be there for a little over 2 weeks and I was wondering if anyone had some tips/places/activities that you cant miss out on while your over there. Its quite a long trip so I wouldnt want to miss out.

We will have a car but will be staying in the following cities along the way.

Auckland
Te Anau
Queenstown
Dunedin

We love nature and adventure, so we have booked a lot of the time just hiking in the National parks and exploring. If you have some tips or have been there or live there it would be appreciated. THANKS!

 

[spavel6]

I've lived in Wanaka for a few years (Over the mountains from Queenstown). If you have time there, check out Arrowtown, a quaint old mining town with a very nice main street and coffee shops. Wanaka is amazing as well and well worth the trip over the mountain rather than the main round-about road.

Are you headed over to Milford Sound? HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Give yourself some extra time to get there and back if you're driving, as the Milford Sound-Queenstown road shouldn't be rushed. Too many accidents from tourists trying to get back to Queenstown and overexerting their driving abilities.

Check out Baldwin St in Dunedin - The world's steepest residential street.

If you're into hiking, you might think about going out to Stewart Island from Invercargill and doing the 30k hiking loop. Well worth it. Suggested time is 3 days, with stays in the trail-side cabins along the way. We were able to do it in one (long) day of trail running.

Have fun! The country is beautiful, and the people are super friendly!

 

[Y_K]

Just make sure your vehicles are properly insured. You'll be surprised what those parrots can do to your windshield stripping on the South Island. Good thing you don't combine NZ and AU in one of those packages for uninformed and lazy. I second Wanaka over the mountain trip recommendation. Congratulations!

 

[Bzab32]

Thank you so much, yes we are going Milford sound and plan on taking one of those 1/2 day or full day boat tours. Also ATVing in the mountains around Queenstown. Do you have a good recommendation for a tour group to go through as there are so many? We do plan on spending a lot of time in Wanaka as it seems to be my wife's favorite place right now. We may venture off to Mt. Cook and but plan on hiking a lot around the coast and the mountains.

 

[Blokey]

Weta bugs!!

 

[spavel6]

Are you a mountain biker? Try to rent bikes in Wanaka and bike around Sticky Forest. Great trails for about a day-worth of riding.

 

[Silk]

I'm not much help to you as I live here and don't do the tourist thing, and have only made it to the South Island once. I spend my life riding a motorcycle on the back roads of the North Island, as far from people as possible. My favorite places are Northland, the Coromadel, the Waikato and Taranaki. The Coromandel Peninsula is a must do, and go right to the top, on the gravel roads, you won't be disapointed.

Also, please do SH43 - The Forgotten World Highway. I have been on this road back in the '70's when it really was forgotten, a single lane gravel track. The road is awesome, but you can also do the rail track - no more trains, but they have golf carts set up for the rails and do tours. Many more tourists there now, so it has lost it's magic for me....but will be down there at Easter. Backs roads off there too, and tunnels...I've been through about 10...there are 22 tunnels on the railroad.

http://www.newzealand.com/int/trips-and-driving-itineraries/north-island/taumarunui-to-stratford/

Another must do for me is Ruatahuna to Wairoa, this goes through the Urewera's and passes Lake Waikarimoana...to me, this is the real New Zealand. Also, double or triple your travel times, our roads are nowhere straight or flat, you will lose time going around corners and up and down.

 

[road_rascal]

If you can swing it do the Fox Glacier heli-hike- it's awesome. My wife and I went there 2 years ago to visit our daughter who's getting her masters degree in Auckland. We did the Lord of the Rings horseback tour in Glenorchy, kayaking in Milford Sound, toured the hydrostation in Manapouri and a few other 'tourist' sights. You'll have a great time.

 

[Bzab32]

Thanks everyone, we were questioning going to the tip of the north island and now we probably will and we have a lot of other ideas now.

One part I do miss is I wont be able to drive the bikes, that would be a great experience to take the 996 out on those roads, the views are going to be amazing. Coming from the midwest we have a ton of lakes, rivers and rolling farmland but to me the mountains and ocean are so different and are my favorite.

 

[Silk]

Best motorcycle roads ever. Tomorrow I'm going on a ride which will take me past the Waitomo Caves (good tourist place) and there is a long stretch of road where I get stuck in 3rd gear - wind out to the redline between corners...flick, flick, flick, oh, it's bliss. Then back up around the coast of the Kawhia Harbour. About 350km and 5 hours on the bike.

 

[Number_35]

Try to fit the Tongariro Crossing (a day hike near Taupo on the N Island) in. It is absolutely great!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongariro_Alpine_Crossing

 

[Bzab32]

Thanks everyone! Much appreciated

 

[Silk]

And carefull with your driving - keep left, and wear a seatbelt. Lots of tourists wiping out locals in head ons. Americans getting killed in the last few years not wearing seatbelts. It's not a choice here, and someone has to deal with the mess and drama.

 

[spavel6]

The biggest difference in driving I found after having driven my whole life on the right side of the road:

Traffic Circles - Flow of traffic comes from the other side, since the direction of motion is reversed. Very disorienting if you're not paying attention.

There also used to be a very confusing yield/give-way rule, but that has since been repealed...