New Zealand now has a small peice of my heart! (New Zealand)

Member Name: lizkempo

Product:	New Zealand
Date:	09/04/08 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing country !

Disadvantages: Weather unpredictable

New Zealand is such an amazing country I have truly fallen in love with it! After 6 weeks of traveling the North and the South Island I fill very happy that I covered most of what this country has to offer. I am going to give a brief over view of New Zealand as I am planning some more in depth reviews about each place. I hope this will give you an idea of how long you need in each place, the highlights and the best advice for getting around etc
Traveling around New Zealand:

There are many options available to you, camper vans and cars are the best way as you get to create your own journey stopping along the way from place to place, just make sure you get a good guide book so you know where to go etc.
I don't drive so I opted to go with magic bus Tours which is a hop on hop off bus service, Magic bus where the cheapest option and I was more than satisfied with the service they provided. Similar companies include Stray and the Kiwi Experience.
How Much Time:

How much do you have?? You could spend a few weeks just doing one island or 6 weeks doing both or a few months to a years working visa, whatever trip you do you will not be disappointed with what you see! I think both islands are spectacular offering very different things and they are both worth a visit.
North Island:

Auckland:
I started my trip in Auckland, I would advise only spending a couple of days in this city, and the main highlight is the Sky Tower. The Sky Tower is a great place to view the city from, I went up at about 6.30pm just the right time to see the view in both day and night, and it is a spectacular view. If you are feeling brave you can also do a Sky Jump (Similar to a Bungee Jump) from the top of the tower. I wasn't quite brave enough for this!
Another great thing to do is the Auckland Harbor Bridge Climb, where you get to walk across the bridge which is pretty incredible! Again if you are feeling a little crazy you can jump of as well! Again I was not!! A word of advice: I found a company called Stray who in order to promote them selves offer a free day tour around Auckland! Included in this free tour is the bridge Climb saving you $30. Also when they take you to the Sky Tower they will ask if anyone wants to do the Sky Jump, the first person to raise their hand gets to do it for free!
Auckland is surrounded by islands that have been formed by Volcanoes and you can take a ferry over to explore these islands.

Bay of Islands:
Heading up north from Auckland you will find the Bay of Islands, sadly I have found that not many people visit this beautiful place as they are so eager to work their way South. I however loved this part of New Zealand and spent 5 days here, if you are on a quick tour you will only need 3 days.
The Bay of Islands is a great place to get up close and personal with Dolphins, it is here that I went of a swimming with dolphins cruise! A full day trip taking you out to find dolphins and to swim with them, we saw 3 pods of dolphins and saw about 60 overall was a truly incredible experience.
Also from here you can do a day trip to Cape Reinga along the 90 mile beach, this is a great day trip and what an experience to drive along the beach. You also get to see the historic lighthouse, if you send a postcard from here you get a special stamp put on it, so if you are into things like that then I suppose that is a highlight as well.

Hokianga:
Heading back down towards Auckland we stopped in a place called Hokianga, not very well known but a very pretty place is home to the Tane Mahuta (The Lord of the Forest).
Tane Mahuta is the largest living Kauri Tree, the best way to enjoy this forest and the trees is to do the Footprints in the Forest walk. This was one of the most magical nights I have experienced, led my two Maori guides we where taken through the forest and told about the cultural beliefs of the trees and what they mean to them, it was amazing walking through the forest with only a small head torch to lead the way, stopping for hot chocolate and listening to the Maori singing etc

Waitomo:
Waitomo is home to the Glow Worm Caves which are worth a visit it whichever form you decide, personally I took a Glow Worm boat ride which was a very nice way to see them but over far too quickly. For the more adventurous you also have the options of Black Water Rafting through the caves or abseiling down them.
This is pretty much all Waitomo has to offer so a quick stop on the way through is my advice.

Rotorua:
Rotorua is a very interesting place in deed; it really is not like any other place, filled with mud pools, geysers and thermal activity. I would advise a couple of days here.
The main highlight for me was the Thermal Wonderland; this was a great way to get up close and personal with all that Rotorua has to offer, only one small problem and that is the smell! Yes it smells like rotten eggs which are not very pleasant.
The other problem with Rotorua is that it is quite spread out so you have to pay to use mini buses to get around, if you are traveling with a few of you why not hire a car, this is what I did and it was great to have the freedom to explore.
Rotorua is also famous for its adventurous activities such as Zorbing and rafting, Zorbing for those who don't know is getting into an enormous ball much like a hamster ball and being pushed down a hill in it. I am not quite sure I understand the attraction personally but everyone that had done seemed to enjoy it!
Also another great thing to do here is the Tamaki Maori village, this is an evening excursion to the Maori Village where you get to sample a fine Hangi Meal.

Lake Taupo:
Lake Taupo is beautiful; it really is amazing to see this gorgeous Lake which is the size of Singapore. I was lucky enough to catch one of the most unbelievable sunsets over this lake; the sky was bright red and reflecting onto the water turning it also into a bright red, stunning.
The main highlight from Lake Taupo is the famous Tongariro Crossing, this is a full day hike that takes through all 4 seasons of weather conditions, it is very heavy going and not for the weak, hence why I did not participate. My friend did however and would not stop raving about it for days, so if hiking is your thing I would put this on your list of things to do.
Depending upon if you do the walk or not I would say 1 or 2 days would be a good amount of time here.

Wellington:
Wellington is my favorite city in New Zealand, it is not as crowded as the others and seemed more like a large town to me. I would advise a few days here to wonder around and get a feel for the place.
The main highlight here was actually the museum; it was so interesting full of information about New Zealand culture and history, it was very interactive as well which would be great if you had children to take along.
We also took a cable car ride to the botanical gardens which were a nice afternoon activity.
Traveling to the South Island:

To get from the North to the South you can either Fly or take the ferry, I took the ferry, the journey is only 3 hours and is cheaper, and you can also take you vehicles across this way, which makes more convenient for when you get off the other side.
South Island:

Nelson:
My first stop in the South Island was Nelson, Nelson is a beautiful little place and home to the Abel Tasman National Park. If you are a lover of walks and hiking then again as with the Tongariro Crossing the Abel Tasman is a must for you. With many different options available you can either do a day walk or opt for a 3-5day hike camping along the way. I know people who have done both and enjoyed them so it is really up to you and what you can manage.
If like myself you are not really into the whole walking thing why not go on a wine tasting tour, I did this and it was great fun.
Nelson is known for its sun so I would suggest a few days here.

Greymouth:
Our next stop was Greymouth, I have to say if I had a choice I wouldn't bother, their really is nothing to do here at all, so little that I in fact can't think of anything else to write about the place.

Franz Josef:
The Franz Josef Ice Glacier experience was one of the highlights of New Zealand for me, the chance to hike on the ice was a mind blowing experience. I am not the fittest of people and was unsure if I would be able to do it but I did. I opted for the half day which was 4 hours but a full day option of 8 hours is also available and if you can afford it a helicopter ride is also available as well.
You probably need a couple of days here one for the walk and one for to recover.

Wanaka:
Wanaka is often over looked as most people can't wait to get to Queenstown, personally I think Wanaka is much prettier than Queenstown and would recommend at least one night here if not longer. The Lake its self sits at the bottom of the ice capped mountains making it a stunning view to behold.
Highlights are the Rob Roy Glacier walk which takes about 4 hours and the cinema! Yes the cinema here is very unique offering an at home style of viewing as all the seats are couches.

Queenstown:
We only spent 2 days here, but more would be needed if you are planning on doing some of the activities available.
Queenstown is known for all its crazy pursuits including the Canyon Swing, Highest Bungee, Rafting and Sledging! A word of advice, most of these activities are available all over New Zealand and are a lot cheaper in the North Island so I would check out the prices before you do it.
If you are not into crazy stuff then a nice pleasant Gondola ride is recommended, from the top you can see spectacular views.
Also another day trip is to the Milford Sound known for its beauty this day trip came highly recommended to us. I have to say I was slightly disappointed, we basically spent 12 hours on a bus and an hour seeing the Milford Sound on a boat trip, if you have the time I would recommend a self drive and perhaps an over night stay so that you don't have to cram it all in.

Dunedin:
Dunedin is a nice place which is much like Edinburgh in Scotland; a lot of the street names are the same as is the layout and look of the place.
The highlight of Dunedin for me was the Cadbury's Factory!!! It was an excellent trip with loads of chocolate to be had!! If you are a chocolate lover then this is an absolute dream!
Also you can go to the beach and if you are lucky like I was you will get to see Sea Lions and Penguins. This was amazing to see them so close up and in the wild just sitting their.
I would say a couple days would be enough time here.

Christchurch:
The next stop was Christchurch, which is probably my least favorite place, I really can't say much about the city. This may be due to the fact that it rained the whole time we were here so everything looked a bit glum, however if the sun had been shining a walk or tram ride may have been good.

Kaikoura:
Kaikoura is just above Christchurch and is well worth the visit, if you love Whales and Dolphins then this is the place for you!! Having already done swimming with dolphins in the Bay of Islands I decided to go Whale watching and it was awesome! I got to see two enormous Sperm whales and it was astounding! Such a sight to see! This really is a once in a life time thing.
You can also see Sea Lions here as well which is wicked, it is such a nice little place with great seafood and one of the best fish and chip shops.

In Conclusion:
I was very satisfied with my trip to New Zealand and will be exploring all of these places in a lot more details in future reviews, I hope however that this has given you a great overview of the country! If anyone has any questions I will be happy to do my best to answer them for you xx

Summary: So much to see and do you would never get bored even on a cold day