# New Zealand



## labguides (Sep 16, 2007)

We are considering going to New Zealand.. probably South Island, but perhaps both North and South Islands. 
I would appreciate any and all info on New Zealand.
What is the best time of year to go to South Island? We do not like hot or cold weather. We enjoy beautiful scenry, we are not fond of big cities.


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## chubby (Sep 17, 2007)

Hi 

New Zealand it is a place that you have go to there is so much to see the North island is warmer than the South island 
Are you going to timeshare your trip or just move around and motel your accommodation 
The four times we have been there three times timeshare and once on the move all the time that time we had  three weeks and seen most of it 
The time share times trips we had time share in the Bay of Islands area at Paihia in the north of the north Island and did day trips from there bus and car we went to the tip on a bus trip Cape Reinga and back along the Ninety mile beach very good 
Aboat trip out to the islands is a must see and go though the hole in the rock if the weather is ok we went on what they called the cream run it goes around the islands delivering things 
And we had some fishing trips an other times out there 
The othertime we had a time share at Rotorua the thermal area  and a week a little way south at Taupo and seen all there was to see in that area a cruise on lake Taupo is very good 
The other time we did a snow week in Queenstown  in the south island 
To see the south island it is better to be on the move and see it as you go we went from the North island on the ferry to the South it is very pretty comming into Picton you go through a lot of small islands up a channel BUT BE WARNED the crossing can be rough going 
From there went down the west coast to the glaciers  and from there to Queenstown  a visit to Arrowtown is a must it is an old town near Queenstown from there to Milford Sound we stayed on a boat for the night there it is a must see 
From there we went to Invercargle to Dunedin to Christchurch were we got a train trip across to Greymouth and back to Christchurch where we flew out from 
I would do the on the move thing in the south to see it best motels range from $80.00 to $140.00 per night NZ$
These trips have been taken in March and April and have had good weather most of the time a New Zealander farmer will think he is in a drought if he does not get some rain in a week .
If I can help you any more just ask 
Chubby


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## camachinist (Sep 17, 2007)

See my trip blog on MySpace for my recent trip to Wellington. Suffice to say, unless you enjoy cold and rain, July is not the month to go. I had a blast because I enjoy both 

Hope to go back again for a month or so. I wouldn't go to Oz or NZ for less than that. It's just not worth the time and effort. I've been downunder 3 times this year, twice for about a week and once for 3 weeks.

Making the crossing over the Tasman, the NZ coast is a sight to behold...

Pat


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## djyamyam (Sep 17, 2007)

When we went, we toured both the north and south island.  We did the moving around thing, not staying in TS.  Roturua and the Taupo area is definitely worth staying at for a few days.  You'll enjoy the thermal spas and natural mud bath products which are great for the skin (so I'm told).

The south island is the place to visit!  Just east of the Picton area are a lot of vineyards and is considerd the wine region.  There is some phenomenal scenery in the Abel Tasman National Park, Mount Cook and go on a hiking tour where you get to walk on the Franz Joseph glacier.  Head further south and fall in love with the Lake Wanaka region, sipping on a coffee across the street from beautiful lake Wanaka and snowcapped mountains.  Queenstown is the mecca for adrenaline junkies.  I defintely second the Milford Sound excursion!

If we were to do it again, we'd spend all our time on the south island.  You can tour both islands in about 6 weeks, hitting all the key spots and spending the time that you need to in each key area.


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## traceyjs (Mar 7, 2008)

*New Zealander born and bred*

Hi, I live in Australia now, but was born and bred in NZ.  The north island is more heavily populated, however there are some truely special places to visit, eg. Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Taupo to name a few. 

South Island is gorgeous for scenery, hiking, skiing etc.  Milford Sound is a trek not to be missed, Queensland is the best place for skiing down this end of the world, and Christchurch is very....  flat!

Weatherwise, the warmest month is February into early March.  Warm means early to mid 20's.  New Zealand is not a hot climate so you won't get any sweltering heat there.  The previous forum contributer was right, July is freezing cold!  Hope this helps.


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## beanb41 (Mar 12, 2008)

Labguides pop over to Trip Advisor and scroll through the New Zealand pages, but before you do so make a list of the questions you want answered and I am sure that you will find answers to them all. If not ask the question and the answer will be forthcoming.
We are a friendly lot us kiwis and we want all visitors to our country to enjoy their stay and come back again and again.


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## Keitht (Apr 17, 2008)

beanb41 said:


> Labguides pop over to Trip Advisor and scroll through the New Zealand pages, but before you do so make a list of the questions you want answered and I am sure that you will find answers to them all. If not ask the question and the answer will be forthcoming.
> We are a friendly lot us kiwis and we want all visitors to our country to enjoy their stay and come back again and again.



I'll second that advice.  I'm also in the very early stages of planning for a trip to NZ and TripAdvisor is packed with it.  What I have discovered so far is that
South Island is typically about 5 degrees C cooler than North. 
Many of the well known international car rental companies don't allow you to take vehicles between North & South Island.  You have to hand your car back in, travel as a foot passenger on the ferry and then get a new car on the other island.  That doesn't seem to be the case with NZ based rental companies.  Guess which I'll use!
No matter how many times the same question is asked I haven't seen the standard "Use the Search facility to find out" answer so common on other parts of TA.  That speaks volumes for the patience and friendliness of the patrons of the NZ boards.


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## spike (Apr 29, 2008)

We are off to NZ (North Island) for Christmas this year. Our very first time. Plan to spend some time with distant relatives and the rest of the time in an RCI timeshare if our trade ever goes through.

Not a question, but wondering to myself, how the bus/train systems are? Driving on the left hand side of the road gives me the willies. Bigtime. Would rather relaks on a train/bus and take a taxi for the short hops. I'm off to tripadvisor for advise!


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## Carolinian (Apr 30, 2008)

spike said:


> We are off to NZ (North Island) for Christmas this year. Our very first time. Plan to spend some time with distant relatives and the rest of the time in an RCI timeshare if our trade ever goes through.



It is generally fairly easy to trade into NZ with www.daelive.com  They have a lot of inventory there, a request first system, lower exchange fees, and will almost certainly take your timeshare as a trade deposit.


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## beanb41 (Apr 30, 2008)

Most timeshares in NZ have mutiple membership with RCI , II and the Independants. Whilst many are also under a common management company for operational purposes this does not limit exchanging opportunities. I use DAE exclusively for my exchanges in NZ and Australia  because of their access to stock. DAE are also part owners of one of Australia's larger Timeshare management companies which also give them extra access to stock.


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## DerekS (Sep 18, 2008)

spike said:


> We are off to NZ (North Island) for Christmas this year. Our very first time. Plan to spend some time with distant relatives and the rest of the time in an RCI timeshare if our trade ever goes through.
> 
> Not a question, but wondering to myself, how the bus/train systems are? Driving on the left hand side of the road gives me the willies. Bigtime. Would rather relaks on a train/bus and take a taxi for the short hops. I'm off to tripadvisor for advise!



Spike
I see that no-one picked this query up. There are daily train services Auckland Wellington and Picton Dunedin which are both scenic journeys. Also the TranzAlpine Christchurch- Greymouth is listed as one of the world's great railway journeys. InterCity runs a comprehensive network of buses through the country.


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## CarolF (Sep 18, 2008)

traceyjs said:


> Queensland is the best place for skiing down this end of the world,



I think Tracey meant to say Queenstown.


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## oysterfiend (Sep 27, 2008)

Buses and trains as transport are still limited-
We have a population of 4 million-
hardly enough to support a great transport system,
We own at Taupo and love our resort Lakeside Villas at Taupo,
We have been to Paihia, Akaroa, Turangi,
Mount Maunganui,
Taupo and Queenstown timesharing,
Queenstown is beautiful,
Timeshares there are good quality,
we stayed at a three bedroom unit called pines with a spa on the deck and its own bbq overlooking the lake and mountains-
Absolutely beautiful
Come for a month 
stay in 3 timeshare regions with a rental car and you will really get to see the country.
I prefer Taupo to Rotorua as Rotorua is way too commercial and it smells something terrible


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