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New Zealand availability?

TAG

TAG

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
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Location
Philomath, Oregon
We snagged some good air fare to New Zealand, and are booked on flights in February. We're hitting the North Island a couple of days to see friends, then headed to South Island. I've been checking RCI and I don't see any availability for February 2019. Is it too early? I'd like to make plans now, and if there isn't a chance to book a timeshare unit, I'll start booking elsewhere. Thanks!!
 
Not a lot of TSs there. We had good experiences with what are called serviced apartments. We used Meritor in Australia, and Waldorf in N.Z. They are much like timeshares but rent by the night and have daily maid service.

Jim
 
Some TS on the North Island, not so much on the South. DAE used to be a reliable option, but since being bought out by RCI I can't say.
 
I don't think it's too early, 9 months away. February is prime summertime for NZ. I'd make back-up reservations with a liberal cancellation policy and place an OnGoing Search (OGS) request with RCI. The sooner you place an OGS, the better your chances of getting something.

One April, our son & daughter-in-law had a trade into Wanaka with only a few months notice. The timeshare was simple and very clean and they loved their visit. Other options in Queenstown appeared a couple weeks later in RCI, with more to do locally for a week's vacation. But they felt that both of those towns are good base locations for day-trip sightseeing on the South Island. Late April is less popular than February so I'd make a back-up plan to go with your OGS request.
 
The first mistake you made is choosing RCi for an exchange. Aside from being one of the greediest companies on earth, it has poor NZ options. DAE currently lists 44 exchanges available for Feb. DAE (unfortunately recently purchased by RCi). Is the main exchange company for NZ. I think you will find that there aren’t a lot of high end exchanges like Hiltons and Marriotts but then they don’t have a presence in NZ anyway. Try DAE for one thing it is cheaper and doesn’t have a ridiculous membership fee. You give RCi your unit for free, they make money on the exchange but you still have to pay a membership fee- go figure.

DAE also has bonus weeks for purchase-not included in the 44 exchanges. They also charge you less for the exchange and they don’t have other ridiculous unnecessary fees. Their insurance($30) gets you back your exchange and your FULL exchange fee and allows cancelation for ANY reason up to 48 hours before arrival. It is definitely worth it. Try getting that deal from RCi.
 
We visited Aukland about 6-7 years ago. I think February will be good. We went in June and it was cold and raining every day. We did many excursions from Aukland and we saw a lot in 3-4 days. It was part of an Australia/New Zealand trip for my DH's birthday. We did not have time to go to the South Island. The last day we had fabulous weather and we did a ferry to some of the outer islands. We stayed at the Hilton Auckland. It is a really nice hotel right on the bay with incredible views and big balconies. At the time, we were not into timesharing so I do not have any recommendations for timeshares. However, if you can't find a timeshare, I highly recommend the Hilton Auckland on the bay. It is designed to be like a cruise ship with spectacular views. We almost went to New Zealand again last year and we had booked the Hilton again. But we had to cancel the trip for personal reasons.
 
We visited NZ years ago and confined our visit to the South Island. The scenery is truely gorgeous there.
 
I just booked a 3 bedroom through RCI in Queenstown for March 2019! So yes, it can happen.
 
We have had success using RCI to Book on North Island. Never tried South Island. We had a back up Reservation with a generous cancellation policy. So when RCI came through only 3 months before the trip we were able to switch.
 
lprstn said:
I just booked a 3 bedroom through RCI in Queenstown for March 2019! So yes, it can happen.
Click to expand...

It’s a fantastic property and Queenstown in March is great


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks, now the hard part. Getting affordable airfare. Thinking of using TripMasters to combine with short stay in Sydney and Auckland.
 
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