Looking for ideas on what/where to visit
Discussion
You'll enjoy this. From 25 Dec - 23 Jan I'm coming to see you all :D
Me and an ex-schoolbuddy are starting in Auckland and spending about a week nearby before hiring a car and heading to South Island. From where I'm sitting NZ sounds like paradise, but I'm trying to draw up a list of places to do/see/visit. Mostly interested in scenery/architecture (not nightclubs!) but open to suggestions, the odd heli flight, charter boat trip etc.
Hope you can help!
Me and an ex-schoolbuddy are starting in Auckland and spending about a week nearby before hiring a car and heading to South Island. From where I'm sitting NZ sounds like paradise, but I'm trying to draw up a list of places to do/see/visit. Mostly interested in scenery/architecture (not nightclubs!) but open to suggestions, the odd heli flight, charter boat trip etc.
Hope you can help!
Well not sure about the north island, but in the south some must-see places are: (in no particular order)
Mount Cook national park
Fiordland/ Milford Sound
Queenstown/ lake Wakatipu
Dunedin (where I am) is a nice city with a touch of scotland and some great architecture (I think you mentioned interest in that)
The Kaikoura coast (north of Christchurch)
The West coast is mostly green. rainforests, with some veyr nice roads through them.
I think a good way round the south would be:
from picton(where the ferry lands)down through Kaikoura to Christchurch,
from Chch maybe a side trip out to Akaroa (on Banks peninsula) then south and inland to Mount Cook via either Timaru or Geraldine.
From Mt Cook south to Dunedin, then south again through the Catlins and west to Gore or Invercargill, then further NW to Te Anau
From Te Anau a day trip to Milford sound, then back east a bit and north to Queenstown.
from Queenstown to Wanaka, and across the Haast pass to the west coast and Fox/Franz Josef glacier, then up the west coast to Hokitika.
from Hokitika up to Westport, then from Westport up via the Buller river to Nelson.
From Nelson back to Picton to catch the ferry.
this would also take you through some absolutely brilliant
driving roads as well as beautiful scenery, however it would take a bit of time, it all depends how long you are planning to take and how much driving you want to do.
apologies for long-windedness of the post, I hope you can find the places mentioned on maps, hope this helps.
Ben
Mount Cook national park
Fiordland/ Milford Sound
Queenstown/ lake Wakatipu
Dunedin (where I am) is a nice city with a touch of scotland and some great architecture (I think you mentioned interest in that)
The Kaikoura coast (north of Christchurch)
The West coast is mostly green. rainforests, with some veyr nice roads through them.
I think a good way round the south would be:
from picton(where the ferry lands)down through Kaikoura to Christchurch,
from Chch maybe a side trip out to Akaroa (on Banks peninsula) then south and inland to Mount Cook via either Timaru or Geraldine.
From Mt Cook south to Dunedin, then south again through the Catlins and west to Gore or Invercargill, then further NW to Te Anau
From Te Anau a day trip to Milford sound, then back east a bit and north to Queenstown.
from Queenstown to Wanaka, and across the Haast pass to the west coast and Fox/Franz Josef glacier, then up the west coast to Hokitika.
from Hokitika up to Westport, then from Westport up via the Buller river to Nelson.
From Nelson back to Picton to catch the ferry.
this would also take you through some absolutely brilliant
driving roads as well as beautiful scenery, however it would take a bit of time, it all depends how long you are planning to take and how much driving you want to do. apologies for long-windedness of the post, I hope you can find the places mentioned on maps, hope this helps.
Ben simpo two said:Not quite paradise, but occasionally close enough to leave you wondering.
You'll enjoy this. From 25 Dec - 23 Jan I'm coming to see you all 
Me and an ex-schoolbuddy are starting in Auckland and spending about a week nearby before hiring a car and heading to South Island. From where I'm sitting NZ sounds like paradise, but I'm trying to draw up a list of places to do/see/visit. Mostly interested in scenery/architecture (not nightclubs!) but open to suggestions, the odd heli flight, charter boat trip etc.
Hope you can help!
Firstly and most crucially as you drive through New Zealand you will notice that nearly every town has a giant icon (Usually a large fiberglass replica of a local fruit or animal) standing in it, it’s nearly mandatory that you get photos with yourself standing next to or cuddling or kissing or humping each one as you drive through. Don’t ask why…that’s just the way it is.
Starting up north…
Does any one know what they sky tower in Auckland is like? Might be worth a visit.
I’ve never done it but apparently one of the quite popular things to do is jump into a pool of steaming Taupo mud, I’ll leave it to other PHers to report on that. You may be able to organize a helicopter ride over the Mt. Ruapehu (or nearby volcano) summit at the same time from there. Fishing is quite good on lake Taupo as well
. Taranaki and New Plymouth may interest you. Napier/Hawkes Bay has some interesting art-deco architecture. Castlepoint is just down the road as well which may be worth a look at from the scenic aspect.
There are some vineyards in Martinborough/Wairarapa that may or may not be of interest, also quite a productive dairy industry so the cheese and other assorted dairy products may be of interest. If beer is more your thing there is a brewery in Mangatainoka that brews what I would guess is New Zealand’s most popular beer – Tui.
As I assume you are a bit of a car nut (aren’t we all?) you might be interested in the Southward car museum (www.southward.org.nz/). The nearby beach is quite good to pull some doughnuts on when there is no one nearby
, you may even get a swim. Kapiti island wildlife reserve is very good if you fancy seeing native plants/animals. Usual stuff in Wellington, sample the food, go out for a few drinks, do some shopping and maybe see some rugby or cricket.
South island has the most spectacular scenery, especially if you drive through the southern alps. Hunting/Fishing if you are game. Adventure sports if that’s what floats your boat, you know sort of being tied to a bit of string and hurled off a bridge or being hurled around in a jet boat.
Hire a decent car, the ordinary roads have plenty of bends but if you want more try taking every route that has a sign saying “XYZ Hillroad/Track/Pass” as they are usually the most scenic as well. Watch out for Kiwi drivers, dual carriage ways/motorways confuse them and road etiquette (sp?) is non-existent. The only strange road rule is that governing turning right on intersections/T-junctions, just be aware of it so you don’t end up wondering why every one is beeping and sticking there fingers up at you more than normal whenever you try to turn in. Quite often the small towns along the major state highways have scameras. You should find most things incredibly cheap.
Some people quite like Taranaki :crazy: :
Now how do you find jet lag?…
speedy_thrills said:
If beer is more your thing there is a brewery in Mangatainoka that brews what I would guess is New Zealand’s most popular beer – Tui.
Don't drink Tui - its nothing but filth! lol people only drink it because its cheap.
I recommend Monteith's beer, especially the Summer Brew - don't leave without trying it.
lol well theres my opinions on our alcohol anyway. hell, why not try everything and make up your own mind.
>> Edited by GravelBen on Friday 19th August 08:50
Here's a few more to add to the list...
Auckland - forget looking for any interesting buildings, as there are almost none, but there is plenty to see and do if you like some outdoor stuff...
1: Mt Eden: you can park up the top of this, and get quite a good 360 view of the city and surrounds, or you can head up the skytower and pay for the same thing. Then head down into Mt Eden shops for lunch, look for the "Burgers Wisconsin" or "Clowns" (Cafe) or one of the other places around there... it's quite a nice little spot. Oh, and ignore the cows and don't fall into the crater - yes its an old volcano...
2: Rangitoto: catch a ferry out to the big volcano in the harbour that you would have spotted from the city it's a nice walk to the top - but wear a good pair of boots or hiking sandels/shoes...
3: Waitakere ranges: if you fancy doing some bush walks - again sturdy footwear required - there's a vistor center up there with maps and stuff...
www.arc.govt.nz/arc/auckland-regional-parks/arataki/
4: West coast beaches - Bethels, Piha, Murawai... black sand, so hot to walk on in summer, and dangerous to swim outside of the flags as there are many rips on that side, but very scenic and not (yet) completely covered in houses...
5: East coast beaches - Mission bay, if you want another coffee, if it's a decent day you can always hire a tandem bike/rollerblades/kayak and try your luck around there, lots of expensive houses...
6: North shore - Takapuna (just over the harbour bridge), white sand beachs on this side, more shopping and cafes and yup, more expensive houses!
You can also catch the ferry from the city across to Devonport, and walk up around to North Head, which is another old volcano that they built a WW2 base on...
-----------------------------------------------------
North of Auckland: Bay of Islands - Paihia/Russel, had some great fun Kayaking around here, or you can do the 'hole-in-the-rock' boat trip...
There's plenty of other nice beaches all the way up and down the east coast here... Bream bay/Waipu cove...
-----------------------------------------------------
South-then-east of Auckland:
Coromandel Peninsula - you'll be able to find traces of the old gold mines/industry here... but other than that, more beaches! Though if you head to "Hot water beach" you'll be able to dig a hole in the sand at low tide and have your own geo-thermal hot pool...
...
if you look on multimap.com, they now have quite good details for NZ, with all the above noted...
Auckland - forget looking for any interesting buildings, as there are almost none, but there is plenty to see and do if you like some outdoor stuff...
1: Mt Eden: you can park up the top of this, and get quite a good 360 view of the city and surrounds, or you can head up the skytower and pay for the same thing. Then head down into Mt Eden shops for lunch, look for the "Burgers Wisconsin" or "Clowns" (Cafe) or one of the other places around there... it's quite a nice little spot. Oh, and ignore the cows and don't fall into the crater - yes its an old volcano...
2: Rangitoto: catch a ferry out to the big volcano in the harbour that you would have spotted from the city it's a nice walk to the top - but wear a good pair of boots or hiking sandels/shoes...
3: Waitakere ranges: if you fancy doing some bush walks - again sturdy footwear required - there's a vistor center up there with maps and stuff...
www.arc.govt.nz/arc/auckland-regional-parks/arataki/
4: West coast beaches - Bethels, Piha, Murawai... black sand, so hot to walk on in summer, and dangerous to swim outside of the flags as there are many rips on that side, but very scenic and not (yet) completely covered in houses...
5: East coast beaches - Mission bay, if you want another coffee, if it's a decent day you can always hire a tandem bike/rollerblades/kayak and try your luck around there, lots of expensive houses...
6: North shore - Takapuna (just over the harbour bridge), white sand beachs on this side, more shopping and cafes and yup, more expensive houses!
You can also catch the ferry from the city across to Devonport, and walk up around to North Head, which is another old volcano that they built a WW2 base on...
-----------------------------------------------------
North of Auckland: Bay of Islands - Paihia/Russel, had some great fun Kayaking around here, or you can do the 'hole-in-the-rock' boat trip...
There's plenty of other nice beaches all the way up and down the east coast here... Bream bay/Waipu cove...
-----------------------------------------------------
South-then-east of Auckland:
Coromandel Peninsula - you'll be able to find traces of the old gold mines/industry here... but other than that, more beaches! Though if you head to "Hot water beach" you'll be able to dig a hole in the sand at low tide and have your own geo-thermal hot pool...
...
if you look on multimap.com, they now have quite good details for NZ, with all the above noted...
Despite only being here for a few months, here's my 2p worth on the Wellington region. Besides all the usual shopping/eating/drinking/clubbing, there's a great view from the top of Mt Victoria. There are also helicoptor rides around the harbour if you're feeling flush.
The Miramar peninsula has a nice twisty coastal road, with some good little beaches and great views across to Wairapa and (on a clear day) the South Island.
The drive from Wellington to Wairapa over the Rimutaka Mountain Pass is interesting and about as twisty as it gets! More great scenery.
Hoe that helps!
The Miramar peninsula has a nice twisty coastal road, with some good little beaches and great views across to Wairapa and (on a clear day) the South Island.
The drive from Wellington to Wairapa over the Rimutaka Mountain Pass is interesting and about as twisty as it gets! More great scenery.
Hoe that helps!
GravelBen said:I never said it was any good, I thought that export gold was the cheap stuff? I like a few wifebeaters myself any way which I think the Belgians consider to be the bottom of the pile as well
If beer is more your thing there is a brewery in Mangatainoka that brews what I would guess is New Zealand’s most popular beer – Tui.
I recommend Monteith's beer, especially the Summer Brew - don't leave without trying it.
lol well theres my opinions on our alcohol anyway. hell, why not try everything and make up your own mind.
.wedgepilot said:You know there is a road that goes through Eastbourne and continues all the way down that piece of coast don’t you? You need the keys to the gate but apparently at low tide you can drive a 4wd all the way around the peninsulas there. I’ve only been as far down as the station at the end though (It’s been turned into a sort of up market guesthouse by the owner now – very nice but a bit pricey).
The Miramar peninsula has a nice twisty coastal road, with some good little beaches and great views across to Wairapa and (on a clear day) the South Island.
wedgepilot said:But keep your eyes on the road! I was doing some survey work up there last year and the number of cars that have rolled off the edge and just been left is alarming. I quite like going over Haywards hill road and along the old state highway to Paekakariki.
The drive from Wellington to Wairapa over the Rimutaka Mountain Pass is interesting and about as twisty as it gets! More great scenery.
If you can afford to do scenic flights take them all. For instance the Tasman glacier is very cool...(pun not intended), they land you on the glacier and you can either ski on it or sit round and take the views in!! Flights around Wanaka and Queenstown is great. Take some boat trips if your visiting Northland, the islands are really beautiful. Also since I know your a talented camera buff....bring all the lenses, tripods etc, youll get some brilliant shots for sure.
xmas international NZ meet would be good.
If your on the way down towards the desret highway, you must stop for the sprint boat ride south of Taupo. This is the genuine article with three seats parked in a muddy pond. Gobsmackingly fast seriously loud unsilenced V8 but much safer than the usual tourist rides thanks to a roll cage and full harness.
Steve
If your on the way down towards the desret highway, you must stop for the sprint boat ride south of Taupo. This is the genuine article with three seats parked in a muddy pond. Gobsmackingly fast seriously loud unsilenced V8 but much safer than the usual tourist rides thanks to a roll cage and full harness.
Steve
kylie said:
Wow really good for you, hope all goes well with the shift over. Have you got work lined up? Or your able to just cruise for a while..
Wife has a job, I sort of have one possible job but its not a given yet. I can cruise for a while but things will be tight, shouldnt be a problem finding a job tho.
Hi all, me again All the info you kindly gave has been chewed over and we now have an itinerary that's 95% complete.
I have just one hole in my plans which I hope you can help me fill. For three days my travelling buddy wants to spend some quality time with his brother and so I need to find my own amusement, accommodation and transport for that time.
It goes like this:
Thursday 19 Jan: We arrive in Wellington about 7pm having taken the ferry from Picton. Chum buggers off to Auckland, so I need somewhere to stay for that night, also the nights of 20 and 21 Jan.
So I've got three days to do what I like - Rotorua seems one obvious place to visit. I'd also like to see Napier, which I believe is all art deco after being flattened in an earthquake. But will I have time to go west and buy a Taranaki clock???
As I'll start in Wellington that seems a very good idea
Good stuff there, thanks! Don't suppose you could tell me what the road rule is?
Actually, going back a bit, I may need some entertainment in Dunedin 6-12 Jan...? Mail me your agenda; I'll see if/where it crosses and maybe I can buy you a pint of New Zealand Bitter or whatever the local equivalent is...
OK, so there's no shortage of places to see, I just need to fix up car hire for getting from Wellington on the 19th to Auckland by lunchtime on 22nd, and accommodation. I've heard there are companies that do a 'package' where they hire the car and sort out accommodation along a route; you just follow it. I like that idea! But does anyone know whch companies they are please?
I'm getting there!
All the info you kindly gave has been chewed over and we now have an itinerary that's 95% complete. I have just one hole in my plans which I hope you can help me fill. For three days my travelling buddy wants to spend some quality time with his brother and so I need to find my own amusement, accommodation and transport for that time.
It goes like this:
Thursday 19 Jan: We arrive in Wellington about 7pm having taken the ferry from Picton. Chum buggers off to Auckland, so I need somewhere to stay for that night, also the nights of 20 and 21 Jan.
So I've got three days to do what I like - Rotorua seems one obvious place to visit. I'd also like to see Napier, which I believe is all art deco after being flattened in an earthquake. But will I have time to go west and buy a Taranaki clock???
wedgepilot said:
Besides all the usual shopping/eating/drinking/clubbing, there's a great view from the top of Mt Victoria. There are also helicoptor rides around the harbour if you're feeling flush. The Miramar peninsula has a nice twisty coastal road, with some good little beaches and great views across to Wairapa and (on a clear day) the South Island.
The drive from Wellington to Wairapa over the Rimutaka Mountain Pass is interesting and about as twisty as it gets! More great scenery. Hoe that helps!
As I'll start in Wellington that seems a very good idea
speedy_thrills said:
You may be able to organize a helicopter ride over the Mt. Ruapehu... Napier/Hawkes Bay has some interesting art-deco architecture. Castlepoint is just down the road as well which may be worth a look at from the scenic aspect.
As I assume you are a bit of a car nut (aren’t we all?) you might be interested in the Southward car museum (www.southward.org.nz/). The nearby beach is quite good to pull some doughnuts on when there is no one nearby
The only strange road rule is that governing turning right on intersections/T-junctions, just be aware of it so you don’t end up wondering why every one is beeping and sticking there fingers up at you more than normal whenever you try to turn in.
Good stuff there, thanks! Don't suppose you could tell me what the road rule is?
v15ben said:
I am in NZ from early December through to January 14th and starting on the South Island to end up in Auckland by the 14th of January. Should we have an international PH meet in NZ??
Actually, going back a bit, I may need some entertainment in Dunedin 6-12 Jan...? Mail me your agenda; I'll see if/where it crosses and maybe I can buy you a pint of New Zealand Bitter or whatever the local equivalent is...
OK, so there's no shortage of places to see, I just need to fix up car hire for getting from Wellington on the 19th to Auckland by lunchtime on 22nd, and accommodation. I've heard there are companies that do a 'package' where they hire the car and sort out accommodation along a route; you just follow it. I like that idea! But does anyone know whch companies they are please?
I'm getting there!
simpo two said:
Good stuff there, thanks! Don't suppose you could tell me what the road rule is?
basically (at uncontrolled intersections) turning gives way to straight-through traffic, left-turning gives way to right-turning, if both right-turning you give way to traffic on your right.
easy way to simplify it is give way to any car that would hit your drivers side if you collided.
seems normal to me because I've grown up with it, what is the equivalent rule in the UK?
simpo two said:
New Zealand Bitter or whatever the local equivalent is...
that'll be Speights then down here
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