NZ thread in Holiday forum

[tim the pool man]

Anyone want to offer some advice to this bloke?

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... with road trip in NZ - November

[Fraster]

Did. Ta.

[GravelBen]

Chimed in also.

[Rob13]

Gents thanks for the advice already given. We've sorted a rough itinerary of 2 weeks in the South Island and 1 week in the North. The plan for the 3rd week is to fly in from Christchurch to Auckland and then spend 2 nights in Auckland. We then have 2 free nights which we havent planned before going up to Pahia for a relaxing 3 nights before flying home.

Could you suggest somewhere to go for the 2 nights, or possibly 3 if we were to spend just 1 in Auckland? We dont get to Auckland until 3pm so really one night looks to be stretching our time in the city.

We are looking to stay at the Copthorne in Pahia - has anyone stayed there, and is the weather warmer up there just to chill out and relax on a beach for 3 days?

[Fraster]

Hmmmm... it kind of depends what your interests are... but here are some suggestions:
1) get to Rotorua for the day and see the boiling mud and do all the touristy stuff.
2)en route to Paihia, get yourself onto a charter boat to the Poor Knights Islands. This is either a half or full day trip to a marine reserve that offers some of the best snorkelling/ diving in NZ. This is weather- dependent and early summer can be iffy!
3) While in Auckland, get a ferry to Waiheke Island-only takes about 1/2 an hour- and have a nosey around there. The wine tours are pretty good.
4) Get a ferry to Coromandel town for the day from Ak (no. I don't work for the ferry co!)
5)Hire a car and get out to a west coast beach from Auckland; Piha or Te Henga or Muriwai -all about 45" drive from Auck city. Buy Fish and chips and watch the sun set into the Tasman.

[Rob13]

We will probably satisfied with out lust for scenery with 2 weeks in the South Island. I know my better half was looking to go to Waitomo to see the caves and also mentioned Lake Taupo as a possible place to stay. Rotorua has some of the adventure stuff but will probably get a large dose of that in Queenstown anyway.

[lestag]

Rob13 said:

Gents thanks for the advice already given. We've sorted a rough itinerary of 2 weeks in the South Island and 1 week in the North. The plan for the 3rd week is to fly in from Christchurch to Auckland and then spend 2 nights in Auckland. We then have 2 free nights which we havent planned before going up to Pahia for a relaxing 3 nights before flying home.

Could you suggest somewhere to go for the 2 nights, or possibly 3 if we were to spend just 1 in Auckland? We dont get to Auckland until 3pm so really one night looks to be stretching our time in the city.

We are looking to stay at the Copthorne in Pahia - has anyone stayed there, and is the weather warmer up there just to chill out and relax on a beach for 3 days?

Auckland, i would recommend having dinner at the sky tower one night http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz/Restaurants/Orbit... reasonable prices.
I would not recommend staying there at all (a right bunch of ignorant numpties - you can tell i had a bad experiance last year....)
Northland is the Winterless North which means it may rain but it will be warm relative to the rest of NZ
copthorne in paihia is ok and you can do dolphin watching , race to the hole in the rock and do the poor knights thing. also get a ferry to russell and the waitangi grounds are just a walk up the road from the copthorne paihia

This place is cool http://www.millenniumhotels.co.nz/copthornehokiang...
The superior rooms have a great view of the harbour about an hour and a half north of paihia. if you want to be in a less tourist area than paihia . its effectively in the backblocks and half an hour from Tane Mahuta

maps.google.co.nz is good for directions and times between destinations

Edited by lestag on Tuesday 16th February 10:01

[Fraster]

...it's worth going to Waipoua Forest to see what's left of the Kauri forest that once covered northern NZ. It's not all that close to Paihia though...

[Fraster]

...also (I think Ben may have said this already?) if you want to chill out on a beach in NZ, don't imagine you're in the UK or France or Spain. The ozone is almost non-existant over NZ and too long in the sun (even if it's overcast) may see you burnt to a crusp -as we say in NZ. (mind you, given that your name is Roberto, you may have some helpful olive-skin genes?)

[Rob13]

Thanks for the advice, still can't decide on where to go for these 2 nights between Auckland & Paihia. We thought about doing 1 in Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo & Waitomo Caves but its too much travelling. If we head south to Taupo, its a 6 hour trip to Paihia.

Which from Rotorua or Taupo would be the best place to go (Taupo would need to be a special place for a 6 hour drive to Paihia).

The rest of the trip is pretty much planned but I just cant sort these last 2 days out.

[Atom Johnny]

You could go Ch-ch -> Akl -> Rotovegas on the same day and spend your first NI night in the middle of the island. Then work your way north. If you get to Akl @ 3pm it's another 3 hours to Rotorua tops. You'd be there by 7 at the latest. Then stop in Auckland on your way back up.

I don't know what the idea of tourists trying to see the place by staying a day here and a day there. The country is larger than GB and it's a bit like going to UK and spending 1 day in Scotland, 1 day in Wales, 1 in England, etc. If you go Akl -> Taupo -> Paihia you miss half the north island including Wellington.

However, if you want to enjoy the top part of NZ in 1 week I'd go Auckland -> Rotorua -> Coromandel (perhaps Whitianga) via Tauranga -> Auckland -> Paihia -> Auckland -> UK

Auckland : http://www.aucklandnz.com/

Rotorua : http://www.rotoruanz.com/

Coromandel : http://www.thecoromandel.com/

Whitianga : http://www.whitianga.co.nz/
Tauranga : http://www.tauranga.co.nz/

Paihia : http://www.northlandnz.com/

Edited by Atom Johnny on Wednesday 17th February 06:08

[Fraster]

1 day in whales? That reminds me of my favourite Groucho Marx quote: " Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read"

[Atom Johnny]

Fraster said:

1 day in whales? That reminds me of my favourite Groucho Marx quote: " Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read"

Oops typo.

Too many Stienies. Isn't the Auckland humidity stifling? You have to drink something cold.

[Kylie]

Atom Johnny said:

Fraster said:

1 day in whales? That reminds me of my favourite Groucho Marx quote: " Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read"

Oops typo.

Too many Stienies. Isn't the Auckland humidity stifling? You have to drink something cold.

Hope you were drinking "Pure"

[Fraster]

...just me being a pedant again.

[Rob13]

I appreciate its difficult trying to see everything in one trip, so much so that we cant.

We have now settled on the idea of a 2 night stay in Auckland, 1 night in Taupo, 1 in Rotorua and then 3 nights in Whitianga before trekking back to Auckland.

[Fraster]

Well done. If you're driving, Taupo to Roturua is a doddle. From Roturua it's a good drive up SH26/7 (we have "State Highways" here, even though we dont have states) to Paeroa and over the Kopu-Hikuai Rd (spectacular! and worth stopping to see the few remaining sizeable Kauri trees, signposted just off the road ) If you're really organised (and not too b*ggered)there are charter boats out of Whitianga that can take you out to the Aldermans and/or the Mercury Islands. The Leilani is a goody! If the weather is cr*p, you can head for Hot Water Beach and dig your own spa at low tide.

[Fraster]

http://www.leilanicharters.co.nz/

[Atom Johnny]

Fraster said:

Well done. If you're driving, Taupo to Roturua is a doddle. From Roturua it's a good drive up SH26/7 (we have "State Highways" here, even though we dont have states) to Paeroa and over the Kopu-Hikuai Rd (spectacular! and worth stopping to see the few remaining sizeable Kauri trees, signposted just off the road )

Or if you swing by Tauranga you can go SH33 SH2 AND SH25 along this route

Pity Northland was dropped of the itinerary. bay of islands has a lot to offer. I'm trying to think what Taupo has to offer apart from trout fishing. And track days of course.


PS If you want to see the Waitomo Caves then do that on the leg from Auckland when you first head south, then head across to the centre of the island. It'll save back tracking.

Edited by Atom Johnny on Thursday 18th February 01:27

[Rob13]

So Taupo doesnt have much to offer? We've been advised to take 2 nights in Rotorua stealing one from somewhere else and I was wondering if we should take it from Taupo?

BOI looked amazing, but I did think it was a bit much to spend 5 days up there when the likes of the Coromandel still appears to offer a similar kind of retreat.