New Zealand travel tales

Our customers share their travelling experiences in New Zealand. Read about first hand stories on travel tips and guides, events, entertainment,shopping, food, business and transportation. Also, you might want to read our Auckland city guide, Bay of Islands city guide, Dunedin city guide, Queenstown city guide, and Wellington city guide.

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R Fisher	20 July 2005
Stayed at Honest Lawyer, The - Nelson, New Zealand.
We had a group of eight, so organizing eight outspoken persons (especially my four year old), was challenging. We did tour Nelson Lakes, the Marlborough Sounds, and the Abel Tasman Park (as well as Nelson itself). It is hard to think of a region in New Zealand with as many things to do.
Guest has requested to remain anonymous	09 July 2005
Stayed at Terrace Downs High Country Resort - Methven, New Zealand.
Spent driving around for 4 days in Christchurch and Mt Hutt. The drive up Mt Hutt is not for the faint hearted. The Thai restaurant in Methven was quite nice. Some authentic Korean restuarants in city centre. The cable car experience was very nice. The sunday market was a bit dissapointing.
Guest has requested to remain anonymous	27 June 2005
Stayed at New President Hotel - Auckland, New Zealand.
Can recommend Auckland Wine Trail Tours - the owner really knows his stuff. City museum well worth a couple of hours.
Guest has requested to remain anonymous	05 June 2005
Stayed at Regal Geyserland Hotel - Rotorua, New Zealand.
Rotorua was a lovely place. We were there for the Lions rugby, and we were made to feel very welcome by ALL the locals.
S Chan	26 May 2005
Stayed at Rydges Lakeland Resort Queenstown - Queenstown, New Zealand.
For a little action, I tried bungy jumping at the Kawarau Bridge, and the Shotover Jet boat ride. Both were excellent and tons of fun. Rather expensive, but worth the money. For scenery, I booked the Nomad Safari LOTR tour. There are 2 tours to choose from and both cover different locations. I asked the booking desk to recommend and the 2 people who worked there both recommended the Glenorchy area saying that they've been there and it's extremely beautiful. Since we were going on a 4W drive, we expected a bumpy ride. But the ride going away from town was about 45 minutes to an hour and was on curvy roads. So if you get car sick, don't do this tour!!! Anyway, we did stop at Glenorchy, but only because the driver needed to go to the bathroom. Was it as beautiful as the booking desk ladies said? I'll never know because I only saw a small town restaurant and a public bathroom next to it. The major sites we stopped at was Isengard and the site where Sam cooked rabbit stew. It's just some dried bits of land but its background sceneries of the mountains are nice. We drove by some wooded area (which may have been the forest of Lothlorien, part of the tour), but never went through it, and I don't believe it was even mentioned. We did drive by miles of sheep farms and that was different and nice. For the money, I thought this tour was not worth it...and a waste of time. There were nice background sceneries, but you get these beautiful sceneries anywhere your head turns in Queenstown, and it's free. Also, definitely take the gondola up to the peak for wonderful views and there's no rush to go down. Try the luge ride, great for adults as well as kids. Nice little cafe there too. Food prices are unexpectedly reasonable as I always expect to get "robbed" when I'm at these type of tourist places. As for food, I always like a good mix of higher end restaurants and affordable restaurants. One of my favorite "affordables" is the Express Diner. I believe it's on Shotover Street. Great wait staff, fair prices, and pretty good food. I went during low season and most of the restaurants are quite empty, except for the Express Diner. Don't let the name fool you. It's a few notches above the average diner in the United States.
M Blum	20 May 2005
Stayed at Charlotte Jane ,The - Christchurch, New Zealand.
Christchurch is a city to walk around in. The Arts and Craft Center downtown is an excellent place to buy something special. We enjoyed whale watching and the Trans Alpine although the scenery at home (Alaska) I must say is just as beautiful. Nevertheless, we found the railroad trip worthwhile especially since you don't have to drive.
Guest has requested to remain anonymous	08 May 2005
Stayed at Best Western Bentleys Central City Hotel - Dunedin, New Zealand.
I really enjoyed visiting Dunedin. We went to Larnach castle and to Royal Albatross Colony. Both of the excursions were very interesting, and I would highly recommend the tour about the albatross.
P Stock	05 May 2005
Stayed at Lake Tekapo Lodge - Tekapo, New Zealand.
I strongly recommend the Night Sky tour run by staff from the nearby Observatory. On a clear night with good visibility the stargazing from this little town is stunning and you need a professional guide just to find your way around the sky.
P Stock	12 April 2005
Stayed at Stewart Island Lodge - Stewart Island, New Zealand.
Stewart Island is a wonderful place to visit for a few days, but to get the most out of it you need to be fit and a good walker not dismayed by steep hills. Don't miss a trip to Ulva Island to see rare NZ birds. Ruggedy Range Tours do an excellent half-day guided trip starting early in the morning when the birds are active. I saw 14 species including an owl which is supposed to be nocturnal! You can also take a trip in a semi-submersible which lasts an hour, although after twenty minutes you are unlikely to see anything you haven't already had your fill of. To see kiwis in their natural habitat you have to go out on a small boat at night and spend a couple of hours tramping around the bush with torches-great fun if you are lucky enough to spot a kiwi but there is no guarantee of sightings. The South Sea Hotel and the Church Hill Cafe both serve a decent lunch of local seafood. I was very lucky with the weather but I don't think I would have enjoyed myself nearly so much if it had been wet or cold. Take plenty of reading material with you because you won't be able to buy any, except booklets on local and natural history.
T Lynch	10 April 2005
Stayed at Mercure Grand Hotel St Moritz Queenstown - Queenstown, New Zealand.
Hired a car for a couple of days which was brilliant as we went to a few places which would have been difficult to get to otherwise, ie Glenorchy, which has the most amazing walks around it from 1 hour to 3-4 hours. Arrowtown which is an old mining town and extremely interesting and the ski slopes ( no snow ) but very interesting. Took a coach booked through hotel to Milford Sound which was wonderful. Too much to see to think of driving and the coach Great Sights was wonderful with a great driver/commentator. We took a coach with the same company from Christchurch to Queenstown which was well worth it as the scenery was amazing. Of course the drivers know all the good places to stop for the photographers! Best meal was a restaurant called The Captain, brilliant food and service. Queenstown a wonderful experience. Recommend it to everyone.