Need some advice from a Kiwi

[electricfox]

My sis and I are travelling to New Zealand next month for 10 days, and want to make the most of our time. I thought some NZ'ers here might offer up some advice to a NZ-newbie traveller:

6-15 to 6-26, flying into Auckland and out of Christchurch

Thinking of renting a car and staying at host/els.

1) What type of attire should we bring? I'm assuming it's pretty cold all over? Like snow cold or frost cold?
2) Are there any cool events that we should check out whilest there?
3) Any nice places you can recommend to visit, maybe a little off the tourist map?
4) Good hikes or scenery you can recommend?
5) We're probably going to stay mostly in the north island due to the weather, unless of course something is down there we should see? ;-)
6) Know where we could get good deals on accomodation and car rents?

Thanks Kiwi's!

[Silverbug]

Ah we'll let me be the first to welcome you here

I'll go through your questions and answer them one by one. Im going to do this from an Auckland point of view cause thats what i know. Im sure brangwyn will be able to help as you get further down the island.

1. Attire.
Well we are just comming into winter at the moment so you probably want to bring warmish clothing. In auckland the temperature ranges between 15-20 degrees. and the further south you go the colder it will get. but thats not to say we dont get days that are hotter. You'll probably get some snow in the middle of the north island if its been really cold, and there is some good skiing there if thats your thing. (http://www.mtruapehu.com/) i think Christchurch has been getting snow lately too.

2. Cool Events.
Nothing springs to mind off the top of my head. Maybe Brangwyn can think of something. i would say check the local cities event websites. http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/default.asp.
If you like rugby, the lions(England) are on tour, but i cant remember the tour dates, it may have allready passed by the time you get here. And then you would have to source tickets from somewhere which wont be easy

3. Nice places to visit, walks and hikes and scenery.
There are heaps, where do I start
In Auckland, have a look up the sky tower, tallest building the the southen hemisphere. It also gives you a good idea of whats around, cause you can pretty much see the whole of the city. www.skytower.co.nz.
There are a few islands you can take ferrys to, and explore the lava tunnels (rangitoto island) http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/001~O...ic-Reserve.asp
The Waitakere ranges are a great place to walk through the bush. there are lots and lots of tracks, which range from simple walks to really hard slogs through bush have a look at the arataki center. it has nice views and explains alot about the area. http://www.arc.govt.nz/arc/auckland-...parks/arataki/
Beaches. there are a tonne of beaches, some of the best surfing beaches on NZ are on the far side of the waitakere ranges. be carefull over there, many tourists get into trouble, not realising just how dangerouse it can be out there, and you would be suprised at the number who dont make it home (thats just my lifeguard speel). On the other side of auckland (east) there are also alot of really nice beaches. Look out for mission bay. nice beach with some really good cafe's along the main road there. You may also want to look at www.kellytarltons.co.nz which just on the way to mission bay. There is good fishing on either side of the habour too.

All of these places are within a 50-100km range in auckland so its all fairly close. If at any stage you get lost in auckland I can give you my contact details and i would be happy to show you around a bit.

Outside of auckland, I recommend going to look at rotorua. Once you get over the sulpher smell its a neet place to see, mud pools and geysers.http://www.rotoruanz.com/home.asp
Taupo has a great bungy jump and the lake next to it, is actually a volcano creater which can be seen from space. http://www.laketauponz.com There is alot more to do in taupo and is a great place to visit. Check out the huka jet (www.hukajet.co.nz), but prepare to get very wet.

If you get time have a look at the Waitomo Caves. Lots of glowworm caves, and black water rafting (thats great fun, i did it a few years ago)http://www.waitomo.co.nz/

Um then theres Mt Ruapahu, great for skiing/snowboarding.

And i'll leave wellington up to Brangwyn to give you all the info on. I've only been there once and only drove through it.

I dont really know much about the south island, apart from the fact it has amazing scenary. you want to check out Queenstown if you have time.

The best guide for accomodation would probably www.jasons.co.nz they list most places in NZ. what sort of accomodation were you looking for? there are a few car rental places i'll have to look them up and get back to you on that though.

Well if i think of anything else I'll let you know.

[Brangwyn]

Definitely pack your winter woolies like Paul says, coming into winter and the temps are dropping.

I'm in Wellington, pretty much the opposite end of the North Island from Paul http://www.wellingtonnz.com/

Wellington as well as being our Capital city likes to think of itself as the Art's capital of the country too, there's plenty of cultural things to do here in "Windy Wellington" if your feeling that way inclined too Theatre, Dance, Opera etc etc.

Te Papa, the national museum of NZ is worth a visit, probably a half day its right in town on the waterfront http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Tepapa/ While your there take a walk around the waterfront as well and perhaps even a bus/drive/walk up to Mount Victoria to get a great panoramic view of the city http://www.wellingtonnz.com/AboutWel...icPanorama.htm

There are also a number of other art museums in the Civic Centre in town.

The botanic gardens are popular, you can take a cable car from the city up into the gardens http://www.wellington.govt.nz/servic...icgardens.html

Also the wildlife sanctuary is not far out of town http://www.sanctuary.org.nz/

It's not really the season, but if you head over to Hawkes Bay (East Coast North Island) on your way down it's great wine country with loads of wineries to visit from large commercial ones to smaller boutique ones, many have fabulous restaurants as well.

Wellington being where Peter Jackson’s Weta Studios is has a few Lord of the Rings tours still operating as well where you can catch some of the local areas where filming occurred. Filming really took place right across the country though too.

I’m sure I’ll think of more later, but that’s a few links for you to look at for starters.

[electricfox]

Thanks so much guys. There's some great info in there; it'll take awhile to sort thru it. Though glowworms are a must.

Can you tell me a little about the cell phone network there? It would cost $3/min on my US-based cell, but I'd heard something about top-up cards available in NZ. Do you know how much it costs in general? We'd probably just use it to call hostels on our way, but maybe a call or two back home would be nice.

[Silverbug]

Yeah there are two main networks here. you can pick up a cheap cellphone for about NZ$150 new, or second hand ones for less. You can get the top-up cards or what ever they are called. My partner uses them to call her parents (who are working in New Orleans atm) I think the cheapest one is about NZ$5 and lasts for about 10-20 mins. I'll find out tonight and let you know. i know on my cellphone plan its cheaper to ring the states than it is to ring the other network. (nz$0.50 per min)

[Light Speed]

In Rotorua if you take the gondola up the mountain the Luge is really fun. They are narrow concrete troughs/paths that you get to ride in while sitting in a little low cart on wheels. It's a blast!!

Also near Rotorua is the Zorb

The Geothermal site in the region are fascinating and if you are interested in learning about the Maori you can go to a Hangi. It's kind of like a hawaiian luau.

The glow worms are really cool. They are like little stars and the cave is filled with water and you get in a boat and are slowly pulled through by the guide. It can be romantic with the right person

In Auckland I would second going to the museum and the Sky Tower.
There is a big museum in Wellington too.

If you want to relax you can venture up to the Bay Of Islands where it might be a little warmer and the views are spectacular. Might be able to swim with dolphins.

Close to Bay of Islands is a little natural Hot Springs run by a Maori family. there are maybe 30 different springs you can go in and each is different in temperature and the minerals in the water. When they call them springs they are really just opening in a concrete pad where they made a mini wading pool where the spring bubbles out of the ground. It's not pretty but it is really relaxing

Wellington in the south is more urban and has clubs and bars.
Rotorua is very rural.
Auckland is a major city but is more relaxed than Wellington.
Anything north of that will be very laid back.

There are lots of good restaurants in NZ and what would be a pricey meal in the US or EU will be quite reasonable there.

Renting a car is the way to go and don't forget to stay to the left

[dpyers]

If you have a US GSM phone, make sure it is unlocked by your cell phone company before you go or else foreign gsm cards won't work.

BTW the only info a real kiwi might give you is how deep to poke your nose in a particular patch of ground to find a worm.

[ramjet]

if you want to visit waiheke island (half hour from auckland) email me ramjet AT ihug.co.nz ... i can put you guys up any night mon to thurs... in fact you'll have the house mostly to yourself as i'm babysitting another... just let me know.
cheers, murray
ps prob get you cheap hire car on the island too.