The trip was amazingly adventurous and so much fun. Shawn and I thought it would be a good idea to give a thumbnail sketch of our opinion on each place we visited and recommendations for those of you who plan to visit New Zealand in the future. Our experiences were awesome and for the most part the weather was beautiful; however it’s always great to have alternatives in case Mother Nature throws you a curve ball.
As Americans we are all limited by time when traveling and unfortunately our vacation holidays can’t be more akin to the European standard about 6 weeks/year. If you have 1 week or less, then spend it all on the South Island. It was a total blessing for our friends to provide this suggestion and I was very thankful.
Queenstown is so awesome and you are able to gain access to many areas and tons of activities. If you plan one day in advance for your activities (maybe 2 days in advance on the weekend), then you can pack everything in you could possibly want to do in one week. Some MUST DOs include:
1) Something adventurous (luge, bungy jump, sky dive, off-road 4-wheeling, jet boating, white water rafting, para-gliding, or river surfing).
2) Take in the scenery by going for a hike (there are several trails ranging from easy 1.5 hour hikes - challenging 6 hour hikes) or go for a jog around Lake Wakatipu’s nice gravel trail (both FREE options).
3) Eat well- New Zealand is known for it’s lamb and venison (and the beef was excellent as well), so visit PRIME (right on the harbor) and indulge. I also recommend to treat yourself to some gelato at Patagonia Chocolates (also on the harbor in Queenstown) – plus they are one of the few places with free wireless internet with the purchase of some gelato!
4) Visit Milford Sound (day trip). The landscape is truly remarkable and photo-worthy. If you don’t mind spending the extra money, then try the bus – fly package where you travel there on a bus and travel home on a plane (weather permitting). **NOTE** Milford Sound is said to be more awesome when it is raining because there are literally hundreds of waterfalls that appear as a result, so if you’re feeling like your options are limited because of the weather… book Milford for that rainy day!
Other ‘can’t miss’ Southern destinations we heard about include: Stewart Island (population ~ 400), Dunedin, and Doubtful Sound.
Christchurch was like any other small city, except it had great Chilli Pesto Bread (thanks Winnie Bagoes!) and good culture with its many cathedrals throughout. My recommendation when setting up accommodation in a city is to make sure to research day trips nearby. We were hit with 2 out of 3 full days of rain in our time in Christchurch, which limited our possibilities. The highlights were definitely the Rugby Super 14 season opening game, Crusaders vs. Brumbies and getting some beach time in Sumner.
Other options we heard were highly regarded when visiting Christchurch was to visit wine country in Marlborough and trying to make it over to the Franz Joseph & Fox Glaciers and Mt. Cook (might require more than a day trip for these).
Auckland is New Zealand’s biggest city and there was more to see than Christchurch, but day trips from Auckland were numerous as well. We chose to take day trips to Piha to learn how to surf (which was awesome) and to the Bay of Islands (3 hours each way). The weather at the Bay of Islands was horrible and we were stranded with nothing to do but eat, drink, and shop. I suggest scoping out the 5 day forecast when you arrive in Auckland and make the trip to the Bay of Islands and stay for a couple of nights, so you can enjoy all of the water activities that are available. If the weather does not cooperate, a good alternative is to go Black Water Rafting in Waitomo or Cayoning in Piha (half and full day trips available).
Some suggestions in Auckland include: visiting the Sky Tower (equipped with a hotel, 2 restaurants, and a casino), enjoying the excellent seafood available at the local restaurants, taking a ferry to and hiking one of the many volcanic islands, and visiting War Memorial Museum. Suggested restaurants include The Occidental and the Harbourside Seafood Bar & Grill.
Another area of interest that other travelers had visited on the North Island was Cape Reinga (the Northern most part of the North Island).
I hope our blog has provided ideas, fun, and a bit of comedy to each of you. I would be happy to provide additional clarity on any questions you might have or additional recommendations.
Thank you for following us,
Scott
