Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - NZ Itinerary Help Wanted

I'm likely going to liquidate my USAirways account to get 2 F from WAS-AKL in Nov. It's our first trip to NZ and I'm looking for some guidance. A few ideas (feedback appreciated). Out trip will likley be 11 nights in NZ.

-My wife and I love Sydney and we've heard that Auckland is similarly wonderful. Any suggestions on length of stay would be appreciated.

-I would love to spend at least one full day (and ideally two) touring vineyards. Napier has been suggested and there appear to be a few great lodges around there. Anyone know how easy/expensive private or small, upscale vinyard tours are? I'm not interested in big bus tours but wouldn't mind a very small group (6-10) or private.

-We're not super-outdoorsy but would love to spend some time doing outdoor things. In other words, don't need "extreme challenges" but would love to take advantage of the natural beauty.

Hotel suggestions welcome as well - ideally a combo of a few super-nice, with a few moderately priced places.

If you have time, visit the Coromandel Peninsula (where 'The Piano' was filmed) - Puka Park Hotel is nice; visit the Bay of Islands - Okiato Lodge is wonderful; on Lake Taupo, the Huka Lodge is totally unforgettable; you would really like Hotel du Vin, in Pokeno outside of Auckland - it's surrounded by the de Redcliff Wines Estate with very good restaurants & used to have a cooking school, but I don't know if they do anymore.

An absolute don't-miss is Queenstown & Milford Sound - even if you're not outdoorsy, adventurous types, it's still so beautiful - spectacular scenery. waterfalls, mountains... It's been years since I've been there - we stayed at the Parkroyal right on the lake in town, nice but not a great hotel, but good location. There's lots of new hotels in the area that are supposed to be fabulous.

All of the above (with the exception of the Parkroyal) are pretty expensive in comparision to other NZ hotels, but I feel worth it & a good value compared to deluxe in Europe! Most include meals & some include wine/drinks. Everything else will be fairly inexpensive to help try & make up for the lodging costs! Have a great trip - hope you enjoy this beautiful country - the New Zealanders are some of the nicest people in the world... reminds me I need to add Kiwis to the Travelbuzz thread on nicest people!

11 nights is not enough to see all of NZ. Probably best to pick one or two areas and do those; saving the rest for another visit down under. I wouldnt spend more than a day or 2 in Auckland (including day arrive/depart) - with your time so limited there are plenty of other places with better sights/activities. If you decide to visit South Island then I'd suggest flying into/out of Christchurch. There are now direct flights to LAX with Air NZ, and plenty of trans-tasman flights on QF, NZ, EK and discount airlines Pacific Blue (Virgin Blue) and Freedom Air (Air NZ subsidiary) if going via Australia.

Dont know how much research you have already done, but here is link to official NZ tourism website (www.newzealand.com) which has some useful ideas and info.

Once you have an area picked out, accommodation and travel can be sorted through various other websites. Eg automobile association (www.aa.co.nz).

November is an okay time to visit as it nicely misses all school and public holidays, and is outside peak season (Dec through Feb). So less hassles with traffic, hordes of tourists, full accommodation etc. If you want to look into other dates then the NZ forum has Key Dates thread which includes school and public holidays (amongst other dates).

However, the weather in November is likely to be unsettled still with a mixture of warm and cool. Expect several wet or showery days.

All wine areas have plenty of day tours of wineries. If staying in Wellington you can get tours to Martinborough (hour or 2 drive away) and also Marlborough (top of South Island so includes ferry ride). Full day tours include lunch at one of the wineries, half day tours may or may not include a meal. In many cases you can also arrange for personal tours (more expensive) through the main taxi company of the area. However, being off peak season even the regular tours may be quite small group (10 or so).

For hotels, NZ doesnt have many chain hotels and the few there are are in main tourist/business areas only. Accommodation ranges from very exclusive lodges to backpacker hostels. Most places will have at least a low-mid range hotel. If you have HHonors points you may wish to consider using them for a stay at Auckland Hilton which is located over the water in central city. (Reason for using points is this hotel is very expensive by NZ standards.) If you stay in more remote areas (eg South Island west coast) then choices may be limited, but main tourist areas and main cities have plenty of choice for accommodation.

The AA website includes ability to select area, type and price range. Can then book directly with hotel, or with TA, www.wotif.com or similar.

If you want to ask about any particular hotel or activity, just ask here. Many locals and surprising number of visiters to NZ check this forum and can help with specifics.

-My wife and I love Sydney and we've heard that Auckland is similarly wonderful. Any suggestions on length of stay would be appreciated.
While NZ is wonderful and in general better than Australia or Sydney, Auckland is not really comparable to Sydney. It is 20% of the city that Sydney is and not a good reason to go to NZ. The best parts are outside of cities. AKL is tolerable and OK for a day or 2, but not more unless you are using it as a base and doing activities outside of AKL. Outside of NZ there is an amazing diversity (both geological and climatic). Thames is an easy 3 hour drive and worth seeing no matter where else you go. It takes 3 weeks to see half of NZ making it hard to budget too much time to spend there.

I visited Napier only 3 months ago and can say that it was well worth the time. I have an interest in Art Deco architecture so I found Napier fascinating. Do try one of the walking tours around Napier.

There are several companies that do wine tours, some of them with small groups. I did an afternoon tour with one company. There were only about 7 people on it. We started with lunch, but before we sat down to eat the guide asked us what we wanted to see (i.e. small winery, large winery, sparkling wine, etc) and he then arranged the afternoon to suit our tastes. We visited about 5 wineries in the afternoon. See www.vickyswinetours.co.nz and also check out www.hawkesbaynz.com.

Glenn

Your advice is unbelieveably appreciated - thanks guys, really wonderful.

If you are spending time in Auckland, I would recommend a side trip to Waiheke for the vineyards... we had a great time, and its just a 35 minute ferry trip from the harbour.

Te Whau & Mudbrick were highlights for us...

For more information you can try www.gotowaiheke.co.nz or the "official tourism site" at www.tourismwaiheke.co.nz

We did 5 days in Auckland and then 9 days touring the North Island. The timing proved a bit short. Missed the Bay of Islands. Picked them up on a cruise several years later. Would suggest 18 days. That is no treking but some zoos and museums taking up time. Motels are plentiful and reasonably price in most places. Wellington is not one of them, but the museum there is a must see.

We will be doing 21 day on the South Island starting this month. Check for a trip report later in March.

Make your flight reservations early to insure those first class tickets!!!

Tip for Wellington. Hotels are cheap in weekends and also in summer peak season. This is because much of their clientele is related to government or big business.

An absolute don't-miss is Queenstown & Milford Sound -

I second that. But Christ Church needs a look too.The Catholic cathedral there is a gem - remodeled after Vatican II with some intelligence. No/few statues or pictures, just the Georgian architecture and it speaks volumes. If you enjoy architecture, there are lots of early 19th century buildings downtown. Walkable city and fun to simply explore. Several good antique stores near the downtown. Lively art scene there as well. There is an old university that has been made over into galleries and shops. A lot of it touristy but some unique NZ artists as well. We brought some paintings home with us. The park and arboretum are great. You must dress reasonably to go in to the Casino - no shorts. They wouldn't let one of the women in because she was wearing jeans. Seemed to be a lively scene for young people with packed clubs and restaurants.

We took a bus tour from Christ Church down to Milford Sound (I think it was about 4 hours), then boarded a boat for an overnight cruise on the sound, and flew out the next morning. The scenery at Milford is outstanding. Warning: it isn't a rare occurance for one of the flights out of the Sound to not make it. They are small 4-6 person planes with one passenger sitting up front. I would do it again in a heartbeat but you never know...

Queenstown is the center of sportsdom. We went up in the parasail pulled by a boat. Did a couple of runs down the mountainside in individual "luge-like/toboggan" thingies. Passed on the glider/two-person kites that start off the side of the mountain and float in to town. Did the bungee jump at the spot it originated (you MUST do that. They have a pic of an 80 year old woman doing it. If she can do it you can too!). Did jet boats on the river. In the wintertime they will helicopter you up to the top of the mountain so you can ski down. If you can think of some nutty risky thing to do - Queensland has it <grin>. Outside of town there are several upscale resorts with golf courses if you are in to that. It has a few art shops but they are the usual touristy fishermans wharf type of places. Lots of tshirt shops etc. Am sure you get the picture. It is a place where you go to play, drink, ski, drink, swim, drink, dance, have a good time. Did I mention carousing in the cafes?Not where you go for art/music/architecture/etc. Full of young NZ'rs - college age.

A few quick hits on this topic as I have traveled NZ extensively...

- Christchurch is really not that interesting. There is very little to do there. Although it's fairly quaint.
- Only go to Naiper if you want to see the architecture. There is an aquarium there but other than that it's not very exciting either.

Not sure how adventurous you are but the three NZ must-sees IMHO are:
- Swim with the dolphins in Kaikoura (http://www.dolphin.co.nz/)
- Climb the Franz Josef glacier (or Fox)
- Visit Fiordland (Te Anau in particular). Milford is the well-worn tourist track, but the Doubtful Sound tour out of Te Anau includes a spectacular ride over Lake Manapouri and a trip to the power station, which is fascinating. If you are in Te Anau and feel so inclined, take a day walk out to the Shallow Bay Hut on the Kepler Track. It's out of this world beautiful. (The scenary, not the hut :) )

Queenstown (airport code, mysteriously, ZQN) is a fun town and is reminiscent of a smaller Vail. Bungy jumping is a blast and highly recommended. The Shotover Jet is also fun but is less scary since the accident where a few Japanese tourists were killed.

And the biggest recommendation I can give you is to stay in a hostel. If you are American, and a flyertalk-type person who values good quality hotels and such, you may find the idea repulsive at first. But, the people you will meet will provide valuable insight and provide feedback on things to do. You will meet fascinating people from around the world.

Enjoy New Zealand. It will be the best holiday of your life, fairly guaranteed.

- Only go to Naiper if you want to see the architecture. There is an aquarium there but other than that it's not very exciting either.

If you, the OP, like wine, I'll highly recommend Napier. There're plenty of vineyards to keep you occupied and entertained around Napier and Hawke's Bay (the region Napier is in). My friends and I went on a 3-day vineyard holiday, just good food and good wine. Magic!