Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - 5 Days in NZ, What should I do?

Hello Kiwi experts. I will be traveling to AKL next summer (winter in NZ, August) and have five full days to get as much of New Zealand as I can into my system. The problem is, after reading the master New Zealand thread I have too many ideas. So I'll throw it to the experts:

What should I do?

First, I will just have graduated Law School and taken the Bar so money will be tight, but I don't mind splurging if it is a once in a lifetime experience type thing. I can rent a car or fly within the country to travel outside of Auckland. I enjoy clubs and bars, but really prefer outdoor activities and good scenery.

Any help is much appreciated.

AKL is just a city (a nice one, but nothing special), all the good parts of NZ are outside of AKL. To the north it is spring-like weather despite being winter, to the south it is mostly winter sports. So you can either go skiing (in which case Queenstown is the jet set ski capital of the world, for August skiing, but will be expensive), or you can go north but it will be cool for the usual sports (swimming and sailing) -- but cheaper as it is off-season. So really a question on how much cold you want for your August vacation, also storms might be a consideration (NZ seems to be going through a "bad winter" cycle now, with last winter having record snowfalls, blackouts and storm disruptions).

The idea of cold doesn't bother me. In Australia I'll be in Cairns and Brisbane so I'll get my share of warm. So any and all ideas (hot, warm, cold, and very cold) are welcomed.

I'm pleased the idea of cold doesn't bother you, because NZ in August is COLD, WET, often WINDY and quite often RAINING. Other than that, it's a fabulous place. My thoughts...

Night in AKL, clubbing, partying, harbour scene, Sky Tower etc etc Bit too big, and not much diff to Brisbane except worse weather and harder to get around, but is the biggest place so more action, especially during the week.

Night in WLG, bars, clubs, coffee heaven, arty, smaller and more easy to get around than AKL, friendlier people, wineries, good music scene, but can be quiet during the week.

Probably the best option is Fly to Queenstown, it'll probably be even colder than WLG or AKL (about 0-10 degrees Centigrade (about 32-50 F?), but if you get some blue sky (and it's 50/50), it's one of the most scenic and exciting places in the world. Great night life for such a small place, especially in ski season (August) and also Xmas/New Years. Accommodation can get booked out big time in August so plan well ahead. Tons to do, scenery is stunning, lots of outdoor activities, great skiiing, and it's all really compact and easy to get around.

I grew up 2 hours drive south of there, so it was just up the road..... got some good memories...

Hope this helps.

Cheers
TiggerK

I agree if you can get down to Queenstown do! Its a great place with heaps to do and see. I love the place. Plus it has a great night life but boy will it be cold :eek:

Queenstown sounds cool, and my Let's Go guide confirms it has a reputation for nightlife.

I lived in Montreal for awhile so the temps don't bother me. So spend two days in Queensland, three in Auckland?

Thanks!

Queensland is a state in Australia. Queenstown is the town in NZ.

Personally I would spend more time in Queenstown than Auckland. Lots to do and enjoy, plus if you want to try stuff that is weather dependent (eg fly to Milford Sound) then you are more likely to be okay.

In Auckland, go sailing on an Americas Cup racing yacht, they'll let you take the helm and help as much or as little as you want with the work of sailing the boat.

Also cross the harbour to Devonport, I think that the name of the pleasant little community and park on the Island.

Devonport is on the north shore of Waitemata Harbour - not an island although surrounded on 3 sides by water. Do you mean Waiheke Island (also accessible by ferry but out in the Hauraki Gulf)?

I spent a few weeks in NZ when I was working out of Australia. It sounds like you like similar activities to myself, a good party and some outdoor fun (maybe even some adrenaline activities?).

I too would recommend Queenstown but you will need to catch a flight from AKL since you only have 5 days. Queenstown has everything, fun loving people, plenty of excitement in the outdoors, and you MUST bungee jump since that is where it was invented.

If you want to stay on the north island I would drive to Rotorua and stay at a hostel like Hot Rock. The best times I had in NZ were at hostels, I met many cool people, I could afford to stay at a hotel or even use points but I prefer the people I met at hostels in NZ.

Enjoy