Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - 10 Must see places in NZ.

What would the experts say are 10 essentials of a NZ and would it incl the following:

Milford Sound
Doubtful sound
franz joseph glacier
mt. cook
rotorua

is rotorua good as the hot springs of yellowstone?

What would the experts say are 10 essentials of a NZ and would it incl the following:

Milford Sound
Doubtful sound
franz joseph glacier
mt. cook
rotorua

is rotorua good as the hot springs of yellowstone?

They're all worth seeing (I haven't seen Doubtful Sound) but Mt Cook would be at the top of my list.

The motel receptionist in Twizel, in response to my question upon checkin at around 3:45 PM ("Should we go to Mt Cook today"?) said "Can you see it? Then go!" in reference to the changeable weather conditions.

Well, we could see it. Mt. Cook was about 45 mins drive away...we drove up there and took a light plane flight from Mt Cook Airport which landed on Tasman Glacier (and happened to have on board an elderly chap who was the first guy to ever land a plane up there, on a bit of a nostalgia trip).

Apparently helicopters do the same thing but according to our pilot they need to keep their engines running, whereas we had complete silence (and breathtaking views).

It was excellent, and not cheap but well worth it. This was in around 2001 (in Autumn)...unsure what, if anything, has changed.

If driving from CHC towards ZQN (or vice-versa), be sure to stop at Lake Pukaki...Mt Cook is staring you down from the other end.

Haven't been to Yellowstone but Rotorua is interesting, as is Milford Sound.

PS. Whilst Queenstown is unashamedly touristy, I think it's great. A lively place and spectacular scenery.

On the North Island, Bay of Islands is good, as is Coromandel Peninsula (check out Hot Water Beach and Driving Creek Railway).

The good thing about Rotorua is that it's more accessable than Yellowstone & there are far more opportunities to wallow in hot thermal pools.
It smells a lot more sulphurous than Yellowstone but you don't get the great outdoorsy feeling that you get at Yellowstone.
If Rotorua feels too busy, visit Taupo which has hot springs to wallow in as well as other features too numerous to describe.
INHO i prefer it to Rotorua as it feels more open & more relaxing.

how long would i need at rotorua ?

Depends on what you want to see and do. 1 day is the bare minimum. 3 days would be sufficient for most people.

Depends on what you want to see and do. 1 day is the bare minimum. 3 days would be sufficient for most people.

Interesting, the tours I have seen thus far are one day tours and say that there are the geothermal activities and Maori culture, is there anything else I am missing?

Yes, bush, mountains, nice lakes, the various geothermal attractions are spread over a wide area, gondola and luge, etc.

I spent two weeks on the South Island. Here's my ranking:

1. Franz Josef Glacier. It's cold and wet and great. Highly recommend the full-day expedition.

2. Tramping in Abel Tasman. You can go for a few hours or a few days. I regret not going longer and staying in huts for a couple of nights.

3. Queenstown. It's only appropriate that somebody who posts on FlyerTalk actually jumps out of a plane at some point.

4. Stewart Island. Apparently this is a great spot for bird watching but wow, what a calm place. Population of ~400, with almost everybody living in the main city. You can walk for a couple of hours and feel like you have the whole island to yourself. There are also other smaller islands that are reachable via water taxi. Would pitch a tent and sleep on the beach next time.

5. Marlborough. Lots of vineyards. Easy to do before/after Abel Tasman.

Oh, and throw Milford Sound in there too. Again, somewhere I wished I had spent more time. I drove around the entire island during my two weeks and felt like I could have spent two months doing it.

Did not see Rotorua, Bay of Islands, or Milford Sound, all of which come highly recommended. Here's my ranking:

(1) Queenstown. By and far the best place we visited in our entire 3 weeks in Australia and NZ. Also plenty of fun things to do nearby.

(2) Fox/FJ glaciers. You really must do both. Could have spent at least 2 days here.

(3) Waiheke Island, short ferry ride from Auckland.

Would spend as little time as possible in Auckland. Nice city, but just not exciting from a tourist perspective.

We were a little bummed at missing Milford Sound, but we've heard from several people that it is very hit or miss, as heavy fog can obscure the scenery...also sorry to have missed the beach scene at Bay of Islands.

I would also add:

Bay of Islands and a Cape Regina Tour
Kaikoura for the Whale Watch cruise
Dunedin for Cadbury Chocolate tour, and Penguin and Albatross tours
Picton area for wineries
Punakaiki to see the Pancake Rocks
Moeraki Boulders
Waitomo Caves
Queenstown for Shotover Jetboat, Bob's Peak, TSS Earnslaw Steamship
Arrowtown to walk among the shops
Glenarchy for jetboat

I would add Lake Matheson. Looking across the lake towards Mount Cook and Mount Tasman is one of the most fantastic experiences of my life. There must have been about fifty people there while I was, and I have never been among so many people making so little sound: everyone was, I think, literally speechless with awe.

In fact I'd rank it as one of my ten must-see places in the world, never mind New Zealand.

:)

I would add Lake Matheson. Looking across the lake towards Mount Cook and Mount Tasman is one of the most fantastic experiences of my life. There must have been about fifty people there while I was, and I have never been among so many people making so little sound: everyone was, I think, literally speechless with awe.

In fact I'd rank it as one of my ten must-see places in the world, never mind New Zealand.

:)

Had an extra couple hours in my schedule and slipped in a hike around lake matheson ... not really expecting anything. It ended up being one of the highlights of a good trip.

If driving from CHC towards ZQN (or vice-versa), be sure to stop at Lake Pukaki...Mt Cook is staring you down from the other end.

My friends and I found Lake Pukaki quite by accident while going from CHC to ZQN. Breathtaking.....

Am I the only one who thinks Fox glacier is better than Franz Josef?

Am I the only one who thinks Fox glacier is better than Franz Josef?

I am not sure which is better, but I loved Fox Glacier. Totally awsome.

Portions of the post that previously appeared in this space have been deleted. I would provide you with a reason why, but doing so would likely be against the TOS.

Am I the only one who thinks Fox glacier is better than Franz Josef?

I think so too.. liked Fox much better

I must be one of the few people who absolutely and totally dislike Queenstown. Completely overrated, overpriced, and overdone.

In any event, I particularly liked Oamaru.

I would not go as far to call Queenstown overpriced or overrated, but I did
enjoy Omaru.

I also love Wanaka... don't know why, but if I could I'd like to
have a place close by... but its overpriced IMO.


Lake Tekapo is also one of my favorite place. The best part is the view
of the lake from the church. I always make it a point to stop by there
when I visit NZ. (There is small church, with a wide back window that
overlooks the lake)

And agree with the rest of the you.. the view of Mt. Cook and
Mt. Tasman over the Tasman glacier is amazing.

Am I the only one who thinks Fox glacier is better than Franz Josef?

'nuther vote for Fox Glacier.... the hike in was as spectacular as the glacier.

Well, we could see it. Mt. Cook was about 45 mins drive away...we drove up there and took a light plane flight from Mt Cook Airport which landed on Tasman Glacier (and happened to have on board an elderly chap who was the first guy to ever land a plane up there, on a bit of a nostalgia trip).

Apparently helicopters do the same thing but according to our pilot they need to keep their engines running, whereas we had complete silence (and breathtaking views).

).

how much was the damage?

how much was the damage?

Not cheap (we are talking hundreds, not tens), but worth it for us. I cannot recall the exact price we paid (this was in 2001, IIRC), but I think we paid for the 55 minute flight, which turned into about a 70 minute flight.

There are a number of options, all detailed at their website here (http://www.mtcookskiplanes.com/index.htm).

I cannot recall whether the time was 'in-air' or included the stop on the glacier, the website may tell you this.

Worth doing IMHO, but as always YMMV.

Am I the only one who thinks Fox glacier is better than Franz Josef?
For hiking around the base of and up to the face of Fox is better. I don't know what options there are for hiking ON Fox, and being on the glacier (http://www.wanderingaramean.com/2007/12/we-climbed-glacier-today.html) is infinitely better than being near the glacier, so if you can't hike ON Fox then I'd say FJ is better.

I must be one of the few people who absolutely and totally dislike Queenstown. Completely overrated, overpriced, and overdone.

In any event, I particularly liked Oamaru.

We had breakfast in Queenstown on arrival the morning we flew in and that was it. We didn't spend any substantial time there (other than the couple hours waiting to get our rental car repaired :eek:). I had no desire to partake in any of the "extreme" activities and Wanaka was a much more reasonable alternative for a town on a lake in that area. I'd skip it again next time I'm there if given the option.

For hiking around the base of and up to the face of Fox is better. I don't know what options there are for hiking ON Fox, and being on the glacier (http://www.wanderingaramean.com/2007/12/we-climbed-glacier-today.html) is infinitely better than being near the glacier, so if you can't hike ON Fox then I'd say FJ is better.

http://www.foxguides.co.nz/

Disclaimer: I did not make use of the Fox Guides' services. As sbm12 said, I was just walking up to the base/terminal face, and that's why I found Fox markedly better than FJ. Just sayin' that you can, in fact, go up on Fox too. ^ Hope that helps.

South Island
Surat Bay to watch the shifting sands & keep a safe distance from the massive Hooker Sea lions
Curio Bay for the petrified trees
Doubtful Sound after a heavy rainfall
Fox glacier Heli hike
Lake Matheson to watch the sunrise
Moreki Boulders
Omaru for the arcitecture & 2 penguin colonies
Hamner Springs
Pancake Rocks
Antartic Centre close to Christchurch Airport

North Island
Taupo & the views of the volcanoes
Driving the forgotten highway from Stratford to Taupo
Mount Taranaki
The beaches near Kare Kare
Cathedral cove & Hot Water beach
Te Awamutu museum (if you're a split Enz fan/ Crowded House fan)
The giant Kauri Trees north of Auckland
The merging of the seas off Cape Reinga
Te Papa museum in Wellington
Art deco buildings in Napier