OK, I need some last minute advice as I still haven't finalized my plans and I leave for NZ in less than 20 hours... I arrive in Auckland this Friday early in the morning and then fly to Queenstown on Monday. In the meantime, I have this super-ambitious plan for the North Island:
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Friday:
Arrive at Auckland at 5:15. Clear immigration, rent a car (airport or city?), drive to Waitomo, catch a black-water rafting tour (
http://www.waitomo.com/cave-tubing.aspx). There are tours at 12, 1:30 and 3, I'm sure I can make one of them. Cost is NZ$100 if I book online. After the tour rest somewhere in the Waitomo area - I plan to stay in hostels.
Saturday:
This worries me the most. I really want to do the Tongariro crossing, but they say it depends on the weather. I looked at this group:
http://www.thetongarirocrossing.co.nz/tongariro.htm
In general, do I have to wait until the day of the tour to confirm it or do they let you know in advance? If it doesn't work I guess I'll head to Taupo - I plan to sleep there anyway.
Sunday:
Split time between Taupo and Rotorua. Not sure what exactly to do or where to sleep.
Monday:
Drive back to Auckland and flight to ZQN. Departure is at 12:45 so I'll have to leave very early in the morning in order to do the 3-4hr drive, return the car and check-in.
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I know this is a very hectic program and I wish I had more time, but given my constraints I'll try to pull this off. I'm still not sure about the order of the visits. Maybe I should start with Rotorua and work my way to Waitomo so that I have a shorter drive on Monday. I guess I could even sleep in Hamilton Sunday night. Can anyone comment on traffic conditions on these roads? Worst case I'll drive back to Auckland so that I don't have to worry too much in the morning (now that I think about it, I think it's the best option).
Also, do you think it's better to get a pair of hiking boots before I leave US? I'll do more hikes in the South Island, so they could come in handy.
Even though I'm embarrassed by my lack of proper planning, I'm very excited about this trip and somehow I feel that everything is going to work out in the end!