National Park south of Auckland is pretty fab. You can get there by car and train without spending too much time. The Blue Mountains are also wonderful - Katoomba is a good base, about one and a half hours drive from Sydney. Also, if you're a wine lover, the Hunter Valley is amazing -- others will have their own favourites, but Casuarina offered the best food, service and wine list I've seen outside top European restaurants. I stayed in a serviced apartment in Auckland, which worked fine. I'm off to Sydney next week -- have a great trip!

[This message has been edited by COMPTON SID (edited 02-13-2001).]