If you do have some specific questions I know there are many of us here whom would be willing to help. I was in New Zealand about eight months ago and had a fantastic time - chartered a bareboat sailboat for a week; hiked the Tongariro Crossing; went to the glowworm caves; went zorbing - all in all a fantastic trip. Fabulous shopping too - we brought back all our Fisher & Paykel appliances for our kitchen remodel at about about a third the cost we would pay in the states. Fell free to email 'em or do post specific questions because there's certainly a wealth of knowledge on this board.