I went to NZ for 2 weeks back in 1999, ended up staying 9 months.
My favourite country in the world (Vietnam a close second!), so much diversity of scenery. I spent most of the time living and working in the South Island, then travelled north towards the end.
It is so long ago there will be people way better than me to advise but kiwivalley seems on the money with their advise to me.
Did 4 weeks touring the North and South Islands in 2008. We chose not to spend anytime in Auckland expect for the night after and before our flights. The Coromandel peninsula is close to Auckland and pretty with some nice beaches. Rotorua was another highlight - a volcanic region with some cool natural features to see, stinks though. 90 mile beach was alright if you like really long beaches. Wellington is the nicer of the two big cities on the North Island. Most of the highlights of our trip were on the South Island. Amazing country though. We seriously considered moving there before we got a great opportunity to emigrate to Canada instead.
Again thanks everyone for your suggestions, might do something like 3 days (2 days recovering from flight and a day looking around) in Auckland then travel out and spend a couple of days wine tasting, a couple or 3 days on the coast and then a day back in Auckland for the pre cruise meal / get together. Will be fun trying to sort it out, am thinking of 3 days in the coromandel peninsula as that had a good few recommendations.
Just thinking about it, Is there any decent football teams or rugby union teams we could go and see in Auckland or surrounding areas that might play in early January. The islands of Auckland Waiheke and a couple more I believe are good for wine tasting would they be a good place to go, being an island I would hope to be able to walk around them, or get taxi’s. Food is also important to us, we do enjoy our luxury and we are making this a holiday of a life time, in which we will be spending a lot of the chancellors tax money she thought she was going to nick from us oh and the kids inheritance 😀😀😀. As my boy said I worked bloody hard all my life go and spend it and enjoy it.
Just thinking about it, Is there any decent football teams or rugby union teams we could go and see in Auckland or surrounding areas that might play in early January. The islands of Auckland Waiheke and a couple more I believe are good for wine tasting would they be a good place to go, being an island I would hope to be able to walk around them, or get taxi’s. Food is also important to us, we do enjoy our luxury and we are making this a holiday of a life time, in which we will be spending a lot of the chancellors tax money she thought she was going to nick from us oh and the kids inheritance 😀😀😀. As my boy said I worked bloody hard all my life go and spend it and enjoy it.
I live in Auckland and I agree with other posters: Don’t spend too much time here. Waiheke is definitely a thing to do (40 mins on the ferry). They have wine tours where you visit them by bus. The beaches on the north shore are nice. Long Bay probably my favourite. You could also visit Piha Beach, but the sea is a lot rougher. Plenty of amazing food options here. If you like Asian food, you’re in for a treat. Thai food here is very good. There’s no rugby in January. However, the A-League will be on and Auckland FC play their games at Mt Smart Stadium.
My advice, certainly if you have as much as 9 days is to get out of Auckland. Go to Rotarua or Lake Taupo, or visit the beaches around Tauranga. You maybe limited to the north of the North island but 9 days is far too long to stay in Auckland doing day trips.
Who recommended staying at the Cordis hotel? Was it a reputable travel agent? Have you already booked 9 days in this hotel?
I worked in travel agencies for 3 years, one specialising in Australia and New Zealand. I can’t imagine any agent recommending 9 days in an Auckland hotel.
Our travel agent, we only paid £100 deposit so can easily be cancelled was initially going to catch train down to Wellington but apparently it closed for maintenance that time of year. Perfectly to get day tours out and about to surrounding areas but wife want to come back to the hotel each night.
Closed for maintenance? I'm pretty sure January's peak season, what with it being the height of summer. The trains don't run every day - IIRC it tends to be down one day and up the next, but you can check the timetable here:
I can't provide accurate detailed info, because when I went it was 20 years ago, but I'd suggest booking a connecting flight to either Wellington or Rotorua for when you land in Auckland. Which you choose depends on your priorities for what you want to see. I did Rotorua because I wanted to see Whakarewarewa Maori Village, Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland and Huka Falls (although I bottled out of doing the jetboat ride), but by the looks of things you could also use it as a base to do a day trip to a couple of the Hawkes Bay vineyards. When you're done you can get a scheduled coach to Auckland, or you could choose to book a direct transfer, which might be easier if you've got a lot of luggage, if somewhat more expensive.
I didn't see much of Wellington, but I get the impression it's a bit more upscale than Rotorua in terms of restaurants and bars etc. Another idea would be to start there, spend a bit of time recovering from the jetlag, and sample the culinary delights of the city. You could have a ride up the cable car for the views, a gentle wander round the Botanical Gardens or a trip to the Observatory to see the differences in the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere (cloud cover permitting). Wellington's also the location of Te Papa National Museum so you could find out what they think is culturally important, and it also has a zoo (although I went to the one in Auckland instead). There's another wine region nearby in the Wairarapa area, and they do "foodie tours" as well as the more wine focussed ones. Then after a few days doing Wellington you can take the scenic train up to Auckland, and use the city as a base while doing trips to nearby places such as the Coromandel Peninsula or Rotorua until you're ready for your cruise to start.
Hopefully one of those options should be a nice middle ground between missing out on lots of good stuff because you've anchored yourself to Auckland, and feeling like you're continually having to pack up and move on to the next place.
Ali thanks, just checked with the New Zealand rail and it’s definitely shut until 15th January which is a pity as I would have liked to have done that, well I wouldn’t be a true charlton fan now would I😀.
Oh that's a shame. Although admittedly it was my least favourite of the 3 trains, possibly because it piddled it down the day I travelled, so a lot of the scenic stuff was hidden behind low cloud Picton to Christchurch was much nicer.
9 days is not enough time to do Auckland , Wellington and whatever inbetween. Especially considering you’ll be dealing with jet lag. Stick with a loop from Auckland to Coromandel and/or Rotorua and or Taupo . Or up North of Auckland. Travel in New Zealand takes longer than you might think . The roads can be very windy and there aren’t high speed trains or even just trains between towns.
If you’re a tennis follower the ASB Classic will be on while you are in Auckland. There will no doubt be a smattering of top 10 players including British hopefuls. This tournament is treated as a warm up for Melbourne. Emma Raducanu did well this year but pulled out late in the tournament to save herself for Melbourne.
Also, if in Taupo, perhaps a spot of trout fishing on the lake? Plenty of boat owners vying for your business. Would by fun.
If you're in Taupo, there's also the Lake Taupo Hole in One Challenge.
If you do head up north of Auckland, Paihia (3 hours drive is well worth a visit and so is Waitangi (where the Treaty of Waitangi - a foundation document signed in 1840 for New Zealand, establishing an agreement between the British Crown and Māori chiefs).
You can also catch the ferry from Paihia to Russell (15 mins) and visit The Duke of Marlborough Hotel (from 1827). Lovely place for a pint or three.
If you're in Taupo, there's also the Lake Taupo Hole in One Challenge.
If you do head up north of Auckland, Paihia (3 hours drive is well worth a visit and so is Waitangi (where the Treaty of Waitangi - a foundation document signed in 1840 for New Zealand, establishing an agreement between the British Crown and Māori chiefs).
You can also catch the ferry from Paihia to Russell (15 mins) and visit The Duke of Marlborough Hotel (from 1827). Lovely place for a pint or three.
Just thinking about it, Is there any decent football teams or rugby union teams we could go and see in Auckland or surrounding areas that might play in early January. The islands of Auckland Waiheke and a couple more I believe are good for wine tasting would they be a good place to go, being an island I would hope to be able to walk around them, or get taxi’s. Food is also important to us, we do enjoy our luxury and we are making this a holiday of a life time, in which we will be spending a lot of the chancellors tax money she thought she was going to nick from us oh and the kids inheritance 😀😀😀. As my boy said I worked bloody hard all my life go and spend it and enjoy it.
We were in Auckland at the end of October for 3 nights which was enough.
I would definetly recommend Waiheke for the wine tasting. The tourist bus meets you as the jetty where the ferry docks and stops outside a number of the wineries. Brilliant.
Me and my son in law went to watch Auckland v Sydney in a A League match, Auckland joined this season, so the season will be on when you are there. Enjoy 😎.
Just thinking about it, Is there any decent football teams or rugby union teams we could go and see in Auckland or surrounding areas that might play in early January. The islands of Auckland Waiheke and a couple more I believe are good for wine tasting would they be a good place to go, being an island I would hope to be able to walk around them, or get taxi’s. Food is also important to us, we do enjoy our luxury and we are making this a holiday of a life time, in which we will be spending a lot of the chancellors tax money she thought she was going to nick from us oh and the kids inheritance 😀😀😀. As my boy said I worked bloody hard all my life go and spend it and enjoy it.
I live in Auckland and I agree with other posters: Don’t spend too much time here. Waiheke is definitely a thing to do (40 mins on the ferry). They have wine tours where you visit them by bus. The beaches on the north shore are nice. Long Bay probably my favourite. You could also visit Piha Beach, but the sea is a lot rougher. Plenty of amazing food options here. If you like Asian food, you’re in for a treat. Thai food here is very good. There’s no rugby in January. However, the A-League will be on and Auckland FC play their games at Mt Smart Stadium.
It's not a lot of time, but after 3 days in Auckland I'd hire a car, as once you leave the city, NZ is a stunning place to drive in, and while the roads are slow and hilly, if you stick to the middle of the North Island, the distances aren't great. There are loads of motels to stay in.
Waitomo has lovely caves with glowworms, Rotorua with its thermal springs is fascinating, Napier has art deco buildings.
Hamilton is dull, so don't stay there.
If you like nature, to the north of Auckland are forests with a few enormous Kauri trees which are well worth a visit.
Just thinking about it, Is there any decent football teams or rugby union teams we could go and see in Auckland or surrounding areas that might play in early January. The islands of Auckland Waiheke and a couple more I believe are good for wine tasting would they be a good place to go, being an island I would hope to be able to walk around them, or get taxi’s. Food is also important to us, we do enjoy our luxury and we are making this a holiday of a life time, in which we will be spending a lot of the chancellors tax money she thought she was going to nick from us oh and the kids inheritance 😀😀😀. As my boy said I worked bloody hard all my life go and spend it and enjoy it.
I live in Auckland and I agree with other posters: Don’t spend too much time here. Waiheke is definitely a thing to do (40 mins on the ferry). They have wine tours where you visit them by bus. The beaches on the north shore are nice. Long Bay probably my favourite. You could also visit Piha Beach, but the sea is a lot rougher. Plenty of amazing food options here. If you like Asian food, you’re in for a treat. Thai food here is very good. There’s no rugby in January. However, the A-League will be on and Auckland FC play their games at Mt Smart Stadium.
Still helping a fellow Charlton supporter out. If he wants to watch football in Auckland, there's the Auckland Plastic FC option. If he does make it to Wellington, there's obviously the real thing.
(It's bloody A-League and all plastic anyway to be honest with you).
If driving is an issue, get out of Auckland for a few days and fly to Napier (I was raised there). Art Deco stuff is not bad and there are some fantastic wineries with restaurants etc. Flights take an hour and at that time of year are around £100 ish. 2 days there and maybe a coach to Rotorua (2.5 hours or so), a day there and then a flight back to Auckland from Rotorua (£95 and 45min). I love Auckland, having been born there and lived there after university, but I’m with the other posters in that 9 days there as a tourist is far too much.
If driving is an issue, get out of Auckland for a few days and fly to Napier (I was raised there). Art Deco stuff is not bad and there are some fantastic wineries with restaurants etc. Flights take an hour and at that time of year are around £100 ish. 2 days there and maybe a coach to Rotorua (2.5 hours or so), a day there and then a flight back to Auckland from Rotorua (£95 and 45min). I love Auckland, having been born there and lived there after university, but I’m with the other posters in that 9 days there as a tourist is far too much.
You don’t need more than 2 days in Auckland unless visiting family. Get a car and tour or go to Wellington or lots of other amazing places out of the city ..
Comments
My favourite country in the world (Vietnam a close second!), so much diversity of scenery. I spent most of the time living and working in the South Island, then travelled north towards the end.
It is so long ago there will be people way better than me to advise but kiwivalley seems on the money with their advise to me.
The beaches on the north shore are nice. Long Bay probably my favourite. You could also visit Piha Beach, but the sea is a lot rougher.
Plenty of amazing food options here. If you like Asian food, you’re in for a treat. Thai food here is very good.
There’s no rugby in January. However, the A-League will be on and Auckland FC play their games at Mt Smart Stadium.
If you’re a tennis follower the ASB Classic will be on while you are in Auckland. There will no doubt be a smattering of top 10 players including British hopefuls. This tournament is treated as a warm up for Melbourne. Emma Raducanu did well this year but pulled out late in the tournament to save herself for Melbourne.
Also, if in Taupo, perhaps a spot of trout fishing on the lake? Plenty of boat owners vying for your business. Would by fun.
I would definetly recommend Waiheke for the wine tasting. The tourist bus meets you as the jetty where the ferry docks and stops outside a number of the wineries. Brilliant.
Me and my son in law went to watch Auckland v Sydney in a A League match, Auckland joined this season, so the season will be on when you are there. Enjoy 😎.
Waitomo has lovely caves with glowworms, Rotorua with its thermal springs is fascinating, Napier has art deco buildings.
Hamilton is dull, so don't stay there.
If you like nature, to the north of Auckland are forests with a few enormous Kauri trees which are well worth a visit.