New Zealand

  • Thread starter Thread starter franz
  • Start date Start date
So scary.....

According to the news, it mentioned the West Coast is Tornado's hotspot....also beware of Arthur Pass and springfield area.

It has been spawning thunderstorms, pretty much the length of the West Coast from Karamea down to Fiordland, and there have been several bands (of thunderstorms) moving.
 


Hi kite,
Wah.... your hubby so honest...hehe!

Ya lor, I oso tink that the officer anyhow write a number down after seeing all the amounts that the rest of the gurls got...
 
Hi mint,

hehe cos we thought probably going back to NZ again so better to have a clean record.
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Well, NZ$500 is too much. Sigh no words to describe those officers...maybe they always aim at foreigners like us.
 
hi kite,

yes, it was mailed to my home address. guess they got the address from Hertz but they got my name wrong. think i was caught at Te Anau where I exceeded by 14kph at 64kph. In addition to the ticket, they also sent some brochures to "counsel" me not to speed again..hahaha.
 
Hi Halo,

Same here, got the brochure about dangerous speeding n their NZ speed camera being using. hehe

Well, for us, they got every single detail so rite, including the name and address. bo bian, hv to pay. cos we intend to go back to NZ again.
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Hey u got any NZ pics to share? especially those scenaries ones?
 
Hi,

I'm new to this thread. My hubby and I had booked for our NZ trip departing on mid-April. I wonder how will the weather be during this period.. Anybody got any idea?
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Aiyo...don't speed lah. 100 already quite fast. Don't chiong becoz of your itin. Teddy from Anzcars also warns you.

Police cars are always near the towns (inbound and outbound). Lots of them esp queenstown. There was this BMW that action-action, overtake us high speed....10 min later, we passed it as the driver was at the side being fined by the police.
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The towns are also a fine zone becoz from 100 km/h it suddenly slow down to 50km/h. Slow down immediately even if no cars/deserted. Police car hiding behind building.

In general if u exceed by <10 km/h....usu they let u off (happened to us)..plead ignorance and say u just arrived yesterday night (near CHC/AKL then can make this excuse).
 
Hi kite,

I'll be going on a package tour coz my hubby and I got no time to plan for our self drive as it's kind of last minute that we decided to go during mid April so as to suit his work schedule.

Hi linksys,
I'm wondering will it be cold during this period. Coz I only intend to bring a denim jacket and athletic sweater. Will it be sufficient?
 
Hi XYZ,

I wish we could be caught on the spot (can plead) rather than sending a fine to my home. hehe

Hi JovialBliss,

oic. its better to standby a winter wear since the season which u are going is Autumn...changing to winter....Well, even i went during summer, it was so freezing in some places especially milford sound..n the further u go down south.......

so i guess u will be covering only south island? as its more scenic
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How many days is ur tour?
 
Thanks for the info, kite! Else I may be freezing there if the weather is really cold..
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I'll be covering both north &amp; south island which is a 13 day tour starting from Auckland and ending at CHC.

What do u do during the nite time? I understand that the shops close very early there..
 
Hi JovialBliss,

13 days is too short for both islands. I was there for 13days too but only for south island n didnt cover the whole of it though we self drove......

Would suggest u to go only for the south island only...
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If u are going to Christchurch, there are only some shops (mostly sovernirs shops) will open late.

But if you are at Queenstown, the shops mostly closed until very very late. i remembered i was shopping at one of the shops n i went back after 1030pm and the town is stil very lively n happening. do spend more time at queenstown. lots of activities there. i believe your tour will allow free and easy when u reached queenstown.
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so what is ur itinerary like? perhaps i can give abit comments on the places.
 
Hi gals

i was thinking of going NZ in Jun for my honeymoon. but realised that it is winter time.
Anyone been to NZ during winter period?
Pls share your experience. Thanks
 
Hi kite,

Wow... 13 days for only south island? That's pretty long. I heard from my colleague that 19 days should be sufficient to cover both islands.

Too bad I'm going on package tour...
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Hmm.. Maybe will consider going back again but on self drive trip...

Wow... I thought all the shops will close early.. In this case, then I can have time to do a little shopping at Queenstown.
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The tour has given us a day leisure at Queenstown but I'm afraid that there's insufficient time for us to cover the activities coz my hubby wanna go to visit the LOTR shooting sights.. That's already a half day program... What activities did u tried at Queenstown? I was thinking of trying the bungy jump..
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Here's my intinerary.. Maybe u can advise on the interesting places..
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Day 2 Auckland
Day 3 Auckland - Cambridge (for farmstay)
Day 4 Cambridge - Rotorua
Day 5 Rotorua - Te Puke - Rotorua
Day 6 Rotorua - Napier
Day 7 Napier - Wellington
Day 8 Wellington - Christchurch
Day 9 Christchurch - Mt cook - Queenstown
Day 10 Queenstown
Day 11 Queenstown - Arrowtown - Fox Glacier
Day 12 Fox Glacier - Hokitika - Christchurch

Hi Zan,
I heard from my friend that NZ is very cold during winter... They intend to play some activities but the weather is so cold that they decided not to..
 
Jovial,

I am quite certain that your tour guide will persuade your group to go to Milford Sound as an optional day tour.

I haven't been to NZ, but Milford is one of NZ's touristy icons. If you do go, then your shopping time is all the more limited.
 
Hi Zan,

Winter will be very cold and sking activities is available during this season.

Hi Jovial,

Actually 13 days for South island is really very short, not enough
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Well, from your itinerary, your route looks pretty organised but u wont be covering some of the places in south island...

Since u have 1 day F&amp;E at queenstown, u can do activities there like water rafting, shotover jet, bungy jump n etc.
When we were there, we actually booked a Hi-Fi COMBO in queenstown costs NZ$195 which is indeed very worth it. The Combo consists of helicopter ride, luge, movie, shotover jet and gondola ride. But due to bad weather at Queenstown, our Combo was cancelled, so disappointed. But in the end, we did the gondola ride n shotover jet separately.
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If u want to go LOTR locations, you can go to Deer Park Height but it is only accessible by car. Per car entry is NZ$20. I dun think its accessible by walking. maybe u can check w ur tour whether they can arrange....
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At Fox Glacier, u can do a 1/2 day guided walk to the glacier. i think its NZ$54 per person.

At Hokitika, u can buy Jade n beef bone. Its a very quiet, peaceful n nice town. Highly recommended on 1 Indian res. called Priya or watever. thumb up for the curry.
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Milford sound is very beautiful surrounded by lots of waterfalls but it was raining when we were there. If u were to take coach from Queenstown, i think it wil costs NZ$100+...we paid only NZ$48 for milford sound cruise cos we drove there directly.

Anyway, if u are interesting in viewing my NZ pix taken in Jan 05, u can give me your email
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Hi G,

U departing next week rite? excited? self drive? how many days? Yourslynn leaving this week leh...
 
Hi Kite,

Of course excited lah! Counting down already!! Self-drive, 16 days. Covering similar itinerary as Yourslynn. The only thing is the NZ dollar doesn't seem to be weakening...its rising!!
 
Hi G,

Wow u made me want to fly to NZ again. hehe! Well, do enjoy ur trip and remember to snap more pix and share w me
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So i guess your itinerary n preparation all ready... remember to slow down when reaching town...cos difficult to reduce 100km/h to 50km/h right away...haha...
 
well...to put things in perspective, 1 speeding ticket will cancel out all your forex issues and credit card conversions......so just concentrate on keeping within speed limits - know what u can and cannot control.
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Pls also note the difference in give way to right turn for NZ. I knew it can still got it wrong twice. Car rental/teddy will brief you on it.
 
Hi kite and jovial

which means i will miss out lotsa fun @ Queenstown during winter season?

think i will check out @ the NATAS fair before i decide on my trip
 
hi zan,

not say that u will miss out activites at queenstown. u can go sking too whereby i cant do it in summer hehe
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But it wil be very very cold and i think some roads will be closed. N if u are going to do a self drive, u need to chain up your tyre to prevent skidding on the snow.

But if u are joining tour group, u can leave e driving n everything to the tour guide, no worries at all. just go there n enjoy the snow in winter
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Hi Jovial,
Lots of stuff to do at queenstown. If you are thinking of bungy jump, I would suggest the canyon swing instead. It combines a bungy jump with a swing and the best part is you get to jump anyway you want. You can also request for them to throw you off the cliff if you chicken out before the jump. haha!
 
Hi i spent my uni life there, it's a very very nice country. you should target the south, far from city.. I was in Dunedin dunno if u've heard of, it's below Christchurch.. the southern part of south island.. rent a car and go round on ur own is a good idea. the scenery is amazing.. and u should try their outdoor activity like river rafting.. water skiing.. erm.. I've no comment on bungy jumping coz insurance doesn't cover. haha..

If you fancy skiing, go in July, bring enough winter clothes. but actually i dun see this as a problem coz u'll eventually turn very warm as you move around and started stripping after a while.. unless is a really moody day. What you must not forget is your sunglasses and ladies, your sunblock!
 
Hi G,
I find that the money changers buy NZD from one another cos they usually do not have enough or do not have at all (esp. now when the USD/NZD and USD/SGD is quite hectic and most do not buy in the currency). Beware that some will quote you slightly lower when you ask and when you thought that's the best deal you can get and want the money, but they don't have enough, they will start calling up their dealers and fellow changers, and later tell you sorry, I can get you XXX amount at xxx (a higher)rate. That makes it back to square one.

Hi Jovial,
If you haven't sign up the tour, I suggest that you look for a package that allocate more time on the South Island 'cos that's where the nicer scenery is. Otherwise, if you can spare a few more days, extend on F&amp;E. You can take the intercity coaches / day tours from Christchurch to Kaikoura, Hanmer Springs, Akaroa or a return TranzAlpine train to Arthurs Pass and back to Christchurch.

Ok guys, I'm going off tonight....Bon Vovage G!
 
Hi Yours,

Take good care when driving along the West coast as its prone to strong winds since tornado wrecked at Greymouth. Happy Holiday!!!
 
Hi Yours,

Thanks for the advice!! Bon Voyage and happy holidays to you!! Be safe!! I was just calculating how much NZ$ to change.

Had to adjust the holiday budget upwards, as I started planning for the trip when the NZ$ was hovering at 1.17. Shikes!

Will be taking loads of pics too!
 
Hi kite,
Thanks for all the info &amp; suggestions...
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I can then plan the "extra" events in my itinerary.. 13 days is really not enough to cover majority of the places.... Anyway, just hope that we can enjoy ourselves that and if the place is really very nice, maybe can consider going back there on F&amp;E again other time..

NZ$195 for so many rides?? That's really worth it... Can consider taking this Combo package..
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I remember the tour agency staff telling me that just the helicopter ride is about NZ$200+ which will stop at the mountain for only ten mins! But my itinerary covers a skyline ride at Rotorua.. Is this the same? Where did u get your Gondola ride then?

We've ask the tour agent about the LOTR locations while booking our package, they told us that we can tell the tour guide and he/she will help us to arrange.. This will be a four hrs tour to those places... Is it sufficient just to go to Deer Park Height? I think this should be cheaper than going with the LOTR tour and we can have more time for other activities.. Milford sound tour is also optional but we'll definitely go for it after hearing the beautiful scenery of this place...
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I think I will miss the weekend market at Queenstown coz I will only there on Tues..
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I would love to see your NZ pics... my email is [email protected]. Thank you!

Hi Zan,
Kite is right.. You'll still get to play those activities that will only have it during Winter... Due to the weather, some activities may be cancel or not suitable to play during winter.. So how's your NATAS fair trip? Have u sign up any tour package?

Hi Mint,
Canyon swing seems to be more exciting and thrilling than bungy jump.. Think I will go for this... Did u try it out??

Hi Yours,
I've already booked my tour package... guess it's difficult for me to extend another few more days...
 
Hi JovialBliss,

yup since u have already book your tour, look forward to it. May i know which agency u booked with and how much u paid?

Regarding the Shotover High Five Combo, its at Queenstown, South Island. U may refer to the link here. Costs NZ$195 for 5 activities for 4 hrs. Too bad when i was at Queenstown, it was raining thus cancelled.
http://www.combos.co.nz/shotover.html#highfive

Actually, LOTR movie locations varies in many different locatons and Deer Park Height is just 1 of the sites where they shot this movie. If u can join the tour but it wil be more ex. We went by car n costs NZ$20 per car entry. Join tour costs NZ$49 per adult. U may refer to this link for more info.
http://www.thedeerpark.co.nz/

If u are going to milford sound from Queenstown, it will be a 1 day trip. Cos from Queenstown to Milford by coach, it wil be 3hrs if i m not wrong. usually they will pick u up in the morning n return bk in the evening.

Actually, there are lots of endless activities to do in Queenstown. I wanted to join the Skippers Canyon tour but due to lack of time. No vehicles are allowed in this skipper canyon road as it is so called world dangerous road. hehe. sound interesting. so only experienced guide wil bring u there.

I have sent my NZ honeymoon pics to u. ENJOY!
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Actually, when i was in NZ, we also did a tracking along a few places which takes abt 1 to 2hrs....n the view was fantastic...
 
hi kite

view yr fotos... nice scenery...
u took 11 days for e whole of southern part of NZ... my hubby intend to tour e whole of NZ, how many days will be enough?? 20 days???
 
Hi sun96,

thanks.
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yup total 13 days on south island...however 2 days on plane flying...hehe

Frankly speaking, even 20 days is not enough for both islands. However, u can plan in such a way to tour both island in 20 days. probably 2 weeks at south n 1 week at north.
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Hi Planner,

I have sent you my NZ pix. Check it out.
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Hi XYZ,

Thanks. hehe yup most of the time when we seems to be driving alone on the road so can afford to stand in the middle of the road to snap pix.
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Hi kite,

I've viewed your pics... Wow! The scenery is very beautiful! Lake Tekapo is very nice...
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If Milford Sound is a day tour, then I may not have enough time to play other activities. Do u have any idea the duration of the Milford sound cruise tour? How long did u spend at Milford Sound if u self drive there? If the duration is shorter, I may consider driving there ourselves.. Anyway, maybe will just go to the Deer Park Heights for viewing.. My hubby is interested to get the LOTR ring.. Wonder if they do sell these accessories there...

This skipper canyon road seems really dangerous huh... hehe... Wonder if it's really so..

I've booked my tour with Chan Bros during their travel fair @ $2888. Find out that the price is reasonable and decided to sign up with them.

BTW, do u have a copy of your itinerary during your trip? Could have I a copy of it for reference?
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Hi Jovialbliss,
Read that your hubby wants to get the LOTR ring. We bumped into the original makers of the ring while in Nelson, it's called Jens Hansen. They have the ring for sale, think it's something like NZ$140. But then it's just a very very ordinary ring. The inscriptions on the ring seen in the movie is all CGI.
 


hi jovialbliss

yr NZ pkg w chan bro is how many days?? touring only southern part of NZ?? including airfare, accomdation &amp; food as well??
pai seh for asking so much qns...
 
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