New Zealand

angy

New Member
squashy,

i live in NZ. Personally, i find heli rides expensive. for that money, i can stretch my money further. But one man's food is another man's poison. At the end, it is your money.

If you want to see real scene, try take the best driving challenge, drive on Highway 89. Better than any helicopter ride.

Do a google search. There are writeup on it.
 


chummy

Member
Hi Squashy,

I took heli ride in Fox Glacier. I love it. It's a bit short though.. only abt 10 mins the let us down in the glacier. A bit expensive for such a short time.. but since I do not hv much time there.. tts the best option for me.

If u hv anuf time u can opt for walking tour. It takes abt 4 hrs n u hv to reach there in the morning or latest 2pm if I'm not wrong. Walking tour offer u more time at the glacier but u wont go as high as the heli ride. Ur choice..
 

am_blessed

New Member
hi charly,
glad to hear you enjoy NZ. I'm planning to go to NZ in early March. Care to share your itinerary and the acommodation? Also, really appreciate if you can let us know "must place to visit" or "must things to do"

Thanks in advance !
 

vvn

New Member
hi am blessed,

u really should ask the other experts ard here! i got my tripped planned fr them too.

which part of NZ r u going to and how many days u can spare? i went only to the south island for 9 days. it was a self-drive trip so there's more flexibility but also depending on what you like and don't like to see or do. let me know! =)
 

am_blessed

New Member
hi charly,

I will go for 14 days of south island only. Will be taking Magic Bus instead of self-drive.

Can I do a bit survey here. If you were to choose to NOT to miss one of these three places, which one will you choose:

1. Wanaka
I heard lake Wanaka it's very beautiful and there's famous puzzling world there

2. Te Anau
There's Gloworm Cave here...from the website it looks interesting

3. Twizel/Mount Cook
No activities here...but perhaps can see the Mt Cook closer and breeze the mountain's air here.

Wish to hear those of you who have been visiting one of these 3 places...which one is worth visiting? Unfortunately, due to time constraint I can only choose one of them.

My route will be: Christchurch-Kaikoura-Picton-Nelson-Greymouth-Franz Joseph-Queesntown-Dunedin-Twizel-Tekapo-Christchurch (itinerary is fixed by the Magic Bus)

Appreciate any inputs/comments. Thanks =D
 

vvn

New Member
hey am_blessed,

hey my itenary was like 'the other direction' from urs. this is what my itenary and accomodation was like

Day 1: arrive christchurch - drive to lake tekapo - @ Godley resort for NZ90
Day 2: go to mt cook & salmon farm, drive to oamaru to view blue penguins - @ AA Thames Court Motel for NZ90
Day 3: drive to dunedin and did lots of tours and sightseeing - @ mercure resort dunedin for NZ90
Day 4: to Queenstown - @ mercure resort Queenstown for NZ70
Day 5: to Fox Glacier - @ Westheaven for NZ190
Day 6: to Franz Joseph and then hokitika - @ The Shining Star for NZ89
Day 7: passed by Greymouth and Punakaiki and to Kaikoura - @ Te Kaikoura Lodge for NZ80
Day 8: back to Christchurch - @Ibis hotel christchurch for NZ60

if u want my detailed itenary let me know so i can try look for it!

As for the 3 options, I sort of missed all 3! i've only been to Twizel/ Mount Cook. It's about a 2 hour plus drive from Twizel to Lake Tekapo and you'll have to detour for abt 1 hour to Mt Cook. And we didn't even really step foot on mount cook as we weren't too keen on hiking. (we were planning for nature walks near the glacier area anyway) We went to the salmon farm in mt cook and view the peak from far. If you are taking buses, i think u'll be able to see the surrounding lakes of mt cook such as lake pukaiki - they are a brilliant turquiose blue which mustn't be missed! rememember accomodation in mt cook itself is limited if u are planning to stay there.

As for Te Anau - are you going for Milford sound? if yes, may be u can stretch another few hours to see the glow-worm cave? not too sure how long it can take you there.

Puzzle World - we drove passed puzzling world from dunedin to queenstown (or queenstown to glaciers) but didn't go in (it shouldn't take more than 2hrs though)

as for lake wanaka - it stretches all the way to Queenstown so don't worry. go stay at Mecure Queenstown or motels by the lakeside and ask for a lakeview room and u'll be able to enjoy the view of the beautiful lake the whole day.

are you the nature, sight-seeing person or prefer to do activities? if u love breath taking scenery and loves animals etc, u shld spend more time on dunedine. the otago penisular has many nature reserves which i regrettedly couldn't visit all of them coz there was so much to do at the town!
 

am_blessed

New Member
hi charly,

haha...the places you visit are the same as mine.

About the Otago Peninsula, I heard many raves about Peninsula Encounter tours (Elm wildlife tours) where we can see yellow eye penguin, albatross, sea lions, etc. Looks very exciting from the website. http://www.elmwildlifetours.co.nz/tours/01_peninsula_encounters.cfm

Is this the one you refer to? Or do have any suggestion for the tour to Otago Peninsula?
Btw, what kinds of tour do you do in Dunedin? I thought Dunedin is more of historical, educational city..
 

vvn

New Member
am_blessed,

ya, almost everything the same... usually that's what ppl go for south island!

yeah that's where i've been. except that we drove ard on the penisular and hopping fr one place to another. since u dun drive, i think u shld take the tour coz i dun remember if there are buses there. u shld be able to visit most stuff there. I was short for time as we only had 1 day in dunedin. We went for the yellow-eyed penguin reserve and larnach castle there and that was it. the rest of the time was spent in dunedin city where we walked ard the town, visited the train station, Speight's Brewery and Cadbury factory. That town was one of the places that hubby and I enjoyed very much!
 

am_blessed

New Member
hi charly,
thanks for the tips ;)

btw, any of suggestion where to ecxchange SGD to NZ dollars? Realize that the chinatown money changers don't carry NZD. I've checked in Arcade (Raffles) and Fountain (Suntec City) the rate is now 1SGD= 1.128 NZD.
 

stargate2

New Member
I went there during November for a 9D coach tour. It was still cold but not too bad. Places I have visit are :

Christchurch
Lake Tekapo
Dunedin
Cruise on Milford Sound
Queenstown
Arrowtown
Fox Glacier
Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki
TranzAlpine train

There are not many food available in those area except Queenstown. Also in several small town they do not have atm machine.
 

vvn

New Member
hi am_blessed,

yeah the rates are about the same. we actually paid most stuff by credit cards and surprisingly, both Citibank and Amex have better exchange rates than the place i changed money at tampines!

most tourist attractions, motels and dining places accept visa and mastercard so u won't have to worry too much about money.

foodwise - the best is always ask ur motel hosts or just walk ard and see what's nice. I sort of consulted travel guides since we are not too particular abt food (like dun need chinese food everyday) and so every meal was so satisfying!

vincee, i have to agree with you. queenstown is very touristy and busy place with loads of food choices clustered together. one of the cafes there serve the best pancakes i've ever had!
 

am_blessed

New Member
hi vincee and charly,
roughly how much NZD need to spend for a meal (simple decent meal...not the luxurious wow restaurant meal) per person? Will be staying in backpackers throughout my journey...So, most probably will just walk to the nearest cafe (or mall's food court, if there's any)
 

xynn

New Member
hi all, to share my itineary, i'm staying at YHA hostels throughout my trip in Mar 08. I will be there for 11 days. I took the YHA South Island package at NZD 902 per person (twin share), which only includes accomodation and transfers and minimal activities (ie Tranzalpine journey, Milford Sound Cruise).
The rest of the activities, i have to plan and book myself, so far amounting to about NZ$1.8k for 2 persons. Activities include Mt Cook Day Tour, Franz Josef Glacier Full day walk, gondola to Bob's Peak, Shotover jet, heli ride, whitewater rafting, LOTR safari tour, Te Anau glowworm caves, Speight's Brewery Tour, Cadbury Choc factory Tour, Maori concert, hangi, wildlife tour, self drive to Akaroa. Looking forward to the trip!
 

vvn

New Member
hi am_blessed,

oh food is quite cheap there. normal cafes and even restaurants will have a main that's between $10-$20. there's always snack bars and stuff and u can buy sandwiches/ snacks less than $10. i've been to a food court and the food wasn't as cheap as i thought it would be so gave up hope on that. coffee is $3-$5 though

we had 1 food item per person for most meals for 9 days with an average of $50 per day. but trust me, the food is really worth spending on! (the only yucky meal was at KFC because there's no cripsy pieces) let me know if u want food recommendations. yes, i took photos of all my meals and noted the food place's name.

since you are going to kaikoura (u HAVE to do whale watching) you might want to try their local delicacy: Cray Fish - basically it's very similar to lobster, but it's quite pricey though very yummy. u might want to try if u want to, if u don't, no loss too.

xynn,
wow, so u paid only abt SGD4k in total for 2 ppl for 11 days? that's really very good deal. my air ticket alone costs almost 4k!
 

stargate2

New Member
My tour has breakfast and dinner included. For lunch, we usually have stopover on cafe. It's about NZ$10-15 for 2 person. The kinda of food is coffee, fries, sandwich, muffins, etc.

The coffee and ice-cream are good in NZ
 

vvn

New Member
xynn, oh for a while i thought u really had a very good deal! but that amt for 2 pax land tour is good too with all the activities involved.

am_blessed, u only booked the bus and it's not the tour right? anyway i forgot to mention some motels/ hotels have breakfast so it might save u some money n time!
 

xynn

New Member
i'm planning to self-drvie to Arthur's Pass from Christchurch for a day trip. Any comments whether it's worth going?
 

vvn

New Member
not too sure, i heard arthur's pass is nice scenery n the train ride between christchurch and greymouth thru the pass is one of the best alphine train rides in the world. but i haven't been there.

do note that it's a 2.5 drive from christchurch and it can be mentally tiring for the driver as most NZ highways are curvy with lots of bends and going uphill and down slopes.
 

am_blessed

New Member
hi charly & vincee,
thanks for sharing info abt meal cost ^^. I've already planned to eat ice cream quite often over there..hehe..me love ice cream.

charly,
Yes..everything I book separately. Air tix from SQ, bus (from city to city) by Magic Bus, then backpackers (preferrably ensuite) one by one. Lastly, I book the activities/excursions in every city that I will stay overnight. I just book the air tix and the acommodation this week....and everything is settled...phewww! Now, concentrating on booking the activities.

Hi Xynn,
Never heard comments abt Akarora though. Btw, don't forget to set aside 50 NZD for the airport tax in NZ when we want to fly back to sg (I've read somewhere in this forum). But,that's the amt for last yr though...not sure abt current price.

Ask you people, where to buy Manuka Honey? then, what do you all buy back to sg ah? me surely wanna buy manuka honey...what else?
 

vvn

New Member
hey am_blessed,

their ice-cream are superb! if the bus do make a pitch stop along fruit farms n stuff, be sure to buy their homemade fruits ice-cream.

manuka honey can be bought at the airport. don't worry! i went to cadbury and bought boxes of chocolates for ppl that's all

as for the airport tax, it's NZD25. yes, it's silly coz it's not included in the ticket, u have to queue up outside their bank after u've checked in. they accept cards, cash and everything.

do u have multiply or facebook account? i can add u...
 

jas_thm

New Member
hi, anyone going to NZ and doing a free and easy from christchurch ? i have a credit for car rental with www.gorentals.co.nz . $830. am looking to sell this credit for about $780. please let me know if interested.
I also have 2 accor hotel accommdation vouchers to sell .
96862882
jasmine
 

vvn

New Member
hi littlecutefish,

which part of NZ u r planning to go? and r u joing tour or doing free n easy?

you can try this site
http://www.newzealand.com/

and take alook at what interests you, add the items in the travel planner and try to create ur own itinery from there?

my itinery is listed in one of the posts above. let me know if u have more questions. good luck planning!
 

woo83fy

New Member
hi all!

i am still in the midst of planning my honeymoon.

do you think with a budget of S$3000, i can have a decent trip to NZ for 2 including air tix?

Pls advice, if possible the rates for air tix, itinerary and accomodation.
I do not mind staying at budget places as long as it is safe
happy.gif
 

vvn

New Member
hi woo83fy,

S$3000 is for per person or for 2 ppl?

I spent a total of $7800 in total for a 10D/ 8 night trip. that's inclusive of all meals and entry tickets, petrol, groceries etc.
 

d0lphin

New Member
hi all, i am going NZ for honeymoon this sept. I hv no clue on NZ, but will prob visit South Island. Can anyone tell me the must go places in NZ? TIA!
 

stargate2

New Member
Hi Movenpick, I have book AATKings via a local tour JetAbout. They don't allow me to book from then directly. Their website http://www.aatkings.com/nz/

For those who want to go to south island. Usually the places people visit is Fox Glacier, Queentown, Christchurch, Te Anau, etc.
 

chewawa

New Member
i'm planning to go nz end dec to early jan. it is a gd timing to go? i'm more interested in the southern island.

hi xynn, ur itineary includes lots of places of interests. i'm interested. do u have to buy the entrance tic urselves? seld drive most of the way? is it very rush? or anyone has any expreince to share?
 

xynn

New Member
Hi Angieng, the package i took includes all coach transfers.. no self drive.
the pkg only includes coach trfs, accomodation, Milford Sound cruise. for the activities, i have to research and book them online. If you can stay in hostels and shared bathrooms, the YHA package is quite worth it...
 

sunny~gal

New Member
hi all,

after reading the threads, it seems like we can give northern nz a miss and focus on the southern parts?i.e. christchurch to queenstown.
any1 has recommended car rental company to share?do u book the car in sg via website or at the location?
can i know is it rent the car at christchurch and then leave it at queenstown and take flight back to sg? or need to drive back to christchurch?
sorry for multiple questions,and hope kind souls can help me
happy.gif
 

chewawa

New Member
hi Xynn, do u book ur land tour package when u reach nz or u book online? u traveled in a grp? is there a designate time for the coach to fetch from ur place of interest?

i'm looking for more flexible itineary cos i wanna have farmstay or if possible 2nite stay at heritage hotel at queenstown. the surrounding is very beautiful. love the villa. but it's really $$$$. trying to work out my budget to accomodate this stay if i can. take a look if u r interested. http://www.heritagehotels.co.nz/destinations-and-activities/
 

xuer

New Member
hi sunny~gal

i've booked the car rental from ARF Car Rental during my self drive trip in 2005. what i did then was to google the car rental websites in NZ and did a comparison on the rates before deciding on ARF. good to book in advance so you can get the vehicle you like. i got the 8 seater people mover for NZ$79 back then. i picked up the vehicle at christchurch and drop it off at the same place. if i rem correctly, they've arrangement to drop off the car at queenstown. you can email them to check it out.
 

xynn

New Member
hi Angieng, my hubby and i just followed the coach timetables. it's a fixed itineary. but you dont need to travel in a group. i booked it online thru the YHA website. if you want flexibility, can consider the magic bus network, i think that's more flexible. you just follow the bus timetables.
 

d0lphin

New Member
Just booked my HM this sept to NZ!!! Going for 16 days, visiting both North and South Island!
For activities like jetboat,sky dive, rafting etc. Do you book them in sg or in NZ?
 

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