Anyone here ever been to New Zealand?

Sorry but unless it concerns Moslems, Nigel Farage or non whites/foreigners committing crimes you're in the wrong place.

Great place.  I think the South Island is generally accepted to be the more senic, I never made it to the north island..

Try to book in for the Milford Track if you are fit and mobile enough.

Queenstown is great fun but may be targeted at a younger, more active age group.

I haven't been but imagine the Marlborough wine region and Nelson would be worth a trip.

It's nearly 20 years since Ii was there, but not a great train network in the South Island. My impression is that its one of those countries that its handy to have a car to get around, could be wrong.

Cheers for the replies.
Not sure what level of fitness is required for the Milford Track. Am 41 and reasonably fit (play squash a few times a week and did the Sandstone Trail (36 miles over 2 days) a couple of years ago). Main concern for me would be an uneasiness with heights. As long as I am not walking along cliff faces I wll probably be OK. Hopefully the trains will have improved but if not I might have some expensive taxi fares!

Can't you saddle up on yourself and ride around the country

If you like horse racing there is a lovely little track in Auckland, Ellerslie Park. Rotorua is worth a visit, you get used to the smell of sulphur and there is lots of things to do and see. I spent a couple of months based in Auckland after a year in Australia, it was OK but not a place I'd ever care to go to again.

Everyone I have spoken to who has been to both (which only amounts to 3 people) has told me that Auckland is not that exciting and that Wellington is great. Have just googled Rotorua. I like the look of it. Cheers.

If you like train travel the Tranzalpine Route from Christchurch is pretty good. There's not much in Greymouth so you can either do the return journey in the same day, or catch buses to Queenstown or some of the glaciers.

watched Xena and Hercules a lot... does that count.

If you get as far North as Auckland it's worth doing a coach trip to Cape Reinga & along 90 Mile Beach.

I'll let you know sometime in February. I'm going there for the first time in a fortnight :)

Milford track will be no bother to you Barton and you will love Queenstown.  Sorry, I had you alliteratively confused with anther older poster, Burton Brewers.

I was there around 1993 - so I am sure much has changed.  I spent some time hitch-hiking and then tagged along with some other Brits who had hired a car.

I spent most time in South Island.  Even then Auckland just felt like any other small city.

The country and the people were great.  I was about the highlights for me were tandem sky dive, bungee jump, black water rafting, ski-ing for a day with (no proper clothing), jet boat ride, a girl I met in Christchurch,  the art deco town of Napier, the TranzAlpine railway, including stopping at a hostel at Arthur's Pass where it was COLD.  I didn't do any tramping as I think they call hiking, but did do a walk over a glacier which was scary.  I also took in a Lions game while in Christchurch.

Cheers agan folks. Had a look at the Milford Track and if I can book a place at the right time I am definitely going to do it as it looks absolutely fantastic. Tranzalpine railway is probably a goer as well. Enjoy it and don't forget to report back, Fenway.

Hi Barton

Rotorua is a perfect place to take in if you are only in NZ for 10 days. Interesting Maori experiences and the volcanic mud pools, take an outside hot tub.
Also take in Taupo, south of Roturua, the Lake is beautiful.

You need to take in both islands so split it. 5 days north, 5 days south. For me, i preferred the South Island for activities.

On the South Milford Sounds seems perfect for what you want, Queenstown is the place for bungee jumps, jet boats etc. Take in a  dolphin swim in Kaikoura with beautiful panoramic mountain views.

You will love NZ Barton, but i would be tempted to hire a car. I bought a one for 6 weeks and sold it on when i went. It's the best way to see the place.

Enjoy.

Cheers Zen. Might extend it to more like a couple of weeks. Nothing is booked yet and as long as I am in Australia in time for the RL World Cup final/Brisbane Test I can possibly bring the start forward a few days to see more of New Zealand. Will have a look at Rotorura and probably add it to the list. Milford Sound definitely. Will visit Queenstown. Bungee jumping isn't for me but would be happy to have a go at Jet Boating/Kayaking.
Reason I am not going to hire a car is because I don't drive. So would need to hire a chaffeur as well which I suspect would be more costly than taking cabs when the public transport won't cut the mustard.

I've been to NZ 3 times over the years.  If you don't drive then get a bus pass, they have an excellent service like our National Express.  Here is a link..

http://www.intercity.co.nz/travel-info/route-map/

which gives you a map and access to all the other info on the site.   I've travelled by bus from Rotorua in the north to Mt Cook and Queenstown in the south, crossing on the Picton ferry..  and back again.  I've also got local flights which are very good.

There are problems in NZ,  Druggies exist, be careful where you go, they have the usual social youth problems and the grass isn't always greener..

Otherwise, have a great time.

I'd stay in Oz for another 2 weeks.

Cheers for that link, SH. That's very helpful.
Druggies any worse than UK for example?

Try my Best, you mean instead of going to NZ? Have been to Oz before and whilst I really want to take in some of the sporting action and also visit Perth I definitely want to experience NZ as well. You don't rate it?

Just a personal view mate but no I don't. Hope you have a great time if you go.

Fair enough, ta.

BB - Wellington mostly, just be careful.  The museums are free and you can get all sorts wandering in, as we found out.  They should charge a token dollar on entry.

Great views from Mt Victoria at night, fantastic, but again..druggies or drunks in the vicinity.    Don't go alone.

As a tourist you get about and see a lot, so it happens..  but don't worry about it, you may never notice... just enjoy the scenery and the maori culture, that's what it's all about really, and the hotels are pretty good, we had fabulous breakfasts like nowhere else for the money, but there isn't a huge amount to do in NZ if you're not into sailing/boating, it's made for that kind of outdoor activity.

I got a scheduled flight over Mt Cook and Fox Glacier... terrific views, like a different planet. I'll never forget it, and don't be alarmed if you see a Weta, they're harmless creatures.

Just googled Weta. Hope I do see one. They look ace. Got no experience of handling boats or sailing craft but am up for having a go if I am not trying to do so single handed! That flight sounds awesome.

NZ is often called the adventure sports capital of the world but if you try anything (from wimpy level white water rafting to parachuting while drunk) just make sure your insurance covers it, they may have clauses or an add on charge if you get hurt doing anything they consider "risky".

There is Whale Watching at Kaikoura. Kaikoura sits right beside a deep undersea cliff just offshore which is why the deep sea whales being so close are the tourist thing.

Thanks for the heads up JC.

Dunedin is great.

In Auckland, you can get tickets that are valid for about 3 days that let you take trips on boats that go from island to island around the bay. You can jump off one, and get on a subsequent boat a few hours later. One of the islands is Rangitoto - it's an extinct(?) volcano - you can climb to the top if you want. Another island in the bay is Titi Tiri Matanga (a separate tour) - which has plenty of birdlife - you land on the island in a group, and get a guided tour. Make sure your walking boots are clean when you enter NZ, otherwise they'll be taken off you, and leave your pet rat at home.

We got the Overlander train from Wellingon to Auckland - takes all day - has a special coach at one end to relax and take pics from - very scenic, until the last hour or so when it gets close to Auckland.

Went to Trentham Gardens (at Little Hut, near Wellington) for their big day's racing in January. Sounds like you'll miss that. But if racing's on there, it's a very easy, and scenic train ride from Wellington, and the train station (at Little Hut) is right by the course.

Ged, Titi Tiri Matanga trip sounds interesting to me. Did you see any Kiwis (bird version) whilst you were there> I wasn't totally sure I was going to go to Auckland but am warming to the idea, particularly as I could combine it with the semi final of the Rugby League World Cup.

The Kamikazee, will have a look at Dunedin as well. Might end up extending it another week or so at this rate!

No, no kiwis. Not easy to see, in general. Zealandia (in Wellington) might be a place to see them, not sure. But if you go down Dunedin way, I'd recommend getting out to the Otago peninsular, where you can get a boat trip out into the channel where the albatrosses wing back at the end of the day. They'll come in right back over your head, before angling back over their nests to land (taking a few goes to get it right, gradually knocking off the speed). A great sight.

...the latter would need to be the right time of year of course. January was good. December may be too early - you'd need to check when they are nesting.

That sounds tremendous, will look into it further. I believe I could see Kiwis in the wild on Stewart Island but obviously it is a remote location if it doesn't pay off.

Got a couple of names a bit wrong..

It's Tiritiri Matangi, and Lower Hutt, not Little Hut. (Little Hut was the dam of Habitat !)

new zealand come to me in 2 legs of new zealand lamb

They do a thing called a helicopter hike if short of time or energy - you get flown up the glacier with a guide (avoiding the difficult "walk up a mountain" bit) then walk around the glacier a bit, then jump back on and get brought home. Depends if you feel ok flying in helicopters mind you :) Most people have never been in one so that in itself is an experience.

You should maybe buy the rough guide/lonely planet new zealand? Even just the kindle one and use the reader if you don't have one, if you don't want to carry a book, if you're taking a tablet or laptop. Do they do a kindle phone app .. looks like they do. Might not be much fun on a small phone, but a tip is probably to change the orientation.

Have been in a helicopter in New York. Am fine with helicopters as long as there is no prospect of having to jump out of them at any stage. Yeah, will definitely buy one of those. I don't mind carrying the book, they aren't that heavy and I will have a rucksack. My laptop will be staying in the UK, far too heavy.

Good racing knowledge, Ged.

LOL just remembered you can visit things like the Lord of The Rings hobbit village as it was filmed there. And even have a banquet in hobbiton!

http://www.hobbitontours.com/our-tours/evening-banquet-tour/

I am enough of a Tolkein fan to actually do that! As long as it doesn't involve travelling a massive distance to go somewhere where there's nothing else I want to do.

.
http://www.backpackerguide.nz/11-lord-of-the-rings-locations-you-cant-miss-in-new-zealand/

Thanks for that. I think if I had unlimited time and was a driver I would be tempted to go and check most of those out. Hobbiton is the one that appeals that I might try and make the effort for.

If I ever go to New Zealand I would love to visit the Bay of Islands.
I was reading about it earlier this morning and remembered this thread

Bay of Islands
.
https://www.visitboi.co.nz/

Just remembered some additional things I did when there, 20 years ago mind.

Yes, whale watching at Kaikoura was great.  I remember now it was Lake Taupo that I did the tandem sky-dive which was something everyone should do once...fantastic.

Dolphins swimming alongside the ferry between North and South Islands.

In the North Island I stayed at a hut that belonged  a farm.  I was by myself in this basic hut, little bigger than a shed.  It was a few miles from the farm.  Very remote.   I had to cut wood to make a fire.  Take my own food.  You realise how vulnerable
you are when being that remote e.g. if you hurt yourself in any way.  It had been raining for days prior and I went for a walk in the forest and slipped down a steep valley side and only managed to stop myself falling by trapping hold of a tree as I slid.  Always wonder what might have happened if I hadn't caught hold of the tree.

Great stuff, Jack. Hotels and B and Bs for me wherever possible! Whale wathing at Kaikoura definitely appeals to me. The sky diving is definitely out, but glad you had a blast doing it.
Bay of Islands looks ace as well. This thread just illustrates how much of New Zealand is impressive.

Kaikouras great.  If they still do the swimming with dolphins its worth doing.  None of this ponsing about with the tame ones ni captivity nonsense. You get taken out on a boat in the old neoprene wetsuit and they track huge schools of wild dusky dolphins.  Then they head them off , you all pile into the water and the school comes towards you and swims round to investigate what you are.  Its a fantastic experience.   You can do whale watching there and theres some lovely beach areas with hardly a soul in sight.

Stay in a cottage by one of the lakes near Mount Cook - beautiful and the sky at night is stunning when its clear and you can see the stars.

if you only have 10 days i'd be tempted to mostly skip the north island and start in Wellington, nice compact and scenic city with pretty good public transport but you can walk to most places.
Then take the ferry south and train or bus if you're planning on going to Kaikoura, most the main routes in and out of Kaikoura are closed after the earthquakes but should be open by next november. Kaikoura would be amazing to see, apparently the few tourists that are getting in have to wait for high tide before getting onto the tourist boats as the shoreline was raised by 2 metres.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lno8Rpbe57c

From Christchurch you can take the Tranzalpine scenic train to Greymouth to the more interesting west coast and travel down to Queenstown via the glaciers and Wanaka etc
If you are wanting to do an overnight hike they usually take 3 or 4 days plus getting there and back, Milford track or Routeburn are probably the best around Queenstown, or there's there are also plenty of day hikes but it's not the same experience. If you prefer bikes there's the otago central rail trail, or horse treks etc.

I have had a good think about this and have decided to go for longer than originally intended. It is a hell of a long way and there is every chance I wll never go again or certainly not for a fair few years so it would be foolish not to take the opportunity to see as much of the country as I reasonably can. I need to be in Brisbane by December 1st. Am now looking at setting off for NZ in time to give me at least two weeks in the country and maybe nearer to three.
This will give me the chance to include Kaikoura and one or two other places. Milford Track is strongly penclled in as I would like to do one of the hikes and really want to see Milford Sound as well.

Excellent idea

Here's a couple of very good tv series I saw a few years ago, not sure if you can get them online, I think in the South one he does the Milford
https://www.amazon.co.uk/South-New-Zealand-Marcus-Lush/dp/B004941PDO/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1484094824&sr=1-3&keywords=Marcus+Lush
https://www.amazon.co.uk/North-New-Zealand-PAL-REGION/dp/B006VZ00L2/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_cp_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B006VZ00L2&pd_rd_r=W3KE0PBX37N8RXY0JTTR&pd_rd_w=sfgzL&pd_rd_wg=fLSav&psc=1&refRID=W3KE0PBX37N8RXY0JTTR

Probably a good idea to book the Milford Track early for unguided which is fairly cheap, the guided tours I'm sure cost a packet.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/

Generally in NZ things are either cheap/free or fairly expensive but if you can afford it after the track you could do one of the combo plane / jet boat / cruise deals in Milford Sound which then flys you back to Queenstown after, probably around 400 quid for a whole day. Nothing beats local knowledge though if you know or get to know some locals.
Cheapest way to travel the country is nakedbus.com/nz/faq/passport/ or Intercity.

A stunningly beautiful island with such diverse countryside. Tropical rain forest tumbling down to deserted sandy beaches, mountains, fjords and rolling green hills like some or the beautiful parts of Ireland can all be visited in a day or two. Auckland is a complete waste of time and defeats the object of visiting New Zealand as it's all about the countryside.

The people are lovely and it is often described like Britain pre-war where you could leave your house with the door unlocked. The South Island is more beautiful, I too liked Dunedin, but the North Island is still worth a visit too, even if it's just for the volcanic activity around Rotarua and the Coramandel coast.

I would say I'm pretty well traveled and hitching/camping around NZ in my early twenties was up there with all the other stuff I've done since. Enjoy, you're in for a treat.

Oh, and I really liked Napier.   Destroyed in 1931 earthquake.  Rebuilt in the art deco style.  Some of which is stunning.

Cheers once more folks. I am going to visit Auckland despite the (no doubt justified) downvoting but will only stay 1 night (2 at the most) before flying on to Oz. Going to try and take in the Rugby League World Cup semi final there on 25th November. Plan is to get onto South Island and do Queenstown, Wanaka, Milford Track/Sound, Kaikoura, Christchurch and Stewart Island (not necessarily in that order) before internal flight to Wellington and then visit Rotarua/Matamata on route to Auckland. 2 weeks on South Island and 1 on North Island.

The inter-island ferry is good value, especially north to south, for the price of a bus fare you see all of Wellington harbour, Cook Strait and a cruise though Marlborough Sounds, occasionally some dolphins or porpoises, and if you're lucky a day like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPjWMDAYWZs
on a lighter/darker note, saw this
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/85064314/Vegan-blogger-Kristin-Lajeunesse-breaks-down-at-the-sight-of-sheep-in-trucks-on-Cook-Strait-ferry
had to wonder, those sheep must have been thrilled to go on an cruise, given bungy jumping and skydiving are out of the question a boat ride must well be up there on a sheeps bucket list.

Auckland is great if you have a car, excellent climate, beaches, etc, but nothing too special about the city, and the public transport still not that great, and the airport is miles out of town.

The inter-island ferry is good value, especially north to south, for the price of a bus fare you see all of Wellington harbour, Cook Strait and a cruise though Marlborough Sounds, occasionally some dolphins or porpoises, and if you're lucky a day like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPjWMDAYWZs
on a lighter/darker note, saw this
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/85064314/Vegan-blogger-Kristin-Lajeunesse-breaks-down-at-the-sight-of-sheep-in-trucks-on-Cook-Strait-ferry
had to wonder, those sheep must have been thrilled to go on an cruise, given bungy jumping and skydiving are out of the question a boat ride must well be up there on a sheeps bucket list.

Auckland is great if you have a car, excellent climate, beaches, etc, but nothing too special about the city itself, and the public transport still not that great, and the airport is miles out of town. South Auckland has a very large pacific island community who are also big rugby league supporters, the city is multi ethnic in general.

Kaikoura, Wanaka, either Franz Josef or Fox Glacier, Punakaiki, Abel Tasman, Te Anau, Dunedin in the South.

Waitomo, Tongariro Crossing, Napier, Coromandel, Paihia in the North.

Truth is you wont go far wrong wherever you go.

It will have to be South to North on the ferry given the rest of the likely schedule but presumably the sights will still be worth seeing. Got Milford Track booked in now so things are starting to take shape. I will have approx 3 weeks (maybe couple of days over) in NZ and three in Australia.Can't wait.

BB, I've been twice with most recent trip last year. Only went to Wellington on north island so all my thoughts concern South Island.

Scenery is fantastic as are most of the people.
No real train service. Don't know anything about the bus service but others seem to think it is OK.
Hitch hiking is a viable option at times.
Food is excellent even in local small cafes.
Christchurch is still devastated after the big earthquake. I was shocked at how bad a lot of the buildings still are. It is a very handy international airport though and a great place to explore rest of S. Island from.
Dunedin, Wanaka, Queenstown, Arrowtown, Kaikoura, Nelson all worth a visit.
Finally do not underestimate the cost of everything when you are there. At a post Brexit of only 1.70 NZ to the £ you will be surprised at how expensive things are.

The Vis, thanks for that.
It looks as if I can use the scenic trains for a couple of the journeys I would like to do but that day to day train travel might not be the most practical.
Glad to hear you rate the scenery, people and food. All important things for any trip. As far as the cost goes I have prepared myself for it being an expensive trip!

It is expensive but it can be very cheap, a flexi 10 leg bus pass works out at around $NZ20 per leg including the interisland ferry (and the scenery is free). Most of the great walks are around $20 per night in the huts so 2 tracks and a weeks hiking will cost around 60 quid on accommodation (Milford track is more expensive though) and your only other cost is food.
www.facebook.com/AbsoluteWilderness/ are good, cheaper and healthier than the other freeze dried stuff, order them online and have them sent ahead to your hotel or a friends house. Travel as light as possible if you don't have a car, take light, compact and easy wash items, the locals are mostly friendly and will usually help out if you ask (slightly less so the further north you go) and there are groups like wwoof.co.nz which are free if you have the time. Like most countries it can be a cheap and possibly a better experience, I guess if you rented a 1 bed london flat and backpacked around NZ or Oz for 2 months you'd possibly have a decent profit at the end.
On the other hand you may want a bit of carefree luxury and a few big ticket tourist experiences too.

Will definitely look into the bus pass. Although I really fancy doing the tranzalpine railway trip from Christchurch to Greymouth may well do the rest of my domestic travelling by bus/ferry. My Milford Track hike and accomodation are booked and paid for as are my tickets to the Rugby League World Cup games I want to see. So the trip is definitely on. I just need to book my flights and sort out my itinenary. Am quite happy to shell out for some touristy stuff like the Hobbiton tour/jet boating/whale watching etc as it could be a long time before I get to NZ again, if indeed I ever do.

Got it all pretty much booked in so thanks again to all the people who contributed ideas to the thread.
Queenstown
Probably Te Anau
Walking Milford Track
Stewart Island
Christchurch (briefly)
Southern Alps Rail to Greymouth/Hokitika
Wellington
Rotarua
Matamata/Hobbiton
Auckland (Got a few days spare there to fit in extra trips, thinking of Tiritiri Matangi Island)
Then on to Brisbane/Broken River/Melbourne/Perth
Flying out on the 2nd November.

Rotorua, hope you like the smell of rotten eggs :)

Haha, not really. But I am only there for a day and a half and it looks an interesting and different place to visit. It also fits in well with the dates for the rest of my trip.