Herm

Help wanted - We have some friends (Mum, Dad, Kids of 21, 18 and 15) visiting NZ during December/January. They called last night and asked us to name 10 things that they must do whilst in NZ so that they can plan their itinerary accordingly. To be honest I struggled - been here too long I guess.

So the challenge - what 10 things would you do (either island) if you were here for a month?

Thanks

poppets

ok i've never done this but i intend to & the in laws did it on a trip a couple of years ago - the Huka Jet at the Huka Falls, looks fantastic
http://www.hukajet.co.nz/

IainW

1. Visit a marae & attend a hangi
2. Rotorua thermal parks
3. Te Papa (Especially the cultural performance & special exhibitions)
4. Tongariro crossing (if they are fit enough)
5. Whale watching
6. Abel Tasman national park (sea kayak trip?)
7. Franz Josef glacier
8. Queenstown/Wanaka (Rafting/bungee/walking etc)
9. Milford Sound/Fjordland (Scenic flight?)
10. Stewart Island (Tramping)

Struggling to come up with 10 things to do in NZ??? More of a struggle to think what to leave out given they only have a month!

Apple12

How long have they got? If only a couple of weeks and you are based in the NI, then don't worry about coming south. They will miss out on the best NZ has to offer, but there is always next time
If they are into LOTR at all then there is heaps to see.
If they have access to a car, then a six-ten day circuit as follows is simply fab: ChCh to Hokitika to the glaciers to Haast Pass to Wanaka to Arrowtown to Queenstown to Alexandra (yum wine!) to Mt Cook to Tekapo to Christchurch.

Beware that Dec- Jan is the height of the peak season, esp Xmas and NY and Jan, so accommodation is at a premium, so things will need to be booked ahead.

The absolute best of NZ... going for a day walk (or longer) in the native bush (Tongariro crossing?) and getting away from cities, traffic and extraneous noise. But hey that's me, it might not be their thing at all.

jueinnz

Hey guys, don't forget about the beach ..need a couple of days to unwind when arrive...
in north island.

Goat Island for snokeling and swimming with the fish.
Hot water beach
Bay of Islands

Yer I know there are beaches everywhere in the world but ours are fantastic!!! Black sand, white sand, rocky, surfers or snokeling...

jueinnz

I love the beach so much I had to come back and write some more!!!!
When I'm cold I imagine my self laying on a hot beach and all is good,

If in Auckland when any of the "Party/Opera in the Park" etc are on thats a nice experience get them to take strawberries and wine and enjoy as a true "jafa" would.

I have had experience with holiday makers coming over and although we love to show them as much of this wonderfull country as we can, my experience is that they enjoy the things we take for granted everyday, just as much as anything else, (BBQ and beer, ice cream at mission bay, walking on the beach at night,) When was the last time you "Jafas" went and sat up Mt Eden at night and looked at the city. Its still great!

The mount, the beach, the beach , the beach, the beach.....sorry daydreaming here........Must get the bikini out...nearly summer....

Lenny the Lion

Its a pity they go back in Jan as the Napier Art Deco Weekend in Feb would be in my top ten

scracha

Totally agree with that. I'd say it's probably better if they're not running about daft trying to "do" everything. We were fortunate enough to take a 7 week holiday in the south island a couple of years ago...we could have spent 7 months and still not saw everything. By about week 6 conversations with other tourists were along the lines of
Them: "been there, saw that, been there, etc etc".
Us: "Blimey, how long you been here"
Them: "Oh, 2 weeks"

They'd usually be packed up and in their vehicle by about 6am the following morning to stick to their tight schedule. Not a holiday IMHO.

That said. Our No1 was definitely an overnight kayak trip in Abel Tasmin. There's probably similar somewhere in the north island (dunno if you'll have seals jumping over your kayak elsewhere though).

A flight in a glider is also quite inexpensive (compared to Europe) and a great way of seeing some of new zealand.

Umm... The Catlins. Hot water beach (bit busy in December tho'). Waitomo caves. Driving/quad-bike/motorbike/horse along beach is something you can't do in many places in europe either so I'd recommend that.

Biddy

Check this out for the top 101 things.

If you've got the time!

I checked the list and can hold my hands up to only doing 3 of them so far and we've been here a year!
Must get out more.

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/101-must-dos-for-kiwis/

Am Loolah

Purely as a tourist, we had 3 weeks in a campervan and had a list of ideas to suit all 6 of us ranging in age from 3 to 43!!! We ran out of time as we can't do 6am starts. We also found we were whizzing through places on the list without allowing time to enjoy and soak it all up. My favourite memories were an Auckland harbour cruise and dinner in Orbit at the top of the Sky Tower. Snow Planet just outside Auckland heading North. Bay of Islands and Waitangi Treaty House for some culture. Hubby loved Rotorua and Wai-o-Taupo (?) spelling amiss I'm sure! Wished we'd had more tim to explore Lake Taupo but were running out of time. Mount Maunganui, climbing to the top of the Mount and the amazing Hot Water Salt Pools. Kaikoura on the South Island for the whale watching. What we missed but will be doing when we get back are the very tip of the North Island Cape Reinga and 90 mile beach. Napier. And all of the South Island - specifically Christchurch, Queenstown, Franz Joseph Glacier. Suggest they read some guide books - always a good starting point.

On a personal note I would also suggest you don't get caught up in planning an itinery for them, let them go through the guidebooks, the websites and pick up all the tourist leaflets and have an idea of what they like they look of - that way you can't get the blame if their dissatisfied!!

newkiwi

add White Island, not everyday you get to go on an active live volcano and peer down the crater.

go to Waheke Island, take in a meal at Te Whau there, do it on a clear day.

visit the sky tower

Rotorua thermal parks is great also

Not 10 beut rying to think of things others have not said yet..

danny.f

Helicopter flight over Lake Taupo!! Yeeeessss!! Obviously any hot springs you happen to drive past. Rugby match. Beach. Canoeing across a perfectly still lake. Valentines!! Bungee jump/zip slide. Deep sea fishing. And some other stuff you can learn about when you get there!!!

helinuk

we did the helihike on Fox glacier back in 97 and daughter still says its best holiday ever. Also milford sound was great. Hot water beach fun!

Am Loolah

And stop off for a wee!

danny.f

For me,that's my 10 things done at once,10 wee's.