pricklykina

My parents are coming over in eight weeks for the second time in 8 years and I am tearing my hair out thinking of what to do
Here's a sample of the mixed messages

We don't want to do anything special - just what you do, but we do't like to walk to far.
We don't want to chase about - last time we spent too much time in the car...Oh but Rotorua was lovely -we'd go there again
Do you have trains? Do they go south? Maybe we should go to Wellington on the train? your daughter would love that
We're here in October - no we're not interested in the Rugby at all
We'd love to meet some Maori. What like our friends? Or at the supermarket???? No not like that ...oh you want them to dance?????????

So now I'm stuck
I had thought of staying close to home, Coromandel, Gulf Island etc but now aren't sure if even those will cut the mustard

Has anyone had experience of looking after people who really don't know what they want to do ( but will be easily disappointed if its not what they want all the same)

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Margaret Parkinson

Here's what we did on our last visit. We went to the Travel Agents and asked her to sort something out for us. The Intercity is very good. The year before we went up to the top of the North Island travelling the same way but travelled with Great Sites from Auckland and they were good as well. Go to page 4 on this link:-


http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...rkinson&page=4

We were going to travel back from Wellington to Hamilton but it would have taken 9 hours.

June

Bo-Jangles

Sounds like my parents Prickly, the first time I went all out to take them on a big tour around with action packed list of things to see and do; like I would want to do if it were my holiday, staying in nice places, nice restaurants etc.

Aftercall was said and done I realised they didn't want that at all and they weren't particularly grateful; they really did just want to see me and they were far happier to go for a walk on the local beaches and not keen on anything fancy, preferring the plain food at Valentines to any of the smart restaurants we went to. Hence, the second time they came was far easier and a lot less expensive.

Sounds like Rotorua is a good option for you, you can cover all bases, stay for a couple of nights immerse yourself in tourist land for a couple of days and do the Maori hangi thing even if it does pain you There's enough to do there without needing to spend hours and hours in the car. Then I would head up to the Coromandel from there for a couple of nights to see some scenery and nice beaches and be done with it.

I think we can try too hard to please them, when all they really want is to sit and eat dinner with you, go to Pak n Save, see your friends, stroke your cat / dog, hang out at your home and in your garden, pick up your post, have a nosy at your neighbours and get some feel of what everyday life is like for you here. Cos in real life we're always sitting about at home and in the garden everyday aren't we?

Justcol

how about going to Taupo to see the Maori carvings, its a nice easy little boat trip.
Plenty of places for the touristy Maori experience in Rotovegas.
Huka falls jet boat ??
Cathedral Cove
Bay of islands ??

pricklykina

Thanks all!
It's such a bummer with the world cup as accommodation is at a premium.
However Coromandel is a goer ( I just found out that you can do a day trip on the ferry from Auckland too!)

So far I've booked
Tiritiri Matangi
The rain forest express in Waitakere to see the glow worms
Lunch up the Sky Tower

You're right about the the Restaurants Bo - I thought it would be a good chance to go to all the places that I never go to but they are country folk and it really doesn't flat there boat at all.
They were asking me if we had Subway!!!!!!!

BEVS

How old are they?

pricklykina

78 and 64
But 78 going on 65 - (very fit)

BEVS

Explains it all.

You have a difficult task ahead. The older we get , the more our internal awkward bugger gets out.

BEVS

Ummm.

Fit 78? Can eat a scabby donkey. Enquiring mind?