Hi Guys,
Will be visiting New Zealand for a small holiday, don't have much time, its only a short trip for 6 days.
I will be flying into Wellington and then driving to Auckland, with a stop in between at Rotorua.
Other than the activities in Rotorua, is there anything else that is a must see that I should stop at?
Any other New Zealand travel tips? Anything to look out for?
Thanks in Advance
Hi, yes will land in Wellington at 6am. So i will have the full day. 6 days in total including the traveling in between.
Waitomo Caves black water rafting.
http://www.waitomo.com/black-water-rafting/Pages/black-labyr…
You will probably also visit Huka Falls.
Kiwi posting, so hopefully this helps.
The drivers can be a bit mental, at least compared to Melbourne drivers. The roads will be far narrower and a lot more corners. State highway 1 (the main highway between towns, obvs) is in parts a 2 lane road, and not a major carriageway.
I won't elaborate too much on the lower north island as it's the place where i've spent the least time. That said, the central plateau is very picturesque. Tongariro national park and the desert road can be very pretty on a nice day. Huka falls in Taupo is quite pretty. You can also bungee just up the river if you are so inclined.
In Rotorua you can visit Fairy springs if animals and wildlife are your thing, and the luge at Skyline Rotorua can also be fun in good weather. Rotorua also has an abundance of geothermal attractions, the buried village is nice if you like nature and volcanos. At Paradise Valley Springs you can see (and in the case when I went there) even pat a lion cub.
From Rotorua it's a bit of a trek to Waitomo for the glow worms and black water rafting, but if you want an adventure it may be worth it. Otherwise you can head east to Matamata and visit Hobbitton. From there (if you have time), the coromandel peninsula is nice. Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach are nice (and yes, it's a beach with hot water).
From there I would skip most of the rest of the Waikato region and head to Auckland, visit Waiheke Island for some wine. Cable Bay vineyard and Mudbrick are my recommendations. And a dinner in the CBD at the Mexican Cafe is a great tip. Vulcan Lane and Britomart/Viaduct Basin for bars could also be good.
But this all depends on what you like, and are interested in seeing. I can elaborate or recommend other things if you give me some more detail.
Hope this helps!
Thank you, great help, will follow your plan. Just with the drive, is the maximum speed 100 as well?
The maximum is 100, no 110 speed limits like the Hume. Speed cameras in NZ have a reportedly very low threshold now, I think in the order of 2kph over. Take it easy on the roads in general would be my advice.
Yeah, will do. Also with ATMs, is there Commonwealth Bank ATMS or ANZ ATM machines there?
@Legend279: ANZ yes. CBA will be accepted most places with a fee, but they own ASB bank in Nz so there may be a preferable agreement in place there. But knowing how banks are, don't expect much.
Last time we used a pre-loaded NZD card from anz, which was ok. Current exchange rate is 1-1.05nzd so things will be about on a par. In NZ eftpos is absolutely everywhere, but the trick is to draw out enough cash for a few days to minimize overseas transaction charges if you don't pre-arrange something else.
You'll find certain things cheaper, certain food, beer and wine etc. Petrol (91 octane) is at 176.9 cents, but has historically been up over 2 dollars a litre.
Looks like I may be making a flying trip in a few weeks myself, so I may take some of my own advice.
@davowade: Should have also added that petrol prices are nowhere near as volatile as oz, they run to the Brent crude price instead of singapore refined as in Australia.
@Legend279: I lived in Auckland for 2 years, just came home 3 weeks ago. Gas is really expensive there. You can get a card at Caltex gas stations which when you get gas you swipe it and you can save up to 10c a liter..
Also piha beach is nice. The drive out there is quite scenic too.
Can head out to mission bay for restaurants on the water.. or in town..
And if you're into clubs go to 1885.
Have fun on your trip!
Comment double up
If you haven't already booked a rental car try www.transfercar.co.nz. Some include a free tank of petrol. There is one right now for $1 for 2 days. You can probably visit most of the places within this time while driving up e.g. Lake Taupo, Desert road, Rotorua.
Thats a really cool website, too bad not many cars fall on the same dates as our travel. Will check again later. Thanks
can you elaborate on the 6 days - is it 6 full days, plus a day either side to fly, or are flying days counted in the 6?
arrival and departure times could help, eg. if you arrive in Wgtn in a.m., then can cover Wgtn that day, else need to sight-see the next day.