As some of you might know, I'm going to New Zealand for a short course in mid Jun. Because the trip is mainly for the course AND I don't want to take too many days of annual leave, so this trip is mainly designed according to some HK tours and Charles' suggestions... AND $$$$!! haha!!
If anyone of you have been to NZ, pls give me some suggestions. I also hope this will be useful to ppl who're planning to do trips to NZ, I have spent a LOT of time doing research on this... I may post a bit more details later, maybe after I'm back =)
15/6 Leave HK (Friday)
16/6 Auckland (Saturday)
I'll try to see if I can go to the famous Otara market which is held every Saturday morning!! Otherwise, I'll try to look around the city centre, according to most people, not much to look at around Auckland...
17/6 Auckland again... (Sunday)
As there is not much to see around Auckland, I'm thinking about doing a day trip...
These trips sound interesting... because of the black sand beaches and rainforests... but quite expensive, hmm, so still thinking...
Bush and Beach
Same tour at Viator.com (cheaper!!)
18-22/6 Course (Monday-Friday)
23-24/6 (Sat-Sun)
This is the cheapest and best (in terms of the places covered) tour I can find.
Thrifty Adventure
I'll go to Waitomo caves, Rotorua and Taupo in the weekend.
25/6-29/6 Course again... (Monday-Friday)
29/6 Fly to Christchurch by Qantas at night after the course (Real cheap flight!! I've booked it online on the Qantas website.)
Plan to stay at Cokers (Near City Centre, cheap, with triple room)
30/6 (Sat) Spend half a day in Christchurch, plan to walk around the City centre, e.g. the Cathedral, and then most importantly the Arts Centre, coz according to travel guides, there's a lively craft + food market at weekends! (According to Charles, there's not much to seen around CC, that's why I've allocated so little time there...), then I'll take the bus (Intercity bus) to Dunedin in the afternoon, if you book early you can get 50% off the price!! Super Saver ticket, yeah!!
Plan to stay at On Top Backpackers (Near City centre, cheap)
1/7 (Sun) Spend half a day in Dunedin, nothing sounds interesting from the guidebooks, maybe Baldwin street, said to be the steepest street in the world... hmm.. then I'll travel by Taieri Gorge Railway, then coach to Queenstown. The train seems to be a very famous tourist attraction built over 100 years ago.
Plan to stay at Queenstown YHA, Central (Near City centre, cheap, and near the lake!)
2/7 (Mon) Queenstown to Milford Sound Day tour
This is the CHEAPEST Milford Sound tour I can find on the web, if it's summer, I may consider another one with a longer cruise (much more expensive), but it's not available in winter, so I'll choose this cheapest one. =P
3/7 (Tues) Queenstown
I'll have slightly more than half a day in Queenstown, I don't intend to do any "great" adventure activity, coz I am AFRAID OF HEIGHTS!!
Maybe Skyline Gondola?? hmm...
then I'll take the flight back to Auckland late afternoon, and back to HK directly from Auckland.
HAHA! The best thing about this trip is that I'll get STUDY LEAVE for the course AND 80% of the accommodation+flight+course fee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't usually travel in this "hurried" style, =P but I'm not that interested in New Zealand, and I have NO plans to ever return... so that's why all the hurry... haha!!
5 comments:
Skyline Gondola is fun and you can have a birdview of the beautiful lake as well. But I highly recommend paragliding. You can have a taste of flying. That's a great experience though it will cost you some money. I think it worths. Yea, there is not much to see in Auckland and CC. Better spend time in Queenstown.
Hi Amy,
I have briefly browsed your itinery and have some more advice for you.
General tips:
1. hotel bookings - www.wotif.com - search the last minute cheap hotels, sometimes if you are lucky you can have hotel quality rooms with extremely low price, if you don't mind shared accommodation, you can search YHA NZ and YMCA NZ as well.
2. Grab bookguides and search for coupons asap. The $5-$10 save adds up a lot as it's in NZ$!!
3. it should be better for you to exchange NZ$ in HK. Unless you think NZ$ is dropping a lot soon then you can wait.
Auckland:
Actually there's a lot more to see and to do in Auckland! Auckland is a city of sails.
It has the most yachts/population in the world, so you can go north to the Viadult Harbour to have a look at the sea of yachts!
And of course the Queens st. and the Tower are both must-go places.
Also in the north near Princess Wharf there are many nice restaurants and it's not expensive to have an NZ steak at night.
If time allows please do go to the islands, last time I went to the Waiheke Island and do the sea-kayaking there. But as now it's winter time it may be already too cold for everyone...
You can try go to Great Barrier Island and tell us how it goes!
There's a very special restaurant in Ponsonby as well, but I forgot the address though. :-P One clue is the coffee cups they use are extremely large!
Christchurch:
I thought booking through NZ Air would be cheaper than Quantas? Anyway you've booked it.
I found Christchurch not too excited partly because Oi Wan gets sun-burn at that time and it's our last stop so we are not interested in the Gondula and the exciting activities anymore.
Besides the city centre, you can go punting in the river, go to the Antarctic Centre, and there is a big park there as well.
Last time we lived in the Oaks Smartstay Apartments on Cashel and if I am honest it offered the best quality/dollar in my experience. NZ$101/2 people.
Rotorua:
It's smart for you to know there's a super saver ticket, especially when you see even the local people buying full price tickets in the kiosk!
It would be even smarter if you buy a super saver ticket to Rotorua (NZ 22 only). Then lived in Rotorua for a day(23/06). There are a lot of interesting things to see in Rotorua!
The Greysers, the Buried Village, the Farm tour, the Mauri Culture... Also try the Pig Whistle restaurant's ribs!
You can just forget the Thrifty Adverture's tour, when you know you can get cheap coach tickets.
Dunedin:
The reason we went to Dunedin is to try the Taieri Gorge Railway and to the Baldwin Street. We wished to go to Otago region to see the penguins but there's not enough time.
But we managed to visit the Otago museum in Dunedin and it's worth visiting as well! (And it's free!)
Also you can go to the Cadbury Chocholate Factory tour or Bear tour as well.
Queenstown:
Suddenly I found that you are too rushy in your itinery and I really recommend you to think twice.
For example, you only got 1/2 day in Dunedin and 1/2 day in Queenstown, which is totally not sufficient. Also you need to take a coach to Queenstown and another long coach trip to Milford Sound, which is pretty tiring.
I think it's better for you to ask yourself if you are more interested in the Big falls or old rails, then skip either the Milford Sound tour or the Dunedin trip.
Last time we went to the TSS Earnslaw Steamship tour, which includes an old steamship tour on the lake, a 40-min horse riding and afternoon tea. You can have a look at http://picasaweb.google.com.tw/singcall and get an idea of how it is...
I understand you may not have the courage to take the Gondula, but there's a hiking trail to the top as well... hehe...
The slush drive is pretty funny as well and I heard that the buffet lunch in the Gondula restaurant is good too...
I found that I am talking too much, anyway it's your trip and it's gonna be fun!!
Cheers,
Charles
wow! Charles, THANKS for your detailed suggestions!!
I know that website for last minute accommodation, but I hate last min decisions. As for Rotorua tour,my friends prefer tours to Rotorua instead of going on our own, I wanted to go on my own, but the fact is the price is pretty cheap (I've done some calculations, similar to the price if I go on my own, and since this is a backpacker bus tour, so I hope the company and the itinerary will be better than those "old ppl's tour" =P
I'll try to have dinner in the places you suggested in Auckland, I have 2 weeks in Auckland anyway, haha! And yeah, it's winter, it'll be too cold for many things already, what's there on Waiheke, apart from vineyards? I'll live near Queens Street =), so it should be pretty easy to go everywhere. We've rented an apartment instead of a hotel/hostel in Auckland. Great Barrier Island is too expensive.... you think it's worth going....??
No, NZ Air is more expensive than Qantas. haha, three of us staying at Cokers is just 75/night, so just 25/night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ensuite!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think it's ok la. =)
I think I'll be going to have those Maori dinner + show thing in Rotorua, did you go to one of these Hangi dinner thing??
I know my itinerary is VERY rushed, becoz I don't want to take too many days of AL AND I'm not really that interested in NZ, in fact the only places I'm interested in is Rotorua & Milford Sound. =P maybe the Taieri Gorge Railway =P I'm also kinda interested in the Franz Josef Glacier, but it's quite far away, and I have to add a few more days in my trip in order to visit it, not quite worth it.
btw I just checked the cruise you mentioned in Queenstown is not a/v in Jun/July, =P, so I guess I'm going to Dunedin and Milford Sound, haha!!
Hope NZD is falling!! It's WAY too expensive now........................ btw did you bring cash to NZ or use credit card? I know there's extra charges, but I'm kinda worried about carrying that much cash around.....
Hi Amy,
Since you've rented an apartment in Auckland, taking the tour to Rotorua will be a good decision for your case.
Actually when I tour around Rotorua, I joined the local tours as well. But I got a lot more choices and combinations.
It's bad that you go in winter time. In Jan if you were in Dunedin there's still sunlight at 10pm, and you just feel God gave you some discounts on your trip!
I am surprised that you are not so interested in NZ. I found it a lovely place that I wish to go again... Sheeps and horses around everywhere, and the Lord of the Ring scenery impressed me most.
If you don't want to bring too much cash you can just exchanged for NZ$200. In Queen St, Auckland there are banks and exchange kiosks everywhere.
I used credit cards a lot as well, you repaid your credits 60 days later and the interests saved somehow compensate for the extra exchange charges.
And I don't think you will spend that much to make a difference anyway. :-P (You mentioned you got study leave and 80% refund of your course fees, that's a lot!)
Wish you all the best for the trip! See u soon.
Charles
After reading this review and thinking about the details of my trip, I don't think I'm going to the Otara market
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g255106-d258734-r4591711-Otara_Market-Auckland_North_Island.html
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