Since returning from my epic New Zealand odyssey adventure, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about trip logistics and details. Looking back over my blog posts, I realize there’s a lot about the trip that I didn’t include. With that as preamble, and because everyone should visit New Zealand at some point in their lifetime, here’s the 411 on my trip as well as general info in case you want to plan your own trip to this spectacular country.
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| Somewhere near Okarito, on the west coast of the South Island |
1. Can’t go wrong: The first thing to know is that New Zealand is awesome! No matter what financial or time budget you’re working with, your trip will be amazing. I was there for nearly three weeks and I still have a “next time” list of things to do and places to visit.
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| A Maori warrior intimidates the audience |
2. Flights:
- Washington, DC, to Los Angeles = five hours
- Los Angeles to Auckland = 12 hours (direct) on Air New Zealand (I recommend that airline)
- Within New Zealand, we flew from Auckland to Christchurch = ~1.5 hours
3. Rough itinerary:
- Four days on the North Island, where we rented a car and put together our own itinerary that included Rotorua, Hobbiton, and Auckland.
- Two weeks on the South Island with a small-group tour run by Active Adventures (the Rimu tour under Active New Zealand), starting and finishing in Christchurch. We more-or-less covered the outer perimeter of the South Island with the group, which meant many hours in the bus but also a lot of variety.
- One night and day in Christchurch after the tour before flying back to the US.
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| I think this is Lake Hawea, or it could be Lake Wanaka |
North Island:
- Mt. Te Aroha hike
- Te Puia Maori Cultural Center in Rotorua, including the cultural performance; if I were to go again, I would also do the traditional Maori dinner; this was one of the highlights of the trip for me
- Hidden Valley geothermal area (official name Orakei Korako)--cool but not as impressive as the brochure described; the best part was the secluded location and boat ride across the lake
- Huka Falls (amazing! such blue water!) and the town of Taupo, which is worth a day trip at least
- Geothermal soaking pools (don’t remember the name but they are plentiful in that area)
- Waitomo glow worm caves--we got there too late in the day to do the tour we’d planned so we just did the basic tour, which was still kind of cool but I don’t know that it was worth the admission cost since you can see glow worms in other places
- Auckland Sky Tower
- A random outdoor market that I do not recommend
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| Kayaking in Okarito Lagoon (no, that's not me in the kayak) |
South Island (most of this with the tour group):
- Hike in Aoraki Mt. Cook National Park
- Hike a portion of the Routeburn Track
- Sea kayaking in Milford Sound
- Hike up (the small) Mt. Iron outside Wanaka
- Mountain biking on the (gravel, mostly flat) Te Araroa track outside Wanaka
- Hang gliding in Queenstown (not with the group--incredible!!)
- Very challenging hike near Franz Josef Glacier in Westland National Park
- Kayaking Okarito Lagoon (and walking along the beach afterward)
- Hike in the Punakaiki rainforest
- Pancake rocks at Punakaiki--I LOVED Punakaiki and wish we’d had more time there to hike and explore; that’s where I took this sunset photo
- We were supposed to go snorkeling with fur seals in Kaikoura but the water was too choppy; I’d love to go back to visit this quaint seaside town on the South Island’s east coast
- In Christchurch (w/o the group), visited the Cardboard Cathedral and the Botanic Gardens, which I highly recommend
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| At the fascinating Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki |
5. Getting around: New Zealand has a fantastic tourism infrastructure. Every place we visited, even small towns, had an i-SITE visitor information center (sometimes more than one) with loads of free maps (that were detailed enough to be useful), brochures, and agents who could answer questions and book reservations (tickets, hotels, etc.) free of charge.
In addition, routes and roads are well-marked, trails are well-maintained by the Department of Conservation, and there are public toilets everywhere, including port-a-potties at many trailheads. There is a fantastic network of campgrounds for people who want to camp, either in tents or, more commonly, in campervans, which can be a great, more-economical way to see the country.
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| A Hobbit's door in Hobbiton |
6. Cost: A few people have asked me how much they should budget for a similar trip to New Zealand. Obviously this depends on how long you will be there and what you plan to do. The exchange rate is slightly in our favor right now.
Here’s a summary of basic costs to take into consideration. All estimates are current as of today (but who knows what they’ll be in the future!). All figures in US dollars.
- Flights: Budget $1800-$2200 round/trip (from the East Coast of the US)
- Rental car: ~$35-$40/day for an economy (four-door Toyota Corolla or similar); be sure to ask for automatic transmission and remember they drive on the left!
- Gas: ~$7 a gallon (yes, you read that correctly)
- Food: About the same as you’d pay in the US; restaurant prices seem higher but they include tax and there’s no tipping, so it works out to be about the same
- Hotels: Similar to what you’d pay in a mid-sized US city; ranges from $100 a night or less for a B&B/guest house/motel to much more for a upscale hotel in the middle of Auckland or Christchurch
- Activities: Prices vary greatly but generally plan to shell out some cash; some examples below:
- Hobbiton: ~$65/person (NZ$ 75)
- Maori Cultural Center: ~$80 (NZ$ 95)--more or less depending on what you do there
- Hidden Valley geothermal area: ~$30 (NZ$ 36)
- Auckland Harbor Cruise: ~$35 (NZ$ 40)
- Auckland Sky Tower: ~$24 (NZ$ 28)
- Hang Gliding in Queenstown: ~$180 (NZ$ 210)
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| Hiking in Aoraki Mt. Cook National Park |
7. The group tour and what it included: Our tour in the South Island was run by a terrific company called Active Adventures, a New Zealand-based outfit that also runs active adventure tours in South America and the Himalayas. I’d traveled with them before to the Galapagos Islands and was favorably impressed with their well-planned and well-executed itinerary, the small group size (they cap groups at about 15 people), the high quality of the guides, and their no-spam follow-ups after the trip.
Our group was comprised of 11 people and two guides. We were a mix of ages, nationalities (though mostly American), single and married, traveling solo or with someone.
The tour price included:
- all our lodging;
- all equipment rental;
- all transportation (and we put in a lot of miles on the bus, named Frank); and
- most of our meals.
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| The "family-style" sheep station (ranch) quarters where we stayed near Mt. Cook |
Conclusion: I loved my trip to New Zealand (as you can tell!) and can’t wait to go back. It’s a place I can see myself returning to over and over, with helpful people, beautiful scenery, a culture that is both familiar and enticingly different, and a laid back “no worries” attitude. Shoot me an email or leave a comment if you’d like more information on anything I’ve mentioned here.
Until next time, Kia Ora!
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| Hang gliding outside Queenstown. Incredible! |
1 comment:
I think I missed your mention of hang gliding earlier...so fun!! Can't wait to go back and hit the south island next time.
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