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Thanks so much to everyone who has posted here. While I have done a lot of research, it is always good to hear from folks who have traveled in the area or live there. We love nature....that is our passion.
I continue to invite anyone reading these posts to continue to reply.
Bobnz, Why do you think that is such a long time to stay in New Zealand? I have heard and read that the country is beautiful. I know that it is remote. Also I wanted to thank you for the advice about buying and selling the car and some info on places to stay. I especially appreciate the websites for information as well.
I will tell you some of my favorite things about New Zealand. We were there for 4 weeks, stayed in Christchurch mostly while my DH worked. The kids and I spent about 2.5 weeks in exploring the city until he was done with work. I enjoyed it there. The kids just loved jumping on the trolley and riding around town. We also enjoyed going to the Arts Centre on the weekends to check out the local artists and vendors. They have all kinds of food as well. We also enjoyed the International Antarctic Center.
Without a doubt, Queenstown is a must see. It is a beautiful little town, tucked in between the Remarkable Mountain range and Lake Wakatipu. We did the Skyline gondola ride to the top of the mountain. Loved the views and got some great pictures. There are several great wineries around, Gibbston Valley being one of my favorites. They have won many awards over the years!
If in Queenstown, you must go to Milford Sound. It is secluded and spectacular! I really do no think there are words to even describe how beautiful this place is! We took the easy way and jumped on a charter place and flew in, but I hear the road up through Te Anau is also spectacular. Milford Sound is just one of those places you have to see to believe. I think I took like 300 pictures on our boat ride!
We took the kids to the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in Dunedin. That was a fun trip! See where it is all made. They have a huge silo with steps on the inside. You enter, they turn on a river of chocolate that flows from the top to the bottom. The chocolate ends up on the steps, on the rails and on the walls. Everything smells so GOOD!
On the way back up to Christchurch, we visited the Moeraki boulders on the coast. They are truly something to behold. I was amazed at the sheer size of these perfectly round boulders placed on the beach. They make for some great pictures!
Those are just a few of my must sees on the south island. If you are really into wildlife, stop by Akaroa to swim with the dolphins or drive north to Kaikoura to watch the whales. If you go to Kaikoura, check the surf report because they cancel boat trips if the sea is rough, we ended up on a plane watching the whales.
Also, one more thing. Now is a good time to buy a cheap, used car if you are going to be near Christchurch. They had a bad hailstorm there in Ashburton before Thanksgiving and some of the cars were too badly damaged, they were just written off by the insurance companies. I don't know how to go about finding one, unless the insurance companies could help you (namely AMI). Just a little FYI!
On the way back up to Christchurch, we visited the Moeraki boulders on the coast. They are truly something to behold. I was amazed at the sheer size of these perfectly round boulders placed on the beach. They make for some great pictures!
I had holidays while I was a child at the nearby Shag Point, where there are boulders as well. There are baches (small holiday homes) and we stayed there. One of the farmers had set fire to the brush on a big mound of dirt and coal tailings and the fire had continued to slowly burn inside the mound, you could walk on it and see the cracks with glowing coal and smell the burning coal. The fire burnt for about 5 years.
There is also a small penguin colony near the Moeraki Lighthouse, I've marked it on wikimapia.org, however it's at the end of a very steep track, so unless you like climbing down a track while holding on to a fence (climbing up is easier), give it a miss.
I had holidays while I was a child at the nearby Shag Point, where there are boulders as well. There are baches (small holiday homes) and we stayed there. One of the farmers had set fire to the brush on a big mound of dirt and coal tailings and the fire had continued to slowly burn inside the mound, you could walk on it and see the cracks with glowing coal and smell the burning coal. The fire burnt for about 5 years.
There is also a small penguin colony near the Moeraki Lighthouse, I've marked it on wikimapia.org, however it's at the end of a very steep track, so unless you like climbing down a track while holding on to a fence (climbing up is easier), give it a miss.
Two of my most treasured pics are from the boulders. One is kinda silly, with my 2 kids inside one of the boulders that looks like a cracked egg. The other is of my husband at sunrise, walking on some of them.
We missed the penguins when we were there. I think the babies were just born so they had them closed off or something. Aren't they like really rare blue penguins?
Without a doubt, Queenstown is a must see. It is a beautiful little town, tucked in between the Remarkable Mountain range and Lake Wakatipu. We did the Skyline gondola ride to the top of the mountain. Loved the views and got some great pictures. There are several great wineries around, Gibbston Valley being one of my favorites. They have won many awards over the years
urgh @ queenstown the tourist trap.
If you're going to be gone for as long as 4 months, I would recommend spending a few weeks in Fiji, Vanuatu and the other south-pacific islands because they're along the way between New Zealand and Hawaii.
If you're going to be gone for as long as 4 months, I would recommend spending a few weeks in Fiji, Vanuatu and the other south-pacific islands because they're along the way between New Zealand and Hawaii.
One thing I find with Queenstown is that it is the most expensive place in NZ. Money seems to part quickly from your pocket there. It is scenic though and there are a lot of touristy things to do. Also that is where the busty swedish backpackers are so despite the cost I do like being there.
I would say Wanaka or Te Anau would be appealing as they are not as big and just as scenic as Queenie.
If you're going to be gone for as long as 4 months, I would recommend spending a few weeks in Fiji, Vanuatu and the other south-pacific islands because they're along the way between New Zealand and Hawaii.
One thing I find with Queenstown is that it is the most expensive place in NZ. Money seems to part quickly from your pocket there. It is scenic though and there are a lot of touristy things to do. Also that is where the busty swedish backpackers are so despite the cost I do like being there.
I would say Wanaka or Te Anau would be appealing as they are not as big and just as scenic as Queenie.
That is why Queenstown is such a tourist trap people, because it is so scenic and beautiful! It is still a place that should be seen and visited on a trip to the south island.
That is why Queenstown is such a tourist trap people, because it is so scenic and beautiful! It is still a place that should be seen and visited on a trip to the south island.
Oh no question. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone. Just that you have to watch the spending if you are on a budget as the jet boat rides and bungee jumps add up quickly.
One thing I have not got around to doing yet is the fly by wire.
I saw those stupid chicks on "Project My World" do that, it looked like a lot of fun. They can keep the bungee jump, I can't see my butt ever doing that!
Without any special visas, I think the tourist visa for Americans in NZ is 3 months, so to make things simple, you may just want to limit your stay to 3 months. Granted it's been quite a number of years ago, I backpacked NZ for about 2 months and could have easily found enough things to do for another month.
I found it was easiest to just get on those backpacker buses, stay at hostels that are in just about every tiny town and don't plan too much. You never know who you will meet and where your travels will take you. There are so many young people from all over the world traveling around NZ and doing what you want to do. You may find you meet up with a few who are going the same direction as you for a week or so, and then you move on. NZ is very backpacker friendly. Going on a few tracks like the Abel Tasmen and some out of the Queenstown area will burn 3-5 days each, easily.
You can pick up an odd job here and there. At the time I was there, postings for kiwi pickers were at the hostels. That would have been great fun, but I didn't have time. I don't know if they still have this program, but I did WWOOF(Willing Workers on Organic Farms) for a little bit. This is where you stay with a NZ family/person who provide you with room and board in exchange for you working on their farm for a bit. It was a wonderful experience and you get to know the people of NZ better than just being a tourist. I was a raftie for a day for one of the bungee jumping outfits and they gave me a huge discount on my jump. I think pulling people in after their jump was more fun than my actual jump. The people are wonderful. I could go on and on about my experiences, but the main thing is that none of my best times were ever really planned. If you have the luxury to stay a few months, you get to go beyond the typical tourist experience.
Out of all my backpacking trips, NZ has always been closest to my heart. The people are amazing and it is the easiest place to get around. Just grab a guidebook like Lonely Planet and decide as you go. It does make sense to sort of have a rough plan, so you're not having to back track.
Have a wonderful time.
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