New Zealand in the Fall

[Lazyfish]

Been retired 1.5 years. While we’ve done a lot of domestic travel, we finally opted to take our first international trip in March. Spent 3 days in Sydney, Australia and then 2 weeks in New Zealand. Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson, a coastal town, a lake town, Christchurch, Queenstown, and then Milford Sound.

Truly wonderful people and once on the South Island, the geology and geography were unparalleled. The dollar is strong against the New Zealand dollar so fairly reasonable.

We went to the glow worm caves, Mt Cook and associated glacier, vents/surface geysers, and fjord at Milford Sound. Other stops along the way but spectacular vistas. Highly recommend.

9 of us in a van with full time driver/guide. Flawless execution and a few unscheduled visits (mt cook). Flight time is long going and coming.

Along the way, met a youngun who touted the benefits of going.com (formerly Scotts Cheap Flights). Have since subscribed to that service. It may be beneficial to some depending on your desires. Because we retirees have some flexiblility, it is a good site to encourage travel.

 

[2017ish]

Sounds excellent and like a packed schedule! DW is thinking of a two month trip to NZ either this year after the USA summer, or in their fall next year. What other stops did you make? What type of overnight stays? Any hiking to speak of?

And you are going to love going.com. DW has had premium membership for some time and the deals on business class trips have determined which international trip we take next....

 

[luckydude]

Sounds excellent and like a packed schedule! DW is thinking of a two month trip to NZ either this year after the USA summer, or in their fall next year. What other stops did you make? What type of overnight stays? Any hiking to speak of?

....

If you have two months to spend in NZ, I recommend that you take time to visit Northland north of Auckland. This part of the NZ is often overlooked by overseas tourists, but it has spectacular coastal scenery with great hikes. Highlights include Whangarei, the Bay of Islands, Doubtless Bay, Waipoura Kauri Forest, the 90-mile Beach and Cape Reinga (with a lighthouse at NZ's northernmost point). The Far North is called the "Winterless North" because of its mild temp all year round. Follow the Twin Discovery Coast Highway for a nice loop (up on the east coast and down on the west coast). You'll find long stretches of deserted white sand beaches (Bream Bay), deserted coves with sparking blue waters, little hikes up to lookouts for awesome coastal views, and very friendly Pakeha and Maoris.

This is my favorite part of New Zealand to get away from the tourist crowd as most visitors to the area are Kiwis and foreign tourists rarely venture up this way.

 

[OldConch]

Thanks for the positive trip report OP. We found points & miles tickets to Auckland in late Dec so we'll be visiting New Zealand and Australia for the first time. Joining small-group tours in N.Z. and Tasmania, and will explore Melbourne, Sydney, and the Cairns areas on our own. Haven't found flights home yet but will try to find one that transits through Singapore so we can explore there for a couple of days.

Be careful with Scott's/Going. We found 4 great deals from Sep 2022 to Sep 2023 - Dubrovnik, Lisbon & Munich, Morocco, and Warsaw. Combine these with points/miles trips and DW is starting to say "no."

 

[Lazyfish]

Plenty of hiking around Mount Cook and I would recommend it. Also, the national wildlife refuge north of Nelson at Abel Tasman allows a range of hikes where you travel by boat to the north and then hike as far as you like and they pick you up. Our overnights were in hotels as opposed to other types. The Rutherford in Nelson, Distinction hotels in Auckland, Rotorua, and Christchurch. Queensland was spectacular and would recommend getting a Fergburger. The trip up the Gondola was epic and the views otherworldly. Did a Māori cultural experience. In Rotorua which was okay but probably not what I’d recommend. Did a raft trip nearby hat was beautiful but not that exciting.

I love a two month stay as I think we were to much on the move and couldn’t enjoy the places as well as we’d like. Wives did a winery tour outside of Wellington and greatly enjoyed it. I think you’re doing it right!