New Zealand?

[2017ish]

I posted something similar in the ongoing wine thread, but figured that wider dissemination was probably a good idea...

We are planning and starting to book 2 months in NZ, basically March/April, for driving/hiking trip. We'll hit most, if not all, of the wine growing regions.

Anyone have any wineries/regions that are must sees/tastes?

How about non-winery destinations/hikes/activities? (We are leaving our dive gear in Fiji, for before and after, as the waters in NZ are too cold for DW. Thus, that activity is off the table.)

 

[anethum]

If you are interested at all in architecture, Napier (east coast of North Island) was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931. The town was rebuilt in the style of the day, art deco. I went on a walking tour with a guide, and it was great. The concentration of art deco architecture there far surpasses Miami Beach or anywhere else I've been. BTW, there are a fair number of vineyards nearby and an Australian woman on my walking tour had visited several and bought many bottles. When we found ourselves both returning after the tour to look at the menu of an upscale restaurant in a building we had visited, we made plans to eat dinner together in the restaurant that evening. Many restaurants in NZ are BYO so we split a bottle of her wine (I reimbursed her) and had a lovely dinner. This was 25 years ago, so I don't recall the restaurant name.

On the Otago peninsula on the South Island near Dunedin, there are some unusual sights. There is the world's only "mainland" albatross colony. (They only nest in spots with a very high average wind speed.) At that time, you had to make a reservation to watch them from a viewing point. Amazing to watch them try to land to their nesting spot on the side of a cliff.

Not far from the albatross colony is a small colony of yellow-eyed penguins, which I believe may be the rarest penguin species. In the afternoon, you can watch them come ashore and slowly move up to their nests on a sandy hillside.

The Speigt's Brewery tour in Dunedin was enjoyable.

I don't recall visiting any wineries but I biked through vineyards in the Marlborough area on the northern part of the South Island, and in the Napier/Gisborne area on the North Is.

I hiked in quite a few national parks. They're quite varied and all were lovely. My favorite was the Routeburn Track, which at that time you could do independantly at whatever pace you wanted.

If you have any interest in plants, there is a stunning garden in Auckland in a reclaimed quarry. IIRC, it was between downtown Auckland and the airport. ETA: I believe it was Eden garden, and it's a lot closer to downtown Auckland than the airport. I recall seeing some gorgeous tropical rhododendrons in bloom, and a large number of Japanese maples.

 

[Zona]

If you will be there for that long, definitely look into doing one or more of New Zealand’s Great Walks. You can book all the huts and pack in your own supplies, or if you have the budget I highly recommend booking with an outfitter like Ultimate Hikes. We did the Milford Track with them — the guides were amazing and the lodges and meals were top notch.

 

[OldShooter]

We were there maybe 5 years ago. Mixed mode trip. Some flying (https://www.flyinn.co.nz/) in the South, rental mini-motorhome for about a week in the North, then a rental car and AirBnBs north of Aukland. Main reason for the mini was flexibility. It was summer and accomomodations were pretty heavily booked. That's a problem for us because we don't like to lock down a trip weeks or months in advance in order to ensure that we have lodging. We did the same thing in Alaska a few years before for the same reason.

 

[Helen]

I booked a tour with the "Flying Kiwi Adventure Tour" when I first retired. It was awesome. I did the South Island tour. Check out their itineraries for some ideas of what to do. My favorite was the three-day backpack on the Routeburn Track.

https://flyingkiwi.com/

 

[Bigdawg]

on the South Island near Dunedin, there are some unusual sights. There is the world's only "mainland" albatross colony. (They only nest in spots with a very high average wind speed.) At that time, you had to make a reservation to watch them from a viewing point. Amazing to watch them try to land to their nesting spot on the side of a cliff.

Not far from the albatross colony is a small colony of yellow-eyed penguins, which I believe may be the rarest penguin species. In the afternoon, you can watch them come ashore and slowly move up to their nests on a sandy hillside.

I'm confused. Only "mainland" colony and it's on South Island. OK. Love birds. I have an Osprey nest on the back of my property. Love mostly birds of prey but Albatross are pretty cool. I'll have to check it out on my New Zealand trip in 2025.

 

[tmitchell]

PTF. Can’t wait to do this trip.

 

[anethum]

I'm confused. Only "mainland" colony and it's on South Island. OK. Love birds. I have an Osprey nest on the back of my property. Love mostly birds of prey but Albatross are pretty cool. I'll have to check it out on my New Zealand trip in 2025.

I recall it being described that way, with "mainland" in quotes. I took it to mean that all of the other known albatross nesting places were located on much smaller and isolated islands.

Here's some information I found online, which also refers to it as the world's only mainland albatross colony. When I saw the colony on my 1st visit to NZ, 35 years ago, I simply bought a ticket in Dunedin for a time slot at the Taiaroa Head colony, located at the tip of the Otago peninsula.

https://albatross.org.nz/

Here's a link to a good 4 minute Smithsonian video of the Taiaroa Head albatross colony:

 

[braumeister]

I recall it being described that way, with "mainland" in quotes. I took it to mean that all of the other known albatross nesting places were located on much smaller and isolated islands.

FWIW, I visited a large albatross nesting colony in the Falkland Islands, but that's certainly a small place compared to New Zealand. So I'm prepared to let them get away with using the word "mainland".

 

[rpguy4]

We were in Dunedin, NZ back in 2017..
Here is a live Albatross camera :

https://www.doc.govt.nz/royalcam

 

[2017ish]

Thanks all! Anethum, I passed your first post to DW, who is our travel agent/planner--some of it was new to her, and your suggestions were right up our alley. (We focus on nature, long hikes, alcohol, food, history, and architecture--hence, the length of our trips!)

We'll do a lot of hiking this trip, although it doesn't look like we'll go for the same level of challenges as late 2022 in Patagonia...

 

[GhostofTomJoad]

On a lighter note, I cannot help but share this NZ schtick from uncle Lewis Black:
14:47 through 18:58.

Trigger warning for those with tight belts and sooper-dooper overly huge scruples and who are possessed of inane taboos about explicit language. Maybe you should just loosen-up and enjoy?

 

[anethum]

We'll do a lot of hiking this trip, although it doesn't look like we'll go for the same level of challenges as late 2022 in Patagonia...

I remember your gorgeous photos of Patagonia which you posted here.

I recalled a couple of other small items. The ferry from the North Island arrives in Picton on the South Island. After leaving the ferry, I encourage you to turn right off the main road to go along Queen Charlotte sound. The coastal scenery with the exotic NZ vegetation was stunning. You can continue westward to Havelock, and then west some more to Nelson. Nelson, like Napier, is an upscale town and a nice place to wander around. Nelson Lakes NP and the Wairau valley (part of the Marlborough wine region) are nearby south of there.

I went whitewater rafting on the Shotover River on the South Isl and enjoyed it.

The scenery on the west coast of the South Island is beautiful if you have good weather.

I never got to Taranaki or the Northland region of the North Isl. Both sound lovely.

I noticed that you'll be diving in Fiji before and after NZ. I went biking around the main island of Fiji before my 2nd trip to NZ. It was very pretty and quite interesting.

 

[2017ish]

...

I noticed that you'll be diving in Fiji before and after NZ. I went biking around the main island of Fiji before my 2nd trip to NZ. It was very pretty and quite interesting.

Thanks for the additional NZ thoughts. DW is now booking AirBnBs on the south island for the middle part of the trip. (and nice that you remembered DW's photography/blogs from Patagonia!)

Re Fiji. Excellent diving, and the people are wonderful. We've hitchhiked on the main island in the past, and have spent time, so far, on just two of the islands (also done a couple of liveaboard diving trips). Adding another island/dive resort this trip.

The diving, in our opinion, isn't quite at Indonesia or New Guinea levels, but it is top notch. And for stopping off to and from NZ it cannot be beat!