hi there fallout,

thanks for your tips. my family & another family travelling but the tour & travelling will be arranged by them. i'm just joining in with them, so travelling ahouldn't be an issue. thanks again fren!

NP. Friendly and helpful people over there, so won't be any problem at all. Enjoy your trip!

Now I still thinking whether should I add

RM550 per person for the flight to Queenstown
RM250 per person for accommodation at Queenstown..

for the 3d2n...

If not I will be at Auckland.. But I still haven't figure out got any interest places at Auckland to travel around or not...

Hi sifus,

I'm going to NZ-CHC on 20/july until 28/july.

I planned to fly Jetstar from CHC to Queenstowns on 22/July and back to CHC on 25 or 26/July.

1) Can i just buy packages (like skii) when i arrive Queenstown?
2) Can sifus intro me which accomodation to stay in CHC and Queenstown? my budget around NZD100-150 per nite.

Thanks!!

Auckland itself is mainly a business area.
You can go up north to Whangarei then Paihia from Auckland. Andden south to Rotorua and Lake Taupo.

Queenstown more tourist things to see I believe, but all the travelling will take time too.

in akl, u can go to sky tower or take a ferry to island nearby (waiheke/rangitoto/devonport).
or u can go further north to paihia or kaitaia, then join a tour to cape reinga & sandboarding. there are plenty of tour at paihia like sailing or hole in the rock. if the weather is good, i think u'll enjoy it.
if u want to go further south from akl, u can go to rotoroa to experience maori culture, agrodome and visit some of the geothermal places like wai-o-tapu or orakei korako.
taupo is a nice place too. i think tat hukafalls is just magnificent. u can do all those bang-for-the-buck activities here like bungy jump, skydiving, water rafting, jetboating, flying etc.
waitomo is famous for it's glowworms and black water rafting. u guys can join a tour to see glowworms in a cave.

nz's true gem is its mountain. in north island, mt ngauruhoe (mt doom)/ tongariro/ ruapehu are located in tongariro national park. mt taranaki(mt fuji in last samurai movie) in egmont national park. u can see it at new plymouth. apr/ may is not a good time for tramping but worth for a visit if u have time.

for flight to queenstown, u can take airnz/ jetstar.
airnz - luggage included but limited to 1 piece
jetstar - need to pay seperately

u can try to get cheap seat from http://grabaseat.co.nz/ too

weather is chilly end of apr. better to prepare fleece. when it's raining, it could drizzle for 3 days continuously. hope u get good weather and enjoy ur trip.

Can tell, driving in NZ is a real pleasure, thoroughly recommended, unless there's a winter blizzard in the highlands. We did the usual South/North Island self-drive stuff in Aug 2008, pls click HERE for tips/guides/pics.



===

This post has been edited by mat sputnik: Feb 18 2012, 12:14 PM

NZ is amazingly wonderful. Went there for Working Holiday in 2010, spent 9 months there, drove around etc.

FYI, certain parts of NZ can go below 0 degrees. The coldest i experienced is -5, at Queenstown. The cold wasnt that bad, it;s the wind that's a problem.

Wear a windbreaker / jacket that is windproof / waterproof. it will keep u warm!

hi...

I plan to hire a campervan for my NZ trip in mid of May this year....but seems like the weather is a bit cold..

1) Is it suitable to stay in a campervan?
2) any itinerary suggestion? Will be there about 3 weeks...

Campervan is very popular, but not sure if it's a good idea if it gets too cold, wet and windy.

As for itinerary, can follow mine as core: pls click HERE.
Then embellish it with other destinations/activities to stretch to 3 weeks, which is a lot of time.

===

Have go through some of yrs photos, it amazing and beautiful. I will be in South Island fr 24th June- 5th July, had hear the new that North hemiphere had bad and cool weather in 20 year. Do i need to worry the same bad whether in South Island, like heavy snow or road close due to snow?

Yes, roads will be closed and get frosty, cars will start to miss behaving due to cold weather. That is why driving yourself isn't encouraged, you might get stuck midway or even trapped in a snowstorm!

Thanks.

Winter driving has its perils, but as long as you are aware of road conditions and warnings you should be okay. Read this GUIDE first.

North Island -- the road most susceptible to snow is Route 1 that goes through the middle, i.e. through Tongariro National Pk, next to Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe. It's a really interesting landscape - barren, no trees, very window, freaking cold. Good thing about North Island is, even if this popular road is blocked, there are other alternatives. Can check road conditions HERE.

South Island -- there are many mountain passes when crossing the Alps. These are vulnerable to snow storms. Can check road conditions HERE.

As long as you are aware of road conditions/warnings, and your car is prepared for it, plus a bit of common-sense, it should be okay. You must carry tyre chains on some stretches -- there'll be ample warning along the way.

The Te Anau to Milford Sound road is dangerous in winter -- often closed. Live status is HERE.


===

Snow last year. Christchurch, approx 20cm? Lol. Was crashing at a friend's place, woke up, opened the door and wow. It should be the "best" that I've experienced in NZ up till date. Well, worst actually according to some. I forgot which town got approximately 40cm deep of snow. Almost whole South Island was affected and even up to Wellington in the north.

So, anyone going in the winter season, do take care.

Sorry, can't remember, long time back, before AirAsia X time. Just google for latest info -- rooms, car rental, petrol, etc.

An experience everyone should go thru once.

I hate snow. I hate winter. It's depressing and cold. After the snow, the whole place dirty like dunno what also.
I had family friends experience a snowstorm in US before. They say never again visiting countries during winter.

Haha. Personally, I just love the weather back there. Don't mind hot or cold as long as it's not raining or too windy. Still, sometimes I'd rather have a snowy winter than a rainy one. It's just.

Still, like what you say, it's an experience. Hail in the middle of spring, running for cover and stuff is just great. Haha.

This post has been edited by digitalz: Feb 21 2012, 03:20 PM

Thanks Mat for yrs invaluable infor and experience sharing with us. Look like u r active traveller, everywhere see yrs shadow

I know this has been asked a gazillion times.

I'm going to NZ on 2nd week of March. Planning to bring like Rm13k for my 2 weeks trip for 2 pax. At least that's how much I've calculated that i'll be needing, plus some spare for shopping.

Should I change all to NZD? Should I swipe my CC? Apply a debit card?

Cheeers

RM13k more or less enough. Changing it all to NZD or not is your choice actually. Still, better be safe with extras. Any plans for trips, tours and stuff?