tranzalpine promotion is going on now during winter. $99 for a return trip. the route should be covered with snow especially at arthur's pass.

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.

1 day - tekapo
1 day - mt cook np, u can do hooker valley track or kea point track. if u dun wanna do trekking, can just stop by, take photo of mt cook and go for next destination. if got $$, can fly to see snow capped mountain and glacier
1 or 2 days - wanaka (skydiving, puzzling world, learn to fly, hike at mt iron/mt roy/ rocky mountain or walk at lake front, skiing)
3 days - queenstown (bungy jump (u jump at night doing the ledge bungy, how cool), jetboating, gondola, arrowtown, skiing/snowboarding (early june, not sure whether ski field has open, depends on how early the snow arrive), 1 day milford sound. if u like sports, go for a ice hockey game. super exciting. there's winter festival in qtwn, not sure when this year)
1 day - back to chch

daylight timing during winter is very short. sky becomes dark at 5pm. it's super cold down south. plan ur trip well and enjoy.

i think tat fox glacier ice is more blueish. fox is in "z" shape but fj is in 1 line. when u're in tekapo, just go out and look at the stars at night. make sure u're in complete darkness without any light. it's super awesome!

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Added on March 8, 2012, 11:21 pmu can get 500g of manuka honey with umf 5+ at less than $20 at pak n save. try to survey the price of honey here and compare it when u buy
whittakers is sold at $3.50 a bar when there's sales. wine is pretty cheap $10 for 1 bottle when there's sales. best thing is sometimes countdown sells a bottle of beer at $1.50 for reduced price. try Speight's.
Doritos is my favorite corn chips. try it out

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Added on March 8, 2012, 11:38 pmi think so. i dun know much abt stray coz the travel package is too expensive for me. i just take intercity and nakedbus. lol. from tekapo to mt cook, i took cook connection in the morning and the driver did make a few stops at lake pukaki for us to take picture and explained about mt cook, the lake and power generation.

in chch, u can stay in hostel at bealey avenue coz intercity and nakesbus stop are there if u're gonna travel by bus. i stayed in kiwibasecamp last time coz they provide free airport pick up/drop off. many ppl like to stay at jailhouse coz it's special. it was jail last time. lotsa of motel and hostel in chch. not sure wat's ur budget. for hostel, check bbh.co.nz


This post has been edited by lpp: Mar 8 2012, 11:39 PM

hi. in which season u'll be in nz.

Queentown/Glenorchy/Kinloch
Arrowtown (best in autumn)
my favorite landscape in the Mackenzie country -Tekapo (full of lupins flower in summer and the lake color is just special)

north island has some nice places also.

rotoroa - experience maori culture there and go to wai-o-tapu to see the geothermal landscape
taupo - huka falls. if u like adventure, can try skydiving/bungy/jetboating
tongariro alpine crossing is great but in early spring, there might still have snow and i'm not sure u can do it on ur own. wat i know is in winter, u gotta follow guide and hike with crampon and ice axe, complete set of equipment. if u're newbie in hiking, there could be some challenge
but in another way, u can try skiing in mt ruapehu, whakapapa ski field.
waitomo - if u're into adventure, black water rafting is super worth the bucks. if not, u can join the tour to see glowworm in the cave
new plymouth/taranaki - a place i simply enjoy...

New Plymouth

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Added on July 2, 2012, 9:42 pmhighly recommended u to go to south island!

u can get cheap domestic flight from jetstar or airnz.
http://grabaseat.co.nz/

This post has been edited by lpp: Jul 2 2012, 09:42 PM