New Zealand/ Tahiti

[Brocks]

My brother-in-law is doing a roundthe world gap yeard and is due in New Zealand/Tahiti at the end of March/April. We've been talking about a nice winter break and she's suggested we meet him over there for two weeks.

The NZ tourist web- sites are a little over crowded with info (I was very tired when I read them). However I have worked out that Kaikoura (whale trips) and rotarua (volocanic/Maori areas) are worth a visit.

Any one been there? What's the best time of year to go? Best places? Best way to see it etc etc etc.

[R13hard]

lol, funnily enough, my sister-in-law is doing the exact same thing, we are going out there in febuary, i don't really know expect but i have also read about the kaikoura and rotarua areas which seem the top places to visit! if you drop me a PM during feb i will let you know what i find out when over there.

[Brocks]

Sure mate, Spot on....

And maybe you'll be up for a mini meet in the next few weeks? I'm expecting to be working in Portsmouth for the next 3-4 months.

[R13hard]

yeah brocks, sounds good, just let me know when your out and about on the sunny south coast

[yorkshireborn]

if they like wine then hawkes bay is a must its the best wine region.
milford sound must be top of there list the best veiws they will ever see.
white island walk on a live volcano.
stewart island see the kiwi in its natrual surroundings
bay of plenty the list is endless
and ofcourse skiing theres plenty of skiing

[Ozz]

Well even though we are enemies in every sporting event we contest it ain't a bad place to visit & there are plenty of things to see & do in the land of the Long White Cloud.

I have been their twice, once in winter & then summer. Either time was great, but I always come back to the same thought that at the end of the day New Zeeeeeeealand is just one big country town

[Flyingkiwi]

Hi Brocks,

As an expat Kiwi, I would thoroughly recommend your trip to NZ. I was last there in 2005, and the wife and I went whale watching in Kaikoura. It's amazining how close you actually get to the whales. The tour operators are very informative, and you can also get right up close to seals, and have pods of up to a couple of hundred dolphins racing alongside the boat also. Awesome!

I'm originally from the South Island, so am logically biased about that part of the country. If you want any further info on good spots to visit in NZ, PM me.

[Brocks]

Cheers all.

I may well take you up on that one Kiwi. Whats the best time of year to go? I don't want to have the views of the mountains spoilt by copious amounts of rain and cloud!

[Flyingkiwi]

Hi Brocks,

I usually find between April and May are OK. The weather in NZ, can be as ub-predictable as that in the UK.

Saying that tho, when we were there in 2005, we only had two wet days in three weeks! Not bad going....

[lborob17]

Hia Brocks - just got back from North Island NZ yesterday after spending xmas and new year there!!. Visited Roturua - very interesting place - if a little smelly - but after you have seen steam coming from the ground all over the town and in the parks - it all looks the same after a while!! We spent 12 days driving from Wellington (worlds most scary landing!) up to Auckland (car hire very cheap) and behond - staying in YHA places (even cheaper!) - lots of driving and took a while to get anywhere - nice to actually drive on roads that go around corners for a change and also see green grass!! - we then flew out from Auckland yesterday! (3.5 hours back to Mel)

Weather is quite changable but is supposed to settle down a bit in Feb


If you want any other info get back to me as I would be happy to recomend a few places give pics etc- depends what your interests are though - eg architecture - visit Napier a true art deco city which was rebuilt after a earthquake flattened in in 1931 - fantastic

Rich