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Post by VictoriaA on Aug 30, 2005 0:42:57 GMT 1
Am planning a trip back to NZ in early November to coincide with my best mate's daughter's christening (who I will be godmother to, well pleased! ;D), and want to see some of South Island while I am there. What would people recommend are the 'must see' things to do?
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Post by S on Aug 30, 2005 10:25:00 GMT 1
glow worm caves!
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Post by Roz on Aug 30, 2005 13:17:22 GMT 1
I absolutely loved NZ and in particular South Island, we're lucky as we have family who live in the Motueka valley not far from Nelson, which is beautiful. I must admit one of my favourite places was Kaikoura about half way down South Island. We went whale watching there which was a magical experience, it's a very special place. We also went on a trip to Doubtful Sound, which was stunning, ended up inside a mountain! I think Milford Sound is the better known one but Doubtful was wonderful. I also went riding in the area known as White Heron country and ended up falling into a meltwater stream which was fed by the Franz Josef Glacier due to an ill fitting saddle, it was a tad cold!
Hope you have a wonderful trip!
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alison
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Post by alison on Aug 30, 2005 13:25:41 GMT 1
Cant help you, but my daughter now lives in South Island and works near Ashburton. She loves the place. They (my daughter and her boyfriend) were going to a pace called Geraldine the other day where there was a "scottish" shop so they could buy Irn-bru - but it was shut down. You couldnt take some tottie scones and yorkshire puds with you - could you?? They havent had any since moving there!!!
Enjoy your holidayxx
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Post by VictoriaA on Aug 30, 2005 23:45:20 GMT 1
Woo hoo flights now booked!! Excited! Leave on 30th Oct and return on 18th Nov, so 3 weeks away, brill. Will spend about a week on North Island with my friend then about 8 or 9 days on South Island before flying out to Penang for a stopover on the way home! Can't wait. Need to start planning what to see and where now!
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copper
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Post by copper on Aug 31, 2005 0:28:12 GMT 1
i have to agree with Roz about Kaikoura, i was in South Island last year and we went to this place, also went whale watching which was amazing, not only saw 2 sperm whales but also a huge pod of dolphins. the whole trip was amazing and i think you will find many places to go and explore. its a beautiful place, i cant wait to be able to go back again
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Post by VictoriaA on Aug 31, 2005 12:35:50 GMT 1
my friend who I will be staying with on North Island has also recommended Kaikoura so I think that will be a definate. Have been told Milford Sound is beautiful too, and you can get helicopter flights up onto the Franz Josef glacier which sounds pretty amazing. Dread to think of the cost though! Roz - where is Doubtful Sound? What a charming name, sounds lovely. Where are the glow worm caves?
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speedy
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Once I was a racehorse...
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Post by speedy on Aug 31, 2005 15:09:55 GMT 1
Definitely Kaikoura - you can also swim with the dolphins there, but book NOW cos it is very popular!! They take you out on a boat, kitted up in wetsuit, snorkle etc, find a pod of dolphins and then just let you float about in the water watching them - awesome! Doubtful Sound is next to Milford Sound, accessed through Queenstown - either of those two are a must-see. Franz-Josef glacier - the heli-hike is quite pricey but apparently worth it - I did the half day hike without the heli part, and that is also stunning - don those spikes and walk on the ice Didn't see glow-worm caves on South Island, I did them on the North island - that was fun too - sat on a rubber ring and floated through the caves Also went white water rafting somewhere between Dunedin and Christchurch and that was fantastic, although the water is freezing as it is glacial!! But you wear wetsuits for that too and they provide a BBQ when you return to camp For sandy beaches, try Nelson at the top of the South island - there is a national park there (can't remember the name!), with kayaking, hiking etc For riding, try Dart Stables (booked from Queenstown) and live Lord of the Rings Oh I'm soooo jealous
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Post by VictoriaA on Aug 31, 2005 18:47:26 GMT 1
he he, I'm getting so excited, the more places I look at on the web the more I want to go NOW! Queenstown sounds like a great place to base ourselves for a bit to see various things. Oohhhhh excited!!
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Post by Roz on Sept 6, 2005 11:40:57 GMT 1
I would agree with Speedy, Nelson is lovely, we caught the catamaran from Wellington to South Island, super fast and definitely blows the cobwebs away!
Also go and visit the fish and chip shop in Kaikoura, it has a very good reputation for doing some of NZ's finest fish and chips. I was persuaded to try the abalone fritters which are supposed to be a delicacy, all I can say is yuck, tasted like mud!
We also visited Lake Taupo and Rotorua on North Island, bit smelly in parts due to the sulphur but absolutely stunning scenery. Wellington is fab for restaurants (lovely sea food) and gallerys, so if you like a bit of culture that's the place to go. Central Otago was the least favourite place I visited, just full of sheep and tufty grass and the scenery was nothing special compared to the rest of NZ. I'd also like to visit Coromandel and the Bay of Islands up the top of North Island, it's supposed to be stunning.
Am now getting very jealous as well!
Have a wonderful time.
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Post by VictoriaA on Sept 6, 2005 11:45:12 GMT 1
I went last year for a week after being in Oz for 2 weeks and went up to Taupo and Rotorua then, very interesting places, and yes Rotorua sinks! We stayed in a motel there and had the lovely rotten egg smell all night. Haven't been up to Bay of Islands or Coromandel so might go there first as we fly into Auckland, before I head southerly to my friend (who is 1 hour south of Napier, tiny place called Takapau). Think I'll give the abalone fritters a miss too, not too keen on the idea of eating battered mud!!
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love2fuss not logged in
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Post by love2fuss not logged in on Sept 6, 2005 17:22:44 GMT 1
Definately go to Queenstown. A beautiful place in summer or winter. You could also visit the hotpools in Hanmer Springs. Not a lot happening in Hanmer, but lovely hotpools... Christchurch is pretty. They have some lovely restaurants (try Micheals) and wine bars. Of course,. the coffe bars are exceptional. They really know how to make a great coffee. if you go to CHCH, make sure you go to Drexels for breakfast! Yum Yum! Lots of famous people go there when in town for filming, so the food is really up to standard. From there you could go to Akaroa, which is beautiful. (You'll pass by my old house in Little River!) You could catch a train over to the West Coast. Thats pretty scenic. And of course, as mentioned beforehand, Kaikoura. There is an equestrian centre on the outskirts of CHCH called Mcleans Island. Maybe there will be something happening there. If you fancy some tuition, you could try Kowhai Residential School of Riding (or whatever it is called now....) I think it is www.kowhai.co.nz ? If not, try googling for it. Have fun!
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Post by VictoriaA on Sept 6, 2005 23:55:48 GMT 1
thanks love2fuss, that web addy works and it look like an interesting place! They do 'day tours' for brief visitors which sound interesting (2 hour lesson and 2 hour hack), so I could maybe spend a day riding while my friend goes off and does something else. We will almost certainly be lflying back to Auckland from Christchurch so will aim to spend a bit of time there in last few days. Love the sound of the coffee bars! I might not want to come back (except I couldn't leave Willow behind!)
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speedy
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Post by speedy on Sept 7, 2005 14:25:38 GMT 1
Bay of Islands is stunning - you can take a boat trip and sail around the islands, stopping for a light lunch/BBQ and snorkelling etc. You can also go and dive the Rainbow Warrior Or if you're a diver, even better, between Auckland and Bay of Islands are the Poor Knights Islands and the diving there is SUPERB
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copper
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Post by copper on Sept 7, 2005 14:33:02 GMT 1
along with kaikora that we visited in NZ, we also took the alpine train through the mountains to the west coast which was great. some of the veiws were fantastic. in christchurch we went to this amazing coffee bar, they did hot chocolates in jam jars huuuuge jam jars at that with cream and marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate buttons, the works. oh and dont forget the chocolate fish! have to try them. they were grerat. we went to quuenstown too we were there in july so it was very fresh, i really liked it there.
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