Saturday, Apr 21, 2007 at 19:50
Steve,
Have done it and recommend this type of tour of NZ.
Our friends and us decided on a four week tour of New Zealand a few years ago.
We didn't "take a package" as such. We booked the Air fares and the Motor
Home separately.
Any of the major players will give a competitive deal. This is one of New Zealand's strong points in tourism and they all do it extremely
well. The Caravan Parks are
well set up to cater for motor
home parking and some have "onsuite" facilities.
The four of us decided on a six berth "Barbiemobile" for reasons of space. It is something you are living in for some time. With four people, the beds are readily accessible and the living/cooking section in the middle is free for use at any time.
Actually, we spent most of the time cooking outdoors on a BBQ provided.
As others have said, all of the Motor Homes come fully equipped. The only thing you need to do is call in at a
supermarket (and bottle department) to stock up on "essentials" before you take off.
Both the North & South Islands are unique and it is hard to judge how long to spend in each area.
The North Island has Aukland, the Bay of Islands, the Kauri Forest area and also a lot to see around Rotorua. (Don't worry about the sulphur smell, you'll soon get used to it)
If you are into Trout Fishing by fly, this area is the "Mecca" of trout fishing at the southern end of Lake Toupo at the RiverTongarero. We spent three days fishing there after promising the girls we would spend a corresponding amount of time snow skiing with them on the South Island.
The South island is probably more scenic and the "Mecca" for snow skiers. (Yes, we gave the girls sufficient time on the slopes and actually enjoyed it ourselves).
Queenstown is a great place to base yourself if pursuing snow activities, in season of course. The South Island also has attractions such as
Mount Cook, Milford Sound, and the Glaciers of Franz Joseph and Fox and a helicopter flight out of Fox Glacier village is highly recommended.
A couple of tips based on our experience.
Depending on your particular interests, decide how much time you will spend on each Island.
After working this out, book your passage on the ferry between the two Islands.
This is important, especially if you have a larger "Barbiemobile" like we did as sufficient space to ferry you across cannot be guaranteed.
Guys,
You are going to experience an exellent means of exploring New Zealand.
One other tip I can think of which we "fluked".
We had booked into a Motel in Auckland, near the Airport for the first night and before picking the Motor
Home up the next day.
Close to this motel was an "attraction" where you travel through via an enclosed cab of some sort and view a variety of penguins in their "natural" habitat. This place also had a replica of Douglas Mawson's Hut and was a facinating tourist attraction.
Locals may be able to provide you with the correct name of this place if you are interested.
The locals are great, although they have a funny way of expressing the English language:-)
Sorry about the rant, but you fired up the memory bank.
Must get across there again soon.
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