Sue

Can't help you with decision on taxi or Shuttle as we were met at Auckland Airport but we did take the Super Shuttle at Christchurch and found it quick and reasonable priced. It really depends on how many hotels they have to stop at, the vehicles aren't large so they can't take many passengers. Have you checked the website for the shuttle its http://www.Supershuttle.co.nz. Quite often in the large hotels they will let you have the room before normal check in time if there is one available. If not the concierge will lock up your luggage so you can at least have a look around or eat something until it's ready..
Have a great trip, I'm envious of the NZ part of your holiday even if it's only for a couple of days as it's my favourite holiday destination.

Judith

We dropped our motorhome off at the Maui depot and they phoned for a taxi from there to the hotel in Auckland. The taxi arrived quickly and the woman driver was very friendly and chatty and told us of lots of places to visit. She offered us a discount if we booked her to go to the airport 2 days later and suggested the appropriate time for pick up. We were a bit concerned that she might not arrive but she arrived 5 minutes early and got us there in good time. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the taxi company, but it worked very well.
I'm also very envious of you as NZ is fantastic.

Thanks Judith for the info. I will check out the Shuttle as someone on Cruise Critic said they had used it. I don't mind if I have to wait until they collect people or drop people off.
Sorry to say it is not just 2 days in Auckland but a 14 night cruise around NZ taking in all the cities and places of interest. To date the cruise company have no excursions available. This maybe because 2007/2008 was their first year in that part of the world. We eventually cross over and have a overnight stopover in Melbourne before stop again in Sydney again it is an overnight stay.
I will have to disembark pretty early but they are now trying to get people off as quickly as possible. In recent years I have been aboard around 11.30 - 12MD.
I fly to Perth on the 12.10 Qantas so will have enough time to transfer and will have gone through immigration in Sydney.

Yes I am really looking forward to it and will be away for 8+ weeks. Just wondering if it is too long but I will be with my brother and family from 7th December until I come home on the 13th Jan.
I have been able to get Singapore Airlines to increase my baggage allowance to 25K. I have some medical equipment I need to take with me on my travels as well as lots of medication Approx 1K but she just said we will give you the 5K.
This is very helpful as it is a worry when the excess is so expensive.
You are very knowledgeable about NZ.

What do you think are the must do? Tauranga, Sea Day Napier, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound, Milford Sound. 2 Sea days before Melbourne 1 Sea day before we arrive in Sydney.

Again thanks Judith for the assistance.

Sue

Sue

I knew you were going on a cruise due to previous posts but had somehow got it in to my head that you were just cruising to Sydney which on thinking about it would be stupid not to see something of NZ. Most of the places you mentioned I visited on my visit in 2002. Tauranga I rember as a lively waterfront town, lots of parks, cafes and shops and we spent a a pleasant few hours there.
Will your ship visit all three of the sounds? I visited Milford( I'm saving Doubtful for my next trip) unfortunately it poured with rain from the moment we got on the boat until we got off, it was still awesome though as there were hundreds of waterfalls due to the heavy rain. Aparently this happens quite often as the South Island can be very wet.The scenery as you pass from Wellington to the South Island is lovely and hopefully you will get good weather. I don't know if it's the right time of the year but you can see whales in Kaikoura which is an area just north of Christchurch and if your ship is hugging the coastline you will pass quite close by. Dunedin is a quite old town(by NZ standards) with some interesting buildings, there is an Albatross Colony on the Otago Peninsula which is within easy reach of the city and you may be able to take a tour out there if you have time.
I do hope you share my liking of the country, not everyone has the same views of what makes somewhere special but most people who visit NZ leave with good memories.
No I don't think 8+ weeks is too long, I spent 5 weeks (including stopovers) visiting Australia 3 years ago and would haved loved to stay longer, I am never in a hurry to return home. I look forward to hearing about your holiday after your return next year.

Thanks Judith I am really excited by it all. Yes we do all 3 sounds but as you say it may be raining and then it makes the visibility a problem.
I did the Norwegian fjords a few years ago and they were just glorious. Geiranger is the Diva and just so beautiful.

Again many thanks for all the information. I got a DVD from Austravel as I was in Leeds last week. Also one from Australia. I have been there a few times and I lived in Queensland in the 60's for a while.
Judith do you travel on your own like me? I love it and it is not a problem for me.

Thanks to all

Sue

Sue

I travel with my husband, a friend or on my own.
My husband hates travelling and can only be persuaded to go on special birthdays or if we travel business class (which doesn't happen very often)he did go to New Zealand though and thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope to persuade him to go again, but usually I'm on my own. Eighteen years ago I was on trip to China when I made friends with a fellow solo traveller and we have made a few trips together since then. This year I had a few days in New York on my own and will be going to Laos in November again on my own (though I am joining a tour group after a few days in Bangkok). Travelling alone appeals to me as I have only myself to please and can eat or sleep when I feel like it. If I go on a group tour I almost always make friends with other people on the tour and can choose to spend my free time either alone or with my fellow travellers. Solo travelling definitely suits me. My husband who is from the south of England seems to believe that enjoying being on my own it's something to do with me being origionally from Yorkshire, he says we aren't normal up north:

For me the South Island is amazing, and is definitely prettier than the North but still my favourite part of NZ is the area in the North Island around Lake Taupo, with Huka Falls to the north and the Volcanic Loop to the south. I loved driving the loop, every turn was a picture postcard moment.

NZ doesn't do cities very well in my opinion. I loved Christchurch (maybe because it reminded me of home) and Queenstown, but Auckland and Wellington disappointed. It's the smaller towns and villages that make NZ special, places like the Waitomo Caves in the North Island and Kaikoura (essential for Whale spotting) in the South Island.

I was really disappointed with Christchurch, everyone had said what a lovely city it was but I was unimpressed,it was a real tourist trap with far too many souvenier shops all selling the same stuff. I only spent a couple of hours in Auckland and missed out Wellington completely as my husband hates crowds and cities, but you are right about the small towns they really have character, some still keep a pioneer feeling. One of my favourites was Wanaka on South Island, I could have quite happily moved there to live.

Judith,

The memories are flooding back now. Wanaka was a lovely town, we did that right after Lake Tekapo and both settings were absolutely stunning (far more to do in Wanaka though). After that it was off to the Mt Cook range which was outstanding. In fact the whole of our South Island experience was memorable but for not being able to go to Milford (avalanches both days blocked the road) and also horrid weather on the west coast around the Glaciers. I'm sure both Franz Josef and Fox are stunning but in gales and heavy rain they don't quite have that impact.

I can see your point about Christchurch. It was fine for us, we loved it and we managed to get over to Lyttleton Harbour as well which was a nice diversion, but I can see why some people don't rate it.

I thought Auckland was trying to hard to be Sydney to be honest. Wellington was windy, and not that great, in fact apart from the stunning Te Papa museum I would not recommend it at all. The tram ride up the hill with views over the city was good also. It did have the best nightlife scene in NZ though but then again it is the capital.

One essential stop on any NZ itinerary is the Coramandel Peninsula. Absolutely stunning. Cathedral Cove is shown in the new Prince Caspian film and it brought back so many great memories. A long walk down there from the car park, but well worth it.

I am really envious of people who are travelling to New Zealand.

We were really lucky with the weather we only had rain for a couple of hours at Mt.Cook, a few hours one morning at Akaroa(another lovely spot) and when we were on the boat at Milford Sound otherwise it was shorts and sandals weather.
We both fell in love with the country, in fact we looked in to emigrating there but unfortunately we are too old. But we hope to go again and spend a lot more time visiting the places we missed and re-visiting the places we loved.

Judith can you remind me of what time of year you were there at? Do you think I need to bring a raincoat? Late November/early December I am there.

Thanks again everyone for the write ups and keep it going!

Sue

Sue

We were there in March, when we arrived the weather was lovely but the man who picked us up at the Airport said their summer up until then had been awful and that they had had weeks of rain. I think South Island NZ has pretty much the same sort of weather as the UK, unpredictable, though the North Island has a much more tropical climate and is probably sunnier on average. I would pack a light weight rain jacket/coat. I don't expect you will need it at all in Australia but better to be safe than sorry in NZ and as usually happens if you don't pack one you will get lots of rain and if you do you won't need it.