carleneg@tekfdi.UUCP (Carlene Godfrey) (06/27/84)
I am planning a trip to New Zealand during February, 1985. This will probably also include Australia and the Fiji Islands. I have been told that a *must* in New Zealand is the tour bus with guides. The extent of the trip will be from 4 to 6 weeks, depending on what I decide to do. Please let me know of any special dos and don'ts for sightseeing, eating, accommodations, etc. Thanks in advance. I'm going to have a *great* time!
carleneg@tekfdi.UUCP (Carlene Godfrey) (07/03/84)
I am planning a trip to New Zealand during February, 1985. This will probably also include Australia and the Fiji Islands. I have been told that a *must* in New Zealand is the tour bus with guides. The extent of the trip will be from 4 to 6 weeks, depending on what I decide to do. Please let me know of any special dos and don'ts for sightseeing, eating, accommodations, etc. Thanks in advance. I'm going to have a *great* time! ********************* Disclaimer Sorry if you've already seen this. I sent it last week, and it didn't show up. My guru said to send it again.
carleneg@tekfdi.UUCP (Carlene Godfrey) (07/05/84)
I am planning a trip to New Zealand during February, 1985. This will probably also include Australia and the Fiji Islands. I have been told that a *must* in New Zealand is the tour bus with guides. The extent of the trip will be from 4 to 6 weeks, depending on what I decide to do. Please let me know of any special dos and don'ts for signtseeing, eating, accommodations, etc. Thanks in advance. I'm going to have a *great* time! cg
cassell@bigburd.UUCP (Keith Cassell) (02/06/86)
My wife and I spent a month in New Zealand from mid-December
until mid-January and had a very good time. Rather than give a
detailed account here, I will summarize. Feel free to ask questions
via e-mail.
Geography, climate, etc.:
The North Island is hilly, the South Island more mountainous.
During our stay (New Zealand summer), the temperature in the North
Island varied between 60 and 90 degrees F. On the South Island, it
was perhaps between 40 (in the mountains) and 85. It rained every
other day.
People:
The people were very friendly and helpful. Most of them
you would like to have as neighbors.
Cost:
The biggest cost for us was transportation. Because we went during
the high season, round-trip tickets from Texas cost ~$1400 each. Off-season,
the tickets are several hundred dollars cheaper. Getting around in New
Zealand costs roughly as much as in the US. Food and lodging costs about
a third to a half as much as here. When we were there, the exchange rate
was about NZ$1.90 : US$1.00 at New Zealand banks. You get a better rate if
you exchange travelers checks rather than cash. Visa and American Express
are acceptable in many places.
Things to do:
Most of the things we did were outdoors; the place is beautiful.
On the South Island, there are fiords and mountains and many nice trails
to explore. The North Island is less spectacular but very pleasant, and
the beaches are much warmer. Fishing and scuba are popular for good
reason.
The native Maori crafts interest some people, but didn't
particularly interest me.
Miscellaneous interesting places to visit include thermal areas -
hot springs, geysers (pronounced geezers), etc. and glowworm caves.
These tended to be quite 'touristy'.
Miscellaneous:
I wouldn't brag about their food; however, the dairy products are
very good.
Driving on the wrong side of the road can be an exhilarating experience.
I did not see any dogs in restaurants.
In many places, you can actually drink water right out of streams (and live).
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{psuvax1,sdcrdcf,sjuvax}!burdvax!bigburd!cassell