Looking for some Kiwi help

[k9sar]

Hi all

 

My parents are returning to New Zealand for 5 weeks in November and early December. I'm looking for some residents to ping for information if they have any questions or any suggestions on what to include in their trip as must-see or visit locations. I know the first issue is that they are looking for inexpensive accomodations in both Christchurch and Auckland that have some sort of shuttle service to the airports.

 

so anyway... if you are willing to field some questions, let me know.

 

Just as an overview... they are in their late 60's and are renting a motorhome to drive around for 5 weeks. They had a similar trip many years ago (20ish) and stumbled with the culture differences like the fact that they couldn't buy milk or meats in a grocery store and when they went to find a "restroom" they found a place where people were sitting around resting. I guess they were looking for a dunny or loo or some other crazy term that I forget my mom told me (began with a P).

 

Thanks, in advance for your help

[Pezzy]

"pisser?" LOL

 

If the see hedgehogs... duck!

[Precise1]

Just have Tex drive them around...

 

B

[RowdoggNZ]

First kiwi reporting in.

 

Unfortunately i don't have much information on Auckland / South Island.

 

I can give plenty of information on tourist attractions and places of interest around the central north island. Lots of geothermal activity and also lots of maori culture and stuff.

 

Lemme know what you wanna know

[long]

if you care to pm me ill pass on my cell number so you can give it to them ive travelled most of NZL

[k9sar]

Scott:

Plunkett room was the name of the loo. Seems that some guy named Plunkett funded the construction of public @!*%ters as a result of finding them less than plentiful in NZ. Also seems that NZ now has supermarkets where you can buy everything in one store including fresh meat, milk, bread, and (OMG) Spam. I have been provided with a link that actually lets me browse one of the larger foodstore chains! But I am not sure how widespread such stores are. Now here is a question. What is the normal charge for using a US atm card in a NZ bank? Haha, not likely anyone living there would know that.

Dad

 

so... anyone going to a bank soon and can ask?

Edited May 14, 2009 by k9sar

[long]

so... anyone going to a bank soon and can ask?

It cost me $8 NZ a time to use my atm card in the USA and Canada not much help am i i will see if i can find out today 4 u

[long]

It cost me $8 NZ a time to use my atm card in the USA and Canada not much help am i i will see if i can find out today 4 u

Checked with my bank 2day n they said that your folks should check with there bank as different banks differ in what the charge in the USA

Edited May 15, 2009 by long

[k9sar]

Thanks. I'll pass along the info.

[TerranoNZ]

Just have Tex drive them around...

 

B

Sorry Scott, I just saw this now. I'd be happy to pick them up/drop them off at the airport. No I won't wear a suit

Failing that there is a shuttle van going to the airport from the centre of town quite often, real cheap.

 

Feel free to fire away questions, do they like wheeling?

[TerranoNZ]

Just as an overview... they are in their late 60's and are renting a motorhome to drive around for 5 weeks. They had a similar trip many years ago (20ish) and stumbled with the culture differences like the fact that they couldn't buy milk or meats in a grocery store and when they went to find a "restroom" they found a place where people were sitting around resting. I guess they were looking for a dunny or loo or some other crazy term that I forget my mom told me (began with a P).

If they are renting a motor home most company's are close to the airport and will pick up.

What store did they go to? We have places that just sell vegies, but ALL supermarkets sell meat n milk.

What dumba$$ did they talk to that didn't know what a restroom is. Powder room?

Crapper, Thunderbox, toilet, outhouse, loo, dunny. These are all known terms, but toilet would be the most common

[k9sar]

I think he said something like Plunket house or some nonsense like that. hehehe

 

I sent my Dad the thread link and told him to keep an eye on it and either get an account or let me know when he has any questions.

[Pezzy]

*waves to K9's Dad*

[TerranoNZ]

I think he said something like Plunket house or some nonsense like that. hehehe

 

I sent my Dad the thread link and told him to keep an eye on it and either get an account or let me know when he has any questions.

Sounds like some one was yanking their chain. Or some complete tard

[k9sar]

ok. next question... He is concerned about the availability of fuel in non-city areas, specifically in the evening. During their last trip, they found that gas stations either closed at 5pm or jacked their prices up 30% or so since the government regulations on price only applied during normal business hours. Is there a witching hour when New Zealand closes? Is there still a practice of raising prices in the evening? Again, this is more for outlying areas.

[TerranoNZ]

Hmmm, can't say as I've heard that one

I know I nearly ran out of gas between Amberley and Richmond because there was no (Manned) fuel stop between the 2. I didn't have a fuel card.

 

Most main cities have 24hr gas....at the same price

 

The AA here in NZ (Like your AAA) has a fair bit of info, I got a travel guide for the South Island book (Mostly full of accommodation) If your Dad wants it sent over.

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/main/index.php

 

@ username K9Dad, nice sense of humor too "Your Pathfinder Info: It is my grandcar (my son owns it)"

[k9sar]

yea... he's a real character

[K9Dad]

Ok folk, now that I have been officially accepted by your site, Hello! Right now I have my vacaton in Kiwi Kountry pretty well laid out. When we arrive in Auckland we are staying at the Ventura Inn, a short distance from the airport. The place was suggeted by the company we are renting our Caravan from. We are still looking for a place in Christchurch for our last night(s) before flying home. I have quotes from the AArburg Airport Motel ($150 for the four of us), and the Airport Gateway (a variety of accomodations ranging from $165 to $265 depending on our desires). There is another place there that looks interesting (good reviews) but doesn't seem to have a web site, and that is the Airport Delta just up the street from the Gateway. We are not yet sure how long we will be in Christchurch and when we will turn in the Caravan, but it will be just for one or two nights. We were also thinking of taking the train from Christchurch to Greymouth and back just for the scenery. My wife suggested we get off in Arthur's Pass and do the town while waiting for the train to return. I looked at Arthur's Pass on Google Earth and my conclusion is that a set of four 70 year old tourists could spend at least 10 minutes doing the town. Our days of treking and stuff are long gone. So, short of sulking in a coffee house for four or five hours or sitting by the magic hole in the mountain waiting for it to spit out the train, I didn't see much there.

Last time we were in NZ was 23 years ago. My wife and I became so tired of the faint taste of mutton in everything that we searched the stores vainly for something familiar like a can of Spam. I see now it is readily available. We found out back then that McDonalds even added a bit of mutton grease to the oil they cooked with since the locals expected that slight taste (so we were told). Of course to us, it was not a slight taste! They say you are what you eat, and back then I marveled at how even the odor in a men's room had a faint mutton smell. We loved New Zealand of course, and we loved the people! And we loved the "slightly different" aspect of things (except for the mutton). Want a six amp fuse for one of your household circuits, just put two wraps of three amp wire on the terminal posts feeding the circuit! Here your house would be condemed and sealed for wiring like that! Car windshields (or windscreens as I think they were called) were tempered glass and not safety glass like we are required to have here. So a road rock could well give you a lap full of road diamonds and a blast of wind and rain in your face! Is that still the case? I can't wait to get my hands on a Chinese gooseberry (Kiwi fruit) picked ripe instead of rock hard, and to see my twin brother's reaction to Vegemite or Marmite. Do they still have signs saying "metal surface" to warn you of an upcoming gravel road? It took a lot of research to discover the history of that term!

Oh, the history of the Plunket room, http://www.monumentalstories.gen.nz/bio_98.html. Or a bit of history. Although originally established for the welfare of mothers and children, Plunket rooms were open to the public and always had nice public toilets.

When we were last there, Crayfish fishing was on a quota system to protect dwindling reserves and a fisherman could only sell his catch to a processor. We managed a black market contact and bought four tails (they were gigantic) directly from a seaman cleaning his catch in a secluded spot. Hope we can manage the same thing again! Not that I want to help decimate the species or mess with the system, but there is just something different about fresh catch! I also remember a place, a lake, (was it Taupo) where you could buy your way into a fishing trip, catch a lake trout, and local restaurants would cook the thing for you! We had an Aussie lady doctor (young) hitch-hiker with us for a time (those Aussies have NO modesty ) and she kept trying to catch one of those nasty looking New Zealand eels that she vowed she was gonna cook for us. Fortunately she never did. We picked green lipped mussels from the rocks off mussel point near Okuru and hope to do so again. The tide was in and we were up to our shirt tails in surf. We had a relay set up with two pickers who tossed their catch to people on rocks who relayed them to a person on the beach with a bucket. We ate till we just couldn't eat any more!

From Auckland, we plan on driving north through the Kauri forests to at lest Kaitaia. then back along the East coast. We will circle the Coromandel then hit the Rotorua area. From there east to circle the East Cape then back across the center of the North Island to Taupo and on southwest to Stratford. Then down to Wellington and the ferry. We will drive the west coast of the South Island down to Haast where you have to go inland. Queenstown of course is on our list. Last time we rafted the Shotover River but I think my whitewater days are behind me now. We will drive on to Milford Sound and then backtrack as far as Queenstown. We will avoid the eastern plains at all costs. From Queenstown we will drive to Mount Cook, then cross the flatlands to Christchurch. A final optional excursion might be to take the train through Arthur's Pass to Greymouth to buy that jade we should have bought when first there and back. Then we fly home. And oh by the way, should any of you NZ people want to stay out of the way as two old farts try to navigate a caravan down the wrong side of the roads, I could post an itinerary.

Edited June 4, 2009 by K9Dad

[k9sar]

HOLY RUN_ON POST, BATMAN!

 

(I would dis-own him if it didn't mean I'd miss out on getting all his stuff)

[DavefromOZ]

Ok folk, now that I have been officially accepted by your site, Hello! Right now I have my vacaton in Kiwi Kountry pretty well laid out. When we arrive in Auckland we are staying at the Ventura Inn, a short distance from the airport. The place was suggeted by the company we are renting our Caravan from. We are still looking for a place in Christchurch for our last night(s) before flying home. I have quotes from the AArburg Airport Motel ($150 for the four of us), and the Airport Gateway (a variety of accomodations ranging from $165 to $265 depending on our desires). There is another place there that looks interesting (good reviews) but doesn't seem to have a web site, and that is the Airport Delta just up the street from the Gateway. We are not yet sure how long we will be in Christchurch and when we will turn in the Caravan, but it will be just for one or two nights. We were also thinking of taking the train from Christchurch to Greymouth and back just for the scenery. My wife suggested we get off in Arthur's Pass and do the town while waiting for the train to return. I looked at Arthur's Pass on Google Earth and my conclusion is that a set of four 70 year old tourists could spend at least 10 minutes doing the town. Our days of treking and stuff are long gone. So, short of sulking in a coffee house for four or five hours or sitting by the magic hole in the mountain waiting for it to spit out the train, I didn't see much there.

Last time we were in NZ was 23 years ago. My wife and I became so tired of the faint taste of mutton in everything that we searched the stores vainly for something familiar like a can of Spam. I see now it is readily available. We found out back then that McDonalds even added a bit of mutton grease to the oil they cooked with since the locals expected that slight taste (so we were told). Of course to us, it was not a slight taste! They say you are what you eat, and back then I marveled at how even the odor in a men's room had a faint mutton smell. We loved New Zealand of course, and we loved the people! And we loved the "slightly different" aspect of things (except for the mutton). Want a six amp fuse for one of your household circuits, just put two wraps of three amp wire on the terminal posts feeding the circuit! Here your house would be condemed and sealed for wiring like that! Car windshields (or windscreens as I think they were called) were tempered glass and not safety glass like we are required to have here. So a road rock could well give you a lap full of road diamonds and a blast of wind and rain in your face! Is that still the case? I can't wait to get my hands on a Chinese gooseberry (Kiwi fruit) picked ripe instead of rock hard, and to see my twin brother's reaction to Vegemite or Marmite. Do they still have signs saying "metal surface" to warn you of an upcoming gravel road? It took a lot of research to discover the history of that term!

Oh, the history of the Plunket room, http://www.monumentalstories.gen.nz/bio_98.html. Or a bit of history. Although originally established for the welfare of mothers and children, Plunket rooms were open to the public and always had nice public toilets.

When we were last there, Crayfish fishing was on a quota system to protect dwindling reserves and a fisherman could only sell his catch to a processor. We managed a black market contact and bought four tails (they were gigantic) directly from a seaman cleaning his catch in a secluded spot. Hope we can manage the same thing again! Not that I want to help decimate the species or mess with the system, but there is just something different about fresh catch! I also remember a place, a lake, (was it Taupo) where you could buy your way into a fishing trip, catch a lake trout, and local restaurants would cook the thing for you! We had an Aussie lady doctor (young) hitch-hiker with us for a time (those Aussies have NO modesty ) and she kept trying to catch one of those nasty looking New Zealand eels that she vowed she was gonna cook for us. Fortunately she never did. We picked green lipped mussels from the rocks off mussel point near Okuru and hope to do so again. The tide was in and we were up to our shirt tails in surf. We had a relay set up with two pickers who tossed their catch to people on rocks who relayed them to a person on the beach with a bucket. We ate till we just couldn't eat any more!

From Auckland, we plan on driving north through the Kauri forests to at lest Kaitaia. then back along the East coast. We will circle the Coromandel then hit the Rotorua area. From there east to circle the East Cape then back across the center of the North Island to Taupo and on southwest to Stratford. Then down to Wellington and the ferry. We will drive the west coast of the South Island down to Haast where you have to go inland. Queenstown of course is on our list. Last time we rafted the Shotover River but I think my whitewater days are behind me now. We will drive on to Milford Sound and then backtrack as far as Queenstown. We will avoid the eastern plains at all costs. From Queenstown we will drive to Mount Cook, then cross the flatlands to Christchurch. A final optional excursion might be to take the train through Arthur's Pass to Greymouth to buy that jade we should have bought when first there and back. Then we fly home. And oh by the way, should any of you NZ people want to stay out of the way as two old farts try to navigate a caravan down the wrong side of the roads, I could post an itinerary.

 

Vegimite is a food of champions, real men eat it.

[TerranoNZ]

Be careful of the Homer tunnel

Only tunnel I know that has rain

 

As you can see I'm in Christchurch, Hola if you need anything.

 

BTW, most cars now have laminated windscreens. Older cars still have tempered glass.

[K9Dad]

I just thought of another question...and I do apologize for the long post. My kid did mention that most folks on this board tend to have short attention spans and fall asleep after reading even one complete sentence. My question is, what is the approximate price of diesel right now? That way I can start to plan on how much money to bring along.

[TerranoNZ]

$1.06NZ per Litre as of 10min ago

 

No I didn't make a special trip, had to get something else anyway

[kiwipete]

May I suggest you go to Doubtful sound, not Milford.

Base yourselves at Te Anau. http://www.fiordland.org.nz/

Reason; Doubtful Sound trip starts at Manapouri and you travel across the Lake Manupori via a launch to the power station side of the lake. Here you disembark and are driven over the mountain by bus, with a most informative description of the area by the driver en route to the Ocean.

At the top of the pass you stop for a minute or two and can admire the many different coloured mosses growing there, some it is the only place they grow and are of all different colours.

When you get to the Ocean you then board a large boat (ship) and have a most pleasant cruise of the fiords.

This trip in it self is so much nicer and longer than Milford. I have done both myself. After returning from this cruise you are then driven back over the same pass by bus then down in the bowls of the Manapouri dam under ground. 200M deep and 2.1 kilometre drive. http://www.lakevista.co.nz/manapouri_power_station.htm

 

Staying at Te Anau, you can do a trip to the glow worm caves, here you travel by boat across Lake Te Anau to the other side and are then transferred to small flat bottom dingys and are taken inside the caves. This is a beautiful experience indeed. http://www.nz.com/new-zealand/activities/t...caves-tour.aspx

 

All these destinations I have done myself and thoroughly recommend them.

On your inland trip back from Queenstown to Christchurch, you can stop off at lake Pukaki and marvel at the sight of Mt Cook, our largest mountain.

Also there are several salmon farms in the hydro canals that link these lakes and if you wish you can purchase some fresh salmon, or catch your own in the holding areas. I know this is cheating, but you do not need a special license to catch the fish this way.

All fishing in rivers and lakes requires the purchase of a fishing license.

 

Be mindful of the fuel prices here, you may need to pack some spare body parts

Fuel is available in all towns and cities, but 24hr fuel stations are only in the major towns and cities.

 

For something different you can dine on the tram as it circuits a part of the inner city, or of course you can take it during the day and you will also have a run-down from the driver of the sights you see en route.

If you do this on a Sat/Sun you can stop off at the "Arts Centre" http://www.artscentre.org.nz/ for a look at craft stalls and some of the oldest buildings in the city. The museum and art gallery is 2 mins walk from here too.

http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/christchurch/

 

If there is anything else you want to know, just holler.

 

Oh, BTW on the West Coast, stop off at Punakaki (pancake rocks) this is an amazing place especially if the ocean is rough and angry. Keep to the tracks and you will be right as rain, but don't wander off them, it is dangerous to do so.

Take the train from Christchurch to Greymouth , you never know with the weather, you may have some beautiful views of just how rugged our country is in places. Its a great trip to do if there has been a fall of fresh snow too.

Don't stop off at Arthurs pass.

Edited June 16, 2009 by kiwipete

[kiwipete]

Further to my advise above, ive had a night's sleep on it.

Queenstown IMHO is over rated, expensive and a tourist trap. Great if you are a thrill seeker, but for the leasuly cruisers that I think you may be, a bit too much.

This is just my opinion and im not trying to put you off or anything like that.

If you do decide to stay there, there is a nice cruise you can do on an old steam boat across Lake Wakatipu on the TSS Earnslaw. http://www.zqn.co.nz/earnslaw/ You will travel to the other side of the lake and disembark at Walter Peak station, where you will be entertained and can walk amongst the animals, hear of the history and if memory serves me well there is afternoon tea supplied in the package. The return trip is via the steam launch again.

A great way to fill in a day.

 

Arrowtown, http://www.arrowtown.org.nz/ an old gold mining settlement is just out of Queenstown and is a nice place to visit on your journey through the country side.

 

Wanaka, just a 1.25hr drive from Queenstown is worth a visit to see the aviation museum, http://www.nzfpm.co.nz/ and puzzle world. http://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/

 

Another destination you may like to explore from Te Anau to your return through Queenstown is The Catlins. http://www.catlins.org.nz/

Probably one of the prettiest places on the East coast of the South Island.

 

It is advisable to check with the AA road watch, http://www.aaroadwatch.co.nz/ to see the conditions of the roads you are travelling, especially if the weather turns nasty. More so in the lower South Island where some roads will be dangerous to drive if there is heavy snow about. Here you might like to ask the hire company to supply you some chains for your motor home, we call them camper vans. Also ask them to show you how they fit on as sometimes they will just throw in a set of chains that are the wrong size! I was in Tekapo a while back for some fishing and it snowed heavily there. I have a full set of snow chains on my 4x4 and was amazed at the number of hired campers and cars that had the wrong sized chains. I spent 1/2 my time there towing and assisting people. I was kind of nice to be able to help them out so they could enjoy their holiday without the added cost of a breakdown service too.

 

Remember we here in New Zealand drive on the LEFT side, this is the right side to drive on by the way. Keep the centre of the road on the drivers side of the vehicle and you will be sweat.

 

More on the West Coast of the South Island. Between Greymouth and Hokitika there is a wee town called Shanty Town. http://www.shantytown.co.nz/ This is set up like the early 1860's as an old gold mining town would have been and here you can pan for gold if you so wish. It is a little costly IMHO, but nice to say "been there, done that too!

 

If you travel to Kaikoura for your crayfish, be aware that the sizes will be a lot smaller now than when you were last here. There is a legal size system and you will not be sold any under sized fish, but they will be costly all the same. Many stalls and caravans are set up on the sides of the road through this area where you can make a purchase.

There is a nice spot to spend an hour or so here too, just South of Kaikoura. It is a lime stone cave, borne out of the ocean thousands of years ago, where you can have a guided walk through to see the many different formations and colours. http://www.travelindex.co.nz/canterbury/pr...orileapcave.htm

 

As for the North Island, well I haven't visited there much myself so I cannot offer any advise on that at all.

There is the National Te Papa Museum in Wellington that might interest you if you are into that sort of thing. http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Tepapa/English/

 

Here in Christchurch is the Gondola, where you can have both a ride, meal and learn the history of the area too, or you might like to do the package tour that includes a wild life park, Antartic centre and the gondola. Here is just one site I came across with Google search http://www.innovativetravel.co.nz/New_Zeal...stchurch_Sights

 

The information centre in the centre of Christchurch city has a wealth of knowledgeable staff who will point you in the right direction and offer information on any topic you wish, if you want to visit there. http://www.totaltravel.co.nz/travel/south-...ch-i-site-visit