aidandj

iTrader: (5)

Extra hour is totally fine. I think we're planning 100-200kms a day. So lots of stops and detours.

msmola2002

also a bit late for targa NZ. had some friends that shipped an MGB over for it a while back and had a blast.

mx5-kiwi

I live in Auckland so happy to help if you need anything. Flick me a PM for contact details. Possibly have a spare car for Auckland use.

1-2 hours from Auckland heading south is Matamata which has many of the Hobbit sites and village.

3 hours from Auckland is Taupo which has lots of things to do bungy, jetboating, mountain biking etc.

1 hour east of Taupo is Rotorua, lots of Maori and geothermal sites, pretty cool. EPIC world class mountain biking tracks.

Your dollar is really expensive to ours currently (0.68c to NZ 1$ so your in for a treat). Petrol is HELLISHLY expensive and just got worse. $2.50 / LITRE.

Lots of awesome roads everywhere.

South Island has unreal great roads and scenery, Christchurch, Queenstown, Otago. Tourist sites and things to do everywhere.

Gee Emm

With all due respects to our two Kiwi friends who posted above, the best thing to do on a NZ holiday is just skip NZ and hop over to Australia .... after all that is where most Kiwis end up anyway.

You're welcome, and I'll get my hat on the way out.

aidandj

iTrader: (5)

Australia was actually first on our list because I have a lot of family there. But we decided we can go visit family some other time.

msmola2002

last time I was in Bondi it took me an hour before I found someone with an aussie accent. Kiwis, poms and scandinavians.

vitamin j

iTrader: (5)

I went to NZ on my honeymoon and it was awesome. We rented a campervan from Happy Campers in Christchurch. We got a simple Hiace with the hitop so I could stand up and we could park in normal parking lots. Gets 25mpg too. We did a loop of the south island and then flew to the north and stayed in hotels. Christchurch is a little folksy town, not a ton of "cool" stuff but it's good for a stopover, NZ Air Force history museum and Antarctic Center are cool. Dunedin is an amazing place, the albatross sanctuary is a must-see.

Three things any gearhead needs to see: Transport Museum in Wanaka and the World's Fastest Indian in Invercargill and then you have to do a Rally Experience in an EVO IV with rallydrivenz.co.nz.

I definitely had more fun on the south island, way less people and traffic and more wilderness but it's still awesome.

aidandj

iTrader: (5)

Are credit cards accepted everywhere? Or should I expect to need to exchange a bunch of cash.

msmola2002

Every time I've gone back to Australia I've not exchanged cash. Make sure you have contacted your bank and just whack an ATM when you hit the airport.

aidandj

iTrader: (5)

Ill check with my bank. But would like to not carry too much.

msmola2002

yep. I came over here many years ago and didn't know any better, first time i tried to use my card the fraud detection shut it down - had to call the bank and get them to switch it back on. Major pain in the ***** and frightening when your main source of funds is cut off.. Since then, calling all my card providers before I travel in the 2-3 days before I leave is not forgotten.

wackbards

iTrader: (2)

15 year old data, but I found that our basic US bank cards that we use every day in the grocery didn't work in NZ except for bank/ATM withdrawals. There were times I wanted cash, and times I wanted credit. If the situation is still the same, I'd recommend bringing both a bank card and a credit card.

Lokiel

Fun activities in NZ: Kayaking - Kayaker blessed by a seal, slapped in the face with an octopus


For the Kiwis: Do you guys have PayWave/PayPass like we do in Oz and is it as prevalent?
PayWave/PayPass

Almost all shops in Australia these days have PayWave/PayPass and I seldom carry any cash on me at all.
Australia never got into paying everything by cheque/check like they do in the US but PayWave/PayPal has been adopted very quickly be everyone.

If your Mastercard/Visa card has this option and it's available in "EnZed", you'll find it invaluable.

mx5-kiwi

Costs associated with Paywave for us small busineses are crazy here so it is around but nowhere near as prevalent as in Oz.

Eftpos swipe is everywhere but not sure about your US cards. Credit Cards (Swipe or chip) also everywhere, presume yoru cards work aside from bank noticing and blocking foreign transactions.

aidandj

iTrader: (5)

Question about cell phones/data service, etc, from someone who has not traveled out of country.

Internet says the best thing to do is just grab a local prepaid sim card to put in my current unlocked smartphone. Any reason not to do this? Getting verizon internation coverage looks cost prohibitive.

vitamin j

iTrader: (5)

We got a local prepaid SIM, worked great. There are a couple small kiosks just for this purpose greeting you in the airport. We found that there is a ton of free wifi, however only in towns or cities.