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Old October 24th, 2004, 06:01 PM
Charles Eggen
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On Sat, 23 Oct 2004 17:07:44 +0100, JohnM
wrote:

In article , Charles Eggen
writes

Multiple trips have brought me to say that, with careful planning,
most areas of NZ can be experienced, if one has 2 months. That said, I
do not mean that it will be in any great depth, but it will provide
enough information that future visits can be made knowing how much
depth you want to give to any specific area. Remember that you can't
do everything and compromises will be needed, therefore I suggest that
you drop Chatham Islands from your plans. My recommendations a


-- snip snip --

Let me absorb this Charles and thanks a lot. Yes, the Chathams are the
obvious ones to drop...but, I have to think.

I found one item very interesting. Do you think I should devote 1 week
to Wellington and its surroundings? What would you include in its
surroundings? I know people in Wellington, too, but not as well as in
Auckland, so I could stay there longer.

I am pleased that all of you think that 10 weeks is doing the country
justice. I have been to NZ before (16 years ago) as part of a RTW trip,
but my main destination then was Australia, so I stuck to Auckland and
Northland. I have been in Paihia before, but it rained a lot and didn't
see much. (It was October). However, NZ made a big impression on me and
have wanted to return ever since, but I knew it had to be two months at
least and that's why I waited for so long to find the time and the
money.


John -
Since I posted, you stated that you would prefer not to do your own
driving - to use buses and trains. If so, that would means some
changes from the suggestions I previously made, but not many. There
are a couple of areas that you would need to take a small local bus,
instead of Intercity or Newmans and rail travel is much more limited
these days.

A week is not enough time for Wellington. It is easy to spend a day in
the Te Papa museum, for one. If you are a walker, there are a number
of wonderful walkways in and around the city and the city's public
transport system (train, bus, trolly) is the best in the country.
There are many gardens worth visiting and the Astronomy Centre/
Planetarium is in the Botanic Gardens in the heart of town. There is a
small zoo where you can view some local fauna, but you should find the
time to walk through the new Karori Sanctuary -
http://www.sanctuary.org.nz
You might also consider dropping in on the office of Forest & Bird -
http://www.forest-bird.org.nz/index.asp
Where you can obtain much info on the plants and animals of NZ.
If you enjoy early buildings and historic places, drop in Antrim House
http://www.historic.org.nz
There are numerous museums and galleries to occupy your time, when the
weather is less than inviting for tramping.
There is a tourist info centre at civic square that can provide you
with printed info on many area attractions, as can the Automobile
Association which has offices in most major communities. If you do
decide to do much of your own driving, I would suggest that you take a
membership in this organization.
BTW, if governmental activites are of interest - you will want to
check out the parliament house and perhaps take a tour.
And food - you will not find a better variety of options in NZ.

Wellington is a wonderful area and you will not have a hard time
filling whatever time you have there.

Charles
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