If you are short of time and hungry for
scenery, skip the North Island and fly into Christchurch: you will need at least
three weeks to explore the South Island. When you arrive at the airport, pick up
brochures for backpackers hotels, especially that of the V.I.P. network. You'll
want to stay in a V.I.P. hotel and get a $10 membership card, which is good for
discounts at virtually every tourist attraction and even 50% off standby domestic
fares on Air New Zealand.
Tourist information offices in every town and the comprehensive selection of
brochures in hotels make guidebooks redundant much of the time. Furthermore, the
guidebooks available in the U.S. do not have enough pictures to convey a sense of
New Zealand. No guidebook will give you worthwhile hotel and restaurant
recommendations-hotels are all good and your choice of restaurants will be
limited in most towns. Despite these caveats, Jane King's
The New Zealand Handbook isn't a bad book to have.
Bring Gore-Tex boots,
parka and rainpants (or at least gaiters) if you plan to do even one hike. New
Zealand hikes involve frequent stream crossings and sudden violent downpours. If
you are staying in backpackers you needn't take much in the way of clothing
because every hotel has a washer/dryer. Join AAA here and take advantage of the
comprehensive services of the AA there-free maps, roadside service, free towing
back to civilization if you need it, and travel assistance. If you are renting a
car, prepare to spend $35-45/day for a new car from Avis without air
conditioning, or $20/day for a used Japanese car (literally one that was used in
Japan for 30,000 miles or so) with air conditioning from a local company.
American citizens don't need a visa and airfare is cheap: $600-800 from
California, $900-1300 from the East Coast. Remembering that you'll get nearly
enough frequent flyer miles for a free domestic round-trip may help soften the
sticker shock. Also, you can often get a free stopover in Australia. However, if
you are going in December and January, you must book at least two months in
advance to be sure of the flight you want at the best price. If you want to go on
frequent flyer miles, book at least four months in advance. A bike in a box
counts as one of your two free pieces of luggage, if you can't fit everything
else into one suitcase expect to pay $180 round-trip for your bike.
Flying Kiwi is at 2 Canterbury Street, Picton NEW ZEALAND, 011-64-3-573-8126
(voice or FAX). They have
a web site or you can send them email at
flying.kiwi@xtra.co.nz.
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