NZ Where to Go
some places i enjoyed (in random order):
south island
-> Te anau - do the glowworm caves tour. very magical experience
-> Otago peninsula - visit Penguin Place, a conservation reserve where you can view yellow-eyed penguins up close. will be good idea to also stay overnight there - they have a backpackers hostel there with beautiful views of the fiord, has a cosy living room and is equiped with small kitchen. if you're lucky, you'll get the whole hostel to yourself cos so few pple know about it. before dusk, head to Taiaroa Headland, a short drive away from the hostel. you can see NZ fur seals and sometimes sealions in their natural habitat - the rocky shore. can walk up close, right next to them. at dusk, blue penguins come up to shore. needs a lot of patience as they are wary and get startled with slightest sounds and wait till it is all quiet and safe before coming up to shore. it gets crazy cold at night.
-> Catlins - can see Hooker sealions frolicking on the beach, swimming around. best to go to the catlins tourist info centre to ask where and when is best time to view the sealions. they give very good advice. i saw the sealions at Surat Bay at their most active in the morning - swimming around and running about on the beach. Also check out Nugget Point - best time to go is sunset. View of the Lighthouse at sunset is stunning. At dusk, head to the hide/shelter (short drive away) to view yellow-eyed penguins coming up to shore.
-> Catlins - Curio Bay - you can see fossil forest/petrified forest here, looks just like rocks though.
-> Catlins - a number of small but beautiful waterfalls - McLean Falls, Matai Falls, Purakaunui Falls. Not to be missed is the Niagara Falls.
-> Franz Josef and Fox Glacier
-> West Coast - Maruia Falls, Charming Creek, Fantail Falls, Thunder Creek, Blue Lagoon, Lake Matheson (best viewed in early morning)
-> Mount Cook. Can do a short trek, pack your lunch and picnic by the river.
-> Queenstown - touristy place with many touristy activities to choose from - skydiving, whitewater rafting, jetboating etc.
north island
-> rotorua to see geysers, boiling mud pools. check out the Waiotapu geothermal park
south island
-> Te anau - do the glowworm caves tour. very magical experience
-> Otago peninsula - visit Penguin Place, a conservation reserve where you can view yellow-eyed penguins up close. will be good idea to also stay overnight there - they have a backpackers hostel there with beautiful views of the fiord, has a cosy living room and is equiped with small kitchen. if you're lucky, you'll get the whole hostel to yourself cos so few pple know about it. before dusk, head to Taiaroa Headland, a short drive away from the hostel. you can see NZ fur seals and sometimes sealions in their natural habitat - the rocky shore. can walk up close, right next to them. at dusk, blue penguins come up to shore. needs a lot of patience as they are wary and get startled with slightest sounds and wait till it is all quiet and safe before coming up to shore. it gets crazy cold at night.
-> Catlins - can see Hooker sealions frolicking on the beach, swimming around. best to go to the catlins tourist info centre to ask where and when is best time to view the sealions. they give very good advice. i saw the sealions at Surat Bay at their most active in the morning - swimming around and running about on the beach. Also check out Nugget Point - best time to go is sunset. View of the Lighthouse at sunset is stunning. At dusk, head to the hide/shelter (short drive away) to view yellow-eyed penguins coming up to shore.
-> Catlins - Curio Bay - you can see fossil forest/petrified forest here, looks just like rocks though.
-> Catlins - a number of small but beautiful waterfalls - McLean Falls, Matai Falls, Purakaunui Falls. Not to be missed is the Niagara Falls.
-> Franz Josef and Fox Glacier
-> West Coast - Maruia Falls, Charming Creek, Fantail Falls, Thunder Creek, Blue Lagoon, Lake Matheson (best viewed in early morning)
-> Mount Cook. Can do a short trek, pack your lunch and picnic by the river.
-> Queenstown - touristy place with many touristy activities to choose from - skydiving, whitewater rafting, jetboating etc.
north island
-> rotorua to see geysers, boiling mud pools. check out the Waiotapu geothermal park
posted by nan at 12:45 AM
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