Christchurch

[Headless Rat]

Hi, has anyone got any exciting ideas for what to do during a months holiday in New Zealand? Flying in and out of Christchurch but will travel around from there.
Thanks.

[mushroom25]

visit Queenstown, self-styled Adrenalin Capital of the World http://www.queenstown-nz.co.nz/information/Act ivities/ (jet boating, bungy, etc).
For the less adventurous, ride the Tranz Alpine, one of the world's greatest rail journeys, http://www.tranzscenic.co.nz/services/alpine.a spx

[jno]

Good advice from mushroom. You can do the TranzAlpine in a day or stay overnight at the top or the Greymouth end. Christchurch itself is pretty quiet, Queenstown not. See whales off Kaikoura, to the north. Vineyards around Marlborough, top of the South Island. In the North Island (fly to get there, or I think there are ferries), Wellington on a sunny day is the loveliest spot on earth, with a fascinating museum. In a month you could also cover most of the island - thermal activity in Rotorua, art deco in Napier, scenery and local history in the Bay of Islands. Best food and drink is in the cities, and pretty cheap by UK standards.

[sense4all]

Whale watching, not to be missed, fancy a day at the beach go to New Brighton just a short trot from CHCH, while you are out that way you spend a couple of hours with the animals at the park.

http://www.leadingattractions.co.nz/Default.as px?DN=5,1,Documents

A few ideas on here. If you have children we have some great photos of them hatching out of prehistoric looking eggs. I think it is pronounced ( but not spelled mo- a - raki)
thay are a geological feature on a beach.

We took a camper van around but to be honest I would not recommend it - I would pre book en suite and kitchen facilities with these guys

http://www.topparks.co.nz/
and travel by car. Easier to park in touristy hot spots.Also if you join their loyalty scheme there are discounts avaliable. I wish I had allowed a couple of days at Te Anu, a pleasant lakeland resort and good site. Glo worm caves a pleasant hot day activity.

I was shocked at the mediocre quality of 'on the road' food.I always eat out on hols but had to resort to making mid morning rolls to last through to proper dinner at night.
The best meal I had in nz was in an unassuming place by Kaikoura callled the white morph ( just dug out the card)
check it is still owned by chef Garry and Kerry Ford. .their contact is [email protected] . Tel [phone]. I even went to the kitchen to thank the guys who cooked it.

Iam sooo jealous. Enjoy your hols.

[sense4all]

http://www.oranawildlifepark.co.nz/

http://www.teanaumountainview.co.nz/links.htm

go to the fiordland section.

[Snowy Owl]

If funds permit, take a helicopter ride from Franz Josef over Mounts Cook and Tasman, the Fox and Tasman glaciers. Not a cheap option, but the experience of a lifetime.

On the South Island, try Buller Gorge to the east of Westport for a hair raising metal suspension bridge walk and other quite hairy experiences!

Rotorua can get very busy, so if you want to see volcanic activity try Orakei Korako between Rotorua and Taupo. Off the beaten track and none the worse for it.