Headed to New Zealand with FW, son and DIL at the end of March. Won’t be a hunting/fishing trip. We’ll be there for 9 days and flying in to Aukland. Also likely spending 2 days in Sydney Australia on the way home. Any recommendations for places to go, things to see? We’re doing research and working with a travel consultant but I trust this crew more than most. Thanks.
Yes, my FW and I spent 10 days in/around Auckland and then 4 on the South Island (Queenstown and Manapouri) and have a ton of recommendations. Where are you staying and for how long (if multiple places)?
In Auckland proper the Viaduct area is cool, and there are yachts like you’ve never seen before. As a former Rugby player I liked checking out Eden Park home of the All Blacks, and Mount Eden right by it was worth a hike around too. Tons of cool parks and beaches (Takapuna Beach was cool) all around Auckland to check out as well. One thing we didn’t check out but a lot of people recommended was a ferry over to Waiheke Island and a wine tour or to Rangitoto Island/Volcano.
We stayed with a friend that lived there, and having a car available was huge. We went on hour+ trips daily, and just as an fyi it can take an hour + to go 20 miles as most roads are comparable to our rural 2 lane highways, and they wind around lakes, mountains etc. at a slow speed. Probably my favorite near Auckland was Piha Beach and Kitekite Falls, plan on spending a full day here. Waipu beach was interesting, but had a strong sulfur smell, and the real highlight there was the Glow Worm Caves nearby. We just explored the caves on our own, but they have official tours as well.
On the South Island the flight into Queenstown was amazing in itself, Milford Sound and just driving around, Lake Manapouri, Mirror Lakes, Devils Staircase, I could go on for awhile and wish we had spent more time on the South Island. But it was all magnificent and awe inspiring, and the random “loops” or hikes all over the place on both islands were incredible as well. 10/10 would recommend and can’t wait to go back.
You’re going to New Zealand and not fishing? Inconceivable!!!!!
Have a fun and safe trip.
SR
FWIW Sydney is not really on the way home, unless you are world touring thru Asia and Europe. I’d recommend spending that time on the South Island if that’s not already in your plans. Oh, and supposedly the fishing is great around all the islands just outside the breakers. I wish I had spent a half day doing that after chattign w/ some guys at Piha that landed their boat on the beach.
FWIW Sydney is not really on the way home, unless you are world touring thru Asia and Europe. I’d recommend spending that time on the South Island if that’s not already in your plans. Oh, and supposedly the fishing is great around all the islands just outside the breakers. I wish I had spent a half day doing that after chattign w/ some guys at Piha that landed their boat on the beach.
We’re flying on Delta passes and Aukland to LAX direct (seasonal route) ends three days before we want to leave. The kids have to go back for work but don’t want to leave early so we’re flying back through Sydney. Tyying to convince my wife to stay a week in Sydney. We’re retired and don’t know if we’ll every get back that way.
You’re going to New Zealand and not fishing? Inconceivable!!!!!
Have a fun and safe trip.
SR
Trying to wedge in a half day, my son would love to go as well. The ladies are utterly uninterested but likely can be convinced that they are sick of being with us halfway through the trip.
Gotcha, and heck yeah add a week or two in Aussie if you can!
Red Stag in NZ is on my short bucket list. 
Mrs Grouse grew up in New Zealand on the South Island in Christchurch, so needless to say when it comes to the 2 islands, I’m a little biased. But still…
NZL is as close to paradise as this mortal coil offers, IMO. Love it. Can’t get enough. But only 9 days is trying to drink from a firehose. NZL is roughly the size of California but split between 2 islands. Also, there are no freeways outside of Auckland, it’s all 2 lanes and slow down for every small town. So for planning purposes IMO you are really pushing it to cover 50 miles in an hour on average and less in the mountains.
So the end of March is late summer/early fall. Keep in mind, as you head south in NZL, it gets cooler.
North Island: I’m not into the Lord of the Rings thing. IMO the best of the north island is the Coromandel Peninsula. Unbelievable.
South Island: Queenstown is beautiful but highly touristy, IMO still worth a look. Milford Sound is incredible, but difficult to get to and you’ll likely not have time. Christchurch is beautiful, but it is sad to me to see it now because it will never be what it was before the earthquake. The Moraki Boulders are otherworldly. Also, I can never get enough of seeing penguins, which much to my astonishment, are just standing around in some places on the south island coast. We were walking in a village on the south coast one day and I looked over and there on some guys front lawn there are penguins just standing there looking at me.
You’re going to New Zealand and not fishing? Inconceivable!!!!!\
Exactly. You need not be a fly angler, we’re not judging. Well, we are, but still you don’t NEED to be a fly angler.
Most of Mrs. Grouse’s relatives live near Gore, which justifiably claims to be the brown trout fishing capital of the world. All I can say is it has to be seen to be believed. If you can imagine the most perfect of western US trout rivers and then multiply it by a million. The trout fishing opportunities are too vast to be believed. Mile after mile after mile of perfect, glacier-fed trout rivers and all of it is public. NZL law gives anglers the right to not only fish, but to walk on the bank on ALL land public or private.
But only 9 days is trying to drink from a firehose.
Daughter in law is a teacher, we’re going on her spring break so time constrained. Son is providing transport (free other than NZ to Australia and any flights within NZ). FW and I can stay longer on our own and still fly free from Sydney to MSP. Really trying to lean on her to stay an extra week or more.
I asked you all in the hope that it will help narrow down some choices. We’re tied in to flying to Aukland and out of Sydney. Everything else is up for grabs.
Really appreciate the information provided. Maybe I’ll stay solo for a couple of months and spend some time fishing and exploring. Not likely, will be getting my knee replacement replaced this summer.
I’d go visit the Shire and Mount Doom.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
But only 9 days is trying to drink from a firehose.Daughter in law is a teacher, we’re going on her spring break so time constrained. Son is providing transport (free other than NZ to Australia and any flights within NZ). FW and I can stay longer on our own and still fly free from Sydney to MSP. Really trying to lean on her to stay an extra week or more.
I asked you all in the hope that it will help narrow down some choices. We’re tied in to flying to Aukland and out of Sydney. Everything else is up for grabs.
Really appreciate the information provided. Maybe I’ll stay solo for a couple of months and spend some time fishing and exploring. Not likely, will be getting my knee replacement replaced this summer.
Enjoy your vacation hopefully you guys have a fantastic trip. And good luck with the knee replacement, my dad did both his knees within the 8 months. First one was 7 months ago and the second was about a month ago.
You might see Xena down there.
You might see Xena down there.
I was in NZ in the 70’s and every pub I went into had a 24″ trout mounted above the fireplace.
Back then NZ was the second highest taxed country in the world and almost nobody worked on weekends (most of their OT & weekend pay went to taxes), so most businesses were closed on weekends.
It’s a great place to shop for wooly sheep skins and opals.
Enjoy your vacation hopefully you guys have a fantastic trip. And good luck with the knee replacement, my dad did both his knees within the 8 months. First one was 7 months ago and the second was about a month ago.
Thanks. Had the right knee replaced in 2022 but the appliance is starting to separate from the femur. Trying physical therapy to see if additional strength in the knee will offset the pain but not a lot of success in two months. If it doesn’t go my way they will replace the knee again.
IMHO, there was a difference between NZ and AUS as big as the difference between AUS & the US, each one going back a decade or two.
Even more spectacular than the views were the people. NZer’s were the genuinely friendliest people I’ve ever met.
Back from New Zealand today. Fantastic trip, great people, wonderful weather and absolutely beautiful. Flew in to Auckland, spent three days there. Went to Waiheke Island and bounced around for a day drinking wine and gin, seeing the sights. Eden Park for a rugby match was very fun. Stayed at the Park Hyatt (kids are good for some things, in this case Hyatt points!) overlooking the harbor. Then flew to Queenstown, stayed in an AirBnB townhome west of town with a patio overlooking Lake Wakatipu. Did the Milford Sound cruise, drove to Glenorchy and cruised the lake on the TSS Earnslaw, an old coal fired steamer. Moved on to Mount Cook National Park. Hiking was limited due to my knee issues and my son spraining his ankle playing basketball five days before we left. Hiked the Hooker Valley Track. Weather was clear as we could have hoped and the mountain and glaciers were spectacular. Spent the night in Tekapo and did a star gazing event with a professional astronomer. No light pollution made the Milky Way and constellations really pop. Over to Christchurch for a couple of days. Nice town and very friendly people. Spent our last two nights in New Zealand on a farmstead in North Canterbury. Great spot, the Waipura River runs through the property. A working farm, they have 6,000 sheep on hand. Popped over to Kaikura one afternoon for whale watching. Saw a 15 meter sperm whale and a pod of hundreds of Dusky Dolphins. Visited a few wineries in the area, had a great lunch at Pegasus Bay Vineyard. The grounds were beautiful, simple lunch of cheese, smoked salmon, bread and grapes was perfect for the day. Final morning drove to the Christchurch airport, flew to Auckland on to LAX and finished at MSP. The flights were a grind but we got upgraded to Delta One LAX to AKL, Premium Select on the way back. Definitely a better way to fly than main cabin.
Thanks to all who gave advice on the itinerary. Squeezed of out the Australia leg due to time constraints and my bum knee. Enjoyed the experience enough that I will definitely make the effort to go back, add in some fishing and make it to Sydney.
Good Lord, did you ever stop to sleep? 
Sounds like you had fun.
Sounds like an awesome trip! And I’m a little jealous about wanting to go back now 
Really enjoyed all of the Land of the LONG WHITE CLOUD. Enjoyed all of the NZ suggestions. We have been to New Zealand 5 times (our favorite place to visit). First couple of trips down were multi stops, Chicago to Hawaii to Nandi, Fiji to Auckland – return Sidney to Pago Pago to Hawaii to Chicago…..I used to be an American Airlines employee (trip passes). Last couple of trips nonstop out of Chicago to Auckland. Every trip down I rented a car and drove all of the trips…but that’s a another story.
bestfishes – jim
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