My wife and I are spending a few weeks traveling around Australia and the south island of New Zealand. We will be in Auckland for two nights before we head home and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what area to stay in the city. It will be the end of a long trip so we will most likely beat and just looking to hang out in the city. Thanks!
Way OT: Where to stay in Auckland NZ?
- Thread starter mesa4234
- Start date
Hey mesa, I live in Dunedin, on the South Island. I can give you info on all sorts of stuff New Zealand, and travel tips as well (like -- spend more time in NZ than Aussie).
Unless people are interested in all the great things you can do in NZ being listed on this thread, I'll just correspond with you by email. I have a gmail account and the name is jeffreyksmith. Looking forward to hearing from you.
+1
Always wanted to go summer snowboarding there and try some of the other adventure activities and would love any other info. Please cut and paste that email!
I'm interested too. But I'm concerned about visiting New Zealand because I only speak English.
My comment was a reference to the "Why Americans don't travel" discussion in the cursive writing thread.
OK, I'll do a big write up tonight (my tonight). And nobody wants to be Australia's Australia. We are more like Australia's Canada. Except cooler.
Later.
(Australia is like Texas whereas New Zealand is like Oregon.)
Later.
(Australia is like Texas whereas New Zealand is like Oregon.)
Now I really want to visit NZ. Thinking of a down under trip next year, may divert to NZ. Bring my fly rod too!
OK, here goes. This is long, but a lot of cool stuff to talk about!
To begin, you asked about hotels in Auckland. A really cool boutique hotel is the Hotel DeBrett. It’s beautifully decorated in art deco style. Small, high end, very nice. Downtown. We also stay at the Quadrant Hotel and Suites, and the Copthorne Hotel. They are close to the University of Auckland and also close to the heart of the city. We do a lot of work with the University, so we stay at those two places often. They’ll be a lot cheaper and are perfectly OK. It would all depend upon the deal you can get. The wharf area is a place you definitely want to visit, so you might pick a hotel there, but I can’t make a recommendation there.
Auckland is a big city. It’s a pretty nice one, but a big city. Good restaurants, particularly seafood and Asian fusion seafood places. But nobody goes to NZ to go to Auckland.
BTW, good website for all things NZ: http://www.newzealand.com/int/
OK, cool places/things to do in New Zealand. First, Kiwis (that’s what they call themselves) love the outdoors. They love hiking (which they call “tramping” which is pretty funny for a country where prostitution is legal), bungy jumping, sky diving, parasailing, surfing, rock climbing, mountaineering, fly fishing, skiing, snorkelling and scuba diving, jet boating, kayaking, and sailing. You can do most of these things most places in New Zealand, but the South Island is prettier than the North Island, so it’s good that you are spending more time down there.
I’ll start at the top of the South Island and work down. At the top is Abel Tasman National Park, which is on the ocean. It is gorgeous country. I’ve been kayaking and hiking there. Would be great for camping also. One thing the Kiwis like to do is rent a camper van. There are tons of places for camper vans. Working your way down south along the west coast, you would come to Franz Joseph Glacier and Fox Glacier. These are cool. Lots of cheap places to stay nearby if you aren’t camping. In NZ, people use B and B’s all the time. They range from pretty basic to terrific lodges. Most places come with a great breakfast, and the owners are usually really nice people who will give you insight to the local area. We never used B and B’s before moving down here, but now use them all the time. Last one we stayed in (in Wanaka) had a great feature. They drove you to your restaurant at night and then came back and picked you up to go back home. That way nobody had to forego drinking. NZ is really hawkish on drunk driving. Lots of checkpoints. Don’t do it.
Down from the glaciers, you hit Te Anau and the Sounds. There’s Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound (cool names in English almost all came from Captain Cook. My house overlooks Murdering Beach.). You stay in Te Anau and then either drive to or take a bus to the one of the sounds. They are pretty similar so only do one or the other. Stay at Te Anau Lodge, and if you are going to do that, let me know and I’ll tell George you’re a friend. Killer good breakfast there, and wine and cakes in the late afternoon. You can take one of several tours of the sounds (fiords). One lasts about 2-3 hours and you will see pretty much everything there is to see. There is also an overnight tour that people rave about, but we haven’t done it. There is also some super good fly-fishing in the area.
You could then come inland into Central Otago. This is pinot noir heaven. If you are wine tasters, let me know, because I know the super good ones to go to, and a couple of them are not well-known. There are also good pinot gris wines there and sauvignon blancs. Kiwis tend not to make wines they wouldn’t make well. Pinot gris is same grape as pinot grigio, but the wine is a smoother, more buttery wine than a pinto grigio, which is more astringent. I love both, but I’m a big wine fan.
Central Otago is known for skiing, great lakes, wine, and fruit. If it is one of the harvest seasons, you can get spectacular fruit (or veg). It also has Queenstown, which is NZ’s equivalent of Vail or Aspen. Some Kiwis think it is too touristy, but we love it. Going there week after next. It’s very much a ski/tourist kind of town, but that means it has great restaurants, great shopping, and fun stuff to do. Lots of parasailing, bungy jumping (first commercial bungy jump is in Queenstown) and other stuff. Fabulous place if you are in your 20’s. There are great B and B’s around, but we usually stay at the Novotel because it is a very nice hotel, good price, and right on the border of town. You can walk to your restaurant and back. Queenstown also has a fun boutique casino. BTW, no tipping in NZ. None. The Kiwis don’t want you to start it. Also, at a restaurant, when you are done eating, you go up to the cashier and just point out your table. They don’t bring checks. Much easier. Also, tax is included in most everything in NZ. So restaurant prices sometimes seem high, but remember that you aren’t taxing or tipping. And right now, the Kiwi dollar is only .67 of the US dollar. Wanaka is right near Queenstown and is also a ski resort-y town. Lots of folks like it better than Queenstown because less tourist-y. That’s true, but we like them both. Oliver’s restaurant in nearby Clyde is supposed to be great. Also, taking a drive out to Glenorchy is very nice. It’s about an hour drive, with lots of nice places to stop along the way and have a picnic. In Glenorchy, you can take a jet boat/hike adventure that is just spectacularly beautiful, and you get to see lots of places where they filmed parts of Lord of the Rings (book it in Queenstown). One last cool thing in Queenstown that you might miss. If you go to the cable car to go up the mountain (you’ll see it), just before you enter the area where you would get on the lift, there is a kind of Quonset hut place off to the right. It advertises that you can see kiwis (the bird) there. It looks cheesy, but it actually isn’t. It just has a dumb entrance. It’s actually a small park where you can see tons of birds that are native to NZ, including kiwis (contained in a very large room that is all dark as kiwis are nocturnal. But once your eyes adjust, you can see them fine.
Now, if you are mountain people, there is Aoraki/ Mt. Cook (Maori and English name for the same place). It’s pretty cool. There are also multi-day tracks you can hike (everywhere). You typically need to book that in advance, so look into that if you want to. I don’t do mountains much as you can fall off of them, but do look into it if that is your choice. They are great.
OK, there are also a TON of lakes, streams, rivers, resort-y areas you can go to in addition to what I’ve mentioned. One last possibility is Stuart Island, off the bottom of the South Island. It is a bird sanctuary area and you can see birds you won’t see elsewhere (including Kiwis).
Now, I live in the second largest city in the South Island, Dunedin. It’s a college town. Kind of like Ann Arbor on the ocean. It’s a really nice place to live, but maybe less of a tourist area. We have several fun attractions including an albatross colony (only Royal albatross colony on inhabited land in the world) and a yellow-eyed penguin colony (highly endangered penguins). Right by my house is a very large bird sanctuary. About an hour north, you can see the Moeraki Boulders, which are some truly weird things. Dunedin is a super nice town with a lot of nice beaches, but more of a place to live than necessarily visit. Christchurch is like visiting Indianapolis. Not necessary.
Other great places in South Island: Kaikoura, Rotorua, Hanmer Springs, Lake Ohau, and the Bay of Many Coves (super neat place on the ocean near Abel Tasman). And in all honesty, the North Island has a lot of incredibly neat places also.
If you’d like to let me know where you are going, I can give you some specifics.
Hope this helps. And if some of you other guys are thinking, “Maybe we should go there,” you definitely should. We like visiting Aussie as well, but man, NZ, for my money, is 10 times the place to be. Kiwis are totally unpretentious and really friendly and helpful. (I can make suggestions for Sydney also if you’d like.) Bring layers of clothes if you are coming when it’s cool/cold. And the sun is super bright in the antipodes, so long sleeve lightweight shirts, hats, sun block, etc. are all good ideas.
Hope you have a great time!
To begin, you asked about hotels in Auckland. A really cool boutique hotel is the Hotel DeBrett. It’s beautifully decorated in art deco style. Small, high end, very nice. Downtown. We also stay at the Quadrant Hotel and Suites, and the Copthorne Hotel. They are close to the University of Auckland and also close to the heart of the city. We do a lot of work with the University, so we stay at those two places often. They’ll be a lot cheaper and are perfectly OK. It would all depend upon the deal you can get. The wharf area is a place you definitely want to visit, so you might pick a hotel there, but I can’t make a recommendation there.
Auckland is a big city. It’s a pretty nice one, but a big city. Good restaurants, particularly seafood and Asian fusion seafood places. But nobody goes to NZ to go to Auckland.
BTW, good website for all things NZ: http://www.newzealand.com/int/
OK, cool places/things to do in New Zealand. First, Kiwis (that’s what they call themselves) love the outdoors. They love hiking (which they call “tramping” which is pretty funny for a country where prostitution is legal), bungy jumping, sky diving, parasailing, surfing, rock climbing, mountaineering, fly fishing, skiing, snorkelling and scuba diving, jet boating, kayaking, and sailing. You can do most of these things most places in New Zealand, but the South Island is prettier than the North Island, so it’s good that you are spending more time down there.
I’ll start at the top of the South Island and work down. At the top is Abel Tasman National Park, which is on the ocean. It is gorgeous country. I’ve been kayaking and hiking there. Would be great for camping also. One thing the Kiwis like to do is rent a camper van. There are tons of places for camper vans. Working your way down south along the west coast, you would come to Franz Joseph Glacier and Fox Glacier. These are cool. Lots of cheap places to stay nearby if you aren’t camping. In NZ, people use B and B’s all the time. They range from pretty basic to terrific lodges. Most places come with a great breakfast, and the owners are usually really nice people who will give you insight to the local area. We never used B and B’s before moving down here, but now use them all the time. Last one we stayed in (in Wanaka) had a great feature. They drove you to your restaurant at night and then came back and picked you up to go back home. That way nobody had to forego drinking. NZ is really hawkish on drunk driving. Lots of checkpoints. Don’t do it.
Down from the glaciers, you hit Te Anau and the Sounds. There’s Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound (cool names in English almost all came from Captain Cook. My house overlooks Murdering Beach.). You stay in Te Anau and then either drive to or take a bus to the one of the sounds. They are pretty similar so only do one or the other. Stay at Te Anau Lodge, and if you are going to do that, let me know and I’ll tell George you’re a friend. Killer good breakfast there, and wine and cakes in the late afternoon. You can take one of several tours of the sounds (fiords). One lasts about 2-3 hours and you will see pretty much everything there is to see. There is also an overnight tour that people rave about, but we haven’t done it. There is also some super good fly-fishing in the area.
You could then come inland into Central Otago. This is pinot noir heaven. If you are wine tasters, let me know, because I know the super good ones to go to, and a couple of them are not well-known. There are also good pinot gris wines there and sauvignon blancs. Kiwis tend not to make wines they wouldn’t make well. Pinot gris is same grape as pinot grigio, but the wine is a smoother, more buttery wine than a pinto grigio, which is more astringent. I love both, but I’m a big wine fan.
Central Otago is known for skiing, great lakes, wine, and fruit. If it is one of the harvest seasons, you can get spectacular fruit (or veg). It also has Queenstown, which is NZ’s equivalent of Vail or Aspen. Some Kiwis think it is too touristy, but we love it. Going there week after next. It’s very much a ski/tourist kind of town, but that means it has great restaurants, great shopping, and fun stuff to do. Lots of parasailing, bungy jumping (first commercial bungy jump is in Queenstown) and other stuff. Fabulous place if you are in your 20’s. There are great B and B’s around, but we usually stay at the Novotel because it is a very nice hotel, good price, and right on the border of town. You can walk to your restaurant and back. Queenstown also has a fun boutique casino. BTW, no tipping in NZ. None. The Kiwis don’t want you to start it. Also, at a restaurant, when you are done eating, you go up to the cashier and just point out your table. They don’t bring checks. Much easier. Also, tax is included in most everything in NZ. So restaurant prices sometimes seem high, but remember that you aren’t taxing or tipping. And right now, the Kiwi dollar is only .67 of the US dollar. Wanaka is right near Queenstown and is also a ski resort-y town. Lots of folks like it better than Queenstown because less tourist-y. That’s true, but we like them both. Oliver’s restaurant in nearby Clyde is supposed to be great. Also, taking a drive out to Glenorchy is very nice. It’s about an hour drive, with lots of nice places to stop along the way and have a picnic. In Glenorchy, you can take a jet boat/hike adventure that is just spectacularly beautiful, and you get to see lots of places where they filmed parts of Lord of the Rings (book it in Queenstown). One last cool thing in Queenstown that you might miss. If you go to the cable car to go up the mountain (you’ll see it), just before you enter the area where you would get on the lift, there is a kind of Quonset hut place off to the right. It advertises that you can see kiwis (the bird) there. It looks cheesy, but it actually isn’t. It just has a dumb entrance. It’s actually a small park where you can see tons of birds that are native to NZ, including kiwis (contained in a very large room that is all dark as kiwis are nocturnal. But once your eyes adjust, you can see them fine.
Now, if you are mountain people, there is Aoraki/ Mt. Cook (Maori and English name for the same place). It’s pretty cool. There are also multi-day tracks you can hike (everywhere). You typically need to book that in advance, so look into that if you want to. I don’t do mountains much as you can fall off of them, but do look into it if that is your choice. They are great.
OK, there are also a TON of lakes, streams, rivers, resort-y areas you can go to in addition to what I’ve mentioned. One last possibility is Stuart Island, off the bottom of the South Island. It is a bird sanctuary area and you can see birds you won’t see elsewhere (including Kiwis).
Now, I live in the second largest city in the South Island, Dunedin. It’s a college town. Kind of like Ann Arbor on the ocean. It’s a really nice place to live, but maybe less of a tourist area. We have several fun attractions including an albatross colony (only Royal albatross colony on inhabited land in the world) and a yellow-eyed penguin colony (highly endangered penguins). Right by my house is a very large bird sanctuary. About an hour north, you can see the Moeraki Boulders, which are some truly weird things. Dunedin is a super nice town with a lot of nice beaches, but more of a place to live than necessarily visit. Christchurch is like visiting Indianapolis. Not necessary.
Other great places in South Island: Kaikoura, Rotorua, Hanmer Springs, Lake Ohau, and the Bay of Many Coves (super neat place on the ocean near Abel Tasman). And in all honesty, the North Island has a lot of incredibly neat places also.
If you’d like to let me know where you are going, I can give you some specifics.
Hope this helps. And if some of you other guys are thinking, “Maybe we should go there,” you definitely should. We like visiting Aussie as well, but man, NZ, for my money, is 10 times the place to be. Kiwis are totally unpretentious and really friendly and helpful. (I can make suggestions for Sydney also if you’d like.) Bring layers of clothes if you are coming when it’s cool/cold. And the sun is super bright in the antipodes, so long sleeve lightweight shirts, hats, sun block, etc. are all good ideas.
Hope you have a great time!
Isn't Rotorua on the North Island? I know this (I think) because I've been there and I've never been to the South Island.
My suggestion. Maybe the All Blacks are playing in Auckland those two days? If so so see them for the Haka if nothing else.
Not to hijack this thread significantly but Skillet what brought you to New Zealand?
I was in NZ and Australia this time last year. I think I flew out June 14th actually.. I am sure you are aware its cold(ish) down there. Auckland I wore light jacket and jeans around and was ok, Wellington is a tad bit colder. If you have time I took a train from Auckland through the North Island to Wellington that was pretty cool. I remember being kind of taken back by the scenery in many places, the local next to me was amused. An everyday hill in New Zealand is like a cartoon. South Island is supposed to be way prettier, but I flew to Oz after Wellington so couldn't investigate.
That reminds me of my niece who answered "Canadian" to a trivial pursuit question about which language is spoken in Montreal.
Great stuff, Skillet! I'm copying and pasting that because this thread will probably disappear within a week or two.
Interesting on hiking/tramping. Thought you might have "kloofing," too, like South Africa, but it looks like you go with the simpler "canyoning," as in Europe, for canyoneering (US).
Have heard good things about the ski fields there, supposed to be more laid back and natural than our resorts - basically a surface lift and a bunch of snowy mountain, IIRC. I know Silverton, Colorado was inspired by the NZ ski fields and that's the simplest, most rustic resort in the US - a yurt base lodge, a single lift purchased from Mammoth and a bunch of hiking backcountry that's guided or unguided depending upon time of the season.
Interesting on hiking/tramping. Thought you might have "kloofing," too, like South Africa, but it looks like you go with the simpler "canyoning," as in Europe, for canyoneering (US).
Have heard good things about the ski fields there, supposed to be more laid back and natural than our resorts - basically a surface lift and a bunch of snowy mountain, IIRC. I know Silverton, Colorado was inspired by the NZ ski fields and that's the simplest, most rustic resort in the US - a yurt base lodge, a single lift purchased from Mammoth and a bunch of hiking backcountry that's guided or unguided depending upon time of the season.
D'Oh! Rotorua is on the North Island. And in all honesty, Rotorua would not be on my A list.
I'll respond a bit more on a couple of other posts a bit later. Have to catch a plane!
We stayed in the Auckland waterfront Hilton (thanks reward points) when we were there and had a lovely time. There isn't anything particularly special about it, but they took care of us well. Staying on the water is really nice and the bus system is both convenient and easy to navigate, so we had no trouble getting around even though we'd dropped off our car already.
If you want to drop some cash (but not too much, especially if the exchange rate is friendly) on a fantastic dinner, I'd highly recommend Sidart Resaurant. 7-10 courses, with offered wine pairings. Fantastic food and a wonderful view of downtime Auckland from the restaurant (also easily accessible via bus). Get reservations before you leave. Sidart is also in one of the nicer going out areas in Auckland. Lots of very good bars and shopping along that strip. We got there early, did a little shopping, had a few cocktails, and then ended up at dinner. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
In the general Auckland area (though you'll need a car to get there), I'd recommend Rotorua for the Hot Springs and also for the Raptor Sanctuary which is really neat. Hobbitton is a great visit if you're a fan of Lord of the Rings. They did a great job rebuilding it for the second trilogy. And the blackwater rafting down in Waitomo takes you down into underground caves to splash about and see the glowworms.
South Island, if you're going to do a multi-day trek and it isn't winter (or you don't mind the chance of getting a random foot on snow dropped on you), the Routeborn is some of the most beautiful hiking I've ever done. And the facilities along the trail are great. Book your bunks ahead of time and all you're carrying is a sleeping bag and some food. They've got stoves, running water, etc at the shelters (though a lot of the facilities change in the offseason, so I'm not sure when you're going). Even if you don't do Routeborn, the southern most part of it runs most of the way up to Key Summit, which is fantastic Day Hike and a wonderful way to get incredible views out over Te Anau.
I could make a huge list of wineries that I love there, but to keep it short, Amisfield Wine Company makes awesome wine and also has a fantastic multi-course lunch served on the estate grounds. Again, book ahead but you won't be disappointed.
One other winery recommendation. If you're up near Abel Tasmin, figure out a way to go to Glovers. The dude who runs it is a crazy mad scientist who loves showing off his craft. He didn't open a single labeled bottle during our entire tasting, just hunted around on the table till he found something that looked interesting (we also got to taste his homebrew beer and his lemoncello). One of the most unique tasting experiences I've ever had.
If you're in Christchurch, check out Smash Palace for a meal: a post-earthquake restaurant started in a bus that has become a city institution.
Seal swimming in Kaikoura is just a blast.
Everyone I've met in NZ who was doing the whole NZ/Australia trip said they enjoyed NZ way more. I've never been to Australia, but NZ is one of my favorite places on earth.
If you want to drop some cash (but not too much, especially if the exchange rate is friendly) on a fantastic dinner, I'd highly recommend Sidart Resaurant. 7-10 courses, with offered wine pairings. Fantastic food and a wonderful view of downtime Auckland from the restaurant (also easily accessible via bus). Get reservations before you leave. Sidart is also in one of the nicer going out areas in Auckland. Lots of very good bars and shopping along that strip. We got there early, did a little shopping, had a few cocktails, and then ended up at dinner. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
In the general Auckland area (though you'll need a car to get there), I'd recommend Rotorua for the Hot Springs and also for the Raptor Sanctuary which is really neat. Hobbitton is a great visit if you're a fan of Lord of the Rings. They did a great job rebuilding it for the second trilogy. And the blackwater rafting down in Waitomo takes you down into underground caves to splash about and see the glowworms.
South Island, if you're going to do a multi-day trek and it isn't winter (or you don't mind the chance of getting a random foot on snow dropped on you), the Routeborn is some of the most beautiful hiking I've ever done. And the facilities along the trail are great. Book your bunks ahead of time and all you're carrying is a sleeping bag and some food. They've got stoves, running water, etc at the shelters (though a lot of the facilities change in the offseason, so I'm not sure when you're going). Even if you don't do Routeborn, the southern most part of it runs most of the way up to Key Summit, which is fantastic Day Hike and a wonderful way to get incredible views out over Te Anau.
I could make a huge list of wineries that I love there, but to keep it short, Amisfield Wine Company makes awesome wine and also has a fantastic multi-course lunch served on the estate grounds. Again, book ahead but you won't be disappointed.
One other winery recommendation. If you're up near Abel Tasmin, figure out a way to go to Glovers. The dude who runs it is a crazy mad scientist who loves showing off his craft. He didn't open a single labeled bottle during our entire tasting, just hunted around on the table till he found something that looked interesting (we also got to taste his homebrew beer and his lemoncello). One of the most unique tasting experiences I've ever had.
If you're in Christchurch, check out Smash Palace for a meal: a post-earthquake restaurant started in a bus that has become a city institution.
Seal swimming in Kaikoura is just a blast.
Everyone I've met in NZ who was doing the whole NZ/Australia trip said they enjoyed NZ way more. I've never been to Australia, but NZ is one of my favorite places on earth.
Good info, Jesse. Moms Skillethead and I really like to have dinner at Amisfield after wine tasting there.
My favorite winery is Brennans. Everything they make is great. Chard Farm is great as well.
The hikes mentioned are awesome (haven't done them all myself).
Screw isn't kidding. The whole town is geothermal and does smell. It's definitely a one-visit place. Another fun place is Napier. Place suffered a massive quake and fire in the 20's/30's sometime and was rebuilt in art deco style, which has maintained til today. Very cool visit if you are an architecture fan.
Yep, I visited Napier my GF (ETA: AT THE TIME, WAY BACK BEFORE HAPPINESS ENTERED MY LIFE) was from nearby in Hawkes Bay. Very nice architecture.
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EX girlfriend dear, very ex girlfriend. you know, the one who moved halfway around the world to get away from you? o_O
To be fair to Mr. Screw, he was looking into career opportunities with RotoRooter and went directly to the home office. Only it wasn't there.
Truth hurts sometimes. Unless, of course, you don't see it for what it is. She stayed in the next town and, ironically, liked making eggs.
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