Traveling to New Zealand (US$ to the NZD$ is ~69 cents to the US$)
From LA, Air New Zealand has 2 nightly non stop flights direct into Auckland. You arrive very early in the am.
Be aware of the following, when going through customs:
You cannot bring in shoes, boots, tennis shoes that have been on dirt or hikes before you arrive. There make sure you answer no to the question, otherwise they will move you to a line to clean your shoes.
Do not bring food in, especially something that isn't pre-package. You will have to throw it away or be fined $400NZD
Read all the questions and answer honestly. They also do an x-ray of your bags before you leave the airport
A cheap way to get into the city is using Sky bus. You will see the stand when you exit the terminal. Cost is $18NZD to get to Auckland. They have several stops in the city. Between 7 am and 7 pm, you have to transfer buses to get you to other stops, including near the ferry terminal or Hilton hotel.
If you have wi-fi, you could call an Uber. I do not know where the airport pick up point is. From the airport to Auckland, the cost is between $40 - $48 NZD
If possible, stay in Auckland proper when visiting, it's easy to walk around and see many things on foot. Also, you can take the ferry to many of the other islands for a quick day trip. Would recommend the Hilton, it located on the pier, near the ferry terminal.
If you enjoy wine, take a ferry to Waiheke, its about 45 min ferry from Auckland. Great wineries. Plan to take the local bus, the HoHo bus, or schedule a tour. Check bus times in order not to miss the last bus.
Waiheke Island
Onerea for lunch. Great view
Wineries on Waiheke
Cute little town, Devonport is a short 10 min ferry from Auckland. Great place to walk around and have lunch or dinner.
Places to eat in Auckland:
Federal and Wolfe (lunch)
GIAPO for gelato
Marvel on the pier, meat tray is good.
Milse for dessert in Britomart
Amaro for dinner
Hamilton
The River Kitchen for coffee, breakfast or lunch
Furnace for dinner
Queenstown
Fergburger - You will have to wait in line. Also, sitting is limited and very crowded. The Hamburger is grass fed.
You can also take many day tours out of Auckland.
Before booking a tour, look at Bookme site. It's like Groupon. Great discounts if you are flexible.
If you are interested in going to Hobbiton, Waitomo caves or the thermal geyser. Think about renting a car.
Realize driving in New Zealand is on the other side of the road and other side of the car. A little awkward when you start, but pay attention and you will be fine. Driving in Auckland is similar to driving in any downtown area. If you are not comfortable, take a bus out of Auckland and get a car in Hamilton.
From downtown Auckland, you can talk the Inner City bus to Hamilton and pick up a car. You can walk from the bus station to Hertz rental car. Suggest getting a GPS for direction to your next stop.
From Hamilton, you can go to Waitomo caves, Hobbiton and Waikato thermal pools. Plan to be at the thermal pools by 10:15 am to see the Knox geyser. Allow enough time to drive and pick up tickets and drive to the geyser. Following the geyser you can come back to the thermal pools and walk around.
In Waitomo, there are 3 caves you can visit. The most popular one is Waitomo glow cave, but the best one is Ruakuri Cave. You get up close and personal on the Ruakuri cave. There is a third cave, however you will need a car to get to the tour, its Aranui Cave. Buy tickets on line or at the site directly from I-site. Don’t book through a third party.
If you plan to take a bus or the train, I have a shuttle that can pick you up and take you to Waitomo ($15 pp one way, cash only)
If you have a car, no need to stay in town. However we did not have a car, and we stayed at the Waitomo Caves Hotel. Yes, the white hotel on the hill. When you walk in, you think you have just entered the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. There are stories of this hotel being haunted in rooms 12 and 14. We stayed in room 17.
Hotels in the middle of Hamilton area the Ibis and Novetel. Centrally located in Hamilton. Great food within walking distance from the hotel. Also stop by Hamilton Gardens. Allow about 1-2 hours.
A 45 minute drive from Hamilton is Bridal Veil Falls. Its a short walk down to the top of the falls. You can take stairs to the middle and bottom of the falls.
The big tourist attraction near Hamilton is Hobbiton. It's the set where Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit where filmed. You can take a day tour from Auckland (2 hours one way) or Hamilton (1 hour one way). Book your tour time in advance, during the summer months it can sell out. At the end of the day, you can book a dinner and movie set tour. You have a tour of the movie set with no other guests, then a drink and dinner, then you go back out to the movie set at night. #hobbotontour
We flew from Hamilton to Queenstown and took a taxi to the Hilton. Great view and room, however realize the hotel in not in town. In order to get into town you take a local bus, a hotel shuttle or a water taxi. The water taxi is $10 pp per way. There is limited transportation to the city, so plan accordingly.
There are many hotels in Queenstown, if you are in the city, you can walk around the entire area.
Many areas in New Zealand where film locations for Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies.
There is a skyline gondola will take you to the top of the hill, you can have lunch or dinner up there. Buy tickets at the Gondola site, don’t buy them in town
You can also hike this hill.
One of the great sites near Queenstown is Milford Sounds. Realize it’s about 3 hours away by bus each way. You can also take a helicopter tour, however that is all depend on how the weather is in the area. This past year, the flights have gotten out about 50% of the time.
When booking inner island flight on Air New Zealand. Consider buying the ticket that you can change, or book a ticket at the last minute. There are many flights within the islands. #airnewzealand
