5 Top Places and Activities in New Zealand

Rainbow in Queenstown - first snow in winter

I have done a number of Top 5 or Top 10 articles but have never done an overview of the places and attractions in New Zealand. Let’s be fair and round up both North Island and South Island.

Sunset in Wellington, New Zealand

So, here is a list of places that if you are short for time, at least visit these places :

North Island

1. Pahia, Bay of Islands – Hole in the Rock Cruise, Russell or Hahei – Cathedral Cove kayaking
2. Auckland – skyjump or skywalk from Sky Tower
3. Rotorua – tour the sulfurous landscape, raft the Kaituna River
4. Lake Taupo – Huka Fall, jet boat, raft the Rangitaiki River
5. Wellington – Te papa Museum, city landscape

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown

South Island

1. Christchurch – Cathedral Square
2. Fiordland – Milford Sound cruise
3. Lake Tekapo – Church of the Good Shepard
4. Queenstown – rafting, bungy, hiking
5. Fox Glacier – walking on glaciers, Lake Matteson

I have covered Queenstown, Milford Sound and a bit of Fox Glacier earlier.

For a first time visitor in New Zealand, the above places are suggestions to give you an overall sight of the country. You can do more later on the next visit and I feel sure you would want to come back!

Milford Sound boat cruise

If you have less than 7 days, I suggest concentrate on just either North or South Island.

South Island Suggested Itinerary

Day 1 : Christchurch

Day 2 – 4 :  Queenstown

Day 5 : Fox Glacier/Franz Josef Glacier

Day 6 : Christchurch.

After your arrival in Christchurch, take a walk to Cathedral Square to see the church or simply shop around. Spend quiet times at the Botanic Garden to unwind from the long flight. Next day, head to Queenstown. The drive there is spectacular as you pass by breathtaking scenery. Stop at Lake Tekapo for pictures of the beautiful landscape and the Church of the Good Shepard. Nearby is Mt Cook Village. Get a closer look at the mountains and learn the history of the place. Upon arrival in Queenstown, head to the boardwalk for a closer view of Lake Wakatipu. Take the cable car and enjoy the aeriel view of Queentown. Why not have lunch or dinner there. There are a number of hiking trails starting from the gondola. Most tours run along this itinerary with at least 2 nights in Queenstown with one day at Milford Sound. If you have a free day here, choose a combination of activities to save time and cost. Try rafting, a boat cruise on the TSS Earnslaw, skydiving – the choice is limitless. Next visit is either to Fox Glacier or Franz Josef Glacier. I prefer Fox Glacier as there is Lake Matteson. You will come back full circle to Christchurch.

Lake Matheson - Fox Glacier, New Zealand

For North Island, try this itinerary.

Day 1 : Auckland

Day 2  : Pahia or Hahei

Day 3 : Taupo

Day 4 – 5 : Rotorua

Day 6 : Auckland or if you have time – Wellington.

If you flight arrival is in Auckland, this will be your starting point. Go shopping or for that adrenaline kick, skyjump from the Sky Tower. Some tours skip Pahia or Hahei so there is enough time for a visit to Wellington. If you have time, on the second day head to Pahia and join a boat cruise. The highlight – passing through a rock in the middle of the ocean – very cool! Alternatively, head to Hahei. Stroll to Cathedral Cove beach or even better go kayaking – real fun on the water. At Lake Taupo, hike to the Huka Falls or jetboat there. If staying an additional night, you have time for rafting the Rangitaiki River or hike the Tongariro Crossing. Don’t miss Rotorua. It is the equivalent of Queenstown for North Island. Plenty of choice pickings here. I would highly recommend rafting the Kaituna River – what a thrill jumping over the waterfall. Visit the various sulferous landscape next and catch a Moari show. Last, but not least, chill out at Wellington. Shop here or take the cable for an aeriel view of the city.

The choice is yours whether to join a group tour, backpack or free and easy driving on your own.

Christchurch Catheral

Links

• Bay of Islands
• Auckland
• Hahei
• Rotorua
• Taupo
• Wellington
• Christchurch
• Milford Sound
• Tekapo
• Queenstown
• Glacier Country

Pictures for your viewing pleasure. Till next time, have a wonderful day!

Panorama Lake Pukaki, New Zealand

Panorama - cows at sunset

Queenstown night view

Lake Tekapo

Huka Falls, Taupo

Hole in the Rock

Rotorua

Waterfall Milford Sound

Rafting or drowning?

5 Favourite Cities of the World

 

Singapore City Landscape

Obviously not everyone is going to agree. Do you prefer the city or the rural area? Personally I would prefer living somewhere as far away from the city as possible. However living in the city does have its advantages, namely great infrastructures, convenience, endless variety of food, the arts and big shopping malls. I don’t deny being a shopaholic.

My top 5 favourite cities :

1. San Francisco. I love the crooked streets and who can forget the San Francisco Bridge. Shopping there is simply great.
2. Sydney. It reminds me a bit of home. I have friends and family there – so many memories. As a bonus, the Opera House is spectacular. Will always remember Chinatown area where I met my online buddies from a Lord of the Rings forum.
3. Kuala Lumpur. So many shopping malls there. Plenty of food stalls with reasonable prices. Go up the Petronas Twin Towers – awesome view of the city.
4. Istanbul. Bridging both Europe and Asia continent. Such a great mixture of history, culture and modernisation. Don’t forget to visit the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia.
   
5. Singapore. You may call me bias but this is home. A shopaholic and food paradise. The Merlion is touted as the tourism symbol. There are others of noteworthy mentions. Will cover on that later.

So, do you have any favourites? Till then, take care!

2010 Top 10 Best Airports and Interesting Airport Articles

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Say “hello” to a new week!

Topic for today : Airports

What is the first thing you see once you step out of the plane? Yes, you are in the airport – the first point of entry to a foreign country. As impression goes – it can be a “wow” experience, so-so feeling or terrifying appall. Given a choice, you will either return here or with all due harsh leave immediately!

So airports and all the facilities provided there play an important role in gaining return passengers.

Airports are constantly upgrading and competing with one another. Countries with heavy reliance on tourism have to keep abreast of customers feedback and improve their services to draw more passengers into local economies.

Listed below are three different reviews on 2010 Best Airports. Each reviewer has his or her own criteria in choosing the best of the airports. Let’s take a look and compare.

 

A) World Airport Awards

According to the Skytrax World Airport Awards,  here is the list :

1. Singapore Changi Airport
2. Seoul Incheon International Airport
3. Hong Kong International Airport
4. Munich Airport
5. Kuala Lumpur International Airport
6. Zurich Airport
7. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
8. Beijing Capital International Airport
9. Auckland International Airport
10. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

 

B) Guardian

According to the Guardian, here is Top 10 Best Airports :

1. El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona
2. Santos Dumont, Rio de Janeiro
3. Dulles Washington DC
4. Kansai Osaka
5. Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong
6. Barajas, Madrid
7. Charles de Gaulle, Paris
8. Banjul Gambia
9. Changi, Singapore
10. King Abdulaziz Jeddah

 

C) The Guide to Sleeping in Airports

Here is an interesting website review of the Top 10 Best airports :

1. Singapore
2. Seoul Incheon
3. Hong Kong
4. Amsterdam
5. Munich
6. Frankfurt
7. Auckland
8. Vancouver
9. Zurich
10. San Francisco

 

For the most part, I find the reviews on the best airports quite interesting and entertaining. To each, his or her own. One person’s comfort is another person’s pain.

If you are on a budget and want to save cost, how about sleeping at airports? Check out this website : Sleeping in Airports

As an aside, here is an interesting article on unusual airports of the world : Totally Top 10

Another interesting article on the Top 10 Most Dangerous Airports to Land : Wonders World

 

Till next time, have a great week ahead!