Independent Travellers New Zealand 2005 : The Budget Travel Guide

by Christopher and Melanie Rice

• ISBN13: 9781841574226
• ISBN10: 1841574228
• Edition: Miniature
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2004-12-01
• Publisher: Thomas Cook Publishing

Summary

Independent Travellers New Zealand is an original and practical guide to traveling around this spectacular, faraway country on a budget. Revised annually, it is describes plenty of recommended routes to travel, cities and areas to visit, and offers budget options for accommodations, transportation, eating out, and sightseeing. The guide comes with its own tailored free mini weblinks CD.

Author Biography

Christopher and Melanie Rice have written numerous travel guides and have contributed to several Thomas Cook publications. Grant Bourne is a New Zealander who is now based in Germany but returns home frequently for extended visits.

Table of Contents

General Information
Introduction	p. 10
How to Use this Book	p. 12
Country Map	p. 14
Route Map	p. 16
Reaching New Zealand	p. 18
Travelling Around New Zealand	p. 19
Some Driving Itineraries	p. 33
A-Z of Travel Basics	p. 34
Timeline of New Zealand History	p. 74
Routes & Cities
North Island	p. 76
Auckland	p. 79
Auckland-Russell	p. 100
The Far North	p. 115
The Kauri Coast	p. 122
The Coromandel	p. 127
Waihi-Tauranga	p. 144
Rotorua	p. 152
Tauranga-Opotiki	p. 169
The East Cape Route	p. 178
Gisborne	p. 184
Hamilton-Pureora Forest Park	p. 191
Lake Taupo Circuit	p. 198
Tongariro National Park Circuit	p. 207
New Plymouth and Taranaki	p. 214
Wanganui and the Whanganui River	p. 220
Palmerston North-Wellington	p. 228
Hawke's Bay	p. 240
Woodville-Wellington	p. 252
Wellington	p. 262
South Island	p. 276
Cook Strait and the Marlborough Sounds	p. 279
The Top of the South	p. 285
Kaikoura-Christchurch	p. 300
Christ Church	p. 306
Banks Peninsula and the Canterbury Plains	p. 321
Christchurch-Westport	p. 327
Hokitika-Haast	p. 338
Central Otago	p. 346
Queenstown	p. 355
Manapouri-Milford Sound	p. 367
Timaru-Oamaru	p. 375
Dunedin	p. 387
Balclutha-Invercargill	p. 398
Invercargill	p. 404
Stewart Island	p. 412
Reference Section
Conversion Tables	p. 417
Index	p. 418
Special Features
The Kiwi	p. 40
The Tramping Experience	p. 47
Flora	p. 57
Fauna	p. 58
An Excursion to Tiritiri Matangi	p. 97
Hundertwasser's Loo	p. 107
Maori Art	p. 161
The Lord of the Rings	p. 261
Te Rauparaha - A Maori Napoleon	p. 236
Moa	p. 314
Survivors from a Bygone Age	p. 408
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

"Cape Reinga, at the tip of North Island, is sacred to the Maoris as the stepping off point to the hereafter. To the south lies Ninety Mile Beach, one of the most exhilarating drives in New Zealand and an absolute must. A full day's return journey from either Russell or Paihia, it's a whole lot easier to take the bus and leave the driving to someone else. The coach operators have fitted out special buses for the trip and, more importantly, the drivers are in the know about the tides. The run along the beach itself is almost scary at times as an incoming wave can catch the bus broadside and literally lift it sideways across the sand."

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Excerpted from Independent Travellers New Zealand 2005: The Budget Travel Guide by Christopher Rice, Melanie Rice
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.