Penny1

Your comment was not tacky to me

Flying over is a beaut way of seeing the slendour of our mountain lakes, and I do think if the dam rim were to break whilst someone was flying over 1: it would be fascinating and 2: maybe some film footage of it happening may help the scientists for the future.

Thank you to everyone for your emails. This site is full of wonderful people willing to share their travel knowledge with others. I have taken note of your post and now have a better idea of what to do.

New Zealand is a beautiful country with so many wonderful sites packed into just a small package.
BUT... for some reason we seem to be attracting some tourists who push the boundaries past the limit. In the past week alone I have heard of rescue parties who were out looking for tourists who had strayed into our forest - and off the beaten track. Yesterday two tourists were injured, one seriously, by ignoring all warning signs at Franz Josef Glacier, climbing past the barrier, and were hit by falling ice from an ice cave. Not only the risk to themselves but those who have to rescue them. We may not have wild animals or poisonous creatures etc but our wilderness areas need to be given the same respect. We love to have you visit us but please observe the safety rules and enjoy our great scenery.
Gaeley -
I respect my country

Gaeley: This is a problem we have in the Pacific NW, not necessarily with tourists, mind you. Overly ambitious climbers go up the mountain in Winter snowfall and get lost, which means that rescue teams must be sent out at their own peril to find them. We recently lost three experienced climbers, two of whom couldn't be found. I am in favor of requiring these adventurers to wear a GPS tracking device if they insist on taking risks.

An interesting fact is that NZ (small country) is responsible for the search and rescue of 1/16 of the earth (admittedly most of this is ocean).

Search and rescue is expensive and puts at risk the lives of the rescuers. At one point there was a suggestion made that they should charge $$ people they rescue where it is proven they were unprepared and ignored advice.

I remember a few years ago there was a foreign yachtsman that was rescured 3 times over a few weeks. And he persisted in trying to sail away. I think the last time they said - if you leave in this boat we will not rescue you again.

And then there was this guy - who basically realised he didn't have enough fuel in his plane - didn't turn back just kept going and expected the Antartica Bases to bail him out.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/coldscience/2...ntarctic-plane_x.htm

New Zealands participate in a lot of Antartica stuff including rescues (closest country).

Just a little fact about a little country.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wilees,

dorsetwool: While in the North Island you must see the Waitomo Caves in the Waikato. They are absolutely breath-taking. Also the Thermal areas around Rotorua/Taupo. Doing a Ferry trip across from North Island to South Island (or vise versa) would also be a good idea.

One of the many benefits of living in a long narrow land is that you are never far from the sea and we have many many beautiful beaches and lakes.

The South Island has it's own brand of scenery which in most cases is different from what you would see in the North Island.

Hope your trip lives up to your expectations

I am eagerly reading this thread because I AM GOING TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND!!! We'l be 10 days in Australia and 20 days in New Zealand. We are planning to drive from Auckland to the South island, seeing as many of the sights as possible in that short amount of time. We'' be in Aus tralia from Feb 4-14 and NZ from Feb 14 to March 5. I am so excited that I can't stand it.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by NYJudy:
We are planning to drive from Auckland to the South island, seeing as many of the sights as possible in that short amount of time.(QUOTE]

Hope you remembered to book a ferry passage or hire an amphibious car, otherwise you could get a bit wet!

Hi Judy,

What parts of Australia are you planning on visiting?. February is a very hot month here, I live in South Australia and in February it is not unusual to get temperatures in the high 30's and up to 40 and over, although we do not have very much humidity in South Australia...but in the northern parts of Australia the temperatures will be high and the humidity also very high.

Victoria's temperature is along the same lines as South Australia, also with not much humidity, but usually a couple of degrees cooler.

The Northern Territory will be bloody hot. NSW and Queensland will also be hot and humid. Tasmania can be very warm at that time of the year but their heat is not as constant as the rest of Australia. Western Australia (around Perth and all parts south, temps are similar to South Australia, also with low humidity. Northern Western Australia is also very hot and humid.

quote:

Hope you remembered to book a ferry passage or hire an amphibious car, otherwise you could get a bit wet!

Most car rental companies do not allow you to take a car across the straits, camper-vans are the exception. Instead you drop one car off at Wellington and collect another at Picton. This does not affect any discount for a continuous hire.

I have done several self drive holidays of NZ, most recently for six weeks. If you have any questions please feel free to email me. ttangata@hotmail.com

Congratulation on your decision to travel Down Under, Judy. I very much agree with Missie re- the climate. Australia in the first half of February could be quite oppressive weather-wise. Your trip to New Zealand should be fine, but it would be much better if you have a chance to swap the dates or change them around for the Australian part. Visiting Australia in March is much better than in February, particularly when coming out of the northern winter.

quote:

Originally posted by NYJudy:
I am eagerly reading this thread because I AM GOING TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND!!! b

MMMwwwhahahahaha, we have another one in our clutches!

What are you wanting to see whilst here? the big rock? the big reef? the big banana?

There is a great deal to see and not much time so you need to prioritise.

We thought that five days in Sydney would be good and then flying and spending four days in the area around Port Douglas.We are then flying into Auckland - I am thinking about two options - maybe flying on to Christchurch and starting our tour there - or - driving from Auckland. In any case I am sure that the 20 days we'll have there will not be sufficient to see everything, so perhaps this will be the first trip of many more to come.

Judy: We will pray for good weather for you. Thank goodness for Airconditioning.

quote:

Originally posted by Expom:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by NYJudy:
We are planning to drive from Auckland to the South island, seeing as many of the sights as possible in that short amount of time.(QUOTE]

Hope you remembered to book a ferry passage or hire an amphibious car, otherwise you could get a bit wet!

LOL! Spooky thought the same thing!