Related New Zealand Favorites Tips

Favorite thing: Three areas of New Zealand have been awarded the prestigous and honourable status of WORLD HERITAGE SITE. The World Heritage Convention seeks to ensure the protection and conservation for future generations of cultural and natural heritage of "outstanding universal value".
This photo was taken from a glider flying out of Omarama in the MacKenzie Basin.

Fondest memory: New Zealand's sites are:

Tongariro National Park - North Island.
Te Wahipounamu - Sth Westland, South Island.
New Zealand's Sub-Antarctic Islands - Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes, and Bounty groups and the Snares islands.

Favorite thing: Well, one thing that is very Kiwi, if you want that sort of thing, is our Meat Pie.
Not exactly a gastronomic delight, but just a piece of our history. And one thing us kiwis love to sample when we've been overseas for an extended period.

Fondest memory: This particular brand is called "Big Ben" and you often see these signs outside small stores scattered around the country.
This photo shows the price as $1-50, however some places sell them for $1!

And just to add personal touch to this tip, I know the guy who many years ago designed and drew the face for Big Ben!

Favorite thing: You will come across many souvenirs made from the lovely blue coloured Paua shell. A lot of these souvenirs are tacky and glitchy. I believe the polished shell is the best example of the Paua to buy. These cost around $NZD20 but you can often buy for less. Be sure to chose a nice patterend one.

Fondest memory: I really do associate the Paua shell with home, with New Zealand. It is similar to Abalone however the meat is jet black in colour, not creamy coloured like others.

Favorite thing: Often when you are driving the roads of New Zealand you come across these furry creatures dead on the road. They are what we call Possums. Different to what some of you call by the same name, but very familiar to every New Zealander.
These animals were introduced to NZ in the 1800's to create a fur industry, which eventually died out. This was a huge mistake. Now we have millions of them, unlike their native Australia, where I believe they are protected.
The problem is these nocturnal devils denude the native bush as they feed in the night. We are losing acres of our precious bush and the battle to stop the Possum is very difficult. The damage they cause is causing a lot of our native birds to decline in numbers due to lack of feeding areas.

Fondest memory: Although the general feeling towards real fur around the world is not to buy it, we like to encourage you to purchase our Possum Fur products.
Creating an industry and market for possum fur means hunters will help the endless battle to rid our islands of this pest.
One company is promoting the industry and explains why on their website:
PossumPam - click on "Possum Info" and read that page.

Favorite thing: You can rent a cellphone at Auckland International Airport on arrival.
Also available at Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown Internationals Airports.
Rates range from $NZD25 to $NZD70 per week depending on the type of phone you want.
Check the website out for the plan that suits you best. Remember there is no charge in New Zealand for incoming calls to cell phones.
www.vodarent.co.nz

Favorite thing: If you are driving between Auckland or Rotorua and Wellington, you will need to pass right through Taupo. It's on State Highway No.1 you can't miss it , LOL.
But seriously consider stopping here for a night or two. There are plenty of activities such as jet boating and skydiving. And lake related things like boating and fishing.
Take a look at my Taupo page.

Favorite thing: New Zealand can be as laid back or as action packed as you wish to make it. For action I highly recommend Queenstown and Wanaka as well as Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers.
Make the time to slow down, pull off the road and eat lunch while taking in the extraordinary scenery that is New Zealand!

Fondest memory: The diversity in landscapes, wildlife, thermal playgrounds, snowcapped peaks, river carved valleys, fiords, party towns, quiet laid back towns, thrill seeking adventures to a spot of quiet fishing.
There is a little bit of every country in the world is represented here!

Favorite thing: One thing you should absolutely not do is rush through the country. If you only have a short amount of time I advice you to focus on either one island, or to pick a few regions on both islands. There is so much to see and do that if you want to cram in all the major highlights you would miss out on a lot of things along the way, and that would be a shame!!

So if you are short on time choose one island and come back some other time to 'do' the other island.