New Zealand Travel Guide

I was rather taken with this cone - I think they call it the Chalice - and was surprised to see it there in the Square still in March 2015. I hadn't expected it to survive the quake (maybe it's been restored - great to see it again)

Update 21 November 2012 The Dux de Lux is back - somehow: It is now the Dux Dine (because the name Dux de Luxe will be kept for the hoped-for re-opening of the legendary place at its original site at the Arts Centre) and located at 28 Riccarton Road. As at the original Dux you will also get a good selection of vegetarian food and fresh seafood....

Queen Street starts from Auckland Harbour and runs for nearly three kilometers in a virtual straight line. As the commercial as well as shopping hub area, there are a full range of shopping option the souvenir shops are mainly concentrated at the harbour end and there are a number of arcades and side streets with boutique stores and eateries

The Loaded Hog is a large pub/restaurant located on the waterfront at Prince's Wharf in downtown Auckland. It offers a big outdoor seating area (facing the wharf), a cavernous interior and an upstairs seating area with a balcony overlooking the wharf. It is a nice setting in which to enjoy a pub lunch, or just a beer, while watching the world go...

For the most spectacular view of Queenstown, visit the Skyline Gondola. This takes you to Bob's Peak, offering a panoramic vista over the entire town and its environs. This is the best thing to see if you have only a very short time in Queenstown, and want to make the most of it. In addition to the view, there is a restaurant (which I didn't...

They have a lot of variesties burgers to choose from. Great taste, great value of money and all the staffs are friendly too. Avoid the peak hours during lunch as they are always long waits outside the restaurant. They also have b/fast time from 5.30am till about 9am. Make sure you grab a burger from Fergburger when you drop by Queenstown.

Wanna go for a walk? How about hiking? Don’t worry you don’t need a hiking shoes or a guide. Just take a bus to Mt. Victoria and then walk yourself back to the city. No trolls in the forest, promise! Just an awesome view of Wellington!

This restaurant has a perfect location - situated at the waterfront of Oriental Bay, only a short distance to Wellingtons city center, it has a splendid view of the bay and the harbour district. The restaurant is very popular among both locals and tourists. So it is highly recommended to reserve a table in advance. Service and quality were...

Even if you have been to Yellow stone park, here is still a must see wonder. The large area covered with various geothermal craters and hot springs and unlike in Yellow Stone, the color come from minerals instead of bacterias. NZ$32 an adult, well worth it.

Actually this amazing place is better than the title I gave it above. It’s actually full Roast Dinners to Takeaway! And they don’t just give you good portions, they give you HUGE portions! When one of the people in my travelling party did not feel well, they mentioned that when they had visited England that a full English Roast Dinner had made...

This solid establishment is world famous in Dunedin for its yummy doorstep toasted sandwiches. You can get other hearty pub fare at student prices. The Albert is a nice plcae to while away a windy Otago afternoon watching the rugby or cricket. Doorstep toasted sandwich of course!!

If you have a car, then a drive to the summit of Mount Cargill, northeast of the city, is a must. The views from here are expansive and you can see the entire Otago Peninsula and harbour. To the north and northwest the views stretch up the coast and into the rugged Otago hinterland. The road is gravel and not well graded for about a quarter of the...

Marine Parade, as the name suggests, runs along the sea front. The area is very nice. The fountain here, we only saw in the day time, but at night it is lit, I think in different colours. THE NEW NAPIER ARCH (1938) commemorates the rebuilding of the city, is not very new any more! There is a colonnade, with two smaller arches, the Veronica...

today two French tourists were attacked whilst in their camper in NapierThe man was badly beaten by a Maori man and woman, he was whipped with a pistolNZ is not a safe placebe very careful see my other warningsthis is 20th Oct 2013

No one ventures that drive through the Homer tunnel unless they plan to venture into Milford Sound, and so after enjoying some adventures en route, we pulled into the little enclave of Milford (pop. 170) at the head of the Sound around 12:30 -- giving us time for a pleasant lunch and shore stroll before our 3:00 PM trip. It was scheduled to be a...

If you already have a car in New Zealand before taking this trip to Milford take the car with you. I find having your own wheel is the easiest way to get toIs a long drive to Milford but it is a very scenic drive. You are going to stop a few times on the way. We drove to Te Anau the night before, and the next morning we have an early start We took...

Every Saturday morning 8.00am - 1.00pm, the Island holds a community market at the RSA in Ostend. Lots of gifts, arts and crafts, second-hand goods, and even entertainment, organic produce, books, plants, jewellery. This is a popular activity on a Saturday morning, showing typical flair of a lot of Islanders. Experience the character of Waiheke...

Frequent ferries connect the island of Waiheke with downtown Auckland. I caught one of these ferries, operated by "Fullers", for a daytrip to the island during my visit to Auckland in March 2006. The following information is correct as at that time: Ferry times Ferries leave for Waiheke Island approximately hourly during the day from Auckland's...

If you think that Clock Museum sounds really dull...visit Claphams Clocks. It is great fun, even if you never gave clocks one thought. The friendly staff will show you around and demonstrate the most amazing movements. You will never look at clocks the same way again!It is for all ages and all levels of clock appreciation. Make sure you have at...

The only good thing about this cafe was the location. I ordered the Mondo's breakfast asking for no mushrooms specifying I'm allergic, surprise surprise there was mushrooms. When I asked that it go back to the kitchen the server rolled his eyes and pushed mushrooms off with his fork leaving mushroom sauce and juice all over the rest of the food....

Poppy's cafe in Kaikoura has sublime homemade food. The quiche was packed with goodness and came with an awesome tomato relish for $5.Followed this up with a divine cookie cheesecake for $6.50.Friendly service and a bright small seating area.They also do huge ice cream cones.

The Store is a cafe about 60km north of kaikoura, right on the beach overlooking incredible blue sea. Tea and coffee was $8. It was busy on a Tuesday and probably a well known stop off point on the road up and down from picton.They have a lovely garden which is huge and croquet and others games like noughts and crosses for the kids. On a sunny day...

Why did they name French Bay? when we drove into town for lunch it became immediately apparent that the French had played a greater role in Akaroa’s history.Be amazed by the spectacular views of Akaroa Harbour and the Canterbury Plains on the high scenic drive from ChristchurchHalf the street names were French, and nearly all of the neat colonial...

Just 90 minutes drive from Christchurch it is popular with day trippers, although the Banks Peninsula’s wealth of attractions. The scenic Summit Road which winds along the hills of the volcanic peninsular offered spectacular views of Akaroa Bay and the Pacific oceanThe beautiful harbour dominates the landscape. There is lots of exploring to do in...

Across the bay from Paihia is the town of Russell. It was originally called Kororareka and was the first Europesan settlement in the area. The local Mâori people very soon realised that there was valuable trade to be had with the European and American ships and the town flourished but, as a place without laws, soon earned teh nickname 'Hellhole of...

I believe this place may have changed names or at least goes by an alternative than you'll find on Google. Old name was Vinnies Fish & Chips Takeaway but when I was there, the signboard said "Slice".Regardless, the street views are the same, the ambiance is the same and location is the same. It has a few tables on the sidewalk, but the doors open...

Look familiar? Castle Hill was the site of the battle scens in the movie 'Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'. It is in a privately owned station on the road from Christchurch across Arthur's Pass. It is a popular spot for 'bouldering' - climging over the huge limestone boulders. Limestone from this region was used in the...

On leaving Arthur's Pass State Highway 73 runs through Otira Gorge over the Otira Viaduct. After climbing down from the mountains you have a choice.Follow SH 73 along the Taramakau River to Kamara Junction and the intersection with SH 6 along the West coast. ORTake the turn to the right into Lake Brunner Road which takes you past picturesque Lake...

After leaving Arhtur's Pass township traveling west there is a lookout on the left. From here you can get a great view of the Otira Gorge and the new viaduct. What an amazing piece of engineering. It takes much time off the journey for big trucks and is much safer.The lookout is also a favourite haunt of the cheeky mountain parrot - the Kea. He...

One thing that is great to do at the mount is walk up it, but why not try and run it. Locals every day are running up and down , faster than i can walk up it , and with a steep incline you will surely tone up fast. Watching the sun go down was also my favorite, with all the lambs grazing around the edge, you wouldn’t tell your in a town.

A fantastic and relatively new cafe in Mount Maunganui with harbourside views Very inexpensive Fabulous choices Homemade freshly baked on site Turkish breads, with variety of tapenades and dips, pita breads, kebabs, mousakkas ........delicious Borec..layers of filo pastry with feta cheese, tomato, spring onions, fresh herbs served with salad...