of course I did 
paid. $1600 for LAX to zurich on BA/AA business.
Charlie,
Typed all this before I saw you changed destinations, but perhaps useful for the future.
Visited the north island last year. Although I wanted to the South Island for the plentiful outdoor activities, wife wanted no part of that. We tried to do the Tongariro crossing, but snow and high winds prevented us…on the first few days of summer! We did do some nice hikes through the national park and really enjoyed it. We stayed at the lodge in the park, which was a great old place. Only problem is the park is a decent drive from Auckland or Wellington. Train may be an option.
If you go to the north island, you’ll dig the beer scene. I preferred Wellington and if you go definitely visit Garage Project (they only sell bottles & growler fills, but you can taste thru their line-up on premises for free) and Parrotdog. Auckland had some solid breweries as well with Liberty being my favorite (definitely try their Citra!).
We drove to Martinborough and enjoyed the drive, although be prepared for some tight curves up and down the pass. Martinborough was a nice small town and I wished we stayed for more than one night. The NZ crew can provide more wine recs, but I’d highly recommend Escarpment. I also quite liked Dry River, although I understand that they are a polarizing winery. Wilco, the winemaker, was a very gracious host.
Hawke’s Bay has plenty of great wine options and you can hike out to Cape Kidnapper’s and around Craggy Range. The restaurant at the Craggy Range winery was nice. Ditto for Elephant Hill winery, which has nice views.
I like Air New Zealand. They have a premium economy that is the best in the world.
Good to here you’re heading down this way Charlie, I reckon you’ll enjoy it. Here’s a few thoughts, some of which people have already covered.
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Spend less time in Sydney, more time in Melbourne. Sydney is an “international city” and is very similar to the major US cities in terms of ambiance. It’s a bit cold from a visitor perspective. I like to describe Melbourne as the the best big “Australian city”. The people are warmer and more welcoming when compared to Sydneysiders, at least from my experience.
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Diving the Great Barrier reef is best done on a multiday “stay on the boat” type package as you have to head a reasonable way out to get to the prime diving spots. I’ve only been diving on the Great Barrier reef once, but that was a 3 day, 2 night boat stay.
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While you won’t be able to do it this trip if diving is a priority next time you might consider visiting the west coast and checking out Ningaloo reef. I’ve been diving on both and can tell you that Ningaloo has more diversity (per dive) available. Coral Bay is pretty magical, you can walk into the water with a snorkel and mask and be over reef pretty much immediately. Plus as it’s the west coast there is much less tourist traffic when compared to the Great Barrier reef. And whale sharks, lets not forget whale sharks.
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I haven’t been to Tassie but according to people I know the MONA is ridiculously impressive. Pictures alone boggle the mind.
I hope you enjoy you trip down here.
Bumping this thread. My wife and I are thinking of going just to NZ this November. We have flights on hold. Trying to lock in AA points before end of March when the rules change. Will be flying from Chicago to Auckland.
Planning 2 weeks in NZ. Fly into Auckland, spend just a few days on North Island, then ferry to South Island, and spend bulk of time there. Probably will fly local from Queenstown back up to Auckland to fly home (no AA connections within the country).
Did anyone do the Milford Track? Did you do it on your own, or with a tour?
Did anyone stay at a winery, or find a winery with accommodations?
Little surprised how few American hotel chains are in NZ. Just Hilton. Want to use up some of those points as well, plus to reduce some costs.
Charlie - when is your trip? Or, how was it?
One of my bucket list items is to see the fireworks display for New Year’s over the Sydney Opera House. Planning it for 2017/2018!
Paul,
We did not stay there, but Craggy Range winery has accommodations. We did visit the winery and ate at the restaurant onsite.
Not sure what your plans are, but I preferred Wellington and surrounding areas to Auckland. Not only did I find Wellington more interesting than Auckland, from Wellington you are only an hour or so from Martinborough, which I thought offered the best wineries on the north island.
I think we’re doing something similar. Fly into Auckland, but leave the next morning. Head towards Napier and the Hawke’s Bay area, then to Wellington for a day or two.
Thanks!
Great information
Matt
I am glad I found this thread! I will be in Wellington for two days in September and am interested in experiencing Martinborough if it is practical. I would prefer not to drive or bike on this trip. Is there public transportation available or private shuttles? Any suggestions will be appreciated.
There may be bus service, but I never considered anything but renting a car when I visited. It was a wonderful 1 hr 45 min drive. Without a car not sure how you’ll get to some of the better wineries in Martinborough which are spread out. I really enjoyed Escarpment and Dry River. I’m in the minority on this board, but only found Ata Rangi ok.
If you like beer, Wellington has a great scene. Garage Project and Parrot Dog are must visits and there are plenty of excellent beer bars.
Hi Carlton, there is a train service from Wellington to Featherston in the Wairarapa that takes about 75 minutes (it’s a scenic trip). From the Featherston train station there’s a bus service. Martinborough is pretty compact so you could hire a bike to ride around a number of vineyards. Places like Ata Rangi and Martinborough Vineyards have cellar doors open all year around while others like Dry River need an appointment.
So in short a day trip from Wellington on public transportation is easily doable.
Cheers, Howard
Just to add, without a car the wineries in Te Muna Road - like Escarpment - might be too far away to visit. Those on the Martinborough Terrace would be fine though …
Here’s the website:
Thanks, all!
Any ideas on where to watch the Super Bowl in/around Rotorua?