Insight Guides: Explore New Zealand

How To Use This E-Book

This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With top-quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the worlds most exciting destinations.

Best Routes

The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destinations many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights, and there are also excursions for those who want to extend their visit outside the city. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments options are shown in the Food and Drink box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more, while a succinct history timeline highlights the key events over the centuries.

Directory

Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with a clearly organised AZ of practical information, our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafs and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings, and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

Youll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

2014 Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Recommended Routes For...

Children

Visit Kelly Tarltons aquarium ().

Peter James Quinn/Apa Publications

Daredevils

Try rafting waterfalls around Rotorua ().

iStock

Food and wine

Enjoy a vineyard tour at Martinborough, the heart of the Marlborough wine industry (), near Queenstown.

Peter James Quinn/Apa Publications

Geothermal activity

For spouting geysers, bubbling mud pools and natural hot springs, visit Rotorua ().

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History hunters

Retrace the past at Aucklands War Memorial Museum ().

NZ Tourism

Pampering

Luxuriate in your own freshly dug warm pool on Hot Water Beach ().

NZ Tourism

Sporty types

Try yachting or watch the All Blacks in Auckland ().

Peter James Quinn/Apa Publications

Unbeatable views

New Zealand boasts many amazing vistas: highlights include the views around Aoraki/Mount Cook ().

iStock

Kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park

Peter James Quinn/Apa Publications

Explore New Zealand

New Zealands archipelago of around 700 islands offers a wealth of dramatic scenery, from the exquisite beauty of the Southern Alps and Milford Sound, to the solitude of Lake Waikaremoana and the bubbling surprises of the thermal regions.

Rere Falls, near Gisborne, in the East Cape

NZ Tourism

New Zealand is situated in the South Pacific between latitudes 34 and 47 South. Its a long, narrow country with two main islands prosaically known as North Island and South Island separated by the Cook Strait. The Pacific Ocean crashes into its east coast and the Tasman Sea laps against its western shore. At 269,057 sq km (103,883 sq miles), its slightly larger than the British Isles. Two-thirds of the country is mountainous and dissected by swift-flowing rivers, deep alpine lakes and subtropical forest. Its highest mountain is Aoraki/Mount Cook, located in the Southern Alps, which run like a spine down the South Island.

New Zealand was once a remote end-of-the-world gem, loved by the adventurous few who got this far and were astounded at the riches they found packed into a small country. This abruptly changed in 2001, with The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring , directed by native son Peter Jackson. Cast in the role of Middle Earth, New Zealands spectacular landscapes became the southern hemispheres worst-kept secret.

Getting around

For the independent traveller, New Zealands geography can present challenges. The countrys length and rough-hewn nature, plus its division into two main islands, make travel time-consuming. The routes in this book focus on five main hubs Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown with a number of additional routes guiding you around the rest of the country s attractions (the historic Bay of Islands, the beautiful beaches of Coromandel Peninsula, the adventure activities around Lake Taupo, the wineries of Wairarapa, the stunning glaciers of the South Islands west coast, and the majesty of Milford Sound). If time allows, the routes can be linked together for an exploration of the whole country. If time is at a premium, use domestic flights to travel between the city hubs, then hire a car to access regional attractions.