New Zealand advice.

Richard G. said:

Just wondering if anyone has any advice about best places to walk, best time
of year to visit, companies that offer walking tours or any other
highlights?

Main advice: go. We went two years ago, travelling independently. We
spent just on a month there, arriving on January 1st. Weather varied
between gorgeous and torrential rain: think of Scotland in July for a
reasonable comparison.

The country is set up for handling traveller: Tourist info places will
book you accommodation and travel tickets. Food is cheap (but be
warned that it's not always easy to get a good selection outside the
main centres of population). Bring a spare holdall or similar so that
you can leave kit at a left luggage when you go off backpacking.

We did the Abel Tasman trail as our main trek, followed by shorter
excursions elsewhere. Milford Sound you'll probably need to book in
advance.

--
Giles Chamberlin

Giles Chamberlin said:

Main advice: go. We went two years ago, travelling independently. We
spent just on a month there, arriving on January 1st. Weather varied
between gorgeous and torrential rain: think of Scotland in July for a
reasonable comparison.

Yup, they do have some serious rain down there, far worse than I have
seen in this country. Make sure you have good sun block for when it is
fair, they have a big hole on the ozone layer above them and the sun
is scorching.

I did a driving trip there about 4 years ago and just covered the top
half of the north island. There is plenty of good walking all around.
--
Andrew, contact via interpleb.blogspot.com
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Andrew <spamtrap@localhost.> wrote :

Quoted message said:

Giles Chamberlin said:

Main advice: go. We went two years ago, travelling independently. We
spent just on a month there, arriving on January 1st. Weather varied
between gorgeous and torrential rain: think of Scotland in July for a
reasonable comparison.

Yup, they do have some serious rain down there, far worse than I have
seen in this country.

Bugger ! I was thinking of emigrating there because I'm sick of dull UK weather.

Quoted message said:

they have a big hole on the ozone layer above them

I believe the hole which affects the south is shrinking again, so I don't know
how much of a problem it really is.

Daytona

Daytona said:

Bugger ! I was thinking of emigrating there because I'm sick of dull UK weather.

Overall (based on regularly talking to a friend in Auckland) it is
similar to the UK, but probably about 5 degrees warmer through the
seasons. You get more sun than the UK.

Quoted message said:

I believe the hole which affects the south is shrinking again, so I don't know
how much of a problem it really is.

No problem, it saves money on sun beds! Melanoma from not taking
proper precautions is a bit of a downer though.
--
Andrew, contact via interpleb.blogspot.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim replies to quote only relevant text.
Check groups.google.com before asking an obvious question.

Andrew <spamtrap@localhost.> wrote :

Quoted message said:

Daytona said:

Bugger ! I was thinking of emigrating there because I'm sick of dull UK weather.

Quoted message said:

You get more sun than the UK.

That's the key for me !

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I believe the hole which affects the south is shrinking again, so I don't know
how much of a problem it really is.

No problem, it saves money on sun beds! Melanoma from not taking
proper precautions is a bit of a downer though.

I don't have a problem using sun screen, it's just that the ozone hole is always
mentioned, and last time I looked into it, it seemed as if it's affects had been
exaggerated.

Daytona

"Richard G." <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Been thinking about a trip to NZ for a while and it now seems to

have got to

Quoted message said:

the top of the "places to go" list.

It will be cheaper if you just go and then look at what's on offer
when you get there. There is SO much to do out there that three weeks
is just not enough (although that's how long i went for too). A lot of
the walking is serious though, so be prepared to take winter gear if
you're going uphill. For example, we did the relatively tame Nelson
Lakes in Oct-Nov, but some of the passes were well iced up. We went to
Mount Cook and were rewarded by fabulous views over deep blue lakes -
some good options here. Of course, it all depends on the weather. The
Milford sounds excellent, but I wouldn't want to bank on that as my
highlight and then get a week of rain....

We stayed at hostels and had a low cost but wonderfully varied
holiday. One tip, take vitamin b tablets to ward off the sand flies,
NZs midge equivalent!

Graham

Daytona said:

I don't have a problem using sun screen, it's just that the ozone hole is always
mentioned, and last time I looked into it, it seemed as if it's affects had been
exaggerated.

I don't know the technicalities of it, all I know is 4 years ago when
I was there, the feeling of sunlight on the skin was incredible, it is
far more intense than anything you experience in this country, or
anywhere else I have been, including the Far East and Arizona.
--
Andrew, contact via interpleb.blogspot.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim replies to quote only relevant text.
Check groups.google.com before asking an obvious question.

Richard G. said:

Been thinking about a trip to NZ for a while and it now seems to have got to
the top of the "places to go" list.

(...)

Any experiences you can share?

Regards,
Richard G.

I was there eight months ago... A listing of the walks I tried with some
appreciations (feel free to contact me (e-mail : web2004 ((at))
lavaurs.com for details) :

Short walks :
* very very short walks around Kaikura (a forest four kilometers above
the village ; around the peninsula). Simply great. I did not try the
longer walk (a hill something like 1800 m high, with departure at sea
level) but it seemed really interesting.
* Avalanche Peak above Arthur's Pass. A short walk recommended by the
Lonely Planet guide. Probably the least exotic of all my walks (though
the forest part has nothing to see with Europe, of course). Above
forest, it looks a bit like some places in Italian Alps (especially the
fog :-)). The keas coming to ask for food are definitely non Alpine, though.
* some bits of walk near Akaroa (the non private (and non coastal) part
of the Akaroa coastal path. Very great views (again something very
short). Note an annoying thing : unlike most of Europe, you definitely
cannot walk where you want : either you are in wilderness, but this is
REAL wilderness, something you might get in remote Scotland, but
definitely nowhere in France ; or you are in untrespassable private
property, with nothing like public rights of way.
* simply walking southwards for about 12 km then back to the village on
Chatham Island. Nice to be nowhere ; a quite northern England looking
landscape (at least from a continental eye).
* the hill south of Raglan. Had been recommended to me on the web. And
was really good ; the hill by itself is covered by forest, so you don't
see much except at the top. (But the forest is really magical). The
really great place is the coast, especially SW of the hill (OK I was
just not hiking there but taken as a hitch-hiker, by a gentleman from
Rugby, UK - but it is definitely one of the best coastlines I ever saw).

Longer walks :
* Queen Charlotte Track (Malborough Sounds) ; a three day coastal hike.
It was my first contact with New-Zealand. Good, and quite exceptional by
the number of pubs or tea parlours along the path ; the same kind of
pleasure than a coastal walk in SW England.
* Tongariro Tour. Loads of people there on the first stretch of the walk
(the "Tongariro Crossing"😉. Indeed everybody arrives at 9am in the same
buses, so you feel (and are) in quite a big crowd ; I suppose the place
is totally desert three hours later. Worth the visit though ; and the
remnant of the Tour is reasonably wild. Funny to see everybody was
European at the hut (something like 1 French, 1 Austrian, 3 Germans, 1
Dutch, 1 Irish).
* Abel Tasman Path. Known as crowded ; I was there quite late in March
and could have it in fine conditions. Incredibly beautiful ; I have been
astounded to see some disparaging commentaries somewhere on the web,
maybe these people suffered from crowds, or bad weather. I was in
perfect conditions. (Again only Europeans at the campsite : something
like 1 French, 1 Czech, 1 Swiss, as far as I remember...)
* Heaphy Track. Another enthralling one, at least in the very fine
weather I managed to get (I waited long before rushing to the departure
....). Quite funny experience : a very well tended path, like an alley in
a park, through total wilderness. Some locals to be met in the huts on
this one !

I hope it helps (and it was a fine recollection to type all of this).

Richard G. said:

Been thinking about a trip to NZ for a while and it now seems to have got to
the top of the "places to go" list.

(...)

Any experiences you can share?

Regards,
Richard G.

I was there eight months ago... A listing of the walks I tried with some
appreciations (feel free to contact me (e-mail : web2004 ((at))
lavaurs.com for details) :

Short walks :
* very very short walks around Kaikura (a forest four kilometers above
the village ; around the peninsula). Simply great. I did not try the
longer walk (a hill something like 1800 m high, with departure at sea
level) but it seemed really interesting.
* Avalanche Peak above Arthur's Pass. A short walk recommended by the
Lonely Planet guide. Probably the least exotic of all my walks (though
the forest part has nothing to see with Europe, of course). Above
forest, it looks a bit like some places in Italian Alps (especially the
fog :-)). The keas coming to ask for food are definitely non Alpine, though.
* some bits of walk near Akaroa (the non private (and non coastal) part
of the Akaroa coastal path. Very great views (again something very
short). Note an annoying thing : unlike most of Europe, you definitely
cannot walk where you want : either you are in wilderness, but this is
REAL wilderness, something you might get in remote Scotland, but
definitely nowhere in France ; or you are in untrespassable private
property, with nothing like public rights of way.
* simply walking southwards for about 12 km then back to the village on
Chatham Island. Nice to be nowhere ; a quite northern England looking
landscape (at least from a continental eye).
* the hill south of Raglan. Had been recommended to me on the web. And
was really good ; the hill by itself is covered by forest, so you don't
see much except at the top. (But the forest is really magical). The
really great place is the coast, especially SW of the hill (OK I was
just not hiking there but taken as a hitch-hiker, by a gentleman from
Rugby, UK - but it is definitely one of the best coastlines I ever saw).

Longer walks :
* Queen Charlotte Track (Malborough Sounds) ; a three day coastal hike.
It was my first contact with New-Zealand. Good, and quite exceptional by
the number of pubs or tea parlours along the path ; the same kind of
pleasure than a coastal walk in SW England.
* Tongariro Tour. Loads of people there on the first stretch of the walk
(the "Tongariro Crossing"😉. Indeed everybody arrives at 9am in the same
buses, so you feel (and are) in quite a big crowd ; I suppose the place
is totally desert three hours later. Worth the visit though ; and the
remnant of the Tour is reasonably wild. Funny to see everybody was
European at the hut (something like 1 French, 1 Austrian, 3 Germans, 1
Dutch, 1 Irish).
* Abel Tasman Path. Known as crowded ; I was there quite late in March
and could have it in fine conditions. Incredibly beautiful ; I have been
astounded to see some disparaging commentaries somewhere on the web,
maybe these people suffered from crowds, or bad weather. I was in
perfect conditions. (Again only Europeans at the campsite : something
like 1 French, 1 Czech, 1 Swiss, as far as I remember...)
* Heaphy Track. Another enthralling one, at least in the very fine
weather I managed to get (I waited long before rushing to the departure
....). Quite funny experience : a very well tended path, like an alley in
a park, through total wilderness. Some locals to be met in the huts on
this one !

I hope it helps (and it was a fine recollection to type all of this).

"Richard G." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Been thinking about a trip to NZ for a while and it now etc....

Some advice off the top of my head....

1) For the Great Walks, which have to be booked, look at
http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/002~Tracks-and-Walks/Great-Walks/index.asp
You can book on-line, and they show availablity

2) Milford Area is great for walking (or tramping as it is called in NZ),
but gets SERIOUS rain and lots of sandflies. If you thought that scottish
midges were irritating, you ain't felt nothing yet. Bring all your creams
and repellants. The East side of 'The Divide' - towards Queenstown has lots
of tramping opportunities (eg Routeburn, Greenstone, Rees-Dart) and gets
significantly less rain.

3) Mount Cook National Park is a must, but the walking is a little limited -
most routes (and all of those longer than 2 days) are mountaineering routes.

4) There are bigger valleys, and therefore more non-mounatineering routes in
the Arthur's Pass NP.

5) The Lonely Planet Guide 'Tramping in NZ' gives a good range of the
popular tramps. Worth a look.

6) This site: http://www.tramper.co.nz/ is excellent.

7) Nearly all walks are linear rather then circular. A notable exception
would be the Kepler Track at Te Anau

8) Independent travel is easy and cheap. The TI centres will do all of your
transport bookings for you, and find you the cheapest alternatives. All of
the popular road-heads are served by shuttle buses of various kinds. I
wouldn't bother with a commercial trecking company.

9) Local DoC offices will give excellent advice. Their publications are very
good, and some (or many?) are on-line at the site above.

10) The Milford Track is very popular for a reason!

11) The Tongariro Crossing is popular for reason!

12) Read carefully. There are obvious hazards here, but one of the biggest
killers are river crossings. Many, even most rivers are not bridged, except
on the most popular walks.

I'm sure I'll think of some more stuff just as soon as I go offline!!

M.

--
From Sunny South Canterbury

Once upon a time I tried not to spoil my reply address.
Then the Swen-virus started to send me emails :-(
Remove mashed to reply. Sorry.

Quoted message said:

Any experiences you can share?

Thanks to all that responded, some very useful feedback. To be honest, I
don't really want to organise the trekking bit myself, partly 'cos I'm too
lazy, but I also find it a bit stressful working out all the details and
making sure all the transfers fit together etc. I just end up with a
constant feeling of apprehension that something will go wrong somewhere
along the line and then all hell breaks loose. I have successfully done this
in the past and saved a few quid, but I'd rather leave that worry to someone
else and get on with enjoying the trip.

Like the look of one or two tours at hikingnewzealand.com, particularly
these two:
http://www.hikingnewzealand.com/hiking-tours-in-new-zealand.htm
http://www.hikingnewzealand.com/siatripd.htm
with a little kayaking thrown in!

I'll keep digging and looking up some of the suggested areas, but any more
info and tips would be most welcome.

Thanks,
Richard G.

Quoted message said:

Like the look of one or two tours at hikingnewzealand.com, particularly
these two:
http://www.hikingnewzealand.com/hiking-tours-in-new-zealand.htm
http://www.hikingnewzealand.com/siatripd.htm
with a little kayaking thrown in!

Fair enough. This looks like it'll give you a good variety of experiences,
and if I translate the price into UKPounds, it's quite cheap. The kayaking
is certainly a big plus - it'll be great.

The Mt Somers Walkway is my home territory - there's some (not very good)
photos of it at
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/m.houghton/outdoorsnz/MtS1.html
- including the sauna! (I'm not completely convinced about the ethics of a
commercial company operating out of a small DoC hut, mind you).

Their list "what to bring" is fine. Bring a higher factor sunscreen than
you'd use in the UK, and DON'T FORGET THE INSECT REPELLANT. For clothing,
think UK summer - you can get all temps. and weathers here. In parts of
Southland, even on hot days, many walkers stay covered, because of the
sandflies. The trendy tramper likes to be seen in stripey thermal "pants" ,
with shorts over the top. A fashion which I don't think has arrived in the
UK.

It'll be fun.
M.

--
From Sunny South Canterbury

Once upon a time I tried not to spoil my reply address.
Then the Swen-virus started to send me emails :-(
Remove mashed to reply. Sorry.