Self-directed touring. My daughter really "fell" for the Skytower Skyjump. She could be heard all over Auckland. We all absolutely loved the sail on the NZ Americas Cup yacht. We finished it off with a "cool" drink at the Icebar.
Self-directed touring. We hired a car and drove up to Rotorua. We all enjoyed the Luge, but did not get to spend enough time there. We could easily have spent all day just at that one spot. Some of us enjoyed the cultural aspects of The Maori Cultural centre Te Puia.
Everybody loved the thrill of the jet boat ride from Kawarau Jet. The combination of thrills and spins with cultural and heritage commentary was enough to keep even the young ones enthralled.
A full-day tour. We privately hired a driver who took all of us around Napier and Hastings. There was little of interest to be seen. Although the driver did his best to take us to the most interesting sites. The adults enjoyed Moanna Park winery. The children enjoyed the chocolate factory.
Self-directed touring. We took a taxi downtown to the Te Papa museum. It was fascinating and very well done. After lunch we took the cable car up to the gardens. We wandered for a couple of hours through the gardens. don't miss the roses!! We walked back to the boat, which was an easy walk and we got to see parts that we would not normally have seen.
The port was actually Akaroa (which didn't appear in the list). We all enjoyed wandering through the French-styled village. I would recommend taking the tour of the Lighthouse. After lunch of fish and chips, we tried to steel ourselves for the afternoon excursion - a swim with the dolphins. The hector dolphins were so amazing that we very quickly forgot about the 12 deg water. Thoroughly recommend that you experience this - they supply wet suits.
The tour was very good. The guide was very knowledgeable and really enjoyed his job. The tour was followed up by a very comprehensive self-serve tasting experience. Awesome. "Here's the glasses, there's the taps - go for it" if you like beer, you should definitely find something here to suit your tastes.
City Tour Rating:
Self-directed touring. We hired a vehicle and drove to each of the stops. The first stop was Cadburys. The tour was not very good as the factory was mainly closed down. We did get a very good commentary from our guide and we all sampled various types of chocolate. Interesting but would have been better if it were all operating.
We then drove out to Natures Wonders for a fun excursion to see some fantastic conservation efforts. We all enjoyed the tour in the eight-wheel-drive buggy to see seals and penguins along with a very interesting commentary from our guides. This is one to add to your list. A must see.
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