Best of New Zealand

I wrote most of this in NZ just before we left and keep wanting to add more and more to it now that we are home. I guess we had so many good experiences I can't seem to get to the bottom of it. I have decided to post it now and if I do think of something I forgot I can always add to the post at a later date. So here it is the best of NZ......



We didn't quite travel from Cape Reinga to Bluff but we came pretty close. Here in our opinion are the best things we did in NZ. (Note: there are the best we did, that's not to say there isn't better things we didn't do!)

Best Accommodation: Believe it or not for the sheer experience and convenience of it all it would have to be a camper van.

Best Activity: We are a bit conservative in this department but tramping generally would have to be up there along with a heli hike of the Franz Josef or Fox Glaciers. We did the Fox!

Best Art Gallery (Public): City Gallery, Civic Square, Wellington.

Best Bar: Well it's one of the top ten bars in the world so choosing the Matterhorn here in the capital is easy!

Best Beach: So many to choose from but I think it would have to be one either in the Coromandel Peninsula or Northland (Sorry can't be more specific than that as there were to many to choose from).

Best Boat Trip: Has to be the interislander from Welly to Picton. We will never forget how beautiful it was coming into Picton.


Best Cafe for Coffee: In the whole of NZ now that's hard! For coffee we like Ernestos on Cuba St. in Wellington and for food it would probably have to be Olive or Floriditas on Cuba too. Chocolate fish is really nice also although it's days seem to be numbered. Seems only fair that the capital should come out tops in this department. Cafe Vedu in Queenstown was one that still stands out from the crowd!

Best City: Emm I don't think I realised how difficult a task I set myself! Wellington would have to feature on our list as we have lived here for the year, but if I was a tourist in the more conventional sense I think it would have to be Queenstown! (Although I am not sure how much I would have liked it had we been there during the high season). Christchurch would be third on my list.


Best Restaurant: Fleurs Place in Moreakai Village, The Bunker in Queenstown and Pravda in Welly.

Best Tramp: Didn't do many unfortunately. We really enjoyed the Queen Charlotte Track and I really liked the Tongariro Crossing. Would have liked to do the Milford Trek but maybe another time!



Best Place: Again a tough one for obvious reasons. High up on the list would have to be Milford Sound but for the shear experience of it all Mount Cook wins by a short head. Lake Tekapo near Mount Cook is fabulous also.



Best Park (Public): Kaori Wildlife Sanctuary

Best Thermal Park: We didn't do all the parks in Rotorua but we did one or two. Surprisingly enough though its the Oreki Thermal Park near Toupo that was our favourite.

Best Movie: The best NZ movie about NZ would have to be Once Were Warriors although it's not for the faint hearted! We also really enjoyed This is New Zealand which was made for the 1970 World Trade Expo.

Best Scenic Drive: Again a hard one but for us it has to be the Desert Road (SH1 south of Lake Taupo.)

Best Live Performance: The Case of Katherine Mansfield in the Downstage.

Best Town: Nelson. Not sure if it is a town and I wasn't there but Sharon says it's really nice!

Best knitting shop: Somewhere in Nelson, no wonder Sharon liked it so much!

Best Night Out: Matterhorn on New Years Eve.

Best unexpected treat: Tennis competition in Havelock North.

Best Kiwi stereotype : They are really into their rugby!

Best sporting event: We didn't get to the Westpac but the "craic" around Welly for the "7"'s was superb!

Best Picture: The one below taken on the Tongariro Crossing in September.


If you ever wondered if you should go to NZ the answer I hope is spelt out above, although words and pictures can hardly do it justice. You just have to go and see it for yourself!

Cathal