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January 29, 2007
Top Ten Holiday Parks
9 out of 11 nights on the South Island were spent in Top Ten Holiday Parks, and we think that’s the way to go. They are all independently owned, but they’re part of a franchise that offers very good facilities and predictable quality. The two campgrounds that weren’t Top Ten were noticeably inferior.
January 29, 2007
Rough Guide to New Zealand book
We highly recommend the Rough Guide to New Zealand. After looking at several guidebooks here, we took along the Rough Guide and read it daily. The Rough Guide map was also the best of all the maps we picked up along the way. Their descriptions and recommendations were right every time. Their assessment of a restaurant as “overpriced but adequate” was so accurate it was funny. It’s well written, up-to-date, balanced and highly informative.
January 29, 2007
New President Hotel
The New President Hotel in Auckland was ideal for us: comfortable, clean, good kitchen, and in the middle of downtown. It’s five or six blocks from the waterfront and right beside the Sky Tower, their Space Needle.
January 29, 2007
Milford Sound
In a move that satisfied everyone, we decided to take a plane from Wanaka to Milford Sound (instead of campervan). We had no problem making a reservation a day in advance, and we were lucky to have the good weather needed for flying. In a small Cesna plane, we flew for an hour over the “Southern Alps” and landed on a small airstrip at the start of the fjord. From there, we took a two-hour cruise on the fjord out to the sea and back. This was a spectacular and thrilling way to see the mountains and Milford Sound, and probably the highlight of the trip for me, although I’m not sure I want to choose just one. For $850 (US), it was well worth the money.
January 29, 2007
Rotorua In General
Rotorua was the most touristy place we went, and it included some fun things for the kids. The sheep show at the Agrodome was just right for them. We highly recommend the Brylin Motel: delightful and helpful owners, nice rooms and kitchen, pleasant, and laundry facilities, which we needed by that point.
January 29, 2007
Koalas & Penguins, Phillip Island
The visit to the Koala Sanctuary was very interesting. In addition to the Koalas we saw some very colorful birds in the wild. The penguin walk (penguins returning to the island for the night at dusk was a highlight, with excellent commentary from the ranger and pretty good visibility with the night vision goggles (the “ultimate” option for that tour). We could have done without the stops at the dairy farm and the winery, so visitors who have a rental car may wish to do this on their own. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and personable, and we had a very enjoyable dinner with our group at a local hotel restaurant. Also, anyone wanting photos of the penguins will need to visit the Melbourne zoo, as no photography is allowed.
January 29, 2007
Melbourne Museum
A very nice museum. Our daughter especially wanted us to see the Aboriginal exhibit, which she visited with one of her Melbourne University classes. There was a strong focus on the history, and the treatment of Aboriginal people by the white government. Many similarities to how we treated the indigenous population here, although it was surprising to learn that the government didn’t stop trying to remove Aboriginal children from their families and culture until the 1970s.
January 29, 2007
Sovereign Hill
Our daughter especially enjoyed the visit to the mock-up gold mining town. It was interesting to hear the history and the impact of the Australian gold rush on the region and the nation. Also surprised to learn that there is still the occasional large nugget found by someone using a metal detector earlier this year a “grapefruit-sized nugget” found by someone right in his caravan (RV) park.
January 29, 2007
Shotover Canyon Swing
The younger three of us (our 27 and 24 year old sons and 20 year old daughter) chose to do the Canyon Swing instead of bungee, although if we’d been there longer they probably would have done the bungee also. The Canyon Swing was too much for me, but they found it pretty thrilling.
January 29, 2007
Milford Sound Trip
Because of our limited time, we chose the airplane flight Milford Sound cruise option. The plane ride through the Remarkables mountain range was spectacular, and the cruise in Milford Sound was very nice also. Both provided great photo opportunities. In the sound, in addition to the spectacular scenary, including dozens of waterfalls, we saw a leopard seal, several fur seals, and penguins.
January 29, 2007
Shotover Jet
Outstanding jet boat ride on the Shotover River and through narrow canyons. Lord of the Rings fans will recognize the canyon from the movie. There are also jet boat rides on the lake offered by a different company. I don’t see how they could compare to the ride on the river and through the canyon.
January 29, 2007
Skyline Gondola
A nice way to get a mountaintop view of the city, lake and surrounding mountains. The kids also did the luge ride and enjoyed that.
January 29, 2007
Outrigger Beach Club
Outstanding, very luxurious (at least to our standards). We had two bedrooms, each with its own balcony, and a private roof-top terrace. Although we had both a whirlpool bath and a hot tub, it was too hot to use those. The kids made good use of the swimming pools, and the swimming area in the ocean, and we enjoyed drinks and snacks by the pool. Staff was very helpful arranging tours and the transport to the airport for our two sons, who had a very early flight out to Sydney and home. We ate at 3 of the 4 restaurants in the hotel, all very good.
November 20, 2006
Underground Motel
Exceptionally clean, beautiful place and the owner was a delightful lady. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. I would also suggest that if people are looking for Opals that they wait until they get to Coober Pedy rather than doing what we did. We purchased in Adelaide and found the prices at “The Old Timers Mine and Opal Shop” (Coober Pedy) to be much less expensive than in Adelaide. Owner Trevor spent about 30 minutes with our grand daughter as she was wanting to make a $20.00 opal purchase. I’d certainly recommend The Old Timers Mine and Opal Shop to anyone. Good quality products and reasonably priced.
November 20, 2006
Australian Wilderness Tours’ Adelaide to Alice Springs, 4 day Centre Tour
For anyone with the time we’d recommend the 4 day Opal Tour that we took. (Our guide) Paul was number 1 in our book. He was a perfect gentleman and was so knowledgeable of that country that it was like traveling with a history book. We did off road tours that I’ll bet (no more than) 50 white people had ever seen and I don’t think he looked at a map once on the whole trip. He was born in South Australia and was the equivalent of an Eagle Scout there and had traveled all over with his family and had spend quite a bit of time with the Aboriginals along the way. If I ever go back I’ll request him again, He is excellent!!!
There is lots of driving and a huge country to see. Probably 2/3 of the trip was on unsealed roads which didn’t bother us at all. If you’re looking for easy travel and “plush” accommodations this is not the one for you. If you like having a bit of roughing it, it is perfect. Wilpena Pound was an oasis in the middle of the desert and we loved it. Marree is next to middle of nowhere. The single hotel there is older than dirt but has it’s own character. Everyone goes down the corridor to the ‘loo’ and shower. The floors “squeak” so they can be heard across the railroad tracks I think. The food was excellent and the stereotype Aussie Bar was an absolute blast!!! We love it, and again, the people there were friendly and most accommodating. We left about 7:30AM and the owner came down and opened the bar up for me so I could take some video of it. GREAT PEOPLE!!! Class it wasn’t, but fun it was!!!
November 20, 2006
North Adelaide Heritage Apartments’ Sir George Lowe
When we arrived Regina Twiss, owner, happened to be there. She was most gracious and could not have been more accommodating. Buxton Manor was an exceptional place. It was like having our own house and it was beautifully furnished with really old antiques. It was comfortable, roomy and just about top of the line in my opinion. We would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone going that way. We stayed in the Sir George Lowe Apartment. The use of the washer and dryer was at no charge. The service was excellent. Our 7 year old grand-daughter even recognized it as being an outstanding place. It’s just pure class in my opinion.
Regina even came back the next morning and took Lucy to church. We also met Rodney (Regina’s husband) when he came on our arrival morning. He has been in the antique business for many years and had done very well. You can mention Rodney and Regina Twiss to anyone in Adelaide and I can guarantee you that they’ll know them.