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  1. #1
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    Fiji and New Zealand - October 2012 suggestions wanted

    I have done a little reading of some of the other threads around TGR and am working to gather that info as well, but thought I would throw this thread out there for any suggetions from experienced travelers or locals...things you loved, things you would do differently, etc.

    Anyhow, getting married 10/6/12 and then heading to New Zealand for a week or so. This is right after the kids all go back to school, so hoping that the timing right. The future wife and I both live in Denver and she grew up in Evergreen, so we are use to crazy weather and don't mind a little chill.

    So far NZ is pretty wide open on what to do and where to go. She wants to go sky diving and do the bungie/big swing thing and is looking for the NZ leg of the trip to be adventurous and active. Probably a winery or two in there.

    Any must see suggestions, places to stay, etc. would be really appreciated.

    From NZ, we are going to fly to Fiji for the remainder of the trip. Would like something more along the lines of all inclusive...very beachy, and not to crowded. Might be fun to do something remote, maybe on a small island...she loves camping in the middle of no where in CO, so again, she is adventurous and does not mind seclusion. Thinking beaches, booze, good food, and snorkling.

    I have no idea what island or anything, but not really looking for crowds or near a city. Experiencing culture, etc. is always fun and appreciated as well.

    Thank you for any suggestions to get me pointed in the right direction. We are looking at about 3 weeks total including travel time from Denver (10/7 or 10/8 to 10/26 or 10/27). Not sure yet on the cost..but hoping for $8K to $12K MAX.
    Last edited by gretch6364; 11-23-2011 at 03:39 PM.
    "We had nice 3 days in your autonomous mountain realm last weekend." - Tom from Austria (the Rax ski guy)

  2. #2
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    PM lobstahmeatwad for NZ info...

    We stayed on Castaway Island in Fiji www.castawayfiji.com for our honeymoon almost 10 years ago; not sure if its changed much in that time or not but great little island with bitchin food. We snorkeled, dove, sailed, swam and all that. If you need to be going nonstop a week might be too long but we wanted plenty of chill on the beach and bure (cabin) time

    My favorite memory was an excursion to a nearby empty island where the boat drops you off (just the two of us) with a picnic lunch, mask and snorkels, and come back and pick you up in 4 hours or whatever. Total privacy on your own island for a half day, I'd love to do that again.

    All the Fijian people seemed genuinely friendly as well, I'm sure you'll have a blast no matter where you stay...

    CONGRATS on the nuptials mang!

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  3. #3
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    Queenstown is the best. Wife did the bungee.Loved it.Not me. Anything 1 day beyond the airport in Fiji . you need 1 month for each

    Hayduke Aug 7,1996 GS-Aug 26 2010
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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by haydukelives View Post
    Queenstown is the best.
    ^^^This. New Zealand is on the top of my list to return to.
    This is the worst pain EVER!

  5. #5
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    We did a month in NZ for our honeymoon. Given your compressed time schedule and desire for adventure you probably want to hit Queenstown. We spent a couple of days in the area. We were warned by all the locals that Queenstown was a tourist rip off but they got nothing on a vermont resort. It wasn't badly priced at all. Lots of commercial adventure in the area, pretty much anything you could imagine. Fun downtown with good night life.

    You might get by on the north island as well but it would be more driving. There is skiing on the north island and lots of wineries. Auckland has plenty of sailing. If you like rock climbing there was place called Bryce's that we stayed at a climbed. Bryce is riot, he guides, runs a hostel, and a great climbing shop. Hopefully he is still around.

    If you have more time it is easy to explore. We started in Auckland where I rented a Ute online for dirt cheap. We fit right in touring around ina 10 year old Mitsi Pajero. We then basically followed the weather. Every town has an information site where you can stop and get information on that town. That is how we got all of our lodging, mostly at bed and breakfasts. Met a ton of fun innkeepers and some weird ones. We stayed up late out on the otaga pennisula drinking home made scotch with a scottish expat. We never had a problem finding somewhere to stay and it wasn't bad.

    Pretty much wherever you go in NZ you will have a blast. We didn't have a bad day.

  6. #6
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    Years ago a mag recommended I check out the Octopus Resort on Waya Island Fiji.

    Best beach resort I've ever been too, bar none. All inclusive, minus booze. Very, very good food.

    http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...a_Islands.html

    http://octopusresort.com/

    I lived in NZ for a little while in '08/'09. You won't have much time, so stick to the South Island.

    IMHO, Wanaka is very preferable to Queenstown. You can day trip to Queenstown from Wanaka, but Wanaka has a much quieter small town feel with just as much adventure and some good dining options. GF and I rented a house in Wanaka for Christmas '08 and loved every minute of it.

    Although Milford Sound is very busy certain times of the year, IMHO you have to go. We kayaked Milford Sound and had the entire fjord to ourselves after the cruise boats went in.

    Are you guys looking to backpack/tramp? Lots of recs there too if you need. Have a few places off the beaten path that I'd be willing to share with you that are way better and more remote than the great walks.

  7. #7
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    Also, book your flight through a travel agent of directly w/ the airline. You can get a free stopover in Fiji on Air NZ or Air Pacific without paying extra if you ask for it.

  8. #8
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    Thanks for the advice so far guys...and thanks Kevo, that is a great tip. I thought three weeks was going to be plenty of time to see both places! I would rather not rush around and try and see everything, but instead spend the time doing quality things.

    Should I be concerned about NZ weather on the South Island that time of year? Skiing is not going to be in the plans at all by the way.
    "We had nice 3 days in your autonomous mountain realm last weekend." - Tom from Austria (the Rax ski guy)

  9. #9
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    Mainly be concerned about snow in high up areas/passes if you are tramping/backpacking.

    Any time is a great time to be in NZ. I had a great time tramping though torrential rain. Really.

  10. #10
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    In Fiji, find a surfer named Moses. He's cool. ;-)

  11. #11
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    one week is not long enough in New Zealand. I have been to Fiji twice for extended stays a couple of months. Both times Savusavu area on Vanua Levu. I would go again. It's got that tropical vibe when the twin otter lands on the grass strip. One of the houses we rented was next to this place,
    http://www.namalefiji.com/
    We did not stay there. But the reef out front is an incredible 40' wall and there is a nice little kayak trip to salt lake that is next to the resort.
    I am sure there are alot of nice places in Fiji. In the almost 4 months we have spent in this area we never had a hassle.
    off your knees Louie

  12. #12
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    Was in Fiji last June, it was all time. Like you I didn't want to be in a city or surrounded by other tourist. Hit me up if you have any specific questions.

    https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...highlight=fiji

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by gaijin View Post
    In Fiji, find a surfer named Moses. He's cool. ;-)
    You'd think Moses would get frustrated surfing. What with the water parting and all.

  14. #14
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    Look into staying on the Yasawas in Fiji for at least a few days.I spent 8 days on a island with only daytime generator power and a water tower shower.Walked over to a neighboring village and met the chief.Made Kava with him and drank it the whole night while chasing down Fiji Bitter Beers.
    Also stayed on the main Island which was very commercialized.Try the path less traveled for a few days.You will not regret it.

  15. #15
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    I live in Wanaka. The weather is pretty ok then, a little stormy but mostly warm during the day. I still wear a downy out at night at that time of the year.

    You could race all over NZ but you'd be better off choosing one area. I would suggest you base yourself in Queenstown for most of your week and do a few nights in Wanaka too. There are more restaurants, shops, activities etc in QT, but Wanaka is better if you want space and nature. Fly into and out of q town and hire a car while you're here.

    Bungee in qt - 'cause that's where they all are, and do your skydive in Wanaka .

    If you're up for cold water (guided activity) canyoning out of Wanaka is crazy cool and you get right into the southern alps, if they've started the season by then.

    For day walks by yourselves there's a 2.5hr walk into rob roy glacier. Boots are best but we've done it in running shoes. This is a must if you like bush walks into the Alps. It's a favorite of all who do it. It's an hours drive from Wanaka.

    The Cromwell area (40mins from both wanaka and qt), and back towards qt, has a huge number of great wineries. A lot of NZ's best reds come from this area. Central-Otago wine

    Hope you have a good trip
    Nine out of ten Jeremy's prefer a warm jacket to a warm day

  16. #16
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    vehicle relocations - range from sedan to 6 berth motorhome- all for free!
    http://www.transfercar.co.nz
    weather will be 'changeable'.
    life in the real world does'nt work...back to the snow.

  17. #17
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    Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We should have 8 or 9 days in each place. I am not going to try and see all of NZ, rather as mentioned, pick an area or two to see.

    When you stay on the small islands in Fiji, what do they do for food and drinks, etc? I love the idea, and think she would as well, but probable only for a night or teo, with the rest and a little more "pampered" area.
    "We had nice 3 days in your autonomous mountain realm last weekend." - Tom from Austria (the Rax ski guy)

  18. #18
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    Central Otago/ Lakes is definitely the area you want to be for that length of time. Queenstown is the tourism capital of NZ, so there is lots of fun stuff to do, with great nightlife, and outdoor activities.

    Plus, you can always go to Wanaka (1 hr drive) which is similar, but less touristy, and more local ski bums living there.
    My drinking buddies say i have a skiing problem...

  19. #19
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    Rent an RV ( cheap and popular there) and tour the South Island for a week. Trust me please. RV'ing is part of their culture, you can park and camp anywhere....normal.

  20. #20
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    If you've been to Lake Tahoe, you've been to Queenstown. Both excellent with a million adventures to choose from. Milford Sound is beautiful, and your girl will love seeing dolphins if you take the boat tour thing.... but you can swim with them (wild ones) in Kaikoura... which is closer to the Abel Tasman coast... which is where you should rent a double kayak and spend a few days touring that amazing coast (you'll be camping). One of the best adventures I've done, and I've done a shit-load (and I'm hard to please). If things haven't changed much in the past 10 years, you can "hire" (rent) a used car from a local dealership for cheap to get around.... one of the better tips I got before my trip.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by gretch6364 View Post
    When you stay on the small islands in Fiji, what do they do for food and drinks, etc? I love the idea, and think she would as well, but probable only for a night or teo, with the rest and a little more "pampered" area.
    When I stayed on Taveuni the food and drink was awesome, had some really good options for such a small place. Lobster dinners for under $20 are pretty hard to beat. Don't forget to get your bottles at the duty free when you get to Nadi, 2 people = 4 bottles plenty of booze for a week. I also highly recommend Fiji Bitter when you get to your destination.

  22. #22
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    Just a heads up that it might be a bit early in the "summer" season to do much in Queenstown or Milford Sound, when we were there in October 2005 most of the good hiking was still shut out by snow and the weather in Queenstown was terrible. We ended up beelining north and spending time hiking in Abel Tasman, which was well worth it. The nice part about October in NZ is the lack of crowds and relatively low prices on everything. Also good hiking and camping at the base of Mt. Cook.

    Edit to add: Second on the campervan suggestion, great way to see the country. And don't overlook the North Island, especially that time of year.

  23. #23
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    Queenstown is awesome. Skydived at a place called N-Zone - great experience. Don't expect to book and fly in the same day or two though, took me 3-4 days to have the right weather (and I was in December). Recommend 12000 feet - I don't think 15000 would have been worth an extra $100.

    Stewart Island was great in terms of total seclusion hiking/camping (nice huts, and we're not normally hut people). On your timeline, Abel Tasman might be the better bet though (more scenic, better weather, and I imagine it won't be too crowded in October). Can hike and/or kayak there. Marlborough sound looks nice for outdoor adventures too.

    You might want to make a short list of 'have to dos' and 'want to dos', and just figure out what makes sense based on the weather. Don't try to do it all - we were there for a solid two months, and despite 7000km on the rental car, still missed out on a lot of stuff and can't wait to go back.

    I'd probably stick to the south, but some fun can be had on the North Island too (and warmer weather) - Tongariro Crossing is an awesome full day hike - can climb Mt. Doom from LOTR on it too (very weather dependent though, they'll often have it closed). Waitomo Caves were also a highlight.

  24. #24
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    Also great wineries in the Marlborough region. Wasn't really very easy to do without a car though (most are pretty far apart, and the nearby towns are dumps), so had to spit more of the goods than I wanted to...might be better laid out around Wanaka. Almost all of the wineries are super chill, so it's okay if you are a dirtbag.

  25. #25
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    My recs would be pretty similar to Jerr's really. But then again i live in queenstown so might be biased??

    Anyhow if you're only going to have 8-9 days i would def say just stick in the south, fly direct to QT and take things from there. There is loads of great "adventure" activities to do, bungy, jet bot, swings, cayon, skydive blah blah along with a heap of good resturants and bars in town. Anyhow besides all that I would suggest do an overnight cruise in Doubtful Sound (way quieter/more remote than milford and you want an overnight so its not such a rush), while you are down south maybe go on the wairaurahiri jet boat (way more authentic that the main QT trips, spend a night or 2 in wanaka too, the Rob Roy walk is cool, check out some of the awesome winerys in cromwell/bannockburn/gibston valley etc.

    yes you could get a camper and tour around but even tho NZ is small driving around takes ages and in 8-9 days you will be rushing/missing out on good stuff and the chance to chill out and enjoy places. As others have said the Abel Tasman at the top of the south island is great tho, kakaying there is def a way better way to see it that than walking though. If you are up that way spend a day or 2 in golden bay.

    October is a pretty good time to come, near everything in and arround QT will be running except some of the great walks (hikes) that cross alpine areas, its after the ski season so there will be some good deals around too. Weather will be changeable but then again it's NZ and that pretty much holds true to some extent year round. Shout out if you have any more specific Qs Later Nigel

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