Q: Is alcohol
expensive to buy in New Zealand?
A:The
price of alcohol in New Zealand is like buying it in Australia, it is
expensive and there is no free pour going on. This is a time when pre
drinking is needed.
Q: What is
wifi like in New Zealand?
A:
Wifi when it exists is slow and expensive. It is a lot like Australia
in this case. Some hotels may offer it free, but otherwise you will
have to pay for it.
Q: When visiting Auckland with
Contiki, what do you get to see?
A:
You don't get to see much of Auckland if you are on a contiki tour.
The city is used as the start point and end point for tours. It is
also used as a stop on the way to the bay of islands. You go over
the harbor bridge and may get a quick drive through town, but that
is it. However the hotel that Contiki uses is very central and before
or after the tour, you can go explore.
Q: In New Zealand what happens on
the south to north island ferry?
A: The coach drives up to the ferry
terminal. You have to unpack the coach as it is staying at the ferry
terminal. You transfer all your luggage into a luggage carrier and
then walk onto the ship. You find a place to sit and relax and then
the ferry leaves. It is a number of hours to make the crossing, but
there are bars, restaurants, viewing areas and wifi available. After
the ferry docks, you head off the ferry, find the new coach and
transfer the luggage back to the coach after the luggage carrier
turns up.
Q: In New Zealand is there any
difference in starting in the south island, compared to the North
island?
A:
The only real difference is that you start in the south, visit Queenstown early on and then head north. If you were to start in the
north and head south, then you would see the north cities first and
then head south to the natural areas.
Q: In
Queenstown new Zealand, what is there to do at night?
A: Queenstown is
a party town, there are plenty of places to eat and plenty of places
to drink. There are bar crawls happening, plus events at various
bars. It is also just fun to walk the streets and explore.
Q: In Dunedin
New Zealand, what is there to do at night?
A:
Dunedin is a big university town, so there are a number of cheap bars
that you can go to. There are also ghost walks of the city that you
can do. Or you can just walk around and explore.
Q: What is
rotorura like with contiki in New Zealand?
A: You get into
the area after doing a few optionals in the general area. You go to
the hotel, unpack and then you head to a maroi village for a tour.
The whole town smells like sulfa. After the tour, you head back to
the hotel, have dinner at the hotel and then the night is free.
Q: On a New Zealand tour, how long is the trip from Auckland to the bay of
islands?
A: The trip takes
about 4 hrs to do and that includes a break for a rest. But it also
depends on traffic.
Q: When
travelling around new Zealand, what kind of stops are made?
A: Sometimes the
stops on the road will be at a small town that you can wander around,
sometimes natural settings, there are also road side service centres.
Usually a place to grab food and have a rest.
Q: With
Contiki in New Zealand, what happens when you arrive in Dunedin?
A:
You arrive in the city, visit the steepest street, then the train
station before heading for your hotel. Here you have time to relax a
bit before going to the cadbury factory, speights brewery and then
dinner and night activities.
Q: In
Queenstown new Zealand, what is the hotel that contiki uses like?
A: The hotel is
very nice, it has great views, great staff and is a nice inviting
place. It has a number of bars and a comfortable lounge. The only
problem it is a bit far to walk to from the centre of town, you need
to catch a taxi.
Q: In
Queenstown, what is ferg burger?
A: This is a very
popular burger places that has unusual burgers. The line to get in is
out the door and while there may be some unusual tastes, it is very
good. Grab a burger and fries and head outside to enjoy them.
Q: In
Queenstown, what is the restaurant like at the look out?
A:
The restaurant is at the tall tower at the top of the hill. It has
some great views and is a buffet dinner. The food is very good. There
is also a good bar on the same area as the restaurant. With contiki,
this is an optional.
Q: In
Queenstown, New Zealand, where do the adventure sport operators pick
you up from?
A:
Depending on when your adventure is scheduled, it could be that they
pick you up from the hotel or that they pick you up at their shop
front in the main center of town. They will give you a time to meet
and you will go from there.
Q: In the Franz Joseph region of New Zealand, what is the hot springs near the
hotel like?
A: They are very
nice. They have 3 different temperature pools. It is just nice and
relaxing to sit in. They also have good staff.
Q: In the Franz Joseph region of New Zealand what happens if you don't do any
glacier optionals?
A:
There is not much to do if you don't do the glacier optionals
(helicopters or walks). You can sit on the bus and relax or sit in
the cafe nearby. It will be a wait of a number of hours.
Q: How long
does contiki take to get from Franz Joseph area back to Christchurch?
A: It is a 6 hr
or so driving day, but that includes a number of stops for food and
to take pictures.
Q: In
Christchurch, with contiki where do you stay on the way back to Christchurch after exploring the south island?
A: You stay at
the same hotel that you left from.
Q: In
Christchurch after finishing the south island, how many people leave
the tour, not to go onto the north island?
A: Usually it is
only a few people, maybe 6 in all. Those people just doing the
southern island.
Q: How long
does it take to get from Christchurch to the ferry port to get to the
north island?
A:
It takes about 4 hrs to get there from Christchurch, depending on
traffic.
Q: How long
does it take to get from the ferry port on the north island side into
the hotel in Wellington?
A: You don't do
to the hotel straight away, you do a quick driving tour of Wellington
first, including going up to the look out. Also the ferry port is in
the city center, so it is close. So from leaving the ferry to
arriving at the hotel is about an hour, but that includes the time to
visit the view point.
Q: In
Wellington, is it a walking city or do i need to take public
transport?
A: The hotel that
contiki uses is very centrally located, so everything is in easy
walking distance. The city is also relatively flat, except for the
lookout and there is a cable car for that. Go out enjoy walking
around the city, watch out for the rain.
Q: In
wellington, is going up the cable car and the museum there worth it?
A:
The cable car leads to some great views of the city. It also leads to
a museum about the cable car. The ticket is cheap and it is a
different way of exploring the city. However if it is raining, then
there is not much of a view.
Q: In
Rotoroua, does it smell, how bad is it?
A: Is does small,
like rotten eggs, you do get used to it, so it becomes just noticeable. The smell is really only outside.
Q: In Rotoroua
with contiki, there is an included dinner at the hotel, what is it
like?
A:
The dinner is a traditional Maori dinner, it is a buffet dinner and
includes entertainment as well. The food is really good.
Q: In waitomo,
New Zealand, what is the glow worm cave like?
A:
The cave is just like any other cave, except that when it is dark
inside there are glow worms on the roof. It makes it look amazing.
Q:
In New Zealand, when doing adventure sports, do the companies provide
all kit and clothing that you will need?
A:
Yes the companies that operate the adventure provide everything that
you need to participate except what they tell you to bring.
Q:
In New Zealand are ATM's easy to find and use?
A:
In most cases they are exactly like ones used in Australia, same bank
and everything, but they do charge more for getting money out.
Q: How long does it take to get back
to Auckland from the bay of islands?
A: It takes about 3 – 4 hours,
depending on traffic and how long you stop for a break.
Q: Does it rain a lot in Auckland?
A: It does rain, but not for long, just
short periods, multiple times a day. Bring an umbrella.
Q: How easy is it to get around
Auckland?
A:
It is very easy, as everything can be walked to get there. There are
also buses that are easy to catch
Q: In the New Zealand, is the voltage any different to what is used in Australia in
terms of power adapters?
A:
New Zealand has the same voltage as Australia, but a slightly
different plug, this means that you do need an adapter.
Q: In Wellington, New zealand, what
are some of the optionals to do on contiki?
A: Wellington has lots of optionals
that you can do on your free time. You can do a lord of the rings
tour, a quad bike tour, or a pub crawl. Plus all the things you can
do on your own.
Q: In New zealand on a contiki tour,
do you get to do much lord of the rings stuff?
A:
There is an optional in Wellington and you can do a day trip organized by yourself to the hobbiton area. You do get to see Castle
hill, where a number of films were shot as well as lord of the rings,
but that is about it. A lot of shops do have things that you can
purchase and the airport has some props from the movie.
Q: In lake taupo, New Zealand, is it
easy to get around the town?
A: The town is small, so it can be
walked around easily. You can get taxis to get to the further out
bits, and they are cheap.
Q: In the bay of islands in New
zealand, what can you do on you free time?
A: You can walk along the water, hit
the dunes, stay at the hotel and relax, hit the beach or wander into
town and explore the shops etc.
Q: What is the main difference
between a contiki in New Zealand compared to one in the USA?
A: The main difference is that the
travel days are not as long and you make more stops on the road to
see interesting places. Also New zeland tours have more adventure
sports.
Q: What is the main difference
between a contiki in New Zealand compared to one in Europe?
Europe has many varieties of tours and
many locations, New zealand has one main type and a few locations.
Travel days are roughly the same.
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