Review of Tour and other bits and pieces
NZ hotels and notes and review of trip
Copthorne Wellington. We arrived two days early
King bed plus extra bed in an ante-room. Sink in bathroom very very small above counter sink with over large tap that you have to be very careful doesn't send water all over the place. Would make hand washing your smalls a challenge. But good European style shower head that you can adjust the height.
You can send a bag of laundry for $18 and 24 hour service.
Dining room for anything other than breakfast totally lacks any atmosphere and service spotty. We waited at least a half hour for a lunch, there were only two other tables occupied. Dinner came straight away. Seems to be the case in New Zeaiand that you do not get any ice in your water. But, they know how to make a good cup of tea.
Sites-- we thoroughly enjoyed a trip to Zealandia, a native wildlife reserve above Wellington in the hills. There is a free bus service from the I Sites Visitor center. But note, it only takes 11 people and can have gaps in service of an hour and then it can be late like 15 minutes. Or you can go by cable car and get the free shuttle from there, but same thing. Good cafe at Zealandia. Price to get in has been reduced from $30 to $17-50 at the moment.
Theatre-- we enjoyed a great play at the Circca Theatre a short walk from the hotel, seats $46
We ate a great dinner at VISTA, a little casual bistro, great atmosphere--- turn right out of the hotel, just a few doors down.
Note, once the Tauck tour officially started, we were treated like Kings by all the staff at the hotel. So suddenly service and concern and friendliness was turned on at the hotel. Didn't know whether to laugh or be secretly annoyed.
Te ANUA. DISTINCTION HOTEL. 2 washing machines, 2 dryers $2 each and $2 for soap powder
Good quick internet now in rooms. All rooms have Lake view.
Restaurant in town, REDCLIFF, FANTASTIC! Ate Wild Hare and Sous Vide Peppermint Lamb ----couple minutes walk from hotel
No air conditioning. This is really the 'Best hotel' there is in the town, but that does not mean it's a lovely hotel, it means that it is the best there. The fresh stains on the bedcover in our room were a bit off-putting.
Sofitel Queenstown
Beautiful hotel, very central. Lots of shopping, Gelato nearby wonderful. Lovely craft market on Saturdays, good because my husband will only allow me to buy things made in New Zealand. It's deceiving to see all the New Zealand goods that are made in China.
Kiwis--- if you want to see Kiwis this is your only daytime chance at Kiwi and Birdlife Park, they have 2 nocturnal enclosures and you can see the Kiwi very well even though it is very dark. Feeding several times a day. Other birds and a good bird show. Note $40 entrance fee, 10% off if you mention Tauck, but we think worth it. Botanic Gardens very pretty to walk around, roses in bloom when we were there and loved to see the Sequoia trees even if they are not a native tree.
The Sofitel here is brand new on the itinerary replacing the much maligned Crown plaza. We think a good move by Tauck, the staff gave us all the Royal treatment. We had massages, there was a 25% discount offered for Tauckers! I should point out that our last night there was a Saturday and some of our group faced a pub that had loud patrons and the noise did not stop until 4-45am.
Langham Hotel Auckland
Tauck is just about to change to Sofitel here, but just in case there are a few readers going to this hotel. The staff are quite dozy remembering details like which day you are due to leave the hotel. The dinner buffet is the most spectacular I have ever, ever encountered, every kind of shellfish and fish you can ever imagine, my husband tried three fish he had never heard of. Ostrich, kangaroo, alpaca, just some of the meats you might want to try as well as the usual. Dim sum, Indian. On and on. Breakfast a similar extravaganza.
The move to the Sofitel in Queensland means you will be on the Waterfront in what used to be a Westin I heard from a local. saves the long very steep walk up to the Langham that is not in a very nice area of the city.
Enjoyed Auckland Museum. There is a Botanic garden near there too, a very steep area for walking. A Skytower for viewing. Did not do tower or gardens, my husband fell ill on our last extra day, as did a lot of others, the men seemed to get a bad cough and fever, the women including me got a very runny nose, fever but were better in about 24 hours, the men were a lot more ill and it lingered. We traced it back to the nine people who joined us from the Australia tour.
37 people on our tour, mainly couples, two singles, dad with two daughters, two friends.
Clothing--- Welcome dinner a few jackets on the men. Farewell dinner, 3 men wore jackets. Many men wore polo shirts at the restaurants, some wore shorts. That answers one of the most asked questions on this forum.
Weather, we arrived 2 days early in WELLINGTON, JANUARY 16th rainy first day and very windy, continued to be windy, very, until the day we left there. Rest of trip, no rain, much warmer than expected, downright hot at times. Note, the sun is very fierce this far south, wear sunscreen.
Itinerary---we loved the way we were able to get around so much of New Zealand in such a short time due to the Private Charter flights. The bus literally drives up to the plane, you get on, get served champagne, even on the two short flights like 20 minutes! On these days if we were going back to the plane we could even leave things on the plane while we toured and then back to the plane--- how special is that!
Souvenirs - Woolley goods, some with possum fur. Lots of Paua shell and greenstone jewelery, latter expensive. The special honey, beginning with M, name escapes me just now, think over $100 a jar. Recommend Crafts fair if you are in Queenstown on a Saturday. Watch out. Lots of New Zealand goods are made in China! Get the real thing!
Many places charge up to 2% for using your credit card, even your hotel bills for extras.
Tips-- do not seem to be the norm.
Water--- never saw any ice served with a glass of water.
Air conditioning--- the New Zealanders don't turn on air when we would, phew!
I am not going to talk individually about the itinerary because it was all wonderful, I will just mention our very few negatives.
Day 8, think this is Day 18 on the Australia and NZ trip, the Tauck booklet provided for the tour when you pay your final bill, plus the brochure remains inaccurate, there is no longer a drive and visit to a dairy farm, instead, there are 2 flights that day, meaning you get to Auckland about 2 hours earlier, about 4pm, supposedly to avoid traffic. Downside, you have to have luggage ready to be picked up from your room at 6am, so we got up at 5-15am. Then when we got to Rotorua we felt rushed and did not have enough time there. Not everyone's opinion about this place, some thought it was very touristy-- but then we are tourists. By the time we got to Auckland to be given the extra look at Auckland before arriving at the hotel we were too tired to appreciate it. We felt that as it is a private charter we could have easily been picked up an hour later, so even if we did get stuck in traffic in Auckland we would not have been up at the crack of dawn, and anyway we arrived on a Sunday, do Sunday's have rush hour?
If you want to see more of Auckland it is worth staying an extra day at the end of her tour.
This is a beautiful country! Wine and food excellent, probably the most consistently excellent of any of our Tauck tours.
Copthorne Wellington. We arrived two days early
King bed plus extra bed in an ante-room. Sink in bathroom very very small above counter sink with over large tap that you have to be very careful doesn't send water all over the place. Would make hand washing your smalls a challenge. But good European style shower head that you can adjust the height.
You can send a bag of laundry for $18 and 24 hour service.
Dining room for anything other than breakfast totally lacks any atmosphere and service spotty. We waited at least a half hour for a lunch, there were only two other tables occupied. Dinner came straight away. Seems to be the case in New Zeaiand that you do not get any ice in your water. But, they know how to make a good cup of tea.
Sites-- we thoroughly enjoyed a trip to Zealandia, a native wildlife reserve above Wellington in the hills. There is a free bus service from the I Sites Visitor center. But note, it only takes 11 people and can have gaps in service of an hour and then it can be late like 15 minutes. Or you can go by cable car and get the free shuttle from there, but same thing. Good cafe at Zealandia. Price to get in has been reduced from $30 to $17-50 at the moment.
Theatre-- we enjoyed a great play at the Circca Theatre a short walk from the hotel, seats $46
We ate a great dinner at VISTA, a little casual bistro, great atmosphere--- turn right out of the hotel, just a few doors down.
Note, once the Tauck tour officially started, we were treated like Kings by all the staff at the hotel. So suddenly service and concern and friendliness was turned on at the hotel. Didn't know whether to laugh or be secretly annoyed.
Te ANUA. DISTINCTION HOTEL. 2 washing machines, 2 dryers $2 each and $2 for soap powder
Good quick internet now in rooms. All rooms have Lake view.
Restaurant in town, REDCLIFF, FANTASTIC! Ate Wild Hare and Sous Vide Peppermint Lamb ----couple minutes walk from hotel
No air conditioning. This is really the 'Best hotel' there is in the town, but that does not mean it's a lovely hotel, it means that it is the best there. The fresh stains on the bedcover in our room were a bit off-putting.
Sofitel Queenstown
Beautiful hotel, very central. Lots of shopping, Gelato nearby wonderful. Lovely craft market on Saturdays, good because my husband will only allow me to buy things made in New Zealand. It's deceiving to see all the New Zealand goods that are made in China.
Kiwis--- if you want to see Kiwis this is your only daytime chance at Kiwi and Birdlife Park, they have 2 nocturnal enclosures and you can see the Kiwi very well even though it is very dark. Feeding several times a day. Other birds and a good bird show. Note $40 entrance fee, 10% off if you mention Tauck, but we think worth it. Botanic Gardens very pretty to walk around, roses in bloom when we were there and loved to see the Sequoia trees even if they are not a native tree.
The Sofitel here is brand new on the itinerary replacing the much maligned Crown plaza. We think a good move by Tauck, the staff gave us all the Royal treatment. We had massages, there was a 25% discount offered for Tauckers! I should point out that our last night there was a Saturday and some of our group faced a pub that had loud patrons and the noise did not stop until 4-45am.
Langham Hotel Auckland
Tauck is just about to change to Sofitel here, but just in case there are a few readers going to this hotel. The staff are quite dozy remembering details like which day you are due to leave the hotel. The dinner buffet is the most spectacular I have ever, ever encountered, every kind of shellfish and fish you can ever imagine, my husband tried three fish he had never heard of. Ostrich, kangaroo, alpaca, just some of the meats you might want to try as well as the usual. Dim sum, Indian. On and on. Breakfast a similar extravaganza.
The move to the Sofitel in Queensland means you will be on the Waterfront in what used to be a Westin I heard from a local. saves the long very steep walk up to the Langham that is not in a very nice area of the city.
Enjoyed Auckland Museum. There is a Botanic garden near there too, a very steep area for walking. A Skytower for viewing. Did not do tower or gardens, my husband fell ill on our last extra day, as did a lot of others, the men seemed to get a bad cough and fever, the women including me got a very runny nose, fever but were better in about 24 hours, the men were a lot more ill and it lingered. We traced it back to the nine people who joined us from the Australia tour.
37 people on our tour, mainly couples, two singles, dad with two daughters, two friends.
Clothing--- Welcome dinner a few jackets on the men. Farewell dinner, 3 men wore jackets. Many men wore polo shirts at the restaurants, some wore shorts. That answers one of the most asked questions on this forum.
Weather, we arrived 2 days early in WELLINGTON, JANUARY 16th rainy first day and very windy, continued to be windy, very, until the day we left there. Rest of trip, no rain, much warmer than expected, downright hot at times. Note, the sun is very fierce this far south, wear sunscreen.
Itinerary---we loved the way we were able to get around so much of New Zealand in such a short time due to the Private Charter flights. The bus literally drives up to the plane, you get on, get served champagne, even on the two short flights like 20 minutes! On these days if we were going back to the plane we could even leave things on the plane while we toured and then back to the plane--- how special is that!
Souvenirs - Woolley goods, some with possum fur. Lots of Paua shell and greenstone jewelery, latter expensive. The special honey, beginning with M, name escapes me just now, think over $100 a jar. Recommend Crafts fair if you are in Queenstown on a Saturday. Watch out. Lots of New Zealand goods are made in China! Get the real thing!
Many places charge up to 2% for using your credit card, even your hotel bills for extras.
Tips-- do not seem to be the norm.
Water--- never saw any ice served with a glass of water.
Air conditioning--- the New Zealanders don't turn on air when we would, phew!
I am not going to talk individually about the itinerary because it was all wonderful, I will just mention our very few negatives.
Day 8, think this is Day 18 on the Australia and NZ trip, the Tauck booklet provided for the tour when you pay your final bill, plus the brochure remains inaccurate, there is no longer a drive and visit to a dairy farm, instead, there are 2 flights that day, meaning you get to Auckland about 2 hours earlier, about 4pm, supposedly to avoid traffic. Downside, you have to have luggage ready to be picked up from your room at 6am, so we got up at 5-15am. Then when we got to Rotorua we felt rushed and did not have enough time there. Not everyone's opinion about this place, some thought it was very touristy-- but then we are tourists. By the time we got to Auckland to be given the extra look at Auckland before arriving at the hotel we were too tired to appreciate it. We felt that as it is a private charter we could have easily been picked up an hour later, so even if we did get stuck in traffic in Auckland we would not have been up at the crack of dawn, and anyway we arrived on a Sunday, do Sunday's have rush hour?
If you want to see more of Auckland it is worth staying an extra day at the end of her tour.
This is a beautiful country! Wine and food excellent, probably the most consistently excellent of any of our Tauck tours.
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Shame you missed out on the free shuttle at The Langham, Auckland. Sure saved the legs on that climb back up the volcano!
Cheers,
Jan
PS Glad you had a great time. I can't believe your trip is already over. You'll have to visit again and make sure you get to the Bay of Island. Not to be missed.
Thank you! if you have any other questions I will try to help before my memory gets fuzzy. One thing to add, if you go to Zealandia, you get far more from the experience if you go at the time of a guided tour, or you will not know where to look for the creatures, especially the Tuatara and Weta. We got home last night, I could not get to sleep until 4am, I suppose it was harder because Mr British now has a chest infection as a result of what I think was Flu going around our group. Where is that Vacation King Size bed when you need one, our Queen seems very small when you are trying to escape someone with a raging fever!
I was thinking the same thing, Alan. Poor Mr British. Channeling hot toddies and other appropriate remedies.
Re the going and the coming, depending on where home is, I can tell you the absolute best way to cross the Pacific ... as long as you have the time. It might sound a strange route, but the experience is what makes it bearable, in my book.
First prize goes to Singapore Airlines. (Yes, you need the time and inclination.) MEL/SIN. Stop. Don't be tempted to fly on. The reason is obvious if you look at an atlas. SIN/SFO, (or LAX if you really must), then to points beyond. Same route, with a stop in Singapore, in reverse. Excellence in food, service and comfort only increases commensurate with class of travel.
Second prize goes to Air New Zealand. A practical alternative. Who in their right mind would choose to add extra time and trauma by a forced stop in Sydney? LAX/AKL every day, and good connection on to MEL. SFO/AKL 5 out of 7 days. I feel the same way about LAX as I do about SDY. ANZ doesn't do first, but their business class is very acceptable, with lie flat pods. Good level of comfort, service, food and excellent NZ wines. What's not to love!
Cheers,
Jan
Oh extra fun, the Air New Zealand safety video was directed by Peter Jackson and featured the likes of Elijah Wood. You can probably guess I take watching the safety videos very seriously.
Thanks! Not sure if and when I will be able to convince my better half to go- "It's expensive, a loooong way to fly and we would be gone for sooo long." Because of the first two points, we would likely take the combined AUS+NZ trip.
During my next evening armchair session of "where shall we go next" I will definitely investigate Singapore Airlines. I visited Singapore (by ship) many years ago, and if the airport/airlines are as neat, clean, and orderly as the rest of the country, it should be nice! Singapore is a bit off the great circle route from NZ/AUS to the US, so it would indeed require a stop there for a day or so.
If we can, we'll try to fly Business, where the difference in air fares can be really significant. I already looked at some of usual suspects using a constructive flight, and Air NZ came out the winner. I used a combination of Air NZ for the transpacs, AUK to WEL, and SYD to WEL legs, and Delta for the US legs. I typically look at seating too- if I'm going to fork over an obscene amount of $ for Business Class, I want good seats. To my way of thinking, the best are on the 767-400 and 767-300. They are true lie flat (not angled) and have a 1 - 2 - 1 arrangement. We reserve the center seats so each of us has aisle access. The Business seat arrangements on many planes are 2 - 3 - 2. Also, the seats on some aircraft are arranged in a herringbone or in pods, etc. which is nice for a single traveler but can make it difficult for a couple to converse. Of course, who know what will happen by the time we get around to taking this trip.