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I’ve been in New Zealand for two days now. The first two days in Auckland were pretty uneventful. I was just getting my bearings and planning the rest of the trip. Except for that one thing…
While in Auckland, I booked Jetstar flights from Auckland to Wellington and Wellington to Queenstown. Jetstar is a low-cost subsidiary of Qantas, a member of oneworld.
Jetstar flights that are also marketed by Qantas with a Qantas flight number can be purchased with American miles and Avios. But these flights were not such flights, so I booked them with cash.
I flew the one hour to Wellington today. Wellington has been a triumph for the Meet Up page. Reader Rachel told me she lived in Wellington and might have some fun ideas. After a tour of the beautiful harbor, she took me up Mount Victoria to a tree swing overlooking the city.
I highly recommend it to everyone.
New Zealand is not as warm as I was expecting. It hasn’t been much above 70 degrees, and it’s the heart of summer. But that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the trip with a sweatshirt on.
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Which hostel did you stay at in Auckland? I left (Dec 30) just before you arrived.
Stayed at Nomads. It was an OK setup but $4 a day for internet at a hostel is ludicrous.
Which hostel did you stay at in Auckland? I left (Dec 30) just before you arrived.
Stayed at Nomads. It was an OK setup but $4 a day for internet at a hostel is ludicrous.
Newton Lodge (27 Cross St) and K Road City Travellers (146 Karangahape Road) both have free and unlimited WiFi. They’re the only hostels in the Auckland CBD I’m aware of that offer this.
I stayed at the former for a week, before renting an apartment I found on Gumtree.co.nz. The internet at Newton Lodge can get slow with lots of people on it, but it is free.
I’ll be there next month. What does your reader think of me spending part of a day at the Te Papa Museum? Should I being doing something else instead?
I’ll be there next month. What does your reader think of me spending part of a day at the Te Papa Museum? Should I being doing something else instead?
Keep the trip reports coming! We are going to be in NZ for 12 days at the end of March so I appreciate all the ideas as I have nothing planned yet. The swing looks like a great place to see the city
Keep the trip reports coming! We are going to be in NZ for 12 days at the end of March so I appreciate all the ideas as I have nothing planned yet. The swing looks like a great place to see the city
Wellington will be the last stop on my 3-week Australia/NZ vacation this August. Taking a Lord of the Rings tour for sure.
Might end up staying at the Intercontinental, but accom hasn’t been decided yet.
Wellington will be the last stop on my 3-week Australia/NZ vacation this August. Taking a Lord of the Rings tour for sure.
Might end up staying at the Intercontinental, but accom hasn’t been decided yet.
I had submitted a request for trip planning/booking and have not heard back, are you guys backed up?
I had submitted a request for trip planning/booking and have not heard back, are you guys backed up?
@Jane That museum is great. Very entertaining and educational with a respectful attitude to the Maori culture.
Jane, we really enjoyed Te Papa! It is well worth the visit.
As I recall, the museum has a very nice web site that will give you a good overview of the exhibits.
Kristin, we got a good rate and stayed at Bolton Hotel, which is very convenient to walk over to see Beehive and also to the gardens. We especially liked getting a room…2 bedroom, actually, that included full kitchen facilities and washer dryer. The hotel was very nice. We considered the IC, but am glad we chose Bolton.
[…] I’ll be giving some activity ideas for New Zealand during my trip here. See Wellington, NZ. […]