Getting there - Eastbound via Singapore:

All the major airlines have plus (and minus!) points but Singapore Airlines are renowned for their quality of service and impeccable cabin staff. Individual seatback video/entertainment is available in Economy as well as Business Class.

Although some travellers to New Zealand fly straight through, there is a lot to be said for stopping over en-route. Apart from visiting a fascinating city, breaking the journey means you arrive much fresher.

Singapore Airline's Stopover Package is excellent value and well organised. They have a counter at the airport where transport to your hotel is arranged and your luggage taken care of. The package offers lots of added value features like the free SIA Tourist Bus; discount coupons for shopping and visitor attractions, and a free river cruise.

Where to Stay
We would recommend the Hotel New Otani. This pleasant modern 4 Star is clean, has good facilities and large and well-equipped rooms with Internet access for those e-mails home. Executive rooms and suites are available at a supplement. There are excellent leisure facilities including an outdoor pool. The hotel is in a great location, within easy walking distance of the restaurants, bars and shops of Clarke Quay and Boat Quay. Another excellent hotel is the 5-Star Marina Mandarin, which has some excellent suites with stunning views over the harbours and quays. Raffles Hotel's old colonial building has been superbly restored and a modern extension added, with luxurious guest bedrooms.

Getting Around
Taxis are inexpensive and there are plenty of them while the MRT underground is good for longer trips. The free hop-on hop-off Singapore Airlines Stopover Bus runs a convenient circular route round the city. Rickshaws are widely available but it is wise to fix a price for your journey before climbing aboard.

Singapore is a bustling, modern multi-cultural city, clean and very safe - street crime is virtually unknown. The bulk of the population is Chinese. A few streets of the old Chinatown remain, lined with traditional shop-houses. The area round the Quays has been redeveloped in the same style; but most of the city is high-rise and high-tech. Tailoring is a speciality - made-to-measure items are inexpensive by UK Standards can be ready in a short space of time. Bargaining is the rule! Cameras and electronic goods are other favourites. Sightseeing possibilities include Sentosa Island, Jurong Bird Park, The Orchid Gardens and of course Raffles Hotel, for a Singapore Sling!

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Other possible stopping points on the westbound route include Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands.

Whichever direction you travel, you can buy duty-free goods on arrival at Auckland (This seems a lot more sensible than buying them before departure and carrying them half-way around the world).

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NEW ZEALAND
Auckland, The Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Queenstown, The Southern Lakes and Dunedin

New Zealands's climate is similar to the UK but a few degrees warmer and sunnier. The North is sub-tropical in parts. The climate encourages outdoor living and most houses have large open balconies or patios ("decks"), which form an integral part of the living area. The spectacularly mountainous South Island is cooler and has more changeable weather.

Auckland (North Island)
The "City of Sails" has water all around. Sailing is the No.1 summer sport and thousands of yachts and motor cruisers moor in Auckland Harbour. The Viaduct Marina where the 2003 America's Cup yachts are being prepared is within walking distance of the city centre. This area is a major social and entertainment area with loads of good restaurants and pubs. The suburbs are set in attractive inlets and bays along the shore. Many commuters take a ferry, while others simply walk along the beach to work!

Bay of Islands (North Island):
North of Auckland there lies a coastline of tremendous natural beauty, with dozens of islands set in a vast bay. The principal resorts are Paihia and Russell. Paihia is quite lively, with a good selection of bars and restaurants, while Russell is smaller, quieter and picturesque. Regular ferries run across the bay between the two resorts. From Paihia, fast speedboats offer a thrilling ride out to "The Hole In The Rock", while "The Milk Trip" makes a day cruise round the islands at a much more relaxed pace. Many of the islands have a cluster of houses and the boat delivers groceries, newspapers etc. You take in picturesque islets and coves on the way around the bay and there is a lunch-stop at a restaurant on one of the larger islands. The Bay is a major conservation area and wildlife and seabirds abound; Shearwaters and Petrels skim the waters alongside the boat.

We stayed in Pahia, at the Chalet Romantica. This small Alpine-style guest house is worth 4-Stars. The rooms and apartments are spacious and well-equipped, all with private bathroom. There is a terrace with stunning views over the Bay.

Rotorua (North Island)
Rotorua is the major tourist area of the North Island. Nicknamed "Sulphur City", it has the most energetic thermal activity in the country, as you drive or fly into Rotorua the steam rising from the ground is clear evidence of this. There is the unmissable stench of the bubbling mud, gurgling hot pools and gushing geysers. Maori culture and influence is very evident around the town, with a large number of displays and cultural activities that are unique to New Zealand and the Maori people. The major thermal and cultural area is called Te Whakarewarewa; there can be seen the famous "Prince of Wales' Feathers" geyser and the spectacular "Pohutu" geyser. It is well worth taking in the concerts of song and dance in the Maori meeting-house nearby - performances mornings and afternoons. Another attraction that should not be missed is an evening with the Tamaki Brothers. The traditional Maori greeting is given and then there is a performance describing the lives of the warriors and the ancestors. The evening is topped off by a "Hangi", which is a traditional Maori feast where all the food is cooked underground in baskets surrounded by hot stones. Superb!

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Between the Islands
Many vistors will travel between North and South Islands by the ferries that ply between Wellington on the North Island and Picton on South Island. Car Hire is arranged so that you leave your car in Wellington and pick up another when you arrive. If you are short of time flights are available to Christchurch, with onward connections to Queenstown or Dunedin; but this would mean missing out the beautiful area around Nelson, and the North East corner of South Island.

Queenstown and the Southern Lakes (South Island):
New Zealand's favourite holiday resort is a stunning sight as you fly in, the town set beside a lake and surrounded a spectacular mountain range, well named the Remarkables. Queenstown has the feel of a lively ski resort (which it is, during the winter) but there are plenty of quieter places to stay by the lakeside or on the hill behind the town.

We stayed in a very attractive apartment in Queenstown, "Spinnaker Bay", with panoramic views over the lake. Activities include golf, sailing, water-skiing and plenty of the adventurous activities to which New Zealanders are addicted: bungy jumping, white water rafting, jetboating, abseiling, mountain biking. For the very brave there is a rocket powered flying sledge, which takes off vertically and then swings round on the end of a cable!

Golf is available on three courses. The mid-range Queenstown Golf Club has 18 holes on a beautiful wooded peninsula projecting out into the lake. Visiting players welcome. A round including club and buggy hire works out at around £30.

The "must see" fjords of Milford Sound are more than 4 hours drive away. Alternatively, you can make the trip by light plane or helicopter. Helicopters offer a spectacular ride as they hover over the cliffs and land on the glacier above the sound. "Lord of the Rings" was filmed mostly in New Zealand and Milford Sound provided a spectacular backdrop for the scene where Bodo saves his friend from drowning.

The smaller resort towns of Arrowtown and Lake Wanaka are alternative desinations in the Southern Lakes area. Arrowtown is about a 15min drive from Queenstown and is just as beautiful but smaller and less commercial. Lake Wanaka is over the Crown Range 100kms from Queenstown and is the gateway to the Mount Aspiring National Park. There is a big range of accommodation from 5 star hotels such as the Edgewater Resort, to 2 star motels and camp sites. Once a year Wanaka is host to "Wings over Wanaka", a world-class historic flying event.

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Dunedin (South Island)
Dunedin is extremely attractive and with a small population it prides itself on its uniqueness, peace and tranquillity. Dunedin is the home of New Zealand's first university and has plenty of links with Scotland - Some people refer to this attractive city as "the Edinburgh of the South". There is a statue of Robert Burns guarding the city, while locally produced whisky and haggis are all part of the fun.

Dunedin is built around Otago Harbour. The peninsula is rich in wildlife and fauna, and it is the home to the only Northern Royal Albatross colony in the world to be found near human habitation. The birds arrive at the nesting site in September, court and mate in October, lay eggs in November incubate them until January when they hatch. The peninsula is also home to the yellow-eyed penguin, blue-eyed penguins, fur seals and sea lions.

For the visitor there is a big range range of accommodation, from the luxurious Larnach Castle, to 2 star motels.

Getting Home
Flights can be arranged arriving in Auckland and departing from a gateway further South. Three weeks is probably the minimum time to take in most of the major sights, but four (or more!) make for more a relaxing - and rewarding - trip around this fascinating country.

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