New Zealand

The HCI Group is at home in Wellington, the capital city at the bottom of the North Island.

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North Island

  • Wellington - the city we are from and the greatest place on earth. Wellington is the Capital City of New Zealand and home of the Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson.
  • Walkways and Tracks in Wellington - Wellington has some wonderful walking tracks. Our favourite is walking Mt KauKau and at the bottom there is a swimming pool!
  • Te Papa - Museum of New Zealand located in Wellington
  • Cable Car - Wellington cable car, mode of transport and there is a museum
  • Turangi - trout fishing
  • Mt Taranaki - looks similar to Mt Fuji
  • New Plymouth - heart of Taranki region
  • Taupo - massive lake, awesome fishing
  • Mt Ruapehu - tallest mountain in the North Island, place to go snow skiing and snow boarding
  • Tongariro Crossing - New Zealand's most popular one day tramp
  • Rotorua - home to Maori Village, good mountain biking, luges
  • Tauranga - beach town with lots to do, especially fishing
  • Hobitton - in Matamata, the place where the Shire was filmed in the Lord of the Rings fans
  • Waitomo Caves - caving
  • Piha - awesome surf beach
  • Auckland - the largest city in New Zealand.
  • Waitangi - where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed and the annual New Zealand day is celebrated after this occasion which is February 6 annually
  • Bay of Islands - stunning scenery
  • Russell - first permanent European settlement and sea port in New Zealand
  • Waipoua Forest - massive tress called Kauris

South Island

  • Awaroa Lodge - a magnificent place to stay in the Abel Tasman National Park.
  • Pupu Springs - a place where the water is just magical. You can see the bottom of the natural pool. However, I am quite sure you are not allowed to go swimming there, but you probably wouldn't want to, since it is freezing cold! Located west of Takaka, i.e. Golden Bay, also a must see. This is close to Abel Tasman Park.
  • Farewell Spit - a big sand island which is the northern tip of the South Island. You may not have time to see this since you have to drive a long way and then come back the same way as there is no other way to get out.
  • Marlborough Region - well here are all the good wineries in NZ. Take your pick there are many!
  • Hokitika and Pancake Rocks - The rock formations are really cool and in Hokitika you can get greenstone which is amazing.
  • Milford Sounds - You can either stay a night on the boat, or at the backpackers. There is no other accommodation. The alternative is to drive from Te Anau or fly from Queenstown. Depending on your budget, we would recommend if you can stay a night on one of the boats or in Te Anau. It is very wet down there so bring a waterproof coat/jacket.
  • Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier - two amazing glaciers. Basically take your pick, you certainly don't need to do both. On the West Coast. They are about 30 minutes apart from each other.
  • Queenstown and Wanaka are about 45 mins apart. I prefer Wanaka as it is more quieter and more spread out. Queenstown is too squashed and quite expensive. Both are beautiful. While in Wanaka we would recommend seeing Puzzling World to stimulate your brain.
  • Glenorchy - When you are in Queenstown I would recommend driving out to Glenorchy, west towards the sea, however, you can't get to the sea, but it is a magical place. It is where they filmed many scenes from the Lord of the Rings. The only way in and out of Glenorchy is via Queenstown.
  • Lake Tekapo - very romantic place where you are in the flat surrounded by the amazing Southern Alps, including NZ's highest peak, Mount Cook. It is also one of the best places in the country to see stars at night.
  • Some of the best walks (Tramping / Hiking) in NZ are in the South Island which take about 3-5 days. The Milford Track, Kepler, and Routeburn are all in the Queenstown / Milford Sounds area. While the Heaphy, Abel Tasman, and Queen Charlotte are in the north part of the South Island. See Ultimate Hikes
  • Kaikoura - here you can go do http://www.whalewatch.co.nz/[whale watching]].
  • Hamner Springs - one of the nicest hot springs where you can go swimming all year round or sit in the lovely hot water and just watch the sun go down.
  • Akaroa - very beautiful French place and one of the most romantic places in the country to spend some time.
  • Christchurch - is nice but really just a city. There are some things to do, but we would recommend go and explore the other places.
  • Dunedin - known as Edinburgh of the South for its Scottish Heritage. While in Dunedin visit the Railway Station, the most photographed building in NZ.
  • Cadbury Chocolate Factory - the best chocolate in the world!
  • Speights Brewery
  • Larnach Castle
  • Invercargill - If you have time and you get into the deep south then we would recommend staying a night on Stewart Island, which is the third largest island in New Zealand, but not many people at all.
  • Catlins Coast - drive this area which has some amazing scenery and just recently claimed the world's largest wave.
  • Bluff Oysters - best oysters in the world
  • The Glow Worm Caves
  • Milford Sounds Tours
  • Shotover Jet Ride
  • Mount Cook
  • Paparoa
  • Fiordland

Animals

Food

The common misconception is that a Kiwi is the thing you eat in actual fact it is a KiwiFruit

Coffee

New Zealand Films

Note to Tourists

  • Don't drink and drive you will be severely punished. The law is very strict in NZ.
  • We drive on the left and the driver sits on the right hand side of the car. Get an automatic as it will be easier to drive rather than worrying about a manual / stick shifter.
  • If you need to make some phone calls while in NZ, we would recommend taking your cellphone with you, so long as it is tri/quad band and then buy a prepaid sim card from someone like Vodafone or 2 Degrees. Otherwise it is expensive calling International all the time.
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