Anonymous wrote:The Tongoriro Crossing--do that! Awesome day hike! And there is a big fancy hotel nearby there--old, famous; nothing around it--that's the place to stay--and order the Beef bourganion. You'll find that hotel in any tour book.
(OMG pardon my spelling for all this)
Kaikoura is a town on the South Island that has an ocean situation that makes it full of everything--fish, seals, whales, all right there. Go there!
We did not get the Milford Track (the most famous of the Tracks) but got the Routeburn Track. These tracks take a few days. Routeburn was fantastic and there are not as many stinging flies as on the Milford Track (so I've been told). You have to apply for this; only a certain amount of folks are allowed to go and stay in the lodgings.
Outside Queenstown there was a company ha! I remembered it! Called "The Shotover Jet" and that ride was fun.
There is a cave (Wai….Waiwowa?) A famous cave with glow-worms. I recall we just sat in a boat and floated under them. I often think of it, even though it was sedate by comparison.
We did another rappelling, caving experience (and had no experience) but it was a blast. During one part of it, you turn off your headlamp and it's pitch dark and they fling you on a pulley over a gorge--omg so fun. Then on that cave ledge, everyone stops for tea. Then we walked on the cave/river floor--with some big old eel.
Also, we took a helicopter up to the top of Franz-Joseph glacier.
Somewhere in there we saw a sheep-shearing.
Have fun, OP, and let us know what you did and how the endangered Kiwi and that endangered parrot that hangs out on the ground are doing.
Wow, this all sounds awesome! Thanks pp!