This is a report on my land trip around New Zealand. I have had a lot of emails asking about the differences in hotels so I decided the easiest way was to do a synopsis so some of the areas I would suggest visiting and the places to stay and post some pictures. I may have covered in my posts as I was traveling around. I hope the pictures help tell the story. We will eventually update our N.Z. Website with all the properties and pictures.

This country now has an incredible high quality of accommodation available. However it is expensive. Even if you go to the mid level or lower level accommodations things are more expensive than we are used to paying. There are tons of cheaper motels of course but these look great from the outside but not that good once you get a room. The top of the line luxury lodges are truly world class. Most are smaller with fewer rooms, attention to every detail and impeccable service and great food. The types of places that will always stay in your mind. I think that it is worth a splurge to stay at one of these fine lodges at some point in your itinerary. The tourist areas are more expensive. There are some really good values in the city areas.

Defining a Bed and Breakfast versus a small inn, guest house or lodge gets grey. B&B is an image of a room down the hall from your hosts but the N.Z. Bed and Breakfasts are larger with multiple rooms and really feel more like an inn than the home stay concept. Similar to Bishops Court in Cape Town for those of you who have been there.

Ballpark rack rates quoting US dollars:
Top lodges with dinner, bed and breakfast. Some all-inclusive some you pay for wine with dinner but pre-dinner drinks are included.
$1000 - $1500 per night per room

Mid priced lodges or hotels: Some with dinner bed and breakfast
$500 to $700 a night per room.

Nice Bed and Breakfast or local hotel rooms
$200 to $300 a night per room

Dinners are expensive. Everything is ala Carte, salad, main meal, and dessert. Many places you also have to pay for bread. About the same cost as nice restaurants here but it is hard to find a less expensive alternative, not many Fridays, Chilis or these types of restaurants.

N.Z. is really beautiful everywhere. It is bigger than you think it is and it would take weeks to see all the prime scenic areas. You have to make choices. These are listed for each island in my suggested order of priority. Plane distances are not that far so you can fly from spot to spot very easily. In many cases it is good to rent a car. Traffic in the tourist areas is not a problem; in the cities it can be a major headache.

South Island –Tourist Spots
Fly from Auckland non-stop to Queenstown. About a 90 minute flight.

Queenstown area.
This is a MUST do if you are visiting N.Z. A beautiful spot on Lake Wakatipu with so many things to do from every way you can think of to kill yourself, to incredible dining, quaint towns, great shopping and an incredibly scenic area. Having a car here is nice to get around and there is not much traffic.

Eichardts: Expensive about US $1000 a night with breakfast. Five rooms
http://www.eichardtshotel.co.nz/
A luxury lodge with 5 rooms on a bed and breakfast basis. A perfect location right on the waterfront. Great rooms with every conceivable luxury, Breakfast was terrific. This is an historic building with lots of character and a combination of antiques and traditional feel mixed with some contemporary details.

These are pictures of our room.






The Spire: US $544 a night room only. Ten rooms. MY PICK.
http://www.thespirehotels.com/entry.php
Contemporary and brand new the rooms are large and are every inviting. A true luxury boutique hotel. I could have moved right in here and stayed a while. They have a restaurant on the premises. Good location right in the heart of the downtown area but squeezed in an alley not very good views.



Sofitel: US $500 a night room only. Large hotel with many rooms.
http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fichehotel/gb/sof/5688/fiche_hotel.shtml
A new addition to Queenstown this is a lovely hotel. It is just that though a nice hotel with lots of rooms that is all the same. However, the location is great and it is a good value in comparison to the boutique properties.


The Diary: Price about US $275 with breakfast. Thirteen Rooms
http://www.thedairy.co.nz
A guest house. Rooms okay and may be a better value than the cheaper motels in town if you wish to save on accommodation. Walk up a flight of steps to reach the property from downtown.

The Grand Mecure St. Moritz – Price about US $200 a night lower priced but only about a 3 star hotel. Large hotel with many rooms.
http://www.mercurestmoritz.nz-hotels.com/
Regent uses this hotel and I found the rooms to be dark and not inviting. They are large and some have a bit of a lake view. You have to walk up a steep hill to reach the lodge, close to town.

Wanaka
This area is about 90 minutes from Queenstown and the drive is very scenic. You can see the bungee jumping on the way. Wanaka is all about the lake, the scenery and the farms. There is a road from Wanaka to the Hasst Pass ( Hasst Pass is on the West Coast of N.Z) that has some of the best scenery in N.Z. I suggest driving up this road as far as you wish and then returning to Wanaka. I do not think doing the whole road and continuing on up the West Coast is a good use of time. There is a five star lodge here but I did not get time to visit unfortunately.

Riverrun – About US $300 per room with breakfast. Dinner additional $60 per person. Five Rooms
http://www.riverrun.co.nz/

I did see this wonderful small lodge that was a good value by N..Z. standards and a nice place to stay. You can walk all over the property and see the sheep and farmland. This is a bed and breakfast lodge with dinner available for an additional charge. The larger Clutha rooms are the best.




Little more time available go to Nelson and Abel Tasman Park.

Nelson.
This is home to some of the prettiest farmland in NZ and also the Abel Tasman Park, with great bush, lakes and beachfront. Also outstanding wineries. More sun here than anywhere in N.Z. Americans are buying and moving here a lot.
The following two properties are on the way between Nelson and the Able Tasman Park located in a perfect country setting, complete with sheep, rolling hills, flowers and beautiful landscapes.

Paratiho Farms: Expensive – US $1500 per room per night – all inclusive, all meals and select alcoholic beverages. Dinner includes different wine with each course. Six Rooms.
http://www.paratiho.co.nz/
My favorite lodge of all. The rooms were remarkable. Took the award in my book for the best room I have ever had. Every conceivable luxury was there. The lodge is filled with incredible artwork and sculpture, as are the grounds. A spectacular farm. The food was truly out of this world. The entire ambiance was unforgettable. Fully inclusive, dinner, bed, breakfast, drinks and laundry.

Too many pictures – my favorite- pictures on next post.

Eden House --- a different kind of experience. US $575 per room per night – all inclusive of meals and good wines (Cloudy Bay a standard house wine) 3 rooms.
http://www.edenhouse.co.nz/
I would call this a “home stay” of a true luxury dimension. The hosts are a delightful couple who will spend time with you or give you complete privacy. The house is spectacular; the owner was an interior designer in London for years. Very English décor and beautifully done. The gardens are really quite breathtaking. Incredible grounds and views. This is fully inclusive, dinner, bed, breakfast, wines. They have a private cottage on the grounds and two rooms in the main house. Plush bathrooms and big bedrooms.



Bronte Lodge: US $350 to $400 per room including breakfast. Five Rooms
A small lodge where each room is located in a private cottage. Located on the water the rooms have a water view. Very modern but not up to the level of the properties above. The flowers here are fantastic. Extremely nice hosts. This would be a good alternative for savings on accommodation
http://www.brontehouse.com/history/history_land.html

Private tours in Nelson area and private boat in Abel Tasman Park.
Boat can hold up to 15 people but usually chartered by 2 – 8 guests.
We found a delightful couple that has a boat and van that do day trips on their new boat in the Tasman Park and also wine and local sightseeing tours in the area. Born and raised here and friendly they are a great choice for your tours.

Grasmere Lodge – Expensive – US $700 - $1000 per room including dinner and breakfast. Ten rooms.
http://www.grasmere.co.nz/
Between the two coasts are the high country farm area and the luxury lodge of Grasmere. This is like a farm stay and they take you around the farm to learn about sheep farming etc. Great rooms, nice classic lodge, swimming pool, tennis courts, horse back riding, country walks. I would suggest just going here from Christchurch by helicopter, train or car. You can drive the whole West Coast but it is a lot of driving and you need to enjoy that and have a lot of time.



North Island Tourist Spots

Taupo/Rotorua Area
This is the most heavily visited area of N.Z. The heart of the Maori culture, thermal activity and lakes for fishing or boating. I personally feel it is secondary to the South Island but if you have the time is worth a visit. There are a lot of touristy things to do here but they are still fun.

Taupo – Huka Lodge – US $1000 per room– including dinner and breakfast and pre-dinner drinks. No wine included with dinner. Six
http://www.hukalodge.co.nz
This is one of the first major upscale properties in N.Z. Many celebrities have stayed here. Rooms are still wonderful. The lodge is classy and the grounds are full of beautiful native bush. Dinner Bed and Breakfast.

Rotorua – (one hour from Taupo)

Treetops Lodge – US $1200 per room – including dinner and breakfast and pre-dinner drinks. No wine included with dinner. Twelve Rooms.
http://www.treetops.co.nz/index.htm

A unique place. It is up a dirt road and located inside the native bush area. Possum, Pheasant, Peacocks, Deer and Wild pig are all over the property. The Lodge area is exquisite, truly luxury and beautifully done. The rooms are in units of two separate from the lodge. They feature a separate living area, large bath and bedroom. This is a perfect place if you like to hike, walk horses and enjoy being in nature. Not as good a location if you want to do the tourist things in Rotorua. Dinner bed and breakfast.

Solataire Lodge – US $1000 per room including dinner and breakfast. Plan to go all inclusive in 2007. Nine rooms
http://www.solitairelodge.co.nz/

This is also one of the first luxury lodges in N.Z. Also a distance out of town but once you get there you forget the drive. It is located on Lake Tarawera and all the rooms have great views. It is a light and bright place with large comfortable rooms that truly bring the beauty of the lake and the bush into your room. Some of the rooms are separate from the lodge but not a long distance. Dinner, bed and breakfast are included as as the kayaks for the lake. Charter boats for fishing to just touring the lake are available for a tour cost.

Kawha Point Lodge – US $750 Bed and Breakfast. Dinner about $70 per person.
http://www.kawahalodge.co.nz/
This is an upscale luxury small lodge – or you could consider it a bed and breakfast.
The hosts are great and the property is located close to Rotorua and on Lake Rotorua. The rooms have a wonderful feel and the rate can be dinner, bed and breakfast or just bed and breakfast. A beautiful location and well run property. Setting and gardens are exquisite.

The Duxton – US $150 - $275. Room only.
http://www.duxton.com/okawa.htm
A larger hotel that is considered to be upscale but the rooms are really pretty basic hotel rooms but the setting is nice. Right on lake Rotoiti with nice grounds and a pleasant restaurant. Not going to be highly memorable but a pleasant place to stay and save a little money over the other accommodations available.

The Springs – US $250 bed and breakfast.
http://www.thesprings.co.nz/
A bed and breakfast that is not truly upscale although it says luxury B&B. This is centrally located, nice house, reasonable room not large but things are bright, clean and comfortable.

Lots of basic hotels and motel are available here not to high standards though.

Cities

Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin are nice cities. However they are cities. Some really like to visit these cities, all are full of gardens, and some a few interesting things to see. Personally I find the small towns, with rural scenery more appealing if you have a short time to visit.

Auckland.
Everyone will spend one or two nights in Auckland. There is a lot to see in Auckland and some nice places to stay.

The most interesting and unique is Mollies – about $350 to $500 bed and breakfast.
http://www.mollies.co.nz/
Impossible to describe Mollies. Huge rooms with all kind of antiques (our room had a baby grand piano). This is coupled with modern conveniences down to every single light being on a dimmer, huge sinks and baths, every thing you can think of to make you comfortable. A former concert pianist/opera coach and an antique dealer run it. This shows all through the lodge. The table settings and food are a true WOW experience. They do opera performances with dinner each night. Pictures may help describe this unique lodge.

Did pictures on a separate post – too many.

Sebel Suites about $175 per night bed only. A GREAT value.
Right in the Viaduct and waterfront this hotel offers basic hotel accommodation with nice rooms at a very reasonable price. Might be a good place to stay to save the money for splurging at a nicer place in the tourist spots.

Hilton, Sky Grand, Hyatt – all these types of hotels are available.

Bay of Islands, north of Auckland, is another tourist areas I would consider as well. The girls in the office loved Kauri Cliffs another new expensive lodge. Based on what I have seen I am sure it is sensational.

Okay that is long enough. If you want to know more just call me.

Ngaire

PARATIHO FARM PICTURES:

The main lodge and grounds. These are incredible grounds full of sculptures.







The entry way. Too much to take in here but it is incredible.



The following pictures are of our room. All the rooms are identical except for different artwork as everything is original.

Mollies in Auckland:



These gardens were right outside our room



Reminds me of Birkenhead House with the incredible flower arrangements.



Hard to see the table layout but these change everyday. They have a reputation for "table scapes"



Pictures of our room

Ngaire - Thank you for taking me on such a wonderful journey! Can't get over the prices - I think it'll have to be another 'working holiday' for me. I doubt they'd let me in the kitchen these days! Did you get to Mt Cook? I wonder what The Hermitage looks like now. How long is it since you've been back to NZ? Lee

We have to put this on our list for 2009. Incredible.

Ngaire, your descriptions and the photos are wonderful. What fantastic places you visited! As you know, we stayed at Riverrun near Wanaka in 2004 and thought it was one of the most beautiful places on earth -- not only the inn but the surrounding grounds. I can see that others are equally beautiful in their own way.

Thanks so much! Seeing your photos really tugs at me. We so want to get back to New Zealand one day.

Wonderful report and photos, Ngaire! You and Ken visited some magnificent places!

Australia and NZ are two destinations very high on our must visit list! Your report and photos have nudged that hope up several notches!

Love the photos and reports, Ngaire. NZ is on my list for sure.

What a wonderful report, Ngaire & Ken!! This is just incredible to see. This will be a very special trip, indeed.

Wow. The meal at Paratiho sounded wonderful to start off with and the grounds look fabulous.

Masaki

Incredible experience-thanks for sharing!