This Month’s Magazine Cover – Dreaming of New Zealand?
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw this month’s magazine cover featuring stunning New Zealand – a real stand-out and something a little different from the usual scenes. It’s always great to see a destination that really captures the imagination, and I hope it’s inspired a few of you too.
It’s part of our growing focus on Worldwide Holidays here at the Club – something we’re really proud of. Whether you’ve travelled on one already, are thinking about it, or didn’t realise the Club offers them, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Has the cover sparked a bit of wanderlust? Let’s hear what you think – and as always, I’ll be joining in and keeping an eye out for your replies.
Comments
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We spent 3 weeks touring New Zealand in a motorhome with our two and a half year old in March this year. It was an amazing trip and when we got back home we were inspired to buy a caravan to do more exploring in the UK.
New Zealand is a fantastic place for touring. There is so much to see that it is easy to plan a trip that keeps the driving time down, so that a toddler doesn’t get too bored. We had a route in mind, but kept things flexible and booked sites as we went along. We previously went 10 years ago and hired a small camper. On that trip we pushed a bit harder with the driving times to hit some sights that we didn’t bother with on this occasion.I could list sooooo many places that we loved in New Zealand. One of my favourite places to visit is Waikite Valley Hotpools on the north island. They have a small campsite and you can go in the pools early in the morning before it opens to the public.
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I Agree - it’s a fantastic place to go. I know Ben is hoping to sell tours, but it’s such an easy country to tour independently. We did it by car rather than by motorhome and picking up motel accommodation daily was easy too. Our own North Island favourites were the Kauri Forest, the Pukeiti garden, the Mission winery, and the Waitangi treaty site. And I’m afraid we never even had time for South Island.
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Wow! I have a toddler too and it was so inspirational to read this. Starting the family adventures early and what an incredible destination to explore! I have some family over there too, so I think I'll have to follow in your footsteps. I have travelled there before, but to do it with the little one must have been fantastic. Did they manage with the flight ok?
Thank you for sharing your recommendations. Quite a few of our suggested itineraries (such as Wonders of New Zealand) pass through Rotorua. We recommend Wai-o-Tapu, which is just down from where you recommended - Waikite Valley Hot Pools.Where are you planning to visit next in the UK with your caravan?
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Thank you @eurortraveller for sharing your highlights and recommendations for the North Island. Both islands offer such an array of wonderful sights and experiences to enjoy, and it's been great to hear from you and @agermich.
Of course, we'd love to have the opportunity to be the one's to support with people's holidays, even for those looking to travel independently with complete freedom and flexibility, as you suggest. If it's the motorhome and flight that needs arranging then we can help with just that. Although some like to have a hotel arranged upon arrival, maybe some campsites along the way, and others like to have a suggested itinerary to follow to ensure the driving distances are realistic. Some even choose to add a cruise or stay at the end of their trip - we can help with as much or as little as those desire 🙂 If you decide to head back to the South Island, do let us know!
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Tripadvior forums are a great way to find advice on destinations and itineraries. We toured the Southern half of the South Island over 15 days using a car and a mixture of airbnbs, hotels, guest houses etc, all of these were booked before leaving home. We generally stayed for 2 nights in a tourist area before moving on. We debated whether to hire a motorhome but decided against it in the end. I think we got it right, Very few of the sites we saw were within walking distance of towns. My advice would be not to try do too much. I appreciate it seems a long way to fly for 15 nights but we did spend 3 wks in Australia as well.1
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Thank you for your contribution @MikeyB - you're right, there are some great places to find recommendations! We have some great expertise within our team although travelling is so subjective and it's great to have done some research beforehand, to ensure you're getting the most from your travel experience and making sure it's personable to you.
Your recommendation for a minimum of 2 nights and not trying to do too much is one that we'd definitely echo. Understandably, there's the desire to see as much as you can, especially when travelling all that way - but to decide where and what you'd like to see and to really immerse yourself within those places and experiences are sometimes more rewarding.Your decision to combine your trip with Australia sounds like a great choice. Where in Australia did you travel and did you also hire a vehicle to self-drive the route?
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Thanks for sharing @MikeyB. It's nice to have family in these destinations, as you get to experience the destination as a local too, with their authentic and trusted recommendations.
If you end up considering a motorhome for that next trip, do let our Worldwide Holidays team know if we can be of any support. Even if it's to just book the flight and assist with arranging the motorhome hire. You may wish to take a look at our suggested itinerary "Australia's Southern Delights" to get some inspiration for that part of the journey between Sydney and Melbourne.
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Ben, I like the sound of your booking service for independent travel for NZ and Oz rather than your escorted tours with a fixed itinerary. Why ? Because I recall the time when we had to hole up in a motel in Dargaville NZ for three days because one of us was ill. The GP service in small town NZ was good, even on a Sunday, and only added. £35 to my credit card, but an escorted tour would have been long gone by we were on the road again and we would have missed their next fixed stops.
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Thanks for your comment @eurortraveller. Firstly, I was sorry to read that you were unwell during your NZ trip. Although, it sounds like the experience was as pleasant as could be. Especially the cost!
Of course, unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances can occur when travelling and that is why we always recommend our customers to purchase sufficient travel insurance, in case any of the trip is not fulfilled due to scenarios like this. Our dedicated travel team will always support where they can and by working closely with our trusted partners in destination they'll do their best to resolve any disruption that may occur during the trip.
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