New Zealand is a spectacularly beautiful country which possesses vast mountain chains, steaming volcanoes, sweeping coastlines and lush rainforests. Since New Zealand is separated from other land masses for more than 100 million years, has allowed many ancient plants and animals to survive and evolve in isolation. The land is not only proud of the unique flora and fauna it possesses, but is also a great landscape that is full of unrivalled variety of landforms. While exploring the beautiful confines of New Zealand one can view everything from mountain ranges to sandy beaches, lush rainforests, glaciers and active volcanoes.
Auckland is the best place to start exploring the North of the country. It's a great city and offers everything one desires. Wellington is the capital city, and is located at the extreme southern tip of the North Island. Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island. Many activities can be organized from here. Trekking to Mount Cook is just one of the many things you can do.

Christchurch

Christchurch, the South Island's largest city, is a destination for a fabulous vacation as it is a great collection of scenic mountains, lovely ocean beaches, vivacious rivers, tranquil lakes and wide-open spaces in the vicinity of the city centre.
The city is marked by a beautiful culture which attracts the people from all across the globe. It is set in the finest New Zealand setting of rural sheep-strewn fields stretching towards rugged alpine mountains. Today under its serene, antique exterior, Christchurch is a vivacious, thriving, modern city.

Fact File
Country : New Zealand
Population : 331,400
Area : 45,240 sq km
Languages : English, Maori
Climate : Temperate and pleasant with Summer January average temperature is 22'c (72°F). Winters are cooler with a July average temperature of 12'c (54'F). the annual rainfall is 999mm (39 inches).
Official Currency : New Zealand Dollar (NZD); 1 NZD = 30.772 INR = 0.7074 US Dollar = 0.5822 Euro (subject to change).
Location : The city is located on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand.

Getting There
By Air : Christchurch International Airport is situated approximately 5kms from the University of Canterbury and 10 kms from the city centre. Christchurch is well served by domestic air connections and regular flights to the east coast of Australia. Several major international airlines give good access to Christchurch.

Getting Around
By Road : Buses are the most convenient way to get around in Christchurch where most buses are operated by Canride and run from Cathedral Square. The Shuttle is a free service, with about 20 pick up points in the central city area, it runs every 10 minutes during the week, between 8am and 7pm (and until 9.30pm Friday and Saturday, until 6pm Sunday).
City Circuit bus run two circuits through the city, leaving from the visitors center and visit most of the main tourist spots, costs are approx $25 for eight hours travel on either circuit, and approx $15 for travel on only one of the circuits. Taxis are also available to provide a comfortable way to get around the city.

Accommodation
The city of has very good hotels to ensure a comfortable stay for the tourists. Mentioned below is a list of some of the hotels in the city:
5 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Millennium Christchurch
Best Western Argyle on the park
Aotea motel
4 star hotels in the city:
Holiday Lodge motel
Hotel Ricarton Village Inn
Hotel Scenic cicle Russley
3 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Crowne Plaza Christchurch
Flag Chateau Blanc Suites

Major Tourist attractions
Arts Centre : The original site of the University of Canterbury has been transformed into Christchurch's Arts Centre, opposite the Botanic Gardens. The Gothic Revival buildings now contain galleries, craft studios and shops, theatres and cinemas. There is also a selection of cafes, restaurants and bars, a weekend market and ethnic food stalls. The centre also contains an annex of the Robert McDougall Art, housing its contemporary New Zealand collection.

Banks of the Avon : The Avon is a fun to simply stroll along and other attractions are the historic Antigua Boatsheds, boating etc. The ride through the river will also take one right through the splendid Botanic Gardens, which features an intriguing collection of exotic and indigenous plants. Hagley Park lies on the other side and is a draw for the sports-loving locals on weekends. More gorgeous gardens can be found on the other side of North Hagley Park, at Mona Vale, a Tudor-style homestead with extensive gardens, fountains and ponds.

Cathedral Square : Cathedral Square is in the center of the city and is an ideal place to start the exploration of the city. Here one can see the Wizard, a famous eccentric who takes up a soapbox most fine afternoons somewhere in the square. An enduring Christchurch landmark where he's been coming here for over 25 years. The Cathedral, built in Gothic Revival style and symbolising the Church of England bedrock of this city, dominates Cathedral square in Christchurch's heart.

Nga Hau e Wha : Marae, a traditional complex of Maori buildings provides one of the best ways to understand the Maori culture. Experienced guides, employed from local tribal groups, explain the culture, customs, history and traditions represented by the marae, which features two of New Zealand's most spectacularly carved whare (meeting houses).

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Queenstown

Queenstown is the Southern Hemisphere's premiere four season alpine and lake resort. Nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and overlooked by the majestic Remarkables Range, Queenstown is the perfect destination all year round.
This resort town is marked by rugged mountains, majestic lakes, crystal clear air, and destination with so much to do. The resort offers various adventure sports from bungy jumping to wine trails, jet boating to tramping, dining out to skiing, the tricky part is extending your stay to try and fit everything in. So come and experience a mind blowing vacations in the city.

Fact File
Country : New Zealand
Population : 8535
Languages : English, Maori
Climate : This small resort town experiences sub-tropical climate.
Summers : High: 22.5°C (73°F) , Low: 10.7°C (51°F);
Winters : High: 8.1°C (46°F), Low: 0.1°C (32°F).
Official Currency : New Zealand Dollar (NZD); 1 NZD = 30.772 INR = 0.7074 US Dollar = 0.5822 Euro (subject to change).
Location : Queenstown is the Southern Hemisphere's premiere four season alpine and lake resort. Nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and overlooked by the majestic Remarkables Range, Queenstown is the perfect destination all year round.

Getting There
By Air : ‘Queeenstown International airport’ is the international airport in the city which has major New Zealand airlines providing daily air services to/from Auckland and Christchurch. Flight time from Auckland, the North Island's gateway, is 1 hour, 50 minutes. Flight time from Christchurch, the South Island's gateway, is 45 minutes. Air New Zealand offers connecting services throughout the country to Queenstown via an initial stop in Auckland or Christchurch.
Non-stop international flights are available year-round from Sydney, Australia and during winter from Brisbane, Australia.
By Coach : Daily services to/from Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Te Anau, Milford Sound and the West Coast.

Getting Around
By Road : To see the place in a car is relatively easy. There are daily scheduled coach services to/from Arrowtown and Glenorchy; and taxis, taxi buses and tour cars operate 24 hours a day. For even better convenience one can hire a car, moped or cycle.

Accommodation
The city of has very good hotels to ensure a comfortable stay for the tourists. Mentioned below is a list of some of the hotels in the city:
5 star hotels in the city:
Four Seasons Motel
Hotel Parkroyal
Hotel Heritage
4 star hotels in the city:
Best Western garden Court Motorlodge
3 star hotels in the city:
Copthorne Lakefront Resort
Comfort Inn Melbourne
Motor Lodge

Major Tourist attractions
The area has stolen the hearts and imaginations since the first Maori came in search of pounamu (greenstone) and the giant Moa bird. Recently, gold miners, adventurers, filmmakers, wine enthusiasts, Hollywood stars and US Presidents have been pulled to this magical region and its awesome alpine energy. This intriguing place offers a great number of adventure sports as mentioned below:

Balooning : Sunrise Balloons are based in Queenstown and fly daily if the weather permits. The complete tour takes about three hours and includes a champagne style breakfast at the completion of the flight. Flights normally take place in the valleys between Queenstown and Arrowtown with great views of the lovely terrain.

Skydiving : It is the most thrilling experience one can experience and excitement of parachute jumping in New Zealand with a tandem Skydive above Queenstown is great.

Cruise across Lake Wakatipu : one can watch the stokers fueling the fireboxes and hear the sound of the steam engines working as the TSS Earnslaw takes one on a cruise of beautiful Lake Wakatipu.

Other attractions
Hiking
Jet boating
Rafting

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Auckland

Auckland is situated on a narrow isthmus, surrounded by two harbours namely the Waitemata and the Manukau at the southern end of the Auckland Peninsula. It is the prime gateway to New Zealand and is the locus of commercial and the industrial activities of the country.
This alluring city is a harbour city of its own kind with spectacular views and breathtaking scenery. Its a perfect place to explore and experience the excitement and the unforgettable adventure of the islands and to experience the culture and sophistication of this world class city.
Being New Zealand's largest urban area, the city offers something to everyone from great beaches to beautiful harbours to breathtaking shopping places like Ponsonby Road for unique clothing, jewellery and furniture to great nightlife for the people. In short, Auckland is a destination packed with great spots to turn one’s vacation into a memorable extravaganza!

Fact File
Country : New Zealand
Population : 1.2 million
Area : 16,140 sq km
Languages : English, Maori
Climate : Winter (June-September) :Warm westerly winds often make some winter days mild, but other days can be cold and very rainy. It never gets cold enough to snow (even frosts are rare). Average winter temperatures are around 58 F/13 C, though they can vary greatly.
Spring months are unpredictable when it can be wonderfully calm and sunny on one day and rainy and cold on the other. Summer (December-March) is the most consistent weather with average temperatures rising upto 75 F/24 C. Rains during summers are less frequent but still very common.
Official Currency : New Zealand Dollar (NZD); 1 NZD = 30.772 INR = 0.7074 US Dollar = 0.5822 Euro (subject to change).
Location : Auckland is located in the northern North Island, and stretches along the gap between the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea. The are two beautiful harbours surrounding the city, Waitemata and Manukau, and water is within kilometres of everywhere.

Getting There
By Air : Auckland International Airport is located 21km (14 miles) south of central Auckland, in the suburb of Mangere. It is one of the two main international gateways to New Zealand – the other being Christchurch, on the South Island. Airbus provides an efficient service between the international terminal to the city centre. Besides this, regular shuttle taxi service which operates 24 hours for the convenience of the passengers.

Getting Around
The Britomart Transport Centre provides a hub where one can access buses, trains and ferries as well as general transport information.
By Road : There is an excellent bus service called the Link, which travels around the interesting areas of the city centre.
By Train : The Tranz Metro train service has three routes running from Britomart station: one to Waitakere and two to Pukekohe. Other ways to move around the city are taxis, cycles and hired cars.

Accommodation
The city of has very good hotels to ensure a comfortable stay for the tourists. Mentioned below is a list of some of the hotels in the city:
5 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Hilton
Quay West Suites
Hotel Skycity Grand
4 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Crowne Plaza
Hotel Carlton
Hhotel Auckland City
3 star hotels in the city:
The Heritage
Hotel Hyatt Regency

Major Tourist attractions
Sky Tower : From here one can enjoy a spectacular view of the city of sails from high up, and can even opt for the fast route down by doing the Sky Jump!

Sky city Auckland : This complex is adjacent to the Sky Tower and is the pulse of Auckland entertainment life, with beaming restaurants and free live entertainment for all.

Auckland Maritime Museum : This museum is a tribute to city of sails. One can steam around the Auckland harbour on board the historic steamer, the Puke.

Auckland Art Gallery (Toi o Tamaki) : A great collection collection which presents early works by European Settlers and modern art works.

Auckland Museum : Cultural heritage of the Maoris is the striking feature of the museum and is situated in one of Auckland’s amazing historic building.

Other Attractions
Auckland Zoo
Rawaka Experience Maori cultural show
Matakana Wine Coast Sheep World Farm and Nature Park
Hauraki Gulf Islands

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