Travel to New Zealand and Kuala Lumpar

[melvn8]

Can someone recommend places to visit in New Zealands north island and Kuala Lumpar.I am visiting in March with my 6 year old spending 14 days in NZ and 4 days in KL.

[waimarie]

It seems a long way to travel for a two weeks holiday?? I take it you will be hiring a vehicle of some sort to get around??

In which case, why not consider hiring a camper van which eliminates excessive accommodation costs and allows you to cook your own meals and snacks.

The road system in NZ is excellent and with only 3 million people in a country with the same land area as Great Britain makes for pretty relaxed touring.

Assuming you are flying into Auckland (which alone is worth a couple of days visiting) you can head north driving up one coast and back down the other.

Going south from Auckland there is more than enough places of exceptional interest, too many to mention here.

I would think your best bet is to get in touch with the travel and tourism section at the NZ High Commission in the Haymarket. They should put you on the right track for brochures.

Spend a few hours trawling on the internet. You can bring up a road map of the North Island and familiarise yourself with the geography of the place before making any commitments

Whatever you end up doing, you will thoroughly enjoy it and wish you had planned a longer visit!!! Have a great time.

[jno]

In Auckland, try the Sky Tower view, tallest tower in the southern hemisphere, and there's a good aquarium, Kelly Tarlton's, close to town on the shore. Good beaches near to town too if you want a rest at the start or end of your holiday; water's safe for young people. Travelling out of Auckland, see the thermal area at Rotorua, which I think a child would enjoy. Bay of Islands, to the north, is historic (not by British standards) and very pretty; we had dolphins following us round when we went on a boat trip. Coromandel peninsula, east of Auckland, is very green and scenic and has lovely beaches (better on the east side than the west). Further afield Wellington is very attractive and has a museum of NZ that's great for kids. Camper van idea is a good one, but there are plenty of motels with their own cooking facilities if you want to spread out in the evenings. Newspaper story here and also here (the place must be full of Guardian journalists)

[STAH]

We spent circa 2 weeks in NZ earlier this year for the Lions tour - and wow what a country. I would certainly recommend the sky tower as you get breath taking views of the Auckland sky line and harbour. Alas, we did not go further north than Auckland but I from what I have heard I am disappointed that we didn't!

We too went to Rotarua. We all did a bungee jump and a swoop there; however, as you have a kiddie I do not this is a good idea. We went to a traditional Maori evening which we enjoyed thoroughly. I would not know if your 6 yr old would appreciate it though!

For me personally, my favourite city by far is Wellington. God Bless Wellington! If you are lucky enough to fly in, you come in over the harbour and see all the houses and properties perched on hillsides. It is GORGEUOS! You must get the red cable car from the city centre up to the Botanical Gardens, and then walk down the gardens back to the city.

God, I am missing the place already! You will love NZ! Alas, we did not go via Malaysia, so I can not advise you on what to do in Kuala Lumpar. I do however, wish you and your child a magnificent holiday and ENJOY! (I am green with envy!!) :-)

[binkybingo]

NZ... you have loads of answers and I think what ever you do , whatever you are into you will love it....

KL.... Odd city... Spent a little time there and never figured it... I simply followed the great "Rough Guide" and "Lonely Plannet" guide books advice. There was not that much to see, but things I would suggest are the park, the railway station and generally wander!

[bigelaine2]

KL .. the petronis towers are worth a visit. They are free to go up but be aware as they only allow a certain number of people up a day so try and go early to ensure that you get in.

[SKCOLL]

NZ..... Hobbiton. The corromandel peninsula is very scenic and has hot water beach - where you can dig your own spa at low tide! Corromandel town also has a mini railway with an interesting history.

KL - Eh...Not that great a tourist city. They have another tower which gives a view of the twin towers. The historic area is nice - by the polo club. The train station is very nice for it's architecture. There's a large butterfly & bird park which is nice.

[Spangles100]

Sunway Lagoon is an excellent water theme park on the outskirts of KL - about 30 minutes by taxi (pretty cheap in KL). There is a massive shopping centre near the lagoon with loads of restaurants and stuff. In downtown KL visit Chinatown (Petaling Street) for some of the worlds best Chinese food and the amazing markets selling counterfeit DVDs, CDs, watches, clothing etc. As other posters have said the Petronas Towers are well worth a visit - an amazing sight. Again there is a shopping centre underneath (food and air conditioning!!!). Malaysia is all about food so if you and your 6 year old are adventourous eaters then you are in for a treat.

[sense4all]

Have been to nz for a similar period of time. Took the camper van option ... will not be doing that again.Next time will be pre booking cheapish, but high quality campstyle night stops (like small detached chalets )with someone like the top ten group, and hire a car for the touring - safer seating, less travel sickness and you dont have to look for gigantic town centre spaces to leave it in. Geographically one of the most magnificent places we have visited. We toured the South Island. Whale watching and dolphin spotting - the kids still talk about it now,we may have been lucky on our day out though.

[probian9910]

For the 2 of you I wouldn't advise a camper van. Once arrived at a destination point going elsewhere locally means unplugging all the gizmos and finding a large parking space. That's OK in small towns but hopeless in large.

Other ideas given seem good.

For travel look at InterCity coaches if your son can cope with longish runs on a bus. Try Newmans NZ on the www which has InterCity plus coach tours. Self drive may be the best as one car rental per day may work out less than 2 tickets on a bus. Check House of Travel NZ on www for rates which will be less than the car firms direct I suspect. For motels check AA NZ and Jasons NZ and you wil get them all except large expensive hotels. Advance booking for March will b e worthwhile.

[wannaknownow]

Whatever you do, don't miss Wellington! It's wonderful!