Travelling around New Zealand
This can be managed many ways as evidenced from the many travel guides on offer, so I've decided to give you just a few. All titles are available to borrow from the 2nd Floor, New Zealand history & Travel section.
1. "New Zealand the great walks" by Alexander Stewart c2009. 993z TRA
This compact guide covers 'the great walks' as the author dubs them, these being : The Lake Waikaremoana Track ; Tongariro Northern Circuit ; Whanganui River Journey ; Abel Tasman Coast Track ; Heaphy Track ; Routeburn Track ; Milford Track ; Kepler Track and Rakiura Track. The tries to cover some historic facts, geology, flora and Fauna and supplies an overview map for each, though helpful if you own a copy of this guide it would be better for eager walkers to obtain up-to-date maps from the local Dept. of Conservation offices or go on a guided walk there are many options available.
The author also gives prices for a realistic budget, these are liable to change from one year to the next so be careful to get up-to-date prices online.
2. "Classic New Zealand road rides : 100 recreational road rides in New Zealand" by Jonathan Kennett and Kieran Turner with Foreword by Sarah Ulmer. c2010. 993s TRA
This is a really helpful guide if you plan to ride around NZ in your own time, the ride times for each of the featured rides are based on people averaging between 15 and 30 km/h. You can read up on road conditions, ride gradings (i.e. easy to hard) and what clothes and gear you'll need depending on where you are in NZ. The authors cover the whole of NZ taking you from Northland to Bluff and are experienced road riders as well as competition rides.
This guide is great for the novice as well as more experienced riders.
3. "Pubs with personality : a personal selection of over 150 of New Zealand's best" by Peter Janssen & Steve Reid. c2008. 993z TRA
A great way to see historic New Zealand and meet the locals. This is a pocket history of each of the featured pubs, where you can stay or just get a meal and wet your whistle. The oldest pub in NZ is the Horeke Hotel in the upper Hokianga Harbour built in about 1833 to supply liquor to the local workers at the ship builders yard even though it wasn't licensed until 1842!. Find out all the amazing facts (and tall tales) of this fascinating part of New Zealand's history and see the country at the same time.
4. "Let's go camping : 66 great places to pitch your tent or park your van" by Sarah Bennett and Lee Slater c2009.
"No matter where you are there will be campgrounds less than an hour away" This book covers just 66 of them in depth, but also lists other campgrounds as supplied by the AA. As you read through each review you can see that the authors know what they are talking about and have sampled many a campground throughout the country, they also cover (briefly) freedom camping for those who prefer the wild side. Beautiful colour photographs throughout make you wish you were there!
5. "Twisting the throttle : New Zealand a Kiwi's guide to the top 50 motorcycle rides in the land of the long white cloud" by Mike Hyde c2013.
Part travel guide, part personal experience and part history lesson Mike Hyde style. The author covers from Ninety Mile beach in the North to The Catlins in the south, he makes no apologies for his forthright advice and let's the reader know that if you want spoon fed information you should buy a Lonely Planet Guide. Beautiful color photographs lead you into the by-ways and hi-ways that make our country unique.
An easy read with kiwi humour thrown in for good measure.
