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The Rough Guide To New Zealand 4 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) |  | Authors: Laura Harper, Tony Mudd, Paul Whitfield
Publisher: Rough Guides
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy Used: $0.01
as of 7/29/2010 09:15 CDT details
You Save: $24.98 (100%)
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Seller: worldofbooksusa
Rating:  13 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: 4th
Pages: 1024
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 4.8 x 1.3
ISBN: 1843533251
Dewey Decimal Number: 919
EAN: 9781843533252
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Rough Guide to New Zealand is the essential guidebook to this spectacular adventure destination. A fully comprehensive account, the guide incorporates a country full of magnificent scenery, craggy coastlines, sweeping beaches, primeval forests, snow-capped alpine mountains, bubbling volcanic pools, fast-flowing rivers and glacier-fed lakes. This jam-packed guide contains expert coverage, catering for every traveller, from the country rambler to the adventure-seeking junky to the new breed of Lord of the Rings enthusiasts. The guide also includes significant historical and cultural information, provides detailed town maps and information about the countrys buzzing nightlife, even managing to find time to teach the reader how to do the world-famous haka!
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
 Great Book November 27, 2004
Matt Ebiner (Covina, CA USA)
58 out of 58 found this review helpful
I traveled to New Zealand in late 2004 and carried 4 guide books. I found Rough Guide New Zealand the best for its in-depth coverage of places that were barely mentioned in the Lonely Planet book. During our 1500-mile road trip I was constantly referring to RG & LP as my wife drove, so in effect I compared the two books' descriptions for the southern half of South Island. There was absolutely no question which guidebook did a better job....Rough Guide. Towards the end I barely used Lonely Planet because RG was more informative 90% of the time, and more interesting in its style of writing. It has 300 more pages than Lonely Planet, too.
The maps are better than those in previous Rough Guides, and even the photos are quite nice now. This edition has a great listing of highlights for each region (very handy). I highly recommend Rough Guide New Zealand.
Better than Lonely Planet February 5, 2006
J. Terence Homes (Hawaii USA)
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
I've got Rough Guide to NZ, Lonely Planet NZ & Lonely Planet's Tramping NZ and Rough Guide is the best. LP is smaller if you are backpacking, but lacks some of the information in RG. The list of highlights for each area is a good addition to the latest edition of RG.
For such a small country (just a bit bigger than the UK), New Zealand has so much to see, it's hard to get everything in one book.
It is the one place you must visit in your lifetime. But, I warn you, once you've been you'll want to go back and back like us. I found helpful, friendly people there, a great budget campervan & car rental company, and we now we always rent a campervan, allowing us to stay off the beaten track.
As well as the guide books, visit some of the websites, such as NZ Department of Conservation Website www.doc.gov.nz and the hiking/trekking (known as tramping in NZ) website http://www.enzed.com/tramp.html.
We would recommend Bay of Islands, taking a cruise around Waitemata (Auckland) Harbour, signing up for a day's free sailing as crew at one of the sailing/yacht clubs around Auckland - great fun on the Rum races. Must see is Rotorua, Huka Falls, Waitomo Caves, Milford Track and West Coast of South Island. Actually just about everywhere is breathtakingly beautiful and the people very friendly. There are also good tourist information centres in NZ, but study the rough guide, highlight the places you want to visit, before you go because there is so much to see.
Pieces of Advice:
Don't take any food other than sweets (candy) into NZ. Meat, vegetable/fruit or diary products will get you a huge fine. Sniffer dogs check out all luggage including hand luggage and your pockets!
If you have been hiking/walking in other countries before NZ, make sure your boots/shoes and all equipment is thoroughly cleaned. NZ is an agricultural country,and relatively clear of pests and they want to keep it that way.
If you are on a budget in money and time, you can rent Campervans and cars at a low cost from a number of companies. We use www.rentalcarvillage.com. You can start in Auckland and leave the van/car in Christchurch.
Best book if weight is not an issue February 26, 2006
Heidi Kinsman (Atlanta Georgia USA)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
I'd agree with much of what Terry Holmes says (see review below). This book is bigger than Lonely Planet and the layout is different but for me, it was the better book.
My big recommendation about any NZ guide book is that you should get it well ahead of your trip and read it through, highlighting the places you want to see. You can then get further information or make bookings on the Internet. Be prepared to go with the flow in NZ, sometimes a local will recommend a place and you have the best of times in a place that would warrant a mention in the guide book.
If you can, buy both the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet. If you are trekking, get Lonely Planet Tramping. Even if you only take one book with you, the other books offer really useful advice and information and you find you are more comfortable with one layout than another. I prefer RG, my husband likes LP.
We also rented a budget campervan to get around NZ as it worked out really cheap, especially when the weather is changeable and too wet or cold for a tent or if time is an issue. We got a recommendation from friends to use the same company they used and caught the shuttle from Auckland International Airport to a drop off point near the Rental Car Village/Thomlinson rentals and picked up our pre-booked van. For Americans, you have to get ready for driving on the other side of the road, and some different road rules. There is a brief guide in the campervan but you can buy the NZ Road Code from any decent bookseller, e.g. Whitcoulls, and maybe even via Amazon before you go allowing you time to study it. I'd also suggest getting a decent road map if you are driving. Some of the motorway (freeway) exits are just Maori placenames and are not numbered and the Maori names can look very similar, starting with the same four letters. Write down the name of the exit/junction before you set off as sometimes when you get off the motorway it is hard to get back on. I know it probably sounds pedantic, but believe me it is cheaper and easier than a divorce. If you below to AAA in the US, or equivalent in other parts of the world, you can get maps from the AA in NZ by showing your home country membership details. Many maps are free to members.
It is really easy to travel in NZ, either backpacking, which I did the first time, or by campervan, once you get the motorways sorted out, as joining one from another can be a bit tricky for non-natives.
NZ is addictive, but your money goes a long way there and everyone is so nice and helpful. We ended staying on people's farms, front yards, etc as well as some great camping sites. Stay at the camping ground at Haihei and enjoy the most fabulous beach. Don't miss Hot Water Beach which is also on the Coromandel cost. You can dig a big hole in the sand at low tide and thermal hot water comes up, so you can sit in your own thermal pool and soak in it. Incredible.
Whatever you do, try and walk the Milford Track. It is, without doubt, the best trek in the world, and you don't need to be an athlete to do it. Visit the Dept of Conservation website and go to Explore and then Tracks and Walks. www.doc.gov.nz
If you get down as far as Queenstown, detour to Arrowtown as well. It is an old gold mining town and really interesting. NZ is almost too much of a good thing. Everywhere is special.
Most detailed and accurate guide book we bought January 27, 2006
T. Stone (WA United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
We bought many NZ guide books (we took a 3 week trip with our three young children in December 2005) and the Rough Guide was the one that we ended up using the most. We carried it everywhere we went (we mainly drove around the South Island and stayed in over 10 towns). Yes the print is a little small but the content is totally accurate and we got used to using the book as we drove from town to town. Where other books merely "list" restaurants and give price ranges, the Rough Guide goes a step further and often gives a brief description and/or opinion on the ambience and the food. (we found the descriptions of the accomodations and and eateries to be right on). I would definitely purchase a Rough Guide book again next time we plan to travel to another country.
The best of all NZ guide books August 21, 2006
AC/DC (Lexington, KY)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
When purchasing a NZ guide book, I wanted the best one so that I only had to buy one book. I reviewed other buyers' comments which all seemed to point to the Rough Guide as being the best one out there. They were right. This is book is extremly helpful and has all the topics covered that I was looking for. The authors' account of places/things in NZ does not seem biased, like many travel books are. The book tells me which destinations are worth going to, how to get there, how to get around, where to sleep/eat, what activities are worth doing, etc. All advice is catered to both people traveling on a budget and to those willing to spend more money. I am very happy with my purchase.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
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