Customer Reviews

Drive Around New Zealand: Your Guide to Great Drives (Drive Around - Thomas Cook)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I spent about three months in New Zealand earlier this year and found this guide great to have around. I would certainly purchase it only in addition to a more detailed and thorough guidebook for New Zealand (I went with Rough Guide to New Zealand, which I found very detailed and helpful), as it doesn't give you nearly the amount of detail on places to stay and eat and visit as one of those guide books does.

However, for planning scenic drives, it's excellent. We were able to modify its suggestions and itineraries to fit our interests and time constraints- this was made very easy by the detailed maps. I would agree that an overall map of the North and South Island would come in handy, but the detail provided in the numerous smaller maps was much appreciated all the same.

The author goes in detail over several places of interest, and many places that I'm sure I would have missed if they hadn't come up in the guide. It was easy to read, the directions are easy to follow, and it thoroughly added to my experience of New Zealand. A great buy if you are planning a driving holiday through that gorgeous country!

I have read this book for planning our trip to N.Z. and the rating applies to only this aspect. We hope that our actual experience will confirm the numerous recommendations. The area maps are very helpful, but additional, separate maps of the full area of the North and South islands would improve the overall orientation. It took me until the very last page of the book (281) to locate Christchurch!
A minor point (page 181): "It is not the largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere, although that claim is often made; the largest is the Todaiji Temple in Japan." The author does not appear to be aware of the fact that Japan is in the northern hemisphere .... !?