New Zealand (Eyewitness Travel Guides) [Turtleback]

Kate Poole (Editor)

Book Description

Series: EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE | Publication Date: September 2003

Covers: Auckland, Northland, the Central North Island, Wellington, Marlborough and Nelson, Canterbury and the West Coast, Otago, and Southland.

Product Details

• Turtleback: 384 pages
• Publisher: DK Travel; Revised edition (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789497212
• ISBN-13: 978-0789497215
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #761,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Travel > Australia & South Pacific > New Zealand

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect, March 6, 2005

By 

Bron Mitchell "bronm" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Zealand (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Turtleback)

I usually love the Eyewitness guides - they're a consistently high standard, and beautifully presented. Full-colour photos on glossy pages, jam-packed with information on places to visit, images that leap off the page to tempt you: this is the guidebook that will really get your feet itching to go (if they're not already, of course!)

I was so tempted to give this five stars, but I really think it's lacking when it comes to information on getting around, accommodation, and eating places. Sure, there's a fair bit, but nowhere near as much as you'd get in Lonely Planet, for example. I found this was especially the case for budget travellers like myself. Eyewitness lists only three hostel/backpacker places out of the two dozen or so that are in Auckland's city centre; the ratio is about the same for other locations throughout New Zealand. The same applies to eating places, where the researchers of the book seem to have a very different idea as to what constitutes 'cheap' - up to $25 for one meal (the '$' category) is more than what most backpackers would allow for food for an entire day! There are also very few prices listed throughout for things like entrance fees to attractions and activities. I realise that these things change often, but it would be nice to have at least some idea.

These are small criticisms, really, in what is an otherwise excellent travel guide. I read most of the section on the North Island before I went, and frequently referred to it during my trip as well. This one is definitely worth a look if you're heading to New Zealand, but bear in mind that it doesn't really cater to budget travellers. Those needing to watch their spending will probably need to supplement this book with Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, or similar to make their dollar go further.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start Your Planning Here, June 27, 2006

By 

Notnadia (Currently upstairs.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Zealand (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Turtleback)

Overall the Eyewitness series is the best travel guide collection being published, not only for the fact that it is fun to look through and read in its own right, because of the way it shows the sites in beautiful color illustrations, but also because of the wealth of information and the well-thought-out selections its editors include. These books are comprehensive and interesting and great to own, whether one is planning a trip abroad or simply wants to see the sites in foreign places. This '03 edition has been a big help to me in planning my trip to New Zealand, and the '06 edition, due in August, is something I can't wait to get.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, March 22, 2005

By 

Judy White (Ashland OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Zealand (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Turtleback)

This is a beautifully produced book, full of photographs on quality paper. (As a result, it is a surprisingly heavy book at 1 1/2 lb.; those who like to travel light may prefer a different book.) It is very comprehensive, listing most cities and sights, and has a color-coded organization that's easy to use. Its weakness is that it lists fewer accommodations and restaurants than a mostly-text guide such as Lonely Planet would give. We used this book on our 5-week trip and it was a pleasure to use, and is now a great reminder since it has photos of virtually everyplace we went.