Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to New Zealand 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I fancy myself somewhat of an expert in New Zealand travel, with numerous lengthy trips there, including two group trips that I organized and led. I have used DK, Lonely Planet, Let's Go, and Rough Guide, and there is absolutely no question which is best. Rough Guide. It is more thorough and more intelligently written than any of the others, and its graphics have gradually improved as well. Though not as glossy as DK or as famous as Lonely Planet, Rough Guide provides the traveler/reader with the best understanding of New Zealand. If in doubt, go to a bookstore and read the descriptions of a given place in Lonely Planet, and then in Rough Guide. It will be obvious which is better. I recently purchased the recent editions of both Rough Guide and Lonely Planet (both published Sept 2006) but have decided that it won't be necessary to bring both on my next trip to New Zealand. Rough Guide has everything found in Lonely Planet and much, much more. Highly recommend.

After trying another guidebook, we purchased The Rough Guide shortly before we left for New Zealand. It was an invaluable companion during our travels. The reviews were spot-on, leading us to a number of excellent restaurants and good campgrounds. We even appreciated knowing that a restaurant was "somewhat overpriced but adequate" before we went in--and that description was completely accurate.

The Rough Guide covers a range of restaurants and accommodations, which is useful. Even budget travelers sometimes like to splurge (and know that the splurge is worth the money). Their evaluation of activities was also accurate.

This guide is well worth the price--and worth it's weight when traveling.

I planned our entire trip using a good road map and the 4th addition of the Rough Guide. Everything regarding the locations we visited was amazingly accurate. There are good maps of all the cities as well as the areas of interest. I did not find particularly useful the recommendations for accommodations, which featured either places for backpackers or those at the higher end, with not much in between. I also did not agree with some of the restaurant recommendations. Nevertheless if you are looking for a great guide book for everything else, this one is a winner.

We just got back from a month's tour of NZ--both islands, and we had an awesome time! The Rough Guide filled us in on all the info about villages and history and all the things to do like tours and museums and jet boats and bungee-jumping, etc. etc. But where Rough Guide lacked was helping us get to places that were a little less touristy. It seemed that everywhere Rough Guide said to go, there were lots of other tourists there also, all clutching either a Rough guide or a Lonely Planet. On the South Island it seemed that Rough Guide pointed us towards one touristy place after another. Then we bought a "Kiwimaps" map booklet that are sold at every gas station and that helped us find some spots that weren't touted in Rough (or Lonely), and these spots were nice--hardly any tourists around, just peace and nature.
Then, when we went to the North we found another guidebook called NZ Frenzy that REALLY helped us get around and find some excellent out-of-the-way nature places. The Rough Guide still helped with all the towns and which places had campgrounds and little snippets about places to eat, but it was really the map book and the NZ frenzy book that lead us to super-cool NZ spots that weren't crowded with tourists.
Now, looking back, it turns out that we enjoyed the North Island more because we got off the tourist path better. That's why we're only giving the Rough Guide 3 stars. It should have more info like the Nz Frenzy has about neat out-of-the-way spots, instead of all the tourist stuff that Lonely planet has. Nz Frenzy helped us find excellent waterfalls with swimming holes and NO TOURISTS. Rough Guide didn't even mention the hot spring waterfall at Kerosene Creek, and it should, like Nz Frenzy does--that's the info I want from Rough Guide--details! So, Rough Guide only gets 3 stars because it could be better--it needs more less-touristy stuff.
If you're renting a car or van, then DEFINITELY get a KiwiMaps book, and if you're going to the North Island DEFINITELY get NZ Frenzy.

We are yet to take our trip to New Zealand, however, I'm sure we'll feel more comfortable with our decisions on where to go, what to see, where to stay, and what to do from using this Book. The book gives general price ranges for hotels, activites, and in some cases restaurants. I think the greatest resource has been the website listings within each section. The websites cover everything from airlines, to tour groups, to just general information about the country. Needless to say, We're very excited to take our trip and I know this book will be coming along with us!

As a travel destination, New Zealand is distant, exotic, and unique. New Zealand lies in the Southern Hemisphere 2000 km east of Australia and roughly 14 hours flying time from the US West Coast. Its terrain is an exciting mixture of mountains, forests, glaciers, rivers, beaches, and three modern urban areas in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Its human culture is a fascinating mixture of Polynesian Maori and British colonial influences; its animal species include specimens such as the Kiwi, New Zealand's famous flightless bird. The 2008 edition of "The Rough Guide to New Zealand is an excellent planning guide for those intending a visit.

At nearly a thousand pages, this Rough Guide nicely mixes maps, graphics, photographs, travel narrative and listings of useful websites. An introductory section offers suggestions on where and when to go (New Zealand's seasons are reversed from the US), and some outstanding sights not be missed. A second section covers the basics of geting there, getting around (New Zealand is the size of Britain), and some basics on the culture. A third section provides descriptions of the 14 major regions of the country, along with what to do and where to stay. Concluding sections offer some history and a glossary of local terms.

As the introduction notes, New Zealand is far away enough and different enough to justify some planning and an extended stay. This Rough Guide should meet most requirements for travel planning, whether the visitor wants vigorous outdoor activities like hiking and rafting, quieter pursuits such as museums and wineries, or unique attractions such as visiting the film locations for the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. "The Rough Guide to New Zealand" is very highly recommended to the traveler who wants to plan ahead and make the most of a visit to a unique destination.

I received a brand new book and it immediately fell apart so I returned it. Content seemed fine, but pages falling out makes for a very inconvenient travel guide.

Update: The folks who publish the book have offered to get me a new one, thanks!
Bought this book a couple weeks ago in preperation for a trip to New Zealand but the pages started to fall out the first week. Worse, I went to the rough guide web site and told my story but got no reply. How do you take a tour book on a trip when it doesn't stay together. I don't have an issue with the content, it's just that It won't be any good for the trip

The definitive book on New Zealand travel-bar none. More than just a travel book, the Rough Guide also includes a somewhat balanced thumbnail sketch of the people and local issues. You end up with a Cliff Notes cultural 'feel' that I found very useful especially when reading their newspapers or speaking with the people. While the Rough Guide is based in backpacking and hostels and I am more of the room service in the hotel type, I wouldn't go to NZ without this book under my arm. The authors seem to know virtually every square meter of the country..what it is, what's it's history, and is it worth seeing. If there's a junction with 2 cottages and a petrol stop, they've been there and know where to stay and eat. There is a newer version of this book coming out in Oct. 2008. However,I used this edition on a North Island trip in late Sept. 2008 and can vouch for the continued accuracy of this version.In New Zealand hotels and restaurants change a little but the beauty of the country never changes. I've been to New Zealand many times,it's unthinkable not to have this book (and Jason's maps) with me. So, backpack or room service, don't leave home without it.

This is a very good guide book and is nearly comprehensive in its scope. At first, I found the book a little hard to use as it is organized by geography, not by activity. But as my research progressed, especially after I have identified those major attractions I wanted to visit, the book became easier to use. And now after I have been there, I would say this is more of a "yellow book" kind of guide book where it gives you a lot of information but was a little scant on actually recommending you on where to go and what to do except for the "30 things not to miss at New Zealand". For example, how about some organized itinearies like "for the hikers, do these hikes... for the food lovers, go to these restaurants.. for culture lovers, go to these museums....?"

I also supplemented this with Frommers and together, the two sources easily saved me hundreds of dollars and more in finding that not-so-obvious and not-overpriced lodging/transportation alternatives. But the combo still missed some things (for example, I showed up at Auckland airport and found out there are actually several more local rental car agencies for hire than I was led to believe from Frommers' and Rough Guide). Nevertheless, for the sheer amount of helpful information in this very thick book, I give this guide an enthusiastic 4.5 stars.