Customer Reviews

The Rough Guide to New Zealand 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This first edition of the New Zealand Rough Guide has taken its place as the best overall travel book for the country. As with others in its series, this Rough Guide gives a thorough description of all the cultural and recreational aspects that a first time or a seasoned traveler "downunda" should know. For the basic information concerning accommodation or eating, the Rough Guide follows its practice of offering choices for every price level but it doesn't act as listing agent for each and every hostel, hotel, B & B or cafe. In that regard, the Rough Guides encourage the traveler to look for him or herself instead of following the standardized tourist formula.

But it's heavy on the activities for specific woderful areas like Kaikoura, the Otago Peninsula, Wanaka and many, many more. The color photographs are an appealing addition, also.

In prep for my 4-week trip to New Zealand I bought this Rough Guide and NZ Frenzy (South), and I was given a Lonely Planet South Island book. My opinion is that I can't tell the Rough Guide from the Lonely Planet---they seem identical, but each has some snippets and suggestions that the other doesn't have. So, I'm glad to have both, but they are a bit overwhelming since there is so much to read thru. On the other hand, the book that excites me the most is the NZ Frenzy book. The NZ Frenzy book actually got me excited, way more so than the RG and LP books. The RG tells you that there are "walks" or forest parks or such in an area, but the NZ Frenzy fills in the details about which walks are good, or lousy...and what to bring and when to go to maximize your fun.
My opinion is to get the Rough Guide, then definitely get the NZ Frenzy to go with it. Hope I see you there, I can't wait!!

Just returned from a 21-day journey to Kiwi-country, and used the Rough Guide extensively. From Dunedin to Auckland, the book spells out excursions, accommodations and lifestyle samples in various price ranges better than most other guide books.

Format is simple to read, easy to find just what you need. We were turned on to some great motels and B&Bs, excellent eateries and a few adventure tours along the way. Maps of cities were quite helpful. Other books have prettier pictures, but this one does the best job of finding stuff to DO in NZ.

This review refers to the 2000 2nd Ed.

Just back from five weeks in New Zealand, guided by the up to date reviews in the Rough Guide and the hiking itineraries in NZ Frenzy. Couldn't be better.

Stayed in a mix of BBHs (NZ's own budget backpacker hotels) and motels and hotels, with support from this excellent book. Great for all budgets unlike the Frommers "budget" guide with B&Bs for $300+, with lots of coverage of the small and smaller destinations that are the heart of sightseeing in New Zealand. Excellent.

I found this better than the Lonely Planet guide. I used it for our planning for everything except except multi-day tramps. For those I used the less than perfect Lonely Planet Tramping New Zealand book.

I found the book a bit dry (but travel guides typically are)....but my main issue is that I'm missing ~30 pages (including the first half of the index, which is super annoying now that I've read it all and want to go back and reference certain things when I'm not sure where they are)! It appears to be a publishing error, it is not like the pages are ripped out. I will be returning the book...hope it's not a problem that I've made some margin notes already....

With a copy of this guide at hand, I've tried several times to read the whole thing front to back in order to digest all of the information and be able to come up with a coherent plan to visit New Zealand, but I find the writing dense and unentertaining. Perhaps the subject matter is difficult-- as a primarily outdoor destination, New Zealand may not lend itself easily to a list of places to see and things to do. Nevertheless, in despair at wading through this long but boring tome, I have ordered the Lonely Planet guides in the hopes that they will be more readable.

My wife and I are planning a trip to NZ. I am a birder and she is a fiber arts person, i.e. weaving, wool etc. NZ is noted for each of these, but neither of these topics are even mentioned in this guide. This seems to me to be a major oversight. This book was not a good resource for trip planning.