Sightseeing Around Auckland

I have just been asked about sightseeing around Auckland and possible day tours for overseas guests wanting to visit Auckland...but not wanting to do the usual harbour cruise, Maori cultural show or gardens.

They were also interested in visiting an Artisans Village - I am assuming they mean CraftWorld at Westgate, where you can see and buy a huge range of crafts produced by New Zealand crafts people.

Many will be using New Zealand timbers - rimu, kauri, puriri, kahikatea and made into

• bowls
• servers
• carvings
• wall hangings
• miscellaneous lovely wood items

. Others will have used natural New Zealand wool -

• hand spun,woven or hand knitted into garments, hats, scarves, etc
• paintings
• embroidery
• jewellery including New Zealand greenstone or paua

and much more.

• Winery tours or combined winery/craft tours to Matakana
• Eco tours which go to West Auckland bush and beaches
• Boat trips to one of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf
-
• Waiheke
• Rangitoto
• Motuhihe
• Kawau
• Tiritiri Matangi( a bird Sanctuary)

were all suggestions for something a little different.

There is a huge range of possible day tours making sightseeing around Auckland a rewarding and exciting experience.

School Holidays in New Zealand - Children's Activities

It is New Zealand School holidays and children are home for two weeks. Many families will take the opportunity to tour around new Zealand, or visit a child oriented holiday destiantion. Overseas visitors are bringing their families for a New Zealand Holiday. This means planning a holiday that suits both children and adults.

Travelling with children has the bonus of seeing the country you are travelling in through the children's eyes. You will almost certainly participate in activities you would not do otherwise.

I have started a page on my website Holidays in New Zealand that will list and categorise the many wonderful children's activities for travellers around New Zealand.

Having listed the many great things to do........ I will try and sort them into those that are free, those that have a small entry fee, and the few that are luxury activities many families just will not afford.

There are so many wonderful things to do that cost almost nothing...........that everyone should find a fantastic range of exciting New Zealand Holiday activities.

I will write more and notify you when the page goes live.It will be a good place to start planning a family holiday to New Zealand.

Kayaking in New Zealand - Tips for Tourists on Kayak Hire and Guided Tours

Kayaking in New Zealand is an awesome experience, with a wide selection of kayak tours. Surrounded by sea,there are thousands of kilometres of beautiful coastline, dozens of lakes scattered around the country, and numerous rivers, inlets and tributaries to explore in a kayak.

As a tourist you are probably going to want to hire a kayak. There are many companies that operate rentals by the hour for a quiet paddle in the local vicinity.Others hire out kayaks and equipment for bigger independent kayaking trips, while many also provide a choice of guided kayak tours .........all options can be for anything from an hour to several days!

Short kayak trips will be using sit on kayaks. Longer kayaking tours are best in sea or river kayaks where you sit in with a spray skirt to keep you dry, have a rudder, comfortable seating with back support and plenty of storage space.You will usually have the choice of single or double kayaks.

There are several novel kayaking tours including a winery tour by kayak in Northland and glacier kayaking tours in Canterbury and Westland. Other guided tours will take you down rivers, or lakes often including interesting local features, many of which can only be seen from the water. Taupo has many boat tours out to the Maori Rock Carvings, and kayaking is one option.

Two very popular 4 to 5 day kayaking tours are the Whanganui River in the North Island, or Abel Tasman National Park in Marlborough in the South Island.

So much of our coastline is only accessible by water, and you can enjoy beautiful pristine bush and wild life in it's natural habitat.New Zealand is a country with a wide variety of native birds, including many sea birds.

You can enjoy the marine life, and may see seals basking on the rocks, or even find dolphins appearing beside you.

Some of the most popular areas for kayaking include

• Bay of Islands
• Auckland
• Rotorua lakes
• Tauranga
• Taupo
• Nelson/Marlborough Sounds
• Kaikoura
• Westland - Canterbury for glacier kayak tours

Have a look at http://www.holidays-in-newzealand.com/kayaking-in-new-zealand.html for full details.