Really Nice Vacations

Made a whirlwind trip to New Zealand recently and despite my tight schedule, I managed to squeeze some time for sightseeing to have some fun in these 3 cities

At Auckland, I visited Auckland’s Dolphin and Whale Safari. The Hauraki Gulf is supposedly one of the world’s richest playground for marine mammals. Reportedly, at least 22 species of dolphins and whales have been found here. That day was Blue, bright and clear. The kind of day where it’s tough to separate the horizon and definitely not a day to think of work. and There were lots of shrieks and shrills when a sighting was made. According to the amused crew, the company can almost guaranteed viewing because there is a high 90% dolphin sighting rate and a 70% whale sighting rate all year round.

If you are going to Auckland for the first time, you can try this site for information on Auckland hotels. Don’t go there without a confirmed booking as the favourite hotels around business districts or tourist hot spots can be hard to get at certain period. Some  hotels will provide free brochures to recommend where you can visit.

At Wellington, I did a rare thing. I went to the Te Papa Museum. It was a rainy day and I thought the museum would keep me amused for a couple of hours before I decided what to do next. I was wrong, it kept me busy for 2 mornings to cover all the 6 floors of exhibits. I found Bush Walk, an outdoor venue featuring native plants and rocks an eye opener. While the Awesome Forces showing how earthquakes, volcanism and other forces have shaped the landscape were very interesting to me who don’t read geography in school. Of course, the entire 4th floor the covered the history of both the Maori and European settlers were fascinating. Knowing a little more of NZ’s definitely made me see it’s people and culture in a new light.

If you are not familiar with Wellington, I suggest you look up Wellington hotel before going there.

While at Christchurch, I was fortunate that my host made a reservation well in advance. Otherwise I would not be able to sit back and relax in this luxury 36-seater air-conditioned, colonial style dining tram. Not only was I treated to fine cuisine, I could see Cathedral Square, Botanical Gardens and the River Avon slowly past my window.

I’m sure you will have no diffculty getting infoormation on luxury or budget Christchurch hotels, but you might want to check the rate during the peak seasons. Christchurch is the must-see place for many tourists and business travellers at all time.

With airfare going cheaper, I was wondering if I can steal sometime to go back to New Zealand for pure holiday. I visited NZ way back in the 1990s and never failed to be amazed by this beautiful country. Would be really good if can spend at least 2 – 3 weeks there.

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