Rydges, Rotorua

Advantages: Great unique place to see!
Disadvantages: Smella of eggs!!

...Roturua in the North Island of New Zealand is well worth a visit, full of many wonders from thermal lakes, mud pools, geysers and for the adventurous among you white water rafting and Zorbing. Be warned however with all the thermal activity comes a pungent smell of egg! Not the most pleasant thing to wake up to into the morning but you kind of get used to it after a while, not sure if that is a good or bad thing! The only downside to Rotorua I can think of is the fact that it is very spread out, you can take buses to the main activities but this cost $10 a ride, myself and a friend decided to hire a car for the day and this was brilliant as it meant we could see a lot more and at our own pace. Hiring a car cost about $70 for the day between us. Accommodation in Rotorua is plentiful, we stayed in a backpackers hostel as we where... Read review

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Advantages: On main highway, clean and pleasant, good variety of facilities and shops.
Disadvantages: Parking may become a problem as more people stop :-)

...Tirau is a small town on State Highway One in New Zealand. It is about midway on route from Hamilton to Rotorua or Taupo. For many years it was a town that was run down, and just a place you had to slow down for on your journey, a place I had driven through on many occasions. In the last couple of years the locals have put a substantial effort into improving the town, and have achieved a great result, in my opinion. As an eye-catching attraction, two buildings were made out of corrugated iron, one in the shape of a dog, and the other a sheep. Two New Zealand icons! These building house an information centre and some of the cleanest toilets I have ever used. Around thes buildings have sprouted craft shops, cafes, service stations etc, creating a really interesting and worthwhile place to stop. They even managed to get Helen Clarke... Read review

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Advantages: Countryside, activities, food, people
Disadvantages: Shops all shut on Sundays

...We had a fantastic time in New Zealand. We flew into Auckland, and travelled around the North Island, taking in some caving in Waitomo and some power boating in Paihia in the north. We really enjoyed every minute - hiring a car is incredibly cheap (from £6 per day) so transport was no problem. The food and accommodation is cheap and plentiful - we particularly enjoyed our all you can eat curry in Rotorua, which incidentally is home to the famous luge - a sledge on wheels on which you career down a concrete track at high speed - great fun but can ruin your clothes if you take a tumble. We went to a maori dinner and learned to do the hakka, and ate food cooked in an underground oven. All the time you are surrounded by beautiful, unspoilt countryside and friendly New Zealanders, and the pace of life is so laid back. I'd go back... Read review

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