Just about to head over to Kiwiland for a couple of weeks of exploring, and would be keen to know what people's best (or worst?) experiences over there have been, or just get some recommendations for good sights/activities.
Mostly interested in sport/water-related activities and less tourist-y stuff, but any ideas are welcome. Thanks!
We went there for a holiday in 2003, only to the south island. The worst experiences were the food which we found was very ordinary compared to Australian food. Also I was booked for speeding. Quite annoying as I was in the middle on nowhere driving to Queenstown on a bright sunny day. However the policeman was very polite, much more polite than any policeman I've met in Australia.
Dude, NZ is even more boring than Aus! Are you just trying to use your loyalty air miles before they expire?
Water: From anywhere drive 200km either west or east and you're guaranteed to hit water.
Sport: Run around in it.
Weather: Cold & Wet.
Seeing the All Blacks loose the Bledisloe Cup...Has not happened for a while though.
Combining water and sport is real easy !!
Go to any beach on the west coast of south island and start slapping and waving away the bleddy sand flies -- there are millions of the suckers ready to suck some Aussie blood. Bit like the All Blacks I guess 
NZ is a seriously great place to visit and you can indulge yourself in pretty much anything outdoorsy in central south island.
Enjoy it -- the NZ pinot wines are very good....
I find if you remind them constantly that they are actually the 7th state of Australia, you will get a warm welcome from the locals 
Drive around the north island, north of Auckland. Follow the coast, drop the gear just about anywhere.
Whangaparaora is great in that you can drop the board either side of the strip'o land, no guarantee of wind though at this time.
Either side of Tauranga, just can't possibly go wrong at this time of the year...
Walk on Fox or Franz Josef glaciers. Buy some 2nd hand crampons, step under the 'safety fence' with a wave to the suckers who pay, and do it yourself.
Better still, rap into a moulin. Pretty mind-blowing to pull the rope down after you. Now you have to front-point your way out.
Hire a MTB in Tekapo if you can, and do a lap of the Lake. To cross the braided rivers at the N end was exciting. I did this alone by asking at several shops who to hire from, and how to get permission to go through (one) private property.
Maybe pay to go on a 3 day hike over Ball Pass, finishing in Cook village. Pretty amazing to watch, from the private Caroline Hut, continual avalanches (in April) fall off the Linda face of Mt Cook.
Agree with Mobydisc - could not believe the politeness of the NZ police when booking my Mt'eering partner. (Then again, last year had an ultra-polite Victorian cop book me driving away from Arapiles).
ShireSUP - I crewed a NZ yacht to Lord Howe a couple of years back; the owner + skipper (Auckland guys) quietly, strongly, believed NZ should become part of Oz. They brought the topic up.
South Island of NZ is awesome... Heaps to do... sights to see... "Tramping"...
Mmmm pies... and not from the bakery... from the pie shops
Home made chutney
Good wine... Good beer from the micro breweries... Moa... mmmm...
I haven't been but I did spend a considerable amount of time at work with a guy from NZ who lives in Queenstown and is a mad keen MTB rider. The footage he showed me from filming at the numerous locations that he gets to ride blew my mind. Absolutely stunning scenery, a multitude of trails that cater for all levels of ability and according to him a very social, friendly and passionate riding community. Even the walking trails look epic
. Planning a trip for 2013 for about 17 days of riding.
at least you didn't say "australian cuisine"
i have been there 2 times, just surfing and camping in north island. great place ! raglan and piha particularly.
and meat pies ! they so good. even at service stations you can get a good pie. i only ate pies and drunk beer.
Quick few questions first before I respond......will u have a vehicle? How Long you going for? And are you going north, south or both? What are yr fav pass-times?
Love the South Island, West Coast of the North Island is good to, the islands around Auckland are fun to explore.
Tons of paddling, camping, biking, hiking, sailing hard not to like the place beers a bit average at times though.
There's a couple Kiwi's in the LB section sure they can point you in the right direction.
New Zealand is terrific country. Most of the NZ people I know just look at the ground and kick rocks around, they pronounce everyday items incorrectly and yearn of going back to the motherland one day.
Personally, I look forward to the day that they will wake up, pack up their bags, and appreciate what a great country they've come from and move the f'ck back there.
Apart from that junkie who used to be in Dragon, and that song "six months in a leaky boat", which I mildly liked; I don't think they've added much to my enjoyment of life. I hate them for making every sentence end in "Bro" when I'm not their brother. That needs to change.
at least you didn't say "australian cuisine"
I like kiwis because I can practice one of my ridiculous jokes on them. It is a verbal joke but most will get it in written form.
It goes like this:
What's a Hindu?
Lays eggs bro!
boulder ,WA is also known as little rotarua
I thought it was a joke until I was signing in at a motel in rotarua and the owner asked if I knew her son!, turns out he lived about 500m from me in boulder
For the best NZ experience, certainly join the Air New Zilland loyalty club (a bit like Qantas Club)
The complimentary sheep on arrival is a nice touch.
Foodwise back in 2003 you could get a very good meal for about $15 including some grog in Australia. Even today in Sydney if you know where to go you can buy a decent meal for around the same price.
In New Zealand in 2003 we were paying about $40NZ for anything besides cheap and crap takeaway. Pizzas were about $30NZ. Maybe its because we were tourists and didn't know where to go. Choice wise it was like being in Australia in the 1970s. We went to a couple of smaller country towns and the choice of food was very limited, much more limited than in comparable Australian towns.
Maybe if you have plenty of cash and can travel to fancy places sitting in beautiful locations its a different story. However the average quality and variety of food available there was much lower than what was available in Australia at a comparable price.
A highlight of the trip was driving along a road besides what I think is the Arrow River on the west side of the south island. The rain was pooring down and there were waterfalls over the road from the hills to the left. To the right was a raging river.
6ft Inidcators is a mind blowing experience
Swapa crates are great
They have good pies
If its flat or too windy climb Mt Taranakai....its a great day!!! After that its a 3 hrs drive to Rags my old stomping ground - enough has been said about this place over the years....then onto Auckland a few hrs before you are due to fly out.
I'll vouch for Rippon Vineyard for their pinot noir and the Cardrona pub -- both great!
Honestly - I did do other things beside sample Kiwi drinks
