Top 10 tips for New Zealand

Nathan Collins

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New Zealand is a country of contrasts. The South Island offers breathtaking landscapes and diverse environments, while the North Island is filled with Maori culture and has a warmer climate.

1. Allow enough time
In order to get a true flavour of New Zealand, three weeks is recommended. Two weeks can be spent touring around the beautiful yet dramatic landscapes of the South Island whilst a third enables you to discover the highlights of the cultural North Island. If you have more time, extend your touring time on both islands.

2. When to travel?
There isn’t really a bad time to visit New Zealand. Due to its location in the Southern Hemisphere the seasons are the opposite to that of the UK. Winter months offer ski options in the South Island, and rain water swells the fjord lands, making them look spectacular. Should you visit during summer, Abel Tasman National Park, at the Northern tip of the South Island is a must, with its beautiful bays and excellent kayaking opportunities.

3. Experience the great outdoors
New Zealand is made for the outdoors, showcased with Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world. There are a variety of activities to partake in, whether it be whale watching in Kaikoura, sailing in the Bay of Islands, experiencing the hot springs of Rotorua or fuelling an adrenaline rush with the shot-over jet boat rides.

4. Take a hike
There are an abundance of opportunities to hike trails in New Zealand. You are often rewarded with the best sights if you make the effort to reach them. These range from easy strolls to challenging hikes. One of the best and most recognisable walks is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing where you are rewarded with the sight of volcanic peaks and emerald lakes.

5. Go off the beaten track
New Zealand is a relatively small country. Most of the main sights and attractions are within easy reach, however some which are relatively unknown are not to be missed. Renwick is a quaint little town in the Marlborough wine region with a number of vineyards with wine tasting. To make it a truly enjoyable experience for everyone, bicycles can be hired which come complete with wine holders for you to purchase your favourite samples!

6. Experience the west coast glaciers
Unique landscapes are epitomised by the country’s wonderful glaciers with Franz Josef and Fox glaciers often being voted among the world’s best. A visit to these magnificent natural structures is not complete without seeing them up close. A hike through the glacial labyrinth is on offer and to witness the sheer vast scale of the glaciers, or you can hop on an organised helicopter tourm which we can arrange. This can land you right on top of them.

7. Immerse yourself in the culture
New Zealand is steeped in history and culture which is predominant in the North Island. Locals are keen to share their tradition with tourists and there are a variety of cultural experiences for you to immerse yourself in. The Maori traditional war dance, the Haka, and the ritual cooking mode of the Hangi are integral features of Maori tradition, and we can arrange these experiences.

8. Plan your route
It is essential that you plan your route to achieve everything you set out to see and do. I can help research and map out your itinerary before you leave. Although your plans may change, it is wise to have an outline to follow to ensure you get the most out of your trip.

9. Hire your own set of wheels
Organised tours are a great way to see the main sights if you are short on time. However hiring a car or motor-home offers you independence to explore the country in more depth and at your own pace. Having your own vehicle allows you the opportunity to try out a variety of accommodation, and there is a wide range, from well kitted-out campsites to luxury hotels.

10. Upgrade your flight
With a flight time of approximately 23 hours, New Zealand is literally the other side of the world. Therefore, when travelling there it is advisable to do so in comfort. Although Economy seats can offer adequate room, it is recommended to travel at least in Premium Economy to arrive refreshed and ready to drink in all that New Zealand has to offer. We can advise which would be best for you and have good knowledge of Business and First Class cabins too.

Call us to plan and book your holiday to New Zealand on 01543 258 631 or email vip@rbcollection.com.

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Explore New Zealand

Great cruise, boat, taxi, hotel, meal (and more!) arrangements in Athens and Corfu. Oliver has this amazing ability to know what we would enjoy, which is why I've already booked my next trip with RB! To the Carribbean we go in November!! 🥳 Thanks Oliver and the entire team at RB!

Zain Qazi

‘As usual, Sam at RB Collection arranged our recent Iceland/Scotland cruise with attention to every possible detail. He remembered what had worked for us previously and used that knowledge to enhance our experience. No question was too much trouble for either Sam or his colleague Clare. We would not consider anyone else for our holiday arrangements; RB Collection are truly superb!’

Hilary Carroll

Wonderful way to book a wonderful holiday. Such a personalised & attentive approach to helping us find the perfect family holiday! Couldn’t recommend more!!!

Pandora Bahrami

They found us the perfect hotel for our London stay. Exactly the right balance of perfect location, incredible breakfast and they really listened to what we wanted. I even had access to one of London best gyms included in the stay!

Katie May Medley

RB Collections are a wonderful family run firm who welcome you into the family from the first holiday you book with them. My special thanks go to Clare who always ensures my booking runs smoothly and takes the stress out of the process of decisions by ‘knowing’ and implementing my preferences using information she has ascertained from previous bookings. I don’t have to remember…..Clare does it for me.

Janet Goodwin

Having just returned from a fantastic long weekend at Disneyland Paris, we had to leave a review for Sam and the team at RB Collection. They removed all the stress from organising the trip and ensured everything was in place for a truly memorable trip for all the family. We can’t thank them enough and we will certainly be back for future holidays. Our experience has been 10/10 👍🏻

Mike Boyden

Just returned home from a wonderful holiday in Madeira arranged by Sam from RB Collection. Every detail from flights, hotel, transfers, recommended restaurants and "must to do's" was excellent and all documents arrived by post in good time for checking before departing on our holiday. Due to the weather, our journey was delayed by two days. However after contacting RB on the emergency number in the holiday package, all was sorted by the team - an upgraded hotel room at the same hotel, flight, transfers, taking away all the stress from ourselves and allowing us to enjoy our extra two days. One cannot put a price on a phone call and text messages when something unfortunate happens and you feel vulnerable. On our return, the excellent service has continued by Sam and colleagues who are now dealing with the necessary correspondence with the airline company. My husband and I and children at home who were concerned when we were stranded, cannot thank the team at RB enough for their support and professionalism and we are looking forward to many more holidays using the company. Tom & Janet

Tom&Janet Marks

We came to RB Collection with an idea of some of the places we wanted to visit in Rajasthan, India - and they made it all happen, expertly and efficiently. Oliver and Clare were a pleasure to deal with, sorting every aspect and adding their own ideas to really enhance this wonderful trip. They checked in while we were away to make sure everything was going well (which it was) and I knew they'd be on hand if we needed anything. Thank you!

David Page

The purpose of this review isn't to confirm that our holiday was a 5 star experience (which it was, by the way) but it's a review to say that RB Collection's involvement in planning, booking and safety netting our holiday experiences has been truly 5 stars. Are people bothered if my wife and I had a great holiday - I suspect no...... Are people interested in the company that was instrumental in creating 5 star holidays - I suspect yes ......and so it's RB Collection's skills and involvement that get this 5 star rating. As a family we have booked our own holidays almost exclusively by ourselves for 35 years - until a year ago when we used RB Collection's services for the first time to book a holiday to the Ice Hotel in Sweden. We chose to book through them because we had no experience or knowledge of the Ice Hotel and their exclusive Ice Hotel Website was great. Their involvement made all the difference - in particular their personal commitment to making things work and since the first contact, they have been getting to know our travel "needs, wants and likes" more by each contact. Our next holiday was a Silversea Cruise - one that we could easily have booked ourselves, but RB's influence allowed us to save a significant (4 figure!) sum. Reason alone to recommend! Our third and most recent booking with RB was a safari which could not have been a better holiday experience. The reasons for this are as follows: 1. Up until raising the possibility, I knew nothing about safaris i.e. where to go / at what time of year / for how long etc. Within 72 hours of a discussion of a suggestion by me for a Tanzania trip (based on a google AI search), I was infinitely far better informed and after weighing up possibilities, we opted for a Kenyan trip to Amboselli and the Masai Mara. What a brilliant decision! 2. Whilst the travel options were perfect for our particular needs, RB's involvement to seamlessly arrange the multiple transfers on our journey came to the fore. This was particularly evident on coming back from Zanzibar (beach unwind) to Nairobi International, which would have presented a significant challenge had we opted for self booking, due to the (multiple) security & immigration stages. (Yes, of course - we would have negotiated the stages - we're grown ups - we can look after ourselves, but oh my. the loss of wasted heartbeats would have been significant!) Turns out that what was arranged for us was faster than "fast track" and I certainly became aware of lots of people looking enviously towards us and our safari representative as we whizzed by! 3. Photography is an important aspect of our holidays. Good photographic subjects / scenes are our means of ensuring that we're seeing good stuff, which - IMHO - is a main focus of a holiday. Our safari guides had been well briefed about my photography wishes and from the get-go, they discussed what we were looking for from our holiday and so every day we had a mutually planned itinerary for the wildlife that never disappointed. Our guides had been particularly selected from the briefing given by RB pre-travel to the safari people. In a nutshell, RB have changed our attitude to holidays and their associated experiences. In our time with them, we have undertaken holidays that we have never done before and we are now definitely thinking differently about what to do in the future. Add to this, the reassurance and safety net that travel agency booking confers and I think that RB Collection definitely deserves a 5 star review. By the way - we live distant to their location - all of our dealings have been by telephone and email so don't think you need to be locals to use their services.

Colin Scott

A big shout out for RB Collection ….they have done it again !!!! Made our World touring a pleasure AGAIN ….having done the cruising in various parts of the world …the Canada trip…..the India & Nepal trip…& just recently the Hongkong Australia New Zealand trip…it’s like being transported on a Dreamliner !every attention to detail from getting to the airport arriving at the destinations & being picked up & taken to the various types of accomadation ….Thanks Team RB & especially to Sam for this last one 🌴☀️😎

Linda Taylor

call: 01543 258631 email: vip@rbcollection.com

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