David WE Roberts wrote:

"Bob Minchin" wrote in message
...
SWMBO & I are planning a trip to NZ sometime next year and in an
attempt to balance out her choice of scenic locations to visit, I'd
welcome suggestions of 'must see' locations for an
engineer/scientist/woodbutcher like myself and like most readers of
this NG.


Suggestions please (polite or at least humourous naturally!)

Weblinks to events too would be good. visit is possible next November
or just maybe sooner - next February.


How long do you plan to stay?
Any idea of the split between N & S island?
We were there for four and a half months over last UK winter, so saw
quite a lot.

Fascinating place on the Otago Plain, S. Island (people called Hates
IIRC) where they are preserving an engineering works where loads of cool
stuff was invented, and which you still see in use. e.g. wire strainer
for wire fencing.

Some nice railways - one out of Dunedin up into the central uplands, one
at Kawakawa up in the Bay of Islands.

Barry Bricknell artist's railway in Coromandel Town is a must see -
loads of engineering there!

HokiTikli on S. Island (west) for stone and wood carving. Also Rotorua.

For the scenincs there is Russel in Bay of Islands, Golden Bay at the
top of S.Island, Akaroa near Christchurch. We did an overnight trip on
Doubtful Sound instead of Milford Sound - wedding anniversary and a
wonderful place :-)

If you like wine, set aside a day for a wine tasting tour at the
Marlborough vineyards around Blenheim. Blenheim itself is a pit but the
wineries are superb.

Just a quick note - with a bit more time no doubt the memories will flow.

Cheers

Dave R
Thanks David & everyone else who has replied.
We expect to be away from home for possibly a month with 1 week in San
Francisco/LA at one end of the trip or other. The North/south island
timing split is completely flexible.
We plan to book a couple of nights hotel wherever landfall is (Auckland
or Christchurch) into order to recover from the journey and then pick up
a car. From then follow our noses staying in basic motels for about 3 weeks.