After staying 15 nights at 13 accommodations for a 17 days New Zealand trip, these are our top three picks:
Lake Tekapo, South Island
Of course, we have to stay at Lake Tekapo. In Maori, Tekapo means night sleeping place. Kidding, my travel companions and I chose it over Mount Cook so we need not drive another hour up and down New Zealand's tallest mountain that we would not be climbing anyway. As for its supposedly spectacular glacier views, we would be walking close to the Terminal Face of Fox Glacier on a guided tour a few days later. With limited choices of accommodations in Lake Tekapo, we settled on Peppers Bluewater Resort – our most expensive stay on this trip. Of the 27 (at the time of writing) Peppers resorts or hotels, five are in New Zealand, one is in Bali and the rest are in Australia. This sits in the heart of Mackenzie Country, 3 hours away from Christchurch by car. Clean, contemporary and tranquil with a breathtaking view of Lake Tekapo. Now, this is what you call a holiday.
Of course, we have to stay at Lake Tekapo. In Maori, Tekapo means night sleeping place. Kidding, my travel companions and I chose it over Mount Cook so we need not drive another hour up and down New Zealand's tallest mountain that we would not be climbing anyway. As for its supposedly spectacular glacier views, we would be walking close to the Terminal Face of Fox Glacier on a guided tour a few days later. With limited choices of accommodations in Lake Tekapo, we settled on Peppers Bluewater Resort – our most expensive stay on this trip. Of the 27 (at the time of writing) Peppers resorts or hotels, five are in New Zealand, one is in Bali and the rest are in Australia. This sits in the heart of Mackenzie Country, 3 hours away from Christchurch by car. Clean, contemporary and tranquil with a breathtaking view of Lake Tekapo. Now, this is what you call a holiday.
This was where we were going to take the InterIslander to the North Island for the second half of our trip. We decided to stay the night here after checking out of our motel at Hanmer Springs and a half-day drive, with a whale-watching cruise enroute. Woke up to the view of yachts docked at the Picton Marina as The Moorings on Marlborough Apartments is located next to it. Clean and spacious, quiet yet accessible – within walking distance to nearby shops, restaurants and bars where we ate our dinner and bought breakfast for the next day. Did not check out its swimming pool though as we had to return our rental car (you can check in your vehicle if you prefer) that clocked more than 2,400km since our arrival at Christchurch International Airport 10 days ago, before boarding the 3-hour ferry for a 92km journey across the Cook Strait.
Auckland, North Island
At our last stop before flying home, we stayed at Waldorf Stadium Apartment Hotel – part of The Waldorf Apartment Group, an accommodations chain with serviced apartments and apartment hotels in Australia and New Zealand. The only five in New Zealand are in Auckland and the one we stayed in is, as its name suggests, an apartment hotel. No different from Peppers Bluewater Resort and The Moorings on Marlborough Apartments, it comes with a balcony, fully-equipped kitchen, living and dining area. Instead of being spread over two floors, this just spans one and its lobby had a few comfortable seats to lounge in. According to the website, it also has a mini gym onsite. Before we knew it, our trip had come to an end and we bade farewell to our rental car that clocked almost 1,200km after we picked it up at Wellington five days ago.
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