[ncalfamilyguy]

My family and I are planning our recc. trip. We are leaning towards the Wellington area, and would appreciate any and all advice or past experiences...

Time of year? (planning Jan 09)
Fly from Auckland or drive?
If driving from Auck travel time to account for?
Amount of time to spend? (planning just under 2 weeks)
Lodging reccomendations?
Must see and experience?
Anything else?:nice1

[colandros]

my wife did a three week trip last year, going off her experiances i would say fly from auckland to wellington and hire a car when you get there.
book a hotel for about 3 or 4 days in welli then use the rest of the time to visit other places you think you might like.
if you've only got two weeks dont waste 2 days driving from auck to welli and remember you will be jet lagged so driving might not be the best idea any way.
Dont try to see to many places, do your research at home before you go and narrow your search before you set off. if you try to do it all you will end up not enjoying it due to fatigue.
ask on the other forum sections for peoples views on different towns and city's they have visited, are there enough employment opportunities in your line of work in wellington?
I cant say as i've never been but i have read that welli is a pretty windy city, (just something to consider) but it does look very nice.

[StevieD]

pretty much covers it, however, unless you have a job to go to, you may find that Welly isn't all you expect. There are a lot of other places in NZ, and, depending on your work, iit may be worth you widening your search.
Unfortunately, Auck/Welly/ChCh are the main areas for work but Hamilton is creeping up the list too - and it isn't bad round this neck of the wood by any means.

Jan is a good time to come here because the weather should be good. The summer has been fantastic here this year.

Good luck

Steve

[JandM]

My son always says how the beginning of January, being part of the NZ summer holiday, is a dead time for business - you can't find half the people you need to give you decisions on anything as they're away. So if you're hoping to sound out people for work, you might do well to arrive after the school terms will have started and everyone is back in harness. (It might be better for prices on accommodation and car hire, too.)

[Wonderbob]

My family and I are planning our recc. trip. We are leaning towards the Wellington area, and would appreciate any and all advice or past experiences...

Time of year? (planning Jan 09)
Fly from Auckland or drive?
If driving from Auck travel time to account for?
Amount of time to spend? (planning just under 2 weeks)
Lodging reccomendations?
Must see and experience?
Anything else?:nice1

Welly is a fabuluous cosmopolitan, compact city with an active cultural/arts scene, it's a very easy place to live. Like the others have said I wouldn't drive from Akld, it just takes up too much time if you have just a couple of weeks. I'd choose the Feb/March timeframe, everyone's back at work, kids back at school, weather the most settled. You can then take a ferrt across to the South Island as foot passengers, hire a car in Picton and drive toi ChCh. The scenery in the South Isalnd is breathtaking, and hardly anyone seems to live down there, so it makes driving a great experience. Alternatively you could fly to ChCh if time is really short. Pay rates in smaller provincial areas are not as good as the three main cites (Akld/Wgtn/ChCh), which is one of the reasons people gravitate to these centres. Try this link, there are lots of things to experience in Welly: http://www.wellingtonnz.com/
Cheers! Bob

[ncalfamilyguy]

Thanks, for the responses... I must admit i do love this forum! Thanks to all who add and respond. I welcome the opportunity to repay the many favors.