Frommer's New Zealand (Complete Guide) Paperback – Folded Map, September 19, 2023

This was great to check out the area and become familiar with New Zealand before we arrived. Very informative and great vacation ideas.

Just returned from an amazing vacation in New Zealand and this guide made all the difference. It’s much better than the other books on the market. In fact, I got Frommer's and two other guides, but found this one to be so much more up-to-date and detailed that I ditched the other two entirely.Really appreciated the smart advice on which of the geothermal sights to see in Rotorua, because you have so many to pick from, and this guide was straightforward about their pros and cons. Also: loved the kayaking tour of Milford Sound it recommended, and the spectacular, self-guided day hikes it led me to on the South Island. New Zealand has some of the best hiking on the planet—you see so many different landscapes over the course of a day!—and this guide is good at giving you the pros and cons of both the day hikes and the multi-day treks (unfortunately I didn’t have enough time to do those, but I was able to find several 2-hour hikes on both the North and the South Island, thanks to this book). I also must say I appreciated that the book wove in a lot of history from the Maori side of the story, so I was able to understand the significance of many of the sights I was seeing. And I LOVED the restaurants I found through this book (I found the food in NZ to either be really fresh and good, or disappointingly processed—but the bad meals I had were when I just grabbed something rather than following the guidebook). I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to do nearly as much as I did if I hadn’t had this guide with me.

So glad I got this book!I bought this guide as a back-up to web research about 2 months before we left for New Zealand. Turns out, online research was confusing, clunky and (often) actually just disguised marketing. I hate feeling sold to when I really just need insight. This guide was easy to follow, well-researched, and clearly written by a local expert, one who has great insight into the New Zealand of today, and its history. What I learned in the book really enhanced what I experienced on the ground. Because the advice was no BS, it told me which museums, nature trails, wineries, and boat rides would be most worth my time, and which could be skipped. I really appreciated that. The maps were helpful, but I especially appreciated the restaurants and pubs recommended and picked out by the author—she didn’t steer me wrong once! A must have book if you’re heading Down Under.

The information in the book can be gleaned from the internet but the map is very helpful The book just didn’t contain info I hadn’t already read from websites I guess this the future

Very useful with area by area descriptions . Restaurants and hotels along with tours in the area.

Used this book for planning excursions and love the maps for getting around Auckland.

Exhaustive presentation of everything you should visit in New Zealand from the cities to the mountain peaks in the southern Alps and the breathtaking scenery in Fiordland. High quality gloss photos and illustrations, easy to read format that makes it easy for anyone to select the items to see that reflect their own visit preferences. You can't beat Frommer's guides!

This is missing too may essential things. Details about transportation are slim. A guide for Australia was excellent, but this for New Zealand is not worth the cost.