Lonely Planet Best Road Trips New Zealand: Detailed Itineraries | Travel Like a Local | Insider Tips | Covers Marlborough, Bay of Islands, Milford Sound, Waiheke Island and more (Road Trips Guide)

I bought this book as a adjunct to a standard travel guide as we would be doing a lot of driving in NZ. It was very helpful in planning our roadtrips and had a number of sights listed that I didn't find anywhere else: Dark Sky experience in Lake Tekapo, Ompara basin on the South Island, Old Coach Road bicycle trip in Ohakune. These were some of our experiences on the trip. The authors don't seem to have missed much: even some long sections of driving in which there wasn't much but scenery and they didn't list much, well, there really wasn't much to see

This is a great planning book when deciding where to go, see and stay on the South Island.

Mostly up-to-date and accurate info about the south island of New Zealand. It's a definite must read before undertaking a trip, one will want to extend one's trip by at least a week to take in some of the fun activities (stargazing at the southern sky anyone?) suggested in this publication.

I had high hopes for this book but it was very disappointing. With views and landscapes being top focus for most people who are visiting NZ, this book does not deliver in terms of needs. There are too few photos in relation to the number of cities named in each road trip. That means you don't know what the scenery looks like across those 10 cities, except approximately 3 photos. So, if you're getting this book to decide where to go on your trip, it won't work. If you know where you want to go, it may be helpful to plot out a route but you can do that on Google Maps for free. Additionally, each road trip lists duration and distance but there's no indication anywhere in the book about what sort of pacing the duration is based on and the distance between each stop. There is also no mention of where you should plan to stop for the night leaving you to do your own research. If you feel you must get this book, it would only work as a companion to a traditional guidebook so you can look more closely at things to do and get in idea of where to stay. I honestly just recommended saving your money and plotting out your trip via Google Maps for a better experience. I rarely write reviews but this was so bad that I wanted to try to save people from wasting their hard earned money. I've never returned a book in my life but this one is definitely getting returned since it failed to deliver.

Not helpful for first time traveler to NZ like me.

Did not find it to be user friendly.

My only suggestion would be to add some recommended towns to stay at. ie: best towns to stop for the night in relation to a trip. I realise there are lots of variations as to how people would use the maps and what they would do in a day, and how long they would stay in a place, but still as a guide, it would be super helpful. Otherwise, an excellent book, well layout out with enough info to make plans without being overburdened with information.

Not a complete guide, but a ROAD TRIP guide, which is exactly what we wanted.

Has been a wonderful aid in planning our road trip to New Zealand, soon to be put to the test!

Easy to follow and read. Updated info!

Bon livre