I'll be needing a guidebook of some sort when travelling around here
in New Zealand, but which one?

Everybody else has Lonely planet, and in Australia I bought "Let's go
Australia" to have something different.

Which one is best?

I plan to travel around in the less touristy way if it doesn't prove
to be too hard. I'm not really a person who joins organized tours and
the like, and would need a book that gives more "local" information if
possible (i.e. local buses as opposed to guided tourist buses to get
to places).


Hallvard

in article b0119aeb.0403011723.7b3915c3@posting.google.com, Hallvard
Tangeraas at hallvard@despammed.com wrote on 3/1/04 9:23 PM:

> I'll be needing a guidebook of some sort when travelling around here
> in New Zealand, but which one?
>
> Everybody else has Lonely planet, and in Australia I bought "Let's go
> Australia" to have something different.
>
> Which one is best?
>
> I plan to travel around in the less touristy way if it doesn't prove
> to be too hard. I'm not really a person who joins organized tours and
> the like, and would need a book that gives more "local" information if
> possible (i.e. local buses as opposed to guided tourist buses to get
> to places).
>
>
> Hallvard

Both are good.

The problem with both is they have limited space in which to highlight
particular areas, sights, amenities, accommodation, etc. That makes "off
the beaten track" the beaten track in and of itself.

My $0.02? Use both as guidelines, to get your feet wet, and to find your
waypoints....as time goes by you will discover your own tracks, and places,
and to-dos.

On my first trip to Australia, LP was my Bible, from maps to mattresses. On
the second, it was a guideline. On the third, a fallback if I couldn't find
any other information. It didn't even get packed for trips 4 and 5. That's
no reflection on LP, that is just a comment on getting attenuated to any
place.

Personally I prefer Lonely Planet. Sure everyone has one - but it caters to
a wide range of interests; well researched and revised regularly . It is
usually very accurate as to 'how to' and 'when to', tho' prices can be out
of date!

You can buy a Vodafone NZ sim for $25; with $15 credit as I remember (fill
in a questionaire - post it in get $10 extra credit - total $25 credit).


"Hallvard Tangeraas" <hallvard@despammed.com> wrote in message
news:b0119aeb.0403011723.7b3915c3@posting.google.c om...
> I'll be needing a guidebook of some sort when travelling around here
> in New Zealand, but which one?
>
> Everybody else has Lonely planet, and in Australia I bought "Let's go
> Australia" to have something different.
>
> Which one is best?
>
> I plan to travel around in the less touristy way if it doesn't prove
> to be too hard. I'm not really a person who joins organized tours and
> the like, and would need a book that gives more "local" information if
> possible (i.e. local buses as opposed to guided tourist buses to get
> to places).
>
>
> Hallvard

in article 4043e8df$0$15134$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au, A Mate at
someone@somewhere.com wrote on 3/1/04 9:52 PM:

> Personally I prefer Lonely Planet. Sure everyone has one - but it caters to
> a wide range of interests; well researched and revised regularly . It is
> usually very accurate as to 'how to' and 'when to', tho' prices can be out
> of date!
>

This is true of Australia and NZ (LP is based in Melbourne); less so for
other regions (much of Africa is notoriously out of date). Let's Go has
some more upscale options than LP - more breadth, less depth than LP.

"> This is true of Australia and NZ (LP is based in Melbourne); less so for
> other regions (much of Africa is notoriously out of date). Let's Go has
> some more upscale options than LP - more breadth, less depth than LP.
>
Hi, I found the Rough Guides overall the best. LP is often very outdated (we
were in India in November and the infos in the LP were just transferred from
year to year, some 'attractions' didn't exist anymore, one museum in Mumbai
had been closed about 1/2 year before the edition came out, prices were also
incorrect) and as I heard the NZ LP has also not been 'overhauled' in many
parts.
I actually find the best information available is on location in the various
information offices. The AA guidebooks (free) for bigger regions are
particularly good (i got mine at the airport), but as you probably want to
plan ahead, perhaps you could buy a used copy of either of the major guide
books, to save yourself from annoyance of having paid too much for possible
outdated information.
Kind regards
Stefanie

"S&A Freeston" <anfre@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message news:<9OZ0c.30005$ws.3317876@news02.tsnz.net>...
> "> This is true of Australia and NZ (LP is based in Melbourne); less so for
> > other regions (much of Africa is notoriously out of date). Let's Go has
> > some more upscale options than LP - more breadth, less depth than LP.
> >
> Hi, I found the Rough Guides overall the best. LP is often very outdated (we
> were in India in November and the infos in the LP were just transferred from
> year to year, some 'attractions' didn't exist anymore, one museum in Mumbai
> had been closed about 1/2 year before the edition came out, prices were also
> incorrect) and as I heard the NZ LP has also not been 'overhauled' in many
> parts.
> I actually find the best information available is on location in the various
> information offices. The AA guidebooks (free) for bigger regions are
> particularly good (i got mine at the airport), but as you probably want to
> plan ahead, perhaps you could buy a used copy of either of the major guide
> books, to save yourself from annoyance of having paid too much for possible
> outdated information.
> Kind regards
> Stefanie


I like LP