• Entrance fees and excursion costs other than those listed as included.
• Lunches and evening meals except where specifically included in itineraries.
• Breakfast supplies -  for when it is not provided.
• Light meals supplies -  for when the only restaurant for miles is unaccountably closed.
• Alcoholic beverages (except where wine tastings are specified in itineraries.)
• Personal insurance and medical fees.
• See Money Matters for more info on prices

There have been several famous movies filmed in New Zealand, many of them you may not be    aware of. Here are just a few of the more famous movies - their filming locations can easily be incorporated into your tailor-made itinerary :-

David Hemmings’ Race for the Yankee Zepher  around Queenstown and Fiordland

Jane Campion’s The Piano Kare Kare Beach, Auckland

  Niki Caro’s Whale Rider  north of Gisborne                                                       

Tom Cruise produced and starred in The Last Samurai  in Taranaki.

Peter Jackson’s King Kong was filmed on a purpose built set in Wellington.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, of course.

Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures on the Port Hills, featured Kate Winslet and Melanie      Lynsky in their screen debuts.

He also made The Frighteners with Michael J. Fox in Lyttleton near Christchurch.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe on private land near  Flock  Hill, Christchurch. Also at Muriwai near Auckland. Behind The Magic Of Narnia:

Samantha Morton and Kiefer Sutherland starred in River Queen - filmed on Whanganui River.

Perfect Strangers starred Sam Neill and Rachael Blake, filmed on the West Coast.

Mt Cook was portrayed as Himalayan in The Vertical Limit, starring Chris O’Donnell.

The hilarious Oregon whitewater adventure-thriller Without a Paddle with Burt Reynolds was filmed on rivers north of Wellington and the central North Island.

The World's Fastest Indian was of course Anthony Hopkins as the New Zealand motorcycle enthusiast Burt Munro from Invercargill. The beach scenes were filmed along Muriwai Beach.

Plate shots resembling Northern Turkey were made near Selwyn for Lawrence of Arabia, as were the giant sand dunes near Hokianga.

Scenes for Matrix and Mission Impossible 2 were shot here. I don't have enough space to name    the hundreds of "Bollywood" movies filmed throughout New Zealand. Others worth mentioning are Xena, Walking with Dinosaurs, Once were Warriors, Babe, Pig in the City etc.

Although most of New Zealand’s population is confined to the two main islands, it is a land made up of almost 800 islands including volcanoes, gannet rock colonies, lighthouse stations and uninhabited wild life sanctuaries. Because of our isolation, the country is free of poisonous snakes and spiders and has enjoyed a distinct lack of large predators - hence our lazy native birds that have lost the ability to fly. There are 4,000,000+ residents, of which approximately 15% are indigenous Maori.

The country is approximately 1600kms in length, with a total land area of 270,000 sq kms. The magnificent coastline has a length of 15,134kms, so you can always find a secluded beach for yourself. The country is relatively mountainous, with the Southern Alps forming the backbone of the South Island, between the two islands you have the 20km wide Cook Strait. The ferry between the islands can be described as a scenic cruise through the Marlborough Sounds.

One third of our country is protected in National Parks, reserves and conservation areas offering us free use to ski, mountaineer, tramp, walk, fish, kayak and swim to our hearts content. Click for more on our "Great Walks".

New Zealand is the first country in the world to see each day's sunrise. During our summer we are 12 hours ahead of GMT, during our winter we are just 10 hours ahead. Click  for more on seasons

New Zealanders are addicted to their coffee, which is why I’ll often suggest coffee stops en route.  They have perfected the art of making the perfect brew, in any way you can imagine – cappuccino, latte, mocha, espresso, long black, mocha-chino, in a bowl or in a glass – you name it, they can make it ... and with style.

Don’t forget sun-block for skin and lips, sunhat, beach towel, swim suit, rain coats, light long pants and socks for sitting outside evenings – you may need all these items in one day! 

Sandflies can bite you mornings, non-disease carrying mosquitoes can bite you evenings – so don’t forget to liberally apply insect repellent around those hours. 

Public toilets are available practically everywhere and are generally clean and supplied with toilet paper - usually. Every now and then you may find that they are not flush toilets, but what we call ‘long drops’ – you’ll know what I mean when you see one.

From time to time there are reports of burglaries from parked vehicles at scenic tourist spots, particularly in Northland. Although it occurs only intermittently, precautions should be taken.  Travellers are recommended to ensure that their vehicle is locked at all times and not to leave valuables in view - preferably taking them with you.

Kiwis are what we call ourselves, but they are also the national bird - a cute fluffy brown flightless bird about the size of a chicken, with a very long beak for sniffing underground for bugs and worms. They are nocturnal, so chances of seeing one in the wild are less than remote. However the larger tokoekas kiwi is diurnal, so the fortunate may see one along tracks and beaches on Stewart Island, Fiordland and Haast.

For more useful info visit An Essential Guide to New Zealand For Anyone Travelling Down Under