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Travel to NZ - Some Ideas

This post is about some ideas that may possibly be useful when someone is traveling to Queenstown and plan to do snowboarding or skiing.

1. Flights

We used Air New Zealand and it's a really good service. At the time I searched for direct flights from Sydney to Queenstown they were the only company that has got direct flights. All others were via Christchurch which wasn't an option for us.
Their Web site is easy to use and I like the design of the flight selection and the calculations and the process of buying tickets is pretty straightforward.

I traveled with Air New Zealand in 2008 also. Will use them next time I go to NZ for sure.

 2. Car Hire

I have reviewed the following companies:
2.1. Hertz
2.2. Budget
2.3. Avis
2.4. Thrifty

Budget seemed to have a better price deals at that time.

I think car rental is a good option, but you can easily travel in New Zealand without a car. Depending on your travel plans of course and what places you would like to visit.

3. Transport

Great options to travel between Queenstown and airport/hotels are:
3.1. Connectabus
3.2. Green Cabs

For mountains there is:
3.3. NZSki Snowline
The only inconvenience with Snowline is that you have to buy tickets only from the Queenstown Snow Centre or from some hotels. We purchased tickets at Shotover Lodge and Coronet Peak Hotel for Coronet Peak direction, because there were no tickets at the place where we stayed.
You also need to call them prior to departure and confirm they have got enough seats for your group or just yourself.

4. Accomodation

We stayed at the Shotover Top 10 Holiday Park in a self-contained unit. It's very convenient and we really enjoyed the service. It is not far from Coronet Peak and from the wonderful natural sights.
Even some walk around the area is a great adventure.

NZSki Snowline bus stops near the park, but you would need to buy the tickets prior and confirm the seats available by phone.
Connectabus travels regularly to/from the park. There is a bus stop.

5. Snowboarding/skiing

We were only at the Coronet Peak this time, because it was my first ever snowboarding experience and it was a lot of space to practice.

I bought a group lesson on the first day which was 2 hours and then spent the entire next day on my own practicing and improving what I have learn't.

From the gear I have got only clothes. Rented the snowboard and boots from the base.
It's very convenient and we didn't need to carry all the stuff with us.
But if you do have your own boards, boots etc. then the buses are still good way to get to the mountain.
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