Queenstown, New Zealand

When we were closing in on Queenstown, we decided to go straight into town for dinner and drinks before heading to our apartment in Arrowtown. We drove around and finally found a parking spot up the hill about a 10 minute walk. Street parking was free, so there were no complaints.

We went to Fergburger that night because we had been told of their delicious burgers. We waited in a long line which actually moved rather quickly. There is limited seating in the restaurant, but we were lucky and snagged a table. Once the burgers arrived (two regular Fergburgers, two with cheese), we ate up quickly. Overall, my assessment is that for the money, it's a good deal. It's hard to find any meal under $20 NZD, let alone one that is filling. Was it a great burger matching the fame it has? Not for me it wasn't. For Americans, I would compare it to In 'N Out Burger or Five Guys. The results don't match the hype but it's tasty nonetheless. The place only seats about 40 people so if you don't get a seat, you'll have to take your meal to go.

We also grabbed drinks at Pub on Wharf and stayed to listen to the band playing that night. Drinks were more affordable than I expected, but still not cheap. A large, local beer cost $10 NZD; a mixed drink (with well or rail spirits) was $8.50 NZD. After enjoying some drinks and some live music, we headed to the grocery store for supplies and then it was off to our apartment.

The next day we returned to Queenstown and wandered the town and along the lake. The lake is exceptionally scenic and the pathway around it really gives you a chance to take in its beauty and enjoy nature without putting in a lot of effort.

Lake Wakatipu

Later that day, we grabbed drinks and snacks at 1876 Bar & Restaurant. During happy hours, they offer $5 NZD beers and $4 NZD glasses of wine. For dinner, we headed to The Cow. It's a dark, cozy restaurants that smells of garlic and happiness. It was a perfect choice for us on a day that was turning rainy and cold. We shared garlic bread (which totally lived up to its hype), a small salad, one pasta, and one pizza. This easily fed four people and without drinks, our bill came to around $70 NZD.

We also visited a handful of the wineries in the area. If you have a car, there are a few along Route 6A between Queenstown and Arrowtown that are worth a visit. If not, there are a few tasting rooms in Queenstown and Arrowtown.

Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, New Zealand

After Rotorua, we drove down to the Waitomo district to take a tour of the glow worm caves with Spellbound Tours. It was a great half day tour with a total of only 12 people which gave us more intimate access to the caves than the larger tour companies. At $75 NZD a person, the tour was on the expensive side but the experience was worth it. The small group ensured more interaction with our tour guide, Norm, who is from the area and built the walkways through the caves. The drive from “town” (town consists of: a cafe, a general store, and a hotel) out to the caves alone was worth the time, effort, and money to be there. If you are able, I highly recommend staying in the area at least day or two if not longer. There are hiking trails, caves to explore, and beautiful terrain to marvel at.

Posing for the camera on the short walk to the caves

After we left the Waitomo district, we headed to Auckland to fly out early the next morning. We stayed in a Holiday Inn on rewards points in downtown Auckland. We were only there for a night so I don't think I got a good enough impression to give advice on the city.

Rotorua, New Zealand

In November 2014, I traveled around New Zealand and Australia with my husband and two terrific friends. We started our journey by flying into Auckland and making a beeline for Rotorua. This area has some amazing geothermal sites to visit. We visited both WaimanguVolcanic Valley and Wai-O-Tapu. For the money, I really enjoyed the latter more because visitors have closer access to the geothermal activity in Wai-O-Tapu. The admission costs $36 NZD and $32.50 NZD, respectively. Both sites can be accessed by car or by day tour. We had a limited amount of time for this trip, so I cannot comment on public transportation options. If you are in the area but do not want to spend the money to enter these sites, visit the mud pits that are just outside of the gates of Wai-O-Tapu.

There aren't a lot of restaurant options in the area of Wai-O-Tapu but we popped into the Wai-O-Tapu Tavern. It's just a little snack shop with a pool table but it was good, basic food (sandwiches, burgers, and the best wedges we had on the trip) at around $13 NDZ per meal.

The town of Rotorua itself was lacking in character and people when we were there. I would guess this is because Rotorua is more of a day trip by tour bus than a town to spend time in. This might also be the case because the sulfurous odor from the geothermal activity can be smelled everywhere.

Outside of town is a great thermal bath called WaikiteValley Thermal Pools. While this type of attraction is not usually a big draw for me, this location had seven pools heated to different temperatures which made the experience much more appealing. For an entrance fee of $15 NZD, I found it to be a good deal especially after walking around in the cold and rainy weather all day.

Wadi Rum National Park, Jordan

Wadi Rum is amazingly beautiful and definitely worth a visit. We researched a handful of tour operators and decided to go with ClassicWadi Rum Tours. They offer many tour options. We chose the four hour Jeep tour with an overnight stay in their tent camp. At JD45 a person, it was an awfully good deal. In addition to the guided tour, the price included a large boxed lunch, delicious hot dinner, breakfast, bottled water, and Bedouin tea. The park entrance fee of JD5 was not included.

The rock formations of Wadi Rum.

I was nervous that their “camp” would be the dumping ground for all of the tourists in Wadi Rum that day (think hundreds of tourists milling around in one place). Fortunately, this was not the case. It seemed as though each tour company had their own secluded, small camp set up in different areas around the desert that is Wadi Rum. The camp we stayed in has about 20 tents with 2-4 beds in each. There is also a tent for congregating/eating and the camp has running water, toilets, and showers. We felt lucky that when we were there in mid-March, there were only about 12 people staying in our camp. At capacity, there could be around 80 people in this specific camp.

We really enjoyed the day with our guide, Salman. He was very friendly and answered all of our random questions about Jordan, Wadi Rum, and, oddly enough, goats. 

Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico

We flew in and out of the Tuxtla airport for its cost and convenience to the other places we wanted to visit while in the area. In our research, my husband and I had read that Tuxtla was not a tourist-friendly town but we really enjoyed our time there.

Getting from the airport to town was more expensive than I would have liked but it made the most sense. Supposedly there is a way to take a colectivo from the airport into town but the airport is about 30 minutes away from the city center, and I'm glad we paid for the taxi instead of wasting time trying to figure out the other hypothetical option. It cost $280 MXN which when we visiting in February of 2014 the exchange rate was $13 MXN to $1 USD.

We spent a lot of time just walking around Tuxtla and eating food. No one seemed to be interested in us which was a nice change from the more tourist-heavy areas of Mexico and a great introduction to Chiapas.

Food was pretty cheap and there are taquerias everywhere. A plate of three tacos was about $35 MXN. The only issue I ran into was that most restaurants don't serve hard liquor (I am not a beer drinker) and even a few bars only served beer.

We also took the orange autobuses (which are different than the colectivos) up and down Calle Belisario for 6 MXN per ride. This took us to Parque Central which seems to host an array of events; music, market, etc. But we stayed further west on Calle Belisario near a university in a Holiday Inn. We used points for our stay so I can't comment on pricing for hotels in the area.

There is a nice athletic park at the intersection of Calle Belisario and Calle Libramiento Pontiente Norte which has a track around the outside and soccer fields and playgrounds on the inside. It's a great place to wander around, relax in the shade, or take in a game.