Volume 20, No. 1
February, 2013
Auckland and surrounds – don’t miss the opportunity to take a
holiday while away
Zlatibor Velickovic, PhD, Quality Officer and Janet Macpherson PhD, Development
Manager,
Cell & Molecular Therapies
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia
ISCT is offering you all the opportunity to travel down under to the land of the long white cloud.
I’ll be hoping over the ditch for the very first time (shame on me). For once, I’ll be at my favourite
meeting and I should not have jet lag. I have a full free day ahead of the meeting to catch up
with friends in Auckland, so I asked my colleague who spent several years in New Zealand
before moving to Australia for some tour ideas. There is so much to see in this amazing little
country. Some of these suggestions look so good that I intend to plan a family holiday, and will
add on more remote parts of this small island country. To me it’s a holiday, a time away from
work; some of you call this a vacation. Happy holidays!
A savvy traveller will keep an eye on government issued alerts like those aimed at Australians
found at http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/New_Zealand so that you know the
latest about any tsunami or earthquake alerts. Don’t forget to visit Auckland Tourism, Events
and Economic Development Ltd for up to date information. www.aucklandnz.com.
Savvy 1 day tours
Bay of Islands cruise.
Take a boat trip to Cape Brett lighthouse, pass through the “hole in the rock” and see the
cathedral cave. Cruise the islands with spectacular sandy beaches and watch the dolphins play
around your boat.
Waitakere Ranges National Park.
Put your walking shoes on and explore many beautiful trails throughout the national park. The
walks take you through the rainforest with tall Kauri trees and low lying ferns with abundant bird
life. Enjoy many lookouts with spectacular ocean views and experience beaches with volcanic
black sand.
Cape Reinga.
Head up north to Cape Reinga, the northern most tip of New Zealand, where you see the Pacific
Ocean and Tasman Sea meet. Visit the Waitangi treaty grounds and learn about the historic
treaty between the Maori and settlers. Visit Puketi Kauri Forest and see 1000 year old Kauri
trees. Witness the vast 90 mile beach and massive sand dunes, sand surfing is available for the
brave.
1|Page
Volume 20, No. 1
February, 2013
Rotorua and Waitomo caves.
Travel south of Auckland and explore Waitomo caves and see the brilliant display of glow
worms in the dark. Travel further down to Rotorua and experience the geothermal valley with
over 500 thermal and mud pools and 65 geyser vents. Witness the eruption of the biggest
geyser in the southern hemisphere, the Pohutu geyser. On your way back to Auckland stop and
admire the many different shades of green and blue of Rotokakahi and Tikitapu lakes.
2-3 day tour
If you have more time continue your voyage from Rotorua to Lake Taupo where you can enjoy
water sport activities, trout fishing or leisure walks around the lake. See the spectacular Huka
falls where Waikato rivers narrows to only a few meters reaching speeds of more than 200,000
litres per second. Continue further south to Tongariro National Park where you can spend a day
walking the renowned Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This walk is hard (~20km in length) but the
scenery is fantastic. There are many other, less demanding, walks in the park to enjoy. At the
south of the national park you will find the live volcanic crater of Mt Ruapehu. You can take a
chairlift ride over the volcanic grounds to the top which is 2000 meters above sea or take a
crater lake walk. You can finish your tour driving back to Auckland via Bay of Plenty where you
can surf the beaches around Mount Maunganui and experience more stunning beaches and
bush walks in the Coromandel.
5-7 days
From Mt Ruapehu you can continue the journey down south to Wellington, the capital of New
Zealand. Jump on the cable car in Lambton Quay and take a walk through the botanic garden,
visit the “beehive”, uniquely shaped New Zealand parliament building. Enjoy magnificent views
of the harbour from the top of mount Victoria. Take a stroll down Cuba Mall and mix with the
locals, checkout cafes midnight espresso or Fidel’s, this is where good coffee is brewed and the
vibe is cool. Stop at Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum and learn some fascinating facts
about the country and its people. Take a day trip (80km) to Wairarapa wine region east of
Wellington and enjoy some of New Zealand best wines in Masterton and Martinborough.
Luxury 7-14 days
If you’re travelling with a hire car, leave it in Wellington and take the ferry across the Cook
straight to Picton in the South Island. You can hire a car in picton and drive south along the east
coast to Christchurch. Alternatively you can take the scenic Tranz Coastal Pacific train. On the
way stop at Kaikoura for some delicious crayfish and perhaps take whale/dolphin watching
cruise. Christchurch has been hit by a devastating earthquake in 2011 and some areas are still
not open but a visit to some of the most spectacular gardens in the world is a must. Enjoy the
~70km scenic route to Akaroa and explore the colonial architecture, galleries, craft stores, and
2|Page
Volume 20, No. 1
February, 2013
cafés of this only French settlement in New Zealand. Hit the road from Christchurch towards
the west to the South Island’s West Coast and admire the beautiful scenery including beech
forests, wide riverbeds, rainforests, gorges and waterfalls. Witness some extraordinary
engineering such as tall viaducts, bridges, rock shelters and waterfalls redirected into chutes.
Alternatively take in the scenic views on the Tranz Alpine train. Once on the west Coast, travel
north through Greymouth and Westport towards Nelson. Explore the magnificent Marlborough
sounds and visit Nelson to enjoy some good food and wines the region has to offer. Take the
ferry back to Wellington and fly back to Auckland.
Example submitted itinerary (names deleted to protect the extremely well organised)
We will be hitting the wineries on Waiheke Island and taking a day trip to the Waitakere Ranges
and Piha Beach, all before the ISCT meeting. After the meeting, we will get in the wrong side of
a car and drive on the wrong side of the road (watch out!) for a 3-4 day road trip. We will see the
caves of Waitomo (along with glow worms, repelling and black water rafting), Lake Taupo and
Huka Falls, Tongariro National Park (home of Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings), Napier and
Hawke Bay, and lastly the geysers, hot springs and spas of Rotorua.
Last recommendation
Visit Hobbiton http://www.hobbitontours.com/ to see the recreated movie set and spectacular
rolling scenery in the wild.
Image courtesy of www.zoomin.co.nz – also great for driving maps
3|Page
Volume 20, No. 1
February, 2013
Sydney stopover
If you are finding travel costs higher than you expected, don’t overlook a return ticket to Sydney
or another Australian city. You might find that you can then book the Sydney-Auckland leg very
cheaply and you will have the opportunity to play tourist in Sydney and/or visit one of our many
fine cell therapy labs!
Now back to work delivering cell therapy options for our patients.
4|Page