Oceania Books

This travel guide to New Zealand wins five stars for two reasons.

First, this book explodes with dozens and dozens of color photographs and color maps. You cannot help but be "wowed" with the beauty of the nation of New Zealand, as well as the beauty of this book.

Second, this travel guide points out--using a star system--(1.) how naturally beautiful; (2.) how kid-friendly; (3.) how historically intersting; (4.) how walkable, and (5.) how photo-friendly a whole list of cities and regions are. This information is precious because it helps you plan out your trip accordingly. (By the way, I took this book with me to New Zealand, and I found their rankings accurate and very helpful.)

But this guide alone won't be sufficient for travel in New Zealand. You'll have to add another one or two guides that are far more chock-full of details and practical information than "Fodor's See It New Zealand" is. My suggestion is "The Rough Guide to New Zealand," which served as my go-to lifesaver when I was over their on my honeymoon.

What an excellent find. I highly recommend it, both for Australia and Western Australia. It's new, different and has information that other guide books just don't have.

After utilising the Lonely Planet books through various countries, I became increasingly frustrated with the format, inaccuracies and out of date information. Above all, I was sick of being one of the crowd, following other LP readers from place to place, having the same conversations.

A few years ago in South America, and using the LP SA, I had the lucky nature to photocopy a few pages from the Footprint SA handbook. Wow. Bible thin paper and stacked full of quality information. Yes it took a small while to get used to the format, but from then on there was no turning back. So when I [ad]ventured to Australia, and discovered that a brand new [i.e. not a 'revision'] Footprint Australia Handbook had been released, I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed.

In Western Australia, for example, I'm fairly sure the tips are not in any other guide book, and on visiting some of the guesthouses and recommendations one sometimes gets the feeling that these places are rarely visited. And some of the locations give you the distinct impression of what it was like for the first [white] explorers.

I enjoyed the refreshing editorial style, layout, enthusiasm, funny comments, quality and quantity of information.

I suppose one would never know, but if I had stumped for the LP, I would not have known what I would have missed, but now that I do know, I really should keep it a secret, but that wouldn't be fair would it?

The only real downside is having to choose what to complete in the time available, oh well, another holiday then! Thankyou Andrew, Katrina and Darroch.

I was not familiar with this British travelguide series until I used this edition for my recent trip to New Zealand. The book is very easy to use, with pleasing layouts, and up-to-date and reliable restaurant recommendations of sites to see, hotels, restaurants, etc. The writer really showed his familiarity with NZ, and the writing was crisp and energetic. I had researched several guides to NZ (Fodors, Frommers, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide) before I left and found this one to be the best. I also looked into the Footprints guide to Australia and found it to be equally first-rate. I will definitely consider a Footprints guide again the next time I travel.

This incredibl, informative and delightful ride on horseback through the country of New Zealand (a far away place many of us will never be able to visit in person) is one of my favorite books. Imagine leisurely exploring an entire country on horseback!

There are several pictures in brilliant color depicting the diverse people, the spectacular scenery including magnificent snow capped mountains and swift large rivers, and many black and white pictures as well, enabling us to join in the ride.

Robin and Louella Hanbury-Tenison explored this magical country on horseback together and vividly describe their adventures, sharing them with readers who love true and exciting accounts. Proceeds from their expedition raised money for charity entitled Riding for the Disabled. They are an English couple with environmental concerns as well. This journey is one of many as they explored other parts of the world in other books.

This book also provides insights into the economic and environmental problems in New Zealand. You will learn a great deal of the country's history.

Imagine riding horses up high mountain peaks covered with snow and then descending to the hot dry valley floors, seeing native animals up close, talking with shepherds and owners of the huge sheep farms, sleeping in various kinds of weather both outside and sometimes inside primitive huts, grazing horses, basking in lush natural surroundings in what they call "the most beautiful country in the world"! As you read this highly descriptive book, you can almost smell that sharp fresh air after a rain and see the colorful rainbows, all the while riding in a comfortable saddle on eager healthy horses. The entire country is well described in every way possible.

Want to take a journey to a special land on horseback? For a true adventure story you will not forget, read this book and others written by Robin Hanbury-Tenison, an explorer extraordinare!

This is a collection put together of letters from refugees in Australian detention centres. For those of you that don't know this - Australia has a policy of taking in only 12,000 refugees a year - this is nothing compared to many other countries. If they arrive here without a visa they are immediately put into a detention centre, in the most harsh, remote places in Australia and kept there until their applications are 'processed' - the process drags on and on and the Australian government is particularly cruel to refugees and has had the UNHCR criticised the processes and procedures used.
This book provides an amazing insight into their world and what it is like for them to be locked up in a detention centre with their rights void.
This is what one refugee has to say:
'This place is not for human being. This is refugee zoo. The government keep me in zoo without crime. Here in the centre not good things to do. Just thinking and thinking. I came here for safe life. But the government put me in prison. They do not want to here my problem. They just want to pass the time. This is no justice. They want to make me crazy. Now I'm crazy. Dead is much better than this zoo.'
The proceeds for this book go towards helping the refugees - for this reason alone I urge people to get this book and see into their world.

Frommer's has lots of great information, from where to stay, where to eat, best sites to see and very interesting tips and tricks. It's unfortunate that there isn't a later edition--the Frommer's for $50 a day or less has some more recent information that I found very useful as well.

When I shop for a travel guide I look for something objective-- it must give general interpretations before the author's opinion! frommer's australia 2000 is the perfect combination of the two. it starts off with a "best of" section which details both the major highlights of the continent as well as off the beaten track suggestions for the anti-tourism tourist. it also gives suggested itineraries in case you have a limited time in a particular spot. it also has the best hotel descriptions I've ever read in a travel guide, for all price ranges! I've traveled with many guides, and frommer's has been the most accurate. This is the best out there.

This well-organized book breaks down places to see in Australia by thier states. The sixteen Best of Australia lists; descriptive reviews of hotels and suggested itineraries; and 'Fun Facts' such as where to cuddle a koala are interesting to note. I am already planning to go back for a second visit because I cannot see it all in two weeks.

Very informative. Great practical info. They tell you straight up the good and the bad. There are lots of little tips as well. I really got a lot out of the book.

Out of the 5 or 6 books I've reviewed on NZ travel, this is the one that will be actually carried and used on my month-long trip. The information is never vague; for example excursion trips are described, the top providers are listed with all necessary details. Maps are extensive and frequent. I particularly liked the fact that while there are many ideas for budget travel, also included are the special hotels or restaurants or offroad trips that can cost more but are considered worth it. This guide is for everyone, versus Lonely Planet, (the backpacking crowd) or Fodors ( high end spenders) or Inside Guides (good pictures and background, no practical information).