New Zealand Books - Page 2

New Zealand - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette

Sue Butler

Amazon Price: $9.95 List Price: $9.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kuperard Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $5.51

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Reference -> Etiquette -> General
Subjects -> Reference -> Etiquette -> General AAS
Subjects -> Reference -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships.

Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include


* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* do's, don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken


"Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel

"... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel

"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer

"...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine

"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times

New Zealand (Country Guide)

Carolyn Bain

List Price: $25.99 By: Lonely Planet Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $9.44

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> New Zealand
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Disappointed with this guidebook 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

For years I have relied on Lonely Planet guidebooks as one of my primary travel sources for information. After returning from a self-guided 2 week car trip through New Zealand's north and south islands, my wife and I were both in agreement that this guide was not up to par and disappointing compared to other LP guidebooks. Restaurant information in Christchurch and other towns was already outdated. Hotel information was not comprehensive and I found better information for planning our lodging on the internet before we left home. Things to see and do in towns besides nightlife and museums was sparse, and excursions to interesting places off highways was sketchy. We finally put the book away and stopped referring to it since we were better able to explore on our own. New Zealand has one of the world's best tourist information systems throughout the country which helps travelers find or plan lodging, activities, transportation, virtually anything that would be helpful to the tourist. Offices are located throughout the country under the "i" signs for information, even in the smallest towns. Maps are freely available everywhere, as are also helpful free booklets and brochures for each region you may visit. For general information, this guidebook will answer many of your basic questions, but I would suggest looking at several other books for planning your journey and guiding you along your way in New Zealand.

Editorial Review:

The sun shows up here first for a reason. Come for bracing light or caverns underground, glacial valleys or black volcanic sand. Tour every landscape on earth, all rolled into one country. Dig for pipis on the beach, or sample oysters on a platter. Savour solitude with a view, or city culture. Things are never just black and white in New Zealand. STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE - taste the freshest seafood, world-class wines, or the best lamb roast there is ROLL YOUR EYES - yet another magnificent view of mystical mountains, braided river plains or calming coastlines SLAP YOUR THIGHS - a good time's easy to find, from happening Auckland to waterfront Wellington STAND UP PROUD - and experience Maori culture firsthand: take part in a powhiri, or fill your puku at a hangi RUN AT IT SHOUTING - bungy jump, sea kayak, surf, trek and hit the white water with the best of them

New Zealand, 4 (Footprint - Travel Guides)

Darrach Donald

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Footprint Handbooks Amazon Marketplace: 34 new & used starting at $9.06

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> New Zealand
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent guide to New Zealand 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

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.

Editorial Review:

The 'Land of the Long White Cloud' stirs the imagination. This isolated country, with a smaller population than some European capitals, has stunningly diverse scenery, from mile-high mountains to fiords and fern forests. Take off and discover the wild and remote beaches, volcanoes and some pretty weird wildlife, while taking your time to try out all the outdoors activities this incredible country has to offer. Plus, detailed and up-to-date listings on where to eat, sleep and party.

The Rough Guide to New Zealand Map (Rough Guide Country/Region Map)

Rough Guides

Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $9.99 Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks By: Rough Guides Amazon Marketplace: 16 new & used starting at $3.82

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> World
Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> General AAS
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> New Zealand

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Best Map of New Zealand W/O a Doubt! 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

This is a great map of New Zealand. Its unfortunate that it is becoming hard to find.

The map was printed a few years ago, so some things have changed, but for 95% of the areas you would be traveling to it is very accurate. Most of the changes are not the addition or changing of streets but rather the condition of the roads. Many roads that are said to be unsealed are now sealed, especially in the North Island.

The map is also made out of a plastic type material that is waterproof. You could dump a bucket of water on the map and it would still be fine, maybe just cleaner! Wish they made all maps out of this material.

Great map if you can find it, and its worth the hunt!

Editorial Review:

In partnership with a consortium of European cartographers, Rough Guides is delighted to announce the launch of a new series of country and regional maps. Since its inception in Germany in spring 2001, the World Mapping Project - "the last great adventure in cartography: its task to map every country with state-of-the-art technology" - has met with critical acclaim. Now Rough Guides brings these clear, accessible and information-packed maps to the UK and the English-speaking world. As with the city map series, "The Rough Guide Country and Regional Maps" are printed on waterproof and "rip-proof" Polyart paper.

Let's Go New Zealand 8th Edition

Let's Go Inc.

Amazon Price: $16.49 List Price: $21.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Let's Go Publications Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $13.60

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> New Zealand
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Finally a NZ budget book 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I am planning a trip to New Zealand and have been absorbing as much information as possible before I go. I have seen several guide books and this is the first and only one I have seen that is set up for a budget traveler. Most of the guides list their $ (supposedly budget) meals at less than $30, this book has it's cheapest listed as under $7 and the expensive stuff listed over $25. Not everyone who travels makes $100,000+ a year :)
It also has heaps of extra information about traveling to NZ and travel in general. Information on passports, visas, safety, health, history, etc. All of the authors are people who have traveled to New Zealand, rather than living there, so you get an angle from the traveler's perspective more than from the usual travel writer's perspective.
It has the same kind of break down that most books have by city, attractions, restaurants and housing. It also has suggestions on other ways to experience the country such as farmstays, volunteer work,
education, and different travel styles.
A very good travel book, and easy to read rather than tedious. I don't feel like I am being sold anything while reading, it's more like having a friend tell me about their experiences and giving me travel advice, which is just what I need!

Editorial Review:

Packed with travel information, including listings, deals, and insider tips: CANDID LISTINGS of hundreds of places to eat, sleep, drink, and tramp like a local. RELIABLE MAPS to get you around cities, towns, islands, and New Zealand’s nine Great Walks. INSIDER TIPS on where to dig your own thermal pool, which ski towns are worth the trip, and how to spot the elusive kiwi. EXPANDED COVERAGE of hiking on remote Stewart Island. EARN MONEY with temp jobs picking fruit at organic farming exchanges. IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION of Maori villages and where to enjoy the hangi. GLOSSARY of modern Kiwi English, as well as Maori words and phrases.

30 Days in Sydney: A Wildly Distorted Account

Peter Carey

Amazon Price: $10.40 List Price: $13.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Bloomsbury USA Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $1.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Arts & Literature -> Authors
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> New Zealand
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Lots of good stories within stories 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This is a good read for Aussie expats, not least because the author is one of Australiaýs more prominent contemporary literary figures, staging a return visit to Sydney from his current home in New York. Aussies living in America will probably be tuned into the way observations of one country are used to shed light on the other, the extra explanations he is obliged to include for either culture, as well was the exercise of reacquainting oneself with oneýs place of origin and trying to come to grips with its history and character. On occasion the authorýs own brand of cronyism (men relive their exploits or otherwise act out their mid life crises) is a bit irksome, but then he is well aware of such potential gripes and fends them off within the book (ýMate, youýre making a big mistake talking to all these men. Youýre ignoring the womenýý). In all, he spins a good yarn, and the final pages will have you heaving on the open seas at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River.

Editorial Review:

“This is a fabulously idiosyncratic small masterpiece ... it’s so good it takes your breath away.”—Times (UK)

After living abroad for years, novelist Peter Carey returns home to Sydney and attempts to capture its character. Seeking the help of his old friends, Carey is soon drawn into their strange, anarchic worlds, each one orbiting the place he has come back to see. The result is a wild and wonderful journey of discovery and rediscovery as bracing as the southerly bluster that sometimes batters Sydney’s shores. Famous sights such as Bondi Beach, the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the Blue Mountains all take on a strange new intensity when exposed to the penetrating gaze of the author and his friends.

30 Days in Sydney offers the reader an enchanting glimpse behind the facades and the Venetian blinds of the city.

View from the Summit: The Remarkable Memoir by the First Person to Conquer Everest

Sir Edmund Hillary

Amazon Price: $10.92 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Pocket Amazon Marketplace: 60 new & used starting at $1.77

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Historical -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Historical -> General AAS
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Specific Groups -> Adventurers & Explorers

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE STORY OF
AN ORDINARY MAN WHO BECAME THE
CENTURY'S MOST IMPORTANT EXPLORER

Adventurers the world over have been inspired by the achievements of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man ever to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest. In this candid, wry, and vastly entertaining autobiography, Hillary looks back on that 1953 landmark expedition, as well as his remarkable explorations in other exotic locales, from the South Pole to the Ganges. View From The Summit is the compelling life story of a New Zealand country boy who daydreamed of wild adventures; the pioneering climber who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth after scaling the world's tallest peak; and the elder statesman and unlikely diplomat whose groundbreaking program of aid to Nepal continues to this day, paying his debt of worldwide fame to the Himalayan region.

More than four decades after Hillary looked down from Everest's 29,000 feet, his impact is still felt -- in our fascination with the perils and triumphs of mountain climbing, and in today's phenomenon of extreme sports. The call to adventure is alive and real on every page of this gripping memoir.

Moon Living Abroad in New Zealand

Michelle Waitzman

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Avalon Travel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $11.54

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> New Zealand
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Michelle Waltzman fell in love with New Zealand’s stunning landscapes and various outdoor activities on a backpacking trip in 1998, and has since moved to the country, recently obtaining permanent resident status. Michelle provides insight and first-hand advice on all that living in New Zealand has to offer. She outlines all the information needed in a smart, organized, and straightforward manner, making planning the move abroad manageable. Moon Living Abroad in New Zealand makes the moving and transition process easy for businesspeople, students, teachers, retirees, and professionals.

Moon Living Abroad in New Zealand is packed with essential information and must-have details on setting up daily life including obtaining visas, arranging finances, gaining employment, choosing schools, and finding health care. This relocation guide also includes practical advice on how to rent or buy a home for a variety of needs and budgets, whether it’s an apartment in cosmopolitan Wellington or a home in historic Christchurch. All Moon Living Abroad Guides include color photos, black and white photos, black and white illustrations, and maps.

Insight Guide New Zealand (Insight Guides New Zealand)

Amazon Price: $18.65 List Price: $24.66 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Insight Guides Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $11.75

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> New Zealand
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Australia & South Pacific -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For planning your trip or remembering your travels, even for the armchair traveler, the New Zealand Insight Guide is a worthy companion. Inside the New Zealand Insight Guide you'll find: * Evocative, full-color photography on every page * Cross-referenced, four-color maps throughout * A Brief Introduction, including a Historical Timeline * Lively essays by local writers on the culture, history, and people * Expert evaluations on the sights really worth seeing such as Curio Bay, Milford Sound and the Waitomo Caves * Special features spotlighting particular topics of interest including "The Modern Maori" and outdoor activities * A comprehensive Travel Tips section with listings on the best restaurants, hotels, and attractions as well as practical information on such things as getting around and things to do with children The world's largest visual travel guide series, Insight Guides, in association with Discovery Channel, the world's premier source of nonfiction entertainment, provide more insight than ever. From the most popular resort cities to the most exotic villages, Insight Guides captures the unique character of each culture with an insider's perspective.

Southern Exposure: A Solo Sea Kayaking Journey Around New Zealand's South Island

Chris Duff

Amazon Price: $11.96 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Falcon Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $2.05

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Travel
Subjects -> Reference -> Writing -> Travel
Subjects -> Sports -> Water Sports -> Kayaking -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Absolutely fantastic. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

A couple of years ago I saw Chris Duff speak at Canoecopia - a worldwide paddling expo held in Madison WI. One of his talks was about his solo circumnavigation of New Zealand's south island - the same topic as this book.
I, and I think the rest of the audience, was mesmerized as he told his tale. Even though he probably has talked about his trip many times it felt as if he was reliving it for the first time. His ecitement was contagious. The audience could almost feel the ocean swells and smell the salty air.
Chris Duff is as good of a writer as he is a public speaker. He vividly describes the scenery of his voyage, the people he encounters and his own personal thoughts. While, his adventures are WAY beyond my personal abilities I could actually feel what it would be like in his shoes (or in this case fast drying sandals) due to his excellent writing ability.

Editorial Review:

In this epic tale of sea-kayaking adventure, award-winning author Chris Duff places readers in the cockpit of his 18-foot kayak and lets them experience the full power and beauty of the South Pacific Ocean and the wild energy of the Tasman Sea as it thunders onto New Zealand's uninhabited west coast. Not just an account of human physical endurance and determination to attempt what had only been accomplished once before, this exquisitely written narrative reveals the philosophical and psychological life of a man who has chosen the sea as the master to sit before and to learn from. The intense and often terrifying sea journey is balanced by serendipitous meetings along the way with friendly New Zealanders and with the diverse wildlife of this tiny and remote island country. Southern Exposure is a force of writing that will captivate the armchair adventurer as well as the seasoned ocean traveler.