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Tue 06 Jan 2009 11:28 PM


apex car rentals new zealand
PO box 10233
christchurch
new zealand
tel:+64-3-3796897
fax:+64-3-3792647
call branch managers direct

New Zealand Car Hire Made Easy!

Apex Car Rentals has branches conveniently located throughout New Zealand. If you would like to talk directly with any of our rental car branch managers please use the number listed below. If you are calling from outside New Zealand please use the "click to talk" feature or call +64-3-379-6897

For auckland car hire call
Ian Berrington 0800-737-009

For christchurch rental cars call
Jeff Kerkhoffs 0800-10-50-55

For wellington car rental call
Adrie Kruiniger 0800 300-110

For picton rental cars call
Adam Rennick 0800 422-744

For queenstown car hire call
Dan Gerard 0800 53-11-11

For nelson rental cars call
Dave Thorn 0800 939-777

For greymouth car rentals call
Neil Richards 0800 93-95-97

NZ TRAVEL TIPS: What to bring to New Zealand?...If you plan to visit New Zealand during the colder months between May and September, bring warm clothes and a waterproof jacket. This is especially important in alpine regions where the weather can change rapidly. It's also worth noting that the climate is colder the further south you travel - the opposite of the northern hemisphere. Insect repellent for mosquitoes and sunscreen for the strong sunrays are also important during the summer months. Of course, these can be purchased on arrival. Because of the importance of agriculture in the economy, strong restrictions are placed on animal products, fruit, plant material, and foodstuffs being bought into the country. Our advice is simply not to bring them. Visitors bringing in a quantity of medication are advised to have a doctor's certificate to avoid possible problems with Customs.

new zealand driving holiday

...take the scenic route with apex car rentals. sample extract from "new zealand driving holiday" guidebook.

central otago

new zealand guidebook

Wide plains, tussock smothered mountains, rocky tors, clear rivers and opalescent turquoise lakes. This is Central Otago, a region of some 11,000 kilometres squared. It’s big sky country where crystal clear light draws mountains closer by day and produces star-studded skies by night. Upon its plains visitors follow in the footsteps of the hardy 1800s pioneers who flocked here by the thousand to chase their dreams of gold. These early settlers carved a living from the land, transforming its scenery and moving mountains of rock in their quest. Most towns and villages owe their origins to the gold rush, and remnants from this era can be seen in the region’s display of cob, mudbrick and stone cottages, and discarded mining equipment scattered throughout the landscape. Today Central Otago’s greatest drawcards are its award winning vineyards, its quaint villages, and historical sites. We spend three days exploring the region and, as well as enjoying local wines, we fish for trout on Lake Dunstan, hike to a deserted mine, stay in a haunted hotel, relax on the shores of St Bathan’s Blue Lake, and learn how to pan for gold!

day two: clyde to st. bathans


Key
red marker - Destinations
yellow maker - Apex Locations

In the morning after a hearty breakfast served in the dining room of Oliver’s charming homestead, we drive through Alexandra and on to historic Ophir. We reach this small settlement via a majestic suspension bridge built in 1880 prior to the Ophir gold rush of 1863. Back then the town boasted several stores as well as a school, police station, courthouse, post office, cottage hospital and doctor. We stop to admire these buildings, before driving on back roads through the Raggedy Range to Poolburn and onto Oturehua where we call into Hayes Engineering Works, established in 1895 by Ernest Hayes, an English engineer. Hayes invented several farm tools including the parallel wire strainer which is still used on modern farms today. We tour the plant which comprises several buildings and a windmill used to power his works, then head to Oturehua’s old store as Bob has a hankering for some gum.

“Wow, some store,” remarks Bob, as he heaves open a heavy green wooden door to a large warehouse which still has its original kauri counters, shelves and roll-a-door containers. Gum purchased, we drive along Reefs Rd and walk to the Golden Progress Mine, where poised some 46 metres above the mine shaft is Otago’s only remaining example of a poppet head, a contraption used to hoist gold bearing ore to the surface.

Hunger forces us to leave the mine and continue on to Ranfurly, passing Wedderburn’s famous goods shed en route, retrieved from the Mt Ida Coal Mine by locals who were inspired by Grahame Sydney’s painting “July on the Maniototo” depicting the shed beside the Central Otago Rail Trail.

We admire Ranfurly’s wealth of art deco buildings, built in the 1930s after fi re destroyed much of this historic goldmining town, while eating chicken and egg sandwiches at traditional kiwi tearooms on the main street.

To read the full story
Please click the link to download the full central otago scenic drive, courtesy of apex car rentals new zealand... the kiwi way

to read more extracts from our driving holiday's guidebook please click on any of the following links:

north island scenic drives
south island scenic drives

purchase new zealand driving holidays online

If you would like to purchase a copy of this stunning nz pictorial guidebook online please click here (RRP $24.95 plus postage)

view today's best deals for central otago senior rental cars

With apex rental cars the longer you hire the lower the daily rate. Please click the link to view today's best central otago rental car deal.

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