NZ Frenzy South Island New Zealand 3rd Edition

This is a fabulous book. It is the ultimate “insiders guide.” It gives good, succinct, descriptions of all the really interesting places to go in New Zealand. Having this guide made our trip SO MUCH better. The book gives no advice on lodging or restaurants but that doesn’t matter because that info can be found at many online sources. It does tell you about all the best outdoor adventures you can have (most of which are free or have very minimal charges). The author provides GPS coordinates for all of the sites he describes which we found to be highly accurate. It is far and away the BEST guidebook on travelling in New Zealand.

Great book! Super helpful and honest. I just returned from a 3 week campervan trip to NZ and used Scott's book as my primary guidebook. Scott's reviews of off-the-road sights were spot on and his humor and writing style provided us with an honest overview of the different stops along the road. Note: NZ has little-to-no internet available in remote areas so the book's references to the online maps & tips that accompany the book are not helpful once in NZ. However, his brief directional descriptions were usually adequate enough to find the point of interest. Scott focuses on obscure and interesting sights, not so much on the well known or difficult Walks. As an avid long distance hiker, I found that combining Scott's book with information at the local I-Sites or DOC offices was the best way to get the most out of my trip. I was very glad I purchased this book over a Lonely Planet guide or something. Since I was campervaning, I had no use for a guidebook focused on hotel or restaurant recommendations. NZ Frenzy was perfect for a no-frills traveler who wanted the truth about where to stop and visit along the (narrow!) roads of the South Island!!

This is the best travel book I've ever used. I read it cover to cover which I cant say for any other travel book. Easy and personal writing. Just enough detail and realistic expectations. A true diamond in the rough world of Instagram influencers

This book has lots of detail about many of the South Island of NZ's tramps and walks and tracks and routes. We got it after enjoying the website that the author bases the book on, fantastic website with lots of information, photos and, most importantly, detailed maps. When we got the book we were very disappointed that the maps presented on the website were not in the book. Instead, the book says something along the line of, "On the website are some great maps. Go on-line and get those fantastic maps of these routes." And, "My book is to excite you about a spot, but the website has all the information and the maps." And, this is directly from the book, "the book is...in case you have no web or just choose to be Luddite-ish about things." WHAT? When you are in NZ from out of the country, you don't have much cellular data to be going on the web for maps. And, more so, a lot of NZ has little to no data, especially near (at the trailhead for instance) a lot of these routes. We were disappointed to not have the information we were hoping for in the backcountry of NZ and instead were directed back to the website for the pertinent information. Again, great info in the book, and even more so on the website. But when you pay for a book to have the intel and especially the maps and be directed back to the internet the book is clearly not worth any price. Generally, use the internet instead of buying this book. The author says if you need the book you are a "Luddite"

Even as Scott would say in the book about an amazing obscure trek, shhh don't tell anyone about this! All kidding aside, this guide book is a MUST have for anyone visiting New Zealand. No need for any other guide books that are just going to take you to the places and tours that paid them to get into their book. You can get all that information through a google search. Scott writes everything from first-hand experience and it is all extremely detailed. I promise you can feel comfortable ignoring the bad reviews on this book because "it is not in color" and "it doesn't have maps." The book being in black and white makes no difference and maps are not necessary in the book (even though he does have basic maps showing approximate location of each trek in each region). Scott lays out tons of different treks around the island and breaks them down by region. He then also breaks each region down by giving you which ones are treks you can't pass up. Even more helpful was that he describes both how to get to the trailhead and what to expect on the trail in great detail. Scott also gives you an idea of how crowded the trek typically is and there are exact coordinates for each trailhead. This is where not needing detailed maps in the book comes into play. Instead, download the Maps.ME app to your phone before your trip and put in the coordinates for the treks you want to do, then save the locations as a favorite. When you arrive you will have a GPS app for driving that will take you to all the locations and it does not require any data from your plan to work. Oh and guess what, you can then see the sight for yourself.....in color! I can't tell you how many times we passed up the jam packed parking lot for a popular trek to instead opt for one that Scott suggested and had our minds blown by how beautiful it was and how few people we encountered. This book is worth its weight in gold, it did not leave our side the entire trip

The best guidebook we've ever used. It's not a book about hotels or restaurants, but about sites and things to do. It includes lots of off the beaten path things. I bought copies for a couple of my friends who are headed to New Zealand and can't recommend it more highly.

We are just back from a month in New Zealand, all South Island, and HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book for trip planning and as a resource while there. South Island is all about amazing nature and that's the focus of this book. Who needs another book with restaurant and hotel recommendations when there are great resources for those things online? This book tells you what you REALLY need to know. Some things I love about it: - that focus on nature, hikes and sights - the book's overall organization and bite sized sections for each sight listed - the associated website / blog with additional photos and recent updates which can't be done in print every day - GoogleEarth map coordinates for navigating to the right starting points for every sight - the author's conversational (and enthusiastic) writing style - the Obscure-O-Meter which sets your expectations for crowds vs solitude at the sights - time estimates for hikes, seeing the sights In short... everything about it that it does different than standard "travel guide" books! It's just what we needed. I was so enamored and appreciative of the book that I also just sent the author a "thanks" email. In it I listed some of the places we went that we likely would have missed if we'd stuck to the usual info sources. I just jotted some down quickly and suddenly realized there were 13 of them! All of them were special and created great memories. Think about that. You're likely going to spend several thousand dollars for a trip to New Zealand from the US. So spending $20 or whatever to find those special places that create really special memories?.... a no brainer. I might be gushing here a bit more than normal but just reliving the amazing trip and keeping it real about this book's part in that. I hope this review prompts you to get the book and enhance your trip.

We have been living in NZ for the past 9 months and were lucky enough to be recommended this book (along with its North Island compatriot) early on. We love being outside and adventuring around our new country and this book is ALWAYS our guiding light on what to do. We have been utterly astounded with some of Scott's entries and have loved every tramp, waterfall, lookout, beach, blowhole, etc. that he has ever led us to. Scott is very clear in his writing, directions, times, difficulty, etc. and adds the perfect amount of humour. We just finished a 10-day trip around the South Island over the Christmas and New Years holidays and used this book to guide our entire trip. Scott, thank you for writing this book, we will continue to buy every new edition that you release!

Envoi soigné et rapide. Livre très intéressant un des meilleurs sur la Nouvelle Zélande avec des infos sur des sites plus confidentiels. Une bonne raison de retourner rendre visite aux Kiwis.

Ein cooler Begleiter im Süden...

I bought this to help us plan our 2nd trip to the South Island. It really is fantastic, well laid out and informative, especially, if like us, you like to get off the beaten track. Already have a few ideas in mind for when we go and it will be going with us.

This book has been so useful in planning our trip through the South Island. Full of useful Information with lots of out of the way places to stop and explore. The GPS co-ordinates are an extremely helpful idea. I bought the Lonely Planet guide also, but preferred the NZ Frenzy book. Loved all the anecdotal snippets.

beautifully constructed guide to the hidden secrets of this wonderful country! highly recommended over any guide if you want to make the most out of your trip