Frommer's New Zealand Day by Day [Paperback]

New Zealand is on my bucket list so I was glad to review this book. Frommers is my favorite guide so I thought I had hit the jackpot. For once the book is small enough to carry with you when visiting and the photographs are truly delightful. The book has sections on wine and family travel and lots of day itineraries. There is a LOT of sports information. There are little bits on the film industry but not much on touring those sites.
In fact, if you want information on more than wine and sports, this book is a little lacking. The glow worm caves merited a small box of information but you had to know they're in Waitomo or you can't find them in the glossary. There's very little on the castle in Dunedin but I did discover it had the steepest hill in the world. There is some information on Christchurch after the earthquake which would be helpful.
As far as I know there are no handicapped people in New Zealand and no provisions made for disabled tourists. There's not even a phone number or a web site to contact for information. I found this troubling. In fact, information for people over 50 is quite thin.
But if you are going to New Zealand for sports or wine touring, this is the book for you. If you're looking for more cultural information then I would recommend a different source.

I bought this book for a recent 3 week vacation trip to New Zealand in October 2012. I travelled with a single bag, so space was a premium. I intended this book to be the only travel book I would take with me. That was a mistake. I've previously gotten the Paris and Amsterdam 'Day by Day' versions and were pleased with those. The difference is, this book attempts to cover an entire country instead of one city. It's ambitious and because of it, some cities have more than enough information and some cities have tiny blurbs. I'll give a list of the cities I visited to give you an idea:

Auckland - Excellent information, well done section
Waitomo - Lacking, I believe it was only a brief mention as a side trip
Rotorua - Alright
Taupo - Decent information but I was only there one day
Wellington - Excellent information
Picton - It was combined with another city, so even less information than others
Kaikoura - Small section
Christchurch - Speaks about the earthquake and provides some things to do

Each section goes through the typical 'One Day', 'Two Day', 'Wine lovers', and 'Fun with Kids' sections. You have to read through all of the categories, even if you don't have kids or enjoy wine, because it often doesn't repeat/suggest all the activities in the beginning. Things like zoos, amusement parks and planetariums are sometimes only mentioned in the kid portion. Then again, the book isn't long, so reading through the entire city information is not a big deal. The information provided for the activities is pretty good as far as pricing, days open/available, and relative location in the city. Each section has a 'Where to Stay', which often listed a few mid-range to high-end hotels. I found it to be lacking. The 'Where to Eat' was unimpressive as well. More often than not, the restaurant didn't even have a single line about why to eat there. The maps give a general idea of where the activities and sights are grouped, but rarely detailed enough to get to where you're going solely on that. Often, the free map provided at your hotel or accommodation's front desk will be much more useful.

Honestly, I ended up purchasing a more substantial travel guide halfway through the trip. I'd recommend it as a complement to a country guide (whether that's Frommer's, Lonely Planet, Fodors, or your choice). I found that 80-90% of the information and recommendations were found in the country guides. The only real advantage is the day by day itinerary set-up. I found that my mother was more apt to read it than a list of activities in a country guide. It is a book that's good for planning activities (not accommodations, travel logistics, eating, or transportation) if you're short on time but if you're tight on space/weight, leave it home.

I took this guide with me to New Zealand, but didn't find it useful. It had a poor selection of attractions, scant historical information, and very little practical information. Some of the information seems to be dated, or just overly positive about things we should have been warned off. If you're away from the major cities, this book probably isn't going to work out for you.

Instead, I used the Lonely Planet New Zealand (Country Guide) (Country Travel Guide) and the great guides I was able to get for free in the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney Airport.