NZ Frenzy South Island New Zealand 3rd Edition Paperback – September 15, 2016

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 sightsIn 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.

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

I'm writing this on my final night in the South Island sitting in a rainy hotel room in Wanaka, but I'm all smiles. I just had 10 days of amazing weather, hikes, animal sightings, and food. This book made the trip. If I could hug the author I would. It's such a daunting task coming here and figuring out how to spend limited time and maximize everything. Just get this book and follow it based on your personal interests/physical abilities and you'll have the trip of a lifetime. We're not like 6+ hour hikers, we keep things to 2-3 hours and are most interested in finding wildlife and getting the jaw dropping sights. We would have been lost without this book. I could write on and on about how amazing it is, but look, you get real descriptions (not some bought and paid Lonely Planet crap) and exact coordinates you can plug into Google Maps so you never miss a trailhead/parking lot. We saw penguins, seals, and dolphins in the wild and natural beauty unlike anything I've ever seen. Thank you for writing this book and making this wild trek around the South Island so great.