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

This is an old book, but still a useful source for off the beaten path excursions.

This book is incredible!!! Absolutely a must have if you are an adventurer and not nervous to explore without a guide. The structure of this book is spot on. Extremely easy to follow and the author was precise with everything from popularity of a spot to directions to a location. This book saved me tons of money by allowing me to see many sights on my own vs. paying a guide or buying an unnecessary tour. Love love love!! ThankYou Scott Cook for a truly awesome travel companion (the book). My favorite thing to do while travelling is to dig into local culture and this book helped me find my way. In my a opinion a must have. I get so excited to tell everyone about this book! Even the locals who don't always know particular spots in this great book! See for yourself. Also, the author doesn't give everything away. It was genius leaving some places with an element of surprise but he gave enough of a description that made you really want to check the place out. It was well worth it. I never did have the time to solve the riddle about the lady in Rotarua but would have loved to try. Such fun! Amazing job to the author! Truly! Well done!

I can’t say enough nice things about these books that would repay Scott Cook for making our trip to NZ so wonderful. There wasn’t one place we chose to go out of these books (North and South) that wasn’t worth the time and effort. I used these books almost exclusively to plan the sights my husband and I would see on our extended stay in NZ (34 days). The choices of spots were obviously wonderful and off the beaten path as promised, the descriptions and pictures were helpful in narrowing down the choices we needed to make and there were enough options that all of our days were full including car travel days. This is the best travel book I have ever used. I wish I could find other similar books for other places we want to go, but I haven’t found any this good yet.

Not my favorite travel book. Was just as easy to find the information online or from travel websites without the clutter or annoying style of writing.

In 2018 we visited New Zealand South Island, utilized the Frenzy South Island book and immediately upon return posted a glowing review of that book. (Take a look as I'm not repeating everything here). Just got back from our first trip to North Island, of course used the Frenzy North Island book, and are posting to let you know these books are still highly relevant for trip planning to either island. Don’t let the last publication date turn you away if you are planning a trip.Big picture, the North Island may be small in size but has seemingly endless nooks and crannies… that is beaches, bays, caves, coves, trails, falls, views, etc, etc. The author steers you to gems you wouldn’t likely find in “standard” guide books, by yourself, or even through today’s vast resources of the web.The LAST thing you need these days is a Fodors, Frommers, Lonely Planet and such that spend most of their ink on history, lodgings, restaurants, large museums and so forth that are readily available online, or the sights that the tour buses and cruise ships take their hordes to.I’ll now repeat verbatim what I said in my Frenzy South Island review as it pertains equally to Frenzy North Island… “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.”

Scott's other guidebooks have been my favorite for the Columbia Gorge and for the South Island of New Zealand so I knew we had to get this edition for our trip to the North Island. We used the book every day during our 2 week trip and discovered so many wonderful hikes, waterfalls, swimming spots, mud pits, and more while staying off the beaten path for the most part. Thank you, Scott for creating so many excellent resources! I highly recommend this book and all of Scott's books! Plus, make sure to check out his blog once you buy the book for color pictures and some more recent updates.

I already own a copy of this authors book for the South Island, and found it very helpful when we went to New Zealand several years ago. Therefore, I decided to buy the one for the north island for the strip. He gives good directions and descriptions. One of the things I like is that he’s opinionated, and that helps decide which likes to take.

I used this book and the NZ Frenzy South Island book to plan a 2+-month trip to New Zealand scheduled for Fall 2020. This book helped so much because I was able to identify activities and treks that would really appeal to us, and omit those things that were too intense or not in our area of interest. I appreciated that Scott wasn't afraid to say "skip this if you're short on time" or "this is a can't miss sight". I like the way the book is organized by region. Using the listings that appealed to me, I mapped out our itinerary for each island. Keep in mind, these books are for outdoor activities only. They are for someone who wants to experience an adventurous visit to the country. For info about lodging, museums, and other "touristy" things, I have used a more traditional guide book (and the internet of course). One of the added benefits are the links to the website/blog which provide color photos and updated info (for instance, a trail that has been closed, a gravel road that is now paved, etc). What would I change? More detailed maps, but that is a small quibble. There's a ton of good info packed into this book. Highly recommended.