I've been to both, and while NZ is nice, it's MUCH more spread out, and begs a longer vacation in order to see everything. North and South Islands are so different that they're almost like different countries.
Thailand could easily be a longer vacation too, and has much to see, but is SO geared towards in-out tourism (I meant short, fast vacations, get your mind out of the gutter
) that you can easily swoop in, party hard for a night or two, and fly out again. The travel there and back will cut in to your plans quite a bit, depending on where in the world you are travelling from. This would be the same with NZ though. If you coudl swing it from your boss, I'd recommend 2 weeks in Thailand, travel time included. Trip highlights to take in:-Bangkok temples and Royal Palace, including Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho; Both the old Royal Palace (Anna and the King period) and modern Royal Museum and Teak Museum)
-Khao Sarn Rd, for a real feel of "The Beach" type of backpacker tourist vagabond hangout. An entire 2-3 streets (KaoSarn is the locus) of hostels, bars, tour offices and clubs. GREAT place to people-watch, meet new global friends and just hang out. Also good place, if you have no other plans, to find one of dozens of hole-in-the-wall travel agencies to book daytrips from.
-Ayutthaya, the former capitol of Siam, and full of crumbling ruins. Very picturesque, and reminescent of Angkor in Cambodia, if on a smaller scale.
-River cruise, including a stopoff at Koh Khret, to visit the Mon pottery works. This isn't a huge impressive tour destination, but you can get some really cool daily-use artifacts to bring home, and CHEAP....neat stuff, like handmade dishes, cookware, bowls, all made from red earthenware clay. Just pack it carefully for the trip home.
-A Katoey Cabaret show. Matter of fact, you should probably plan this for your first night there, so that you will be sufficiently warned about the ladyboys around. I'm not kidding, if you should happen to get cozy with a girl while clubbing or barhopping, you might be getting more than you bargained for. They're really that convincing!
-Challenge: Try getting a tuktuk ride WITHOUT getting taken to a jeweler or tailor shop.
-Jim Thompson's house. This is a really touristy stopoff, but one of the side bonuses is that you get to see some really great traditional examples of teak houses, Thai architecture, and SE Asian art. The guy was really a collector, and his disappearance is still an unsolved mystery.
-Pattaya, if you feel like going to a beach where you are never more than 25 meters from a bar. Laid back attitude and party atmosphere, but can be quite noisy in the evenings. This'll be a daytrip, and probably best to just spend the night.
Good luck wherever you wind up going.
And there needs to be a tuktuk in SL... hrmmm!
