New Zealand

[angy]

wow, more activities again on new zealand trip

carpe diem, you still planning ah? I thought you have been and gone. I recommend you choose the key car rental companies, Hertz, Avis and Budget. You should be fine with those companies. Of course the car is reliable, why would they want to rent out an unreliable car? You asked about Honesty. Aiyah, you are taking about car rental, not property investment, how much can they cheat you?

My advice is, for those who intend to goto NZ for holiday, dont be penny wise and pound foolish. You are willing to sit on your bum for more than 12 hours and I suggest pay alittle bit more and stay/eat in nice places and pampered yourself. What is the point of coming for holiday and worried about spending too much? You cannot compare NZ pricing with SG pricing, it is not a fair comparison.

 

[angy]

Elife,

wa, your plan looks very familiar. Haha

OK, here goes.
Whale watching is a pick of the draw. Sometimes the weaher is bad, you cannot see anything. So, be prepared for the weather.

The Kaikoura costal drive is one of the best drive in the South Island. You will enjoy it.

Try to visit Arrowtown. You are there at the right time when the leaves are turning into gold. Arrowtown is also the place where the chinese migrants cames in the late 1800s for goldmining. YOu might want to stay 1 night in Arrowtown.

If you stay over in Dunedin, make sure you goto Cadbury chocolate factory tour.

From Dunedin to Christchurch, make sure you go visit the Moeraki Boulders.

Also be prepared for the cold weather.

 

[elf88]

Angy: haha..of cos it's familiar..it was ur rec in the earlier thread!

For whale watching,is it adviseable to book it when we reach there or online? cos now that the weather is coming into play, it's probably better to wait and see right?

hm...care to explain cold weather? haha...as in which part of the journey will be cold, and how cold...My exact travelling dates will be 15/5 (reach CHC 16/5) up to 30/5

Whee...gold leaves? haha...will try to cut on the last 2 D in CHC thn and stay 1 N in Arrowtown!!

Tks angy

 

[angy]

Elfie,

I recommend you book it when you are in Christchurch. Dont rush into it. No point going there when the weather is shit.

You are coming in May, so be prepared for the cold weather. There is rumour that this year is going to be a cold winter. Why? Just look at the northern hemisphere now. It could be coming down south.

In the South Island, autumn temperature can get down to 5-7C at night.

You are coming in the off peak season. So, be easy about your bookings. There should be motels that are available during your stay.

There is an accomodation book that you can get from NZTB at Taka. It is published by Jason travel and it is free. You should try to get that book.

Since you are in NZ for 2 weeks, google those towns and see if there are any concerts around that time.

There are so many artists coming to NZ so you migh as well take this opportunity to attend their concert. But be warned, price per ticket starts are more than $100 each.

Please do some research on those towns and you will find interesting stories on them.

Last, if you dare to drive on mountainuous road, check this out

http://www.nzine.co.nz/features/crown_range.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Range

 

[bubble_low]

Hi,

I juz did a self drive trip in NZ last Nov.

You can look at my itinerary for reference. (bubblelow.multiply.com) Pls click on the photo blog for details.

For car rental, i booked from Apex. Another popular car rental are Omega and Ace car rental. Juz do a google search for the website.

If you need any town map, you can write to the i-site and request for them to mail to you. Each town has a i-site.

For NZ driving, pls do consider the driving distance, esp during short daylight. Preferably to keep within 3-4 hrs.

Rgds,
low

 

[elf88]

Hi there,

Thanks for the feedback.

I realised that most of the itinerary is from Christchurch to Dunedin to Queenstown, etc....
While mine is counter clockwise..Christchurch to Kaikora to etc. Is it just a matter of preference or is it done for a reason?

Oh yeah...I am planning to go there and book the accomodations so that it won't be restrictive should we decide to stay longer in one place or skip certain parts, since its the off peak season like Angy mention; it should not be too much of a trouble ..

oohh...we're interested in driving via the Crown Range Road, but with the season closing to winter, do we need to change tyre to go up the road? And is it possible for me to detour to Arrowtown from Crown Range Road?

TIA for all the help...

 

[angy]

elfie88

you dont have to follow what others do. Do what you feel and where you like.

If you are keen in the crown range road, you can drive either from Arrowtown to Wanaka, or vice versa. Yes, you can detour to Arrowtown.

You dont need to have chains in your car during May. It should be fine as long as there is no snow. Ski season dont start to June. You will pass by the Cardona ski field. The best in the southern hemisphere.

 

[elf88]

Angy:

tks for the info! Can't wait for May now!! hehehe..

Oh yeah, for tramping shoes, is it better to get it there in Christchurch? as in more choices and better quality? haha...cos then i will have to get one in SG first

 

[angy]

elfie

tramping shoes? why you need them? Are you intending to come to NZ to do some tramping? Good tramping shoes are not cheap. YOu can get it from Katmandu or Macpac shop. Good ones, you are looking at 150 and above.

Aiyah, goto Beach Road Army shop, buy the gortex srmy shoe can liao. Haha

 

[elf88]

Angy: I am planning to go for hiking at Abel Tasman Park..maybe a day hike there... tts y asking if need tramping shoes...but if can use sports shoes then better la!!

Save money

 

[angy]

Elfie,

tramping shoes are not cheap. Average price is aroun NZ200. In my opinion, I will never go tramping with sport shoes. They are not made for tramping. My advice, is still army shoes, cheap and good. If your the other path can buy from E-mart, lagi better, can get for free or very cheap.

 

[elf88]

angy: Tks. Will keep a lookout then for sale now that I know the average cost...cos i only have sports shoes now and won't want to be tramping in those

.
Anw, Gong Xi Fa Cai to you over there and hope that the weather is kinder there than Sg !!

 

[happy4]

HIhi

i am planning to go NZ with my family. and friends( with lots of kids) so any suggestion? should i go for F&E or package tour? planning to to go on Dec

 

[happy4]

HIhi

i am planning to go NZ with my family. and friends( with lots of kids) so any suggestion? should i go for F&E or package tour? planning to to go on Dec

 

[elf88]

Janice: wow...with lots of kids... maybe you might want to read back the previous history of this forum to see the suggestions.

HTHs

 

[mscarpediem]

Hi,

Thanks all especially Angy for the advice.

Yupz, we planned our honeymoon well in advanced, even before we've planned our wedding, but all's well that ends well.

And yes, the reason why I'm in the forum now (and not before) is because our wedding is over and we have come back from our honeymoon!

Fantastic place, not cheap (we've spent around $11,000 for 18 days there) but definitely a good honeymoon venue.

One place I must definitely recommend as an accomodation is this: Riversong Bed and breakfast at Albert Town (about 10-15 min drive from the Lake Wanaka area. You definitely need a car.)

The rooms just a small side-road away from a river (River Clutha) and it's lovely to wake to the sounds of nature. Nice place to just chill.

The hosts, Ann and Ian are lovely retired folks. It was with a very pleasant surprise when we got back after midnight and realise that they've switched on the hallway lights that lead to our room as well as switch on the bed-warmers, knowing that we're from the tropics and can't stand the cold as well. The full English breakfast that Ann whips us every morning is also very lovely including homemade bread and muesli. Their personalised attention was something that we had really treasured in our trip.

You can find out more information from them here: http://www.riversongwanaka.co.nz/

NZ's in general a lovely honeymoon location. The people are so gracious, the views are picturesque and the food's an indulgence.

 

[cookiekaya]

Hi, anyone can recommend PG in NZ?

 

[angy]

carpe diem

you are most welcome and I am glad you find my advice useful. Please also share with this group some dos and donts that potential travellers might find useful.

ten chia
what is PG?

 

[mscarpediem]

Sure, my pleasure Angy.

Safety do:
1. My suggestion is to break up the drive in the west coast. My research (as of jul 09) shows some iffy acceptance of driving straight through between wanaka and greymouth. This was coupled by the fact that google maps estimate the time taken for the journey between wanaka and fox/franz josef glacier village at about 3 hrs + (which I thought was more than doable in 1 day.) However, though the distance is not long, it is very windy and a number of heavy vehicles use the highways along there. Coupled by the fact that it's a very rainy region (the rainforests attract rain), it makes sense for careful driving.

The actual time we had taken to travel between wanaka and fox glacier (excluding the time we had taken to walk along some of their excellent walks/tracks along that coast) is 5 hrs during the trip.

2. Take photos of the car (especially before you start the drive from the rental position.) Apex had not inspected the car after we had returned it at greymouth (rented from Queenstown) and given us the assurance that it was inspected and ok. So we're keeping the photos of the scratches and dents on the car before we had started using it as evidences in case funny charges start appearing in our credit card later.

We used Hertz car rental in the journey between Christchurch with return at Queenstown central. They provided us with more assurances at Queenstown central with their inspection and giving us a written record that they have inspected the car at return at Queenstown and everything's ok. So we would not expect additional credit charges from Hertz.

Should no funny business occur from Apex car rental though, Apex car rental is cheaper although their car is not of as good quality as compared to Hertz. (Both cars were a Ford Focus Compact 2006/2007. We got a mint new car from Hertz and a car with dents and scratches from Apex. We didn't mind that as long as it gets us from point A to point B safely.)

Some suggestions in driving itinerary:
1. My personal research (as of Jul 09) show alot of people planning their journey in the South Island in an anti-clockwise direction. Starting from West Coast than going from Queenstown to Lake Tekapo then back to Christchurch. On looking back, we were personally glad that we did it the other way round. From Christchurch, Lake Tekapo, Queenstown etc to West Coast before going back to Christchurch. We personally found the road in West Coast harder to drive on (because of rain conditions, being extremely winding and a couple of heavy vehicles.) so we were glad to have gained comfort first in driving from the relatively easier road between Christchurch and Lake Tekapo.

2. We had also immediately started the journey by driving from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo. Although it is doable (about 1.5 hrs without break) it can also be tiring. An alternative is to take an easy day in Christchurch before settling for Lake Tekapo the next day.)

 

[elf88]

Carpe Diem: Great to hear that you had a great time there

I can't wait for my trip next mth!!! hehehe

Can I ask a few questions regarding the driving there?

You mention tht the hours to drive between Wanaka and Fran Josef is abt 5 hrs...does that include the stops and rest or purely driving?

And what are the daylight hours there? cos was planning to try to not drive when it's dark there.

Angy : PG = Photographer (Wedding Phooshoots?)

 

[mscarpediem]

Hi Elfie,

Have fun!

For us, the drive between Wanaka and Fox (which is shorter distance than Franz Josef) is 5 hrs EXCLUSIVE of the stops, rest and walk. Our actual drive including all our stops was approximately 7 hrs.

However, our whole drive was also lengthened by issues like constant rain (i.e slippery roads), heavy vehicles on the windy roads. So we were extra careful.

I think it's wise not to attempt the West Coast drive there after dark. The roads are very winding and we experience strong cross winds when driving (maybe it is because it's so near the sea.) The daylight hours are very long during our time there in March. It gets light from approximately 6:30ish am and gets dark from approximately 8p.m.

 

[angy]

Elfie,

daylight saving has just finished. So, sunrise is around 7am and sunset is around 6.30pm.

Remember to bring warm clothes and thermal wear if you dont like the cold. I recommend bringing gloves and scarfs. Start thinking of wearing layered clothes.

 

[elf88]

Hihi,

Thanks for the recommendations, I've just book my stays in Queenstown and also the car rentals. Leaving the rest of the stays to be book when we get there as they are the smaller towns and we are fine with backpacker lodges

With the short daylight time, looks like have to plan the drive carefully and also the timings of the activities might be affecte. :S

I'm also looking at Blackwater rafting in Greymouth, do you think it's doable if I were to reach there in the morning and then stay the night there? (we have 1 day in Greymouth) or is there any other recommended things to go for?

And is it recommended to stay overnight in Lake Tekapo/Twizel, or should we just make a day tour there and go back to Christchurch in the evening?

TIA

 

[angy]

Elfie,

wa, you like blackwater rafting? Hahaha, good luck, it is going to be cold but fun.

Are you saying you want to drive from Queenstown to Greymouth? It all depends when you start your journey.

As for Lake Tekapo, there is Observatory where you can see the night skies. If it is a clear night and not raining, it is worh going. I believe i posted a link sometime back on the observatory.

Dont worry about the short daylight time, it is ok.

 

[elf88]

Angy: Will be driving as planned from Nelson

.TT's why wanna know if there is enough time as we don't wanna rush through things

haha...yeah..we only lived once...so must try!!

I seen the link, earth & sky

 

[pingluvhao]

Elfie:

I am going to New Zealand soon. Am leaving on the 2nd of May for a 12 days trip. Am bringing my 16 month old baby along, haha .

 

[elf88]

Ash: cool...am always amazed by anyone who brought their babies along in their travels!!

I'm leaving on 15th and be back in 30th May; won't get to see you there..!!

Which island will you be doing??

 

[pingluvhao]

Elfie: South!! Going to self drive there. Yeah I will be back on the 13th, 2 days later you will be leaving. Wish me luck, hope my baby co-operate.

 

[elf88]

Ash: Good Luck! Do let me know how is it there if you have the chance to posts here when u r back!

Take care & Enjoy yourselves!

 

[elf88]

Angy: Can I know if there are any SIM card rental (With data plan) or hp rental service in South Island? So that I can use it to call local numbers (NZ) and also check my email while I'm in NZ.

The only information I have is at this webpage http://www.vodafone.co.nz/mobile-data/3g-broadband-plans.jsp

And it doesn't have any rental of SIM card.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[elf88]

More qns...hehehe..Any reviews on Milford Sound Lodge?

Cos am planning to spent a night there OR the overnight cruise as we'll be driving down from Queenstown to Milford.

 

[angy]

Ash, make sure you ask in advance from the rental car company that you need a child restrain car seat. They should be able to supply one.

 

[angy]

Elfie

I recommend buy 2degree SIM card for voice and for email, I recommend going to internet cafe to check emails, will cost you $4 to $5 an hour. Every town has an internet cafe.

As for Milford Sound, I dare you to do this. Dont book anything till you goto New Zealand. Why? You dont want to go on a overnight cruise if it is raining. Check the weather first before booking. You are in NZ during the "off peak" season. So, I dare you to take the risk.

 

[elf88]

Angy: ooh.. off peak season for the tourists or the locals? but anyway, have decided not to book it first to keep our options open for now...
As for the drive, anyone drove from Milford to Dunedin? cos i was googling and the drive is long yeah...aby 6 hrs? ws thinking if i should break the drive into 2- stopping for a night in Invercagill and the next day drive to Dunedin..
Do comments on the route.
TIA

 

[angy]

Milford to Dunedin is a long drive. There is no town worth stopping. Invercargill is way off your route. It can be be done in one way, but yuo will be super tired when you get into Dunedin.

 

[elf88]

Angy: How about Bluff ? i read that there's a signposts that is an attraction itself...and Bluff Oysters...but not sure if it's worth making a detour there from Milford.

 

[angy]

Bluff oysters are not cheap. You are looking like $22 a dozen. However, very yummy.

Bluff is close to Invercargill and yes, there is the famous signpost in Bluff.

Milford to Bluff is easily 5 hour ride. If you are going to Bluff, you will not be able to go to dunedin after that.

if you die die want to goto Bluff, book while you are in NZ. There are plenty of accomodation in May

 

[elf88]

Angy : If we are to drive from MS to Bluff and spend the night there. Then next morning drive from Bluff to Dunedin?
Possible to do that right??

 

[angy]

Elfie,

wa, looks like you are going to have a great adventure. Can i ask you to share with others after your trip?

OK, of course you can spend a night in Bluff, if you want to. But I dare you to do this.

What about take a ferry to Stewart Island? It is a 1 hour ferry from Bluff and stay in Stewart Island for the night or two.

The Abalones there are the size of your hand...

Anyway, here are some info about Stewart Island.
http://www.stewartislandexperience.co.nz/index.cfm

For accomodation in Bluff, if you want, you can go for homestay or stay in motel. if you want to stay in Stewart Island, you can also look up at this website.

http://www.holidayhouses.co.nz/

Last you can definitely drive from Bluff to Dunedin in one day. I love Dunedin.

 

[angy]

by the way, there is a off peak price for your cruise.

http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/OvernightOffPeak/

also if you are not going to Waitomo glow worm cave, you can goto Te Aanu glow worm cave.

http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/TeAnau/

 

[elf88]

Angy: Sure. Will definitely share my trip report once I'm back

 

[drizzles54]

Hi angy,

I am starting to read on this thread cos' planning for honeymoon wif Hubby this Oct. Hope it's not too late to start planning only NOW. Was so bz wif the customary preps...

It was rather information overload for a start.
Hope u can enlighten mi on a few Qs:

1) Oct is the beginning of Spring in NZ? How's the weather, is it still going to be cold? Cos wld luv to try this "shot over jet" thingy which I heard frm a fren which is damn fun. Hope it's not too cold cos defi be drenched...

2) We are a nature-lot and very much wanna a relaxing F&E tour, hence might not be able to cover much during a 10 day trip. We wld luv to cover Christchurch (is 1 nite sufficient?) main things to do in CC? / ultimate destination to Queenstown (Maybe 3 nites) / while driving up to Queenstown maybe have a few pitstops to some main attractions like Franz Josef / Fox Glacier / Wale watching / Hope to include a nite of farmstay as well...

3) Is it the Peak season in Oct? We planning a 10D South Island trip starting 13Oct. Cos unsure if I shld just book a nite stay in Christchurch via online, then the rest whilst in NZ, cos might wanna stay at a place longer or shorter than planned...

4) As I cannot drive, Hubby will be doing the driving, I am afraid it will be too tiring for him... hence I am toggling wif the idea of doing self-drive either frm Christchurch to Queenstown (in btwn stop at various attractions as mentioned)and back using coaches or vice versa; firstly using coaches frm Christchurch to bring us to the various attactions, ultimately reaching Queenstown then rent a car to go bk Christchurch as we shld be able to drive straight to the airport to drop the car. (errr, can rite?)

So sorry if I asked silly Qs, hope u can shed some light for us so that we can start planning the itinerary.

Many tks in advance

 

[happy4]

Hi Elifie,

ALot to read up leh, can share with me briefly, isit not advisable to bring kids?

 

[angy]

drizzle54

October weather is neither here nor there. It is definitely warmer than winter but sometimes, it can be cold as well.

Since you are going to base in Queenstown, I recommend you to check if the ski fields are still open during October. If it is, die die must go.

You asked quite a bit of diverse questions, so, I will try to summarise it.

a. Travel route, you can either start from Christchurch to West coast and then end up in Queenstown then back to Christchurch, or start anticlockwise, from Christhchurch to Queenstown and then to the Westcoast.

b. Whale watch is not along the way. You can either start at the very beginning to Kaikorua or at the very end. Whale watching is not cheap.

c. travel time
Allocate around 3-4 hours each day. that is enough. Queenstown to CHC straight? can, provided you can tahan. I dont recommend it. Maybe stop at Dunedin for the night. It all depends how you intend to travel. (either clockwise or anticlockwise).

d. accomodation
My recommendation is, be brave, book when you are in NZ and book online, not from travel agent in SG. FYI, Queenstown is very expensive so be prepared to pay. You can read what I have said in the past about Queenstown and Wanaka. There is the famous back drive from Queenstown to Wanaka.
http://www.nzine.co.nz/features/crown_range.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Range

Read through again in this sub forum where I recommend to go.

Last, my opinion, 10 days are damned short. If it is 10 days, narrow down the places you want to do.

Come back to me again, once you have a travel plan.

This is a good website that you should check it out.

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/main/index.php

 

[elf88]

Angy: How's the weather there now? is it more 'predictable'? hahaha...i'm leaving on Sat !!

*wheee!!!*

Janice: hm...i dun think i can comment much on whether adviseable to bring kids or not. Most of my plan is made and tweaked via recommendations in this forum by angy, carpe diem and the rest of the kind forumers who are sharing their experience and also Lonely Planet!

This will be my 1st time in South Island, NZ.

I also frequent tripadvisor forum, and from their trip reports by the forumers..lots of them had an enjoyable time with their kids!!
HTHs

Will do a trip report once I'm bck in June , perhaps can shed some light to you.

 

[angy]

elfie,

http://www.metservice.com/towns-cities/christchurch

here is the weather report for South Island. Looks ok. Remember to bring something warm. My advice, bring thermal, beanie and scarf.

Last, I recommend, go buy a waterproof spray (eg Nikwax) to spray on your shoes. See if you can get it in SG, if not get it in NZ sport shops. Very useful just in case it rains and you step on puddles.

 

[drizzles54]

Hi angy

tks for the sound advice. Will come bk agn with a more concrete plan!

 

[lizliz]

Hi,

My family and I (five people) will be leaving for South Island in two weeks time!

We'll be staying overnight at Christchurch, Greymouth, Fox Glacier, Wanaka, Te Anau, Queenstown, Lake Tekapo, Christchurch.

(1) Any good food/restaurant (die die must try food) to recommend along the way?
(2) Also, my parent's wedding anniversary will be around the time we'll be in Wanaka/Te Anau/Milford Sound. Any recommendations for good restaurants or like nice/special activities/things I can surprise them with?

(3) Fox Glacier. Has anyone tried it the Heli-Hike or Half-day Hike? Is it very strenuous? I've googled and read quite a bit about it, and it looks really nice! I'M very keen. However, most of the participants seem to be very big size, young "ang mohs". Not sure if my elderly parents (or even I) will be able to Tahan. What do you guys think?

(4) Milford Sound. Found out that there are four main companies -- Real Journeys (ex and perhaps might be boring?); Mitre Peak Cruise (good timing does not 'clash' with tour groups); Southern discovers (two types of cruises. Thinking of taking the smaller encounter boat cruise. but this is more ex. Don't know if its worth it) and lastly, Cruize milford (could not really find reviews on the internet). Anyone can recommend? Thanks!

(5) Jetboating. Thinking of booking with Shotover jet as its the only company (apparently) that is liscenced to conduct in the canyon. Opinions?

(6) I'm quite keen on going fishing. I really want to fish for my own fish and take it to the restaurant to cook/make into sashimi! Any company to recommend. I know nothing about fishing. haha. Also, where is a better place to go fishing? Wanaka or Queenstown?

(7) Gibbston Valley. According to research I did, seems like the Gibbston Valley winery is overpriced although interesting (there's a wine cave) etc. Any recommendations for must-visit wineries near Queenstown?

(8)Also, has anyone stopped by the clay cliffs? I read that its 10KM off the main road. Hoping to stop there and see cause it looks so nice!

(9) Lastly, we really want to try Hangi (maori food). Any place we can have this in the South Island? After a lot of research, I found only one place -- http://www.kotane.co.nz/ But not very keen because it seems very commercialized. How?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[bubble_low]

Hi lizliz,

I tried the Mitre Peak for Milford Sound. Can take a look at my blog. bubblelow.multiply.com.

I hv categorised into different days.

I've been to Gibbston Valley too. When you drive to Wanaka, you can go to Rippon Vineyard. (see my Day 10 details)

 

[oleander]

Hi, we are planning to go NZ reaching christchurch on 7 sept. Can I check in early september..do we get to see the blooms already? How about the daytime? Still shorter? What would the weather be like?

We are planning to self-drive, are the roads very "winding" type?

tks