Angy : Yes...the 'rain bomb' , it rained 6 consequtive days during our last week there! hahah..and it was also during that period where we catch the first snow in Queenstown! and ice-rain in Dunedin
I had 15D in the South Island,
starting fr CHCH-Kaikoura-Nelson- Greymouth- Fran Josef- Wanaka-Queenstown- Dunedin- Tekapo- CHCH
The places listed are the 1 where we stayed the nights in them, the rest are made by day trips and drive by.
The road itself is not hard to drive, just think of the old road to Genting Highlands...(when I was younger, my dad enjoyed tackling the bends as you climb the hills!)
No cars sighting btw the 5-10 km ahead or behind- in fact you are more likely to be held up by cows crossing the roads than traffic jam; and floods
(only during this time ...i guess)
What we did extremely well was that we did not have any bookings when we got there !!
so everything kinda fell into place as we go by!
Most bookings were made either at the I-Site's of the previous town we're in or at the particular site itself! If there is any cancellation due to bad weather, they will be able to refund the full amount!
Driving tips:-
We book the 1st leg of the Car Rental (for 6 D ) and then we figure that we'll reach Queenstown by then and drop the car off. After QT , 2nd leg we only rented for 4D. This works out real well for us cos FREE parking in Queenstown is hard to get by; besides everywhere else you want to go/ can go in Queenstown is either walkable or there is an available shuttle to take you there!
Oh yeah..get the GPS too, it does helps in getting to the particular places you want to go at a faster and accurate time!
Snow chains are a must from now till Sept-Oct. You won't want to be stranded without them as we encountered heavily snowed in roads during our last few days there! (Not to worry if you have no experience putting 1 on, they will teach you when you pick the car up.)
Brake earlier in icy roads--it takes time to stop the car! We've seen a car skidded off the road and into the ditch there!
All in all, just some common sense will do actually when you're on the road in NZ. The drives are awesome and more often that not, you'll be pulling up for a picture stop!
Day 1- Reach CHCH. Spend the night there. Explored the city - Cathedral Sq, Arts Centre (there's a flea market every weekend), Botanic Gardens, book our whale watching tour fr I-Site, buy groceries for our trips from Pak & Save!
(Hint: Do get a prepaid Sim- helps when you need to call the tour operators if the tour is still going on due to weather forecast)
Day 2- Drive to Kaikoura- stop by Pegasus Bay Winery (nice wine, if u r not a wine drinker, the garden is very pretty too) - detour to Cheviot (Point Robinson and Gore Bay) I must say, it's one of the amazing views of the cliffs there in NZ!- Kaikoura - whale watch! whee... ! we chased after whales after whales and even caught up with the dolphins! BTW, we're on the 12.45 boat, which explains the time we had for all the previous stops!
(Hint-Take note for those travelling with children tt depending on sea condition, they might not allow kid's on board)
Day 3- drive to Blenheim to Nelson! On the way, do stop at Kekerengu The Store (very nice place to have your breakfast overlooking the ocean! )- pass by Malborough Wine Region- taste the wines and cheeses and Chocolate - You will pass by Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve (stop if you have the time, the views are nice)-In Nelson, we managed to do a 45 min hike up to Centre of NZ..from there you're able to see Nelson town and the view of the Bay!
Day 4- Drive to Greymouth - will pass by orchards and farms, so there is fruit pickings if you want to!
- and also don't miss the Nelson Lakes National Park (Lake Rotoiri is eerily beautiful at dawn) - will pass by Punakaiki Rock aka Pancake rocks ( 20 mins walk fr the main road) ; you can have the blowholes timing at the information centre opp the entrance- in Greymouth, we did the Monteith's Brewery Tour! I love Apple Cider Crush and Raddler Bier!
We did not manage to do canyoning / black water rafting as it's close from April till Oct due to the cold weather and icy water! :S
Day 5- drove to Fran Josef - It's a small town, nothing much to do there except to climb glacier !
which I throughly enjoyed! The hardest part was walking towards the glacier and up the rubbles, thereafter it will get easier! - They will provide the crampons, raincoats and waterproof overalls - Do note that if you want to do the full day hike, it will start from 8.15 or 9.15 am, so do gauge the timing.
(Hint- They don't allow Jeans up there, you will have to wear berms or waterproof pants - and I asked on the difference btw Fran Josef and Fox, apparently the latter is more family friendly)
Day 6 - Will pass by Lake Matheson ( close to Fox Glacier)- and Salmon Farm - To Wanaka (Love this town) - Went to Puzzling World and just walk ard town.
Day 7 - Drive to Queenstown via the Crown Range Road (amazing views over Wanaka, Arrowtown and Queenstown- do keep note if it's open though esp during the winter months)- will pass by Cardrona Hotel (it's an old hotel, which is aptly situated by the mountain range)- stop by Arrowtown (really amazing autumn colors here- must say tt it's one of the best I've ever seen)- Reach QT- explore QT
Day 8 - Milford Sound
- took a day tour there instead of driving cos the weather report was excellent and our plans for Paradise were dashed due to land slide! - Everyone said that the drive to Milford is scenic, but the whole drive in the South Island is scenic !! (in different ways but it's great view anyways)- Anw, as we didn't have a car, we took with Mitre Peak Tour- Y? cos it was offering the earliest tour to depart QT and smaller boat! ; If you're still undecided, not to worry, the I Site in QT have a comparison table on all the tour operators and they are able to provide you 1! - When we are there, it was 'brochure day' weather was perfect- no rain! and we stop at all the stops and even dranks the water from the falls (in Milford 'cos of our small grp, the skipper brought the boat real close to the fall so tt we can put out our cups and taste the water there!
- managed to see Fur seals!
(Hint- Bring windbreaker so that you can takle pics near the falls! In Te Anau- try Miles Better Pies- steak,cheese & mushroom are the better 1 ..IMHO)
Day 9- It is said you can experience more in 1 day here than you can in a lifetime!
so Bungy, Jet ride, water rafting,luge, gondola etc-Did not managed to do paragliding cos the first snow came down there! At Coronet Peak--waited in the cold for the wind to change and snow to stop falling, but ski season just had to begin!
(hint- not cheap, but well worth it to be silly when you still can)
Day 10- Glenorchy road is open...and we went to Paradise! - did horse back riding - in the cold...very very amazing landscape esp when we ride past Lord of the Rings filming location, it's as if you are riding on the horse of Rohan! (1 of the horses actually acted on LOTR and SO rode it)
(Hint-wear your own boots if you mind using theirs- Dart Stables provides wellington's boot)
Day 11- To Dunedin - visit the Cadbury Chocolate Factory - I would suggest that you stay another night if you're to do the Otago Peninsula- Larnach Castle, albatross colony - (we only stayed 1 N here, we skip the Otago Peninsula 'cos this is when the rainy spell starts! --and I don't think this will do justice to view Dunedin under such trying circumstances- so till my next time)
Day 12- To see fur seals(take the road to Shag Pt- you can see them on the beaches lazing ard)- stop at Moeraki to see those round boulders and wonder..how can they be so round amidst the orugh sea! - And ohh...before you reach Moeraki Boulders (Must stop by Fleur's Place- she's a wonderful woman...cook us lunch at 10.30 am and it was the best Bluff Oysters , blue cod fish and Maki I've ever tasted ! She's supposed to be famous I think...cos she pass me her book and she is on it! ) - Oomaru is flooded - detours for us towards Lake Tekapo - On the way, there's a few dams to stop and take pics...- Mt John Observatory - a pity for us cos it was the day the snow fell first time there! cloudy nights means no stars - church of Good Shepherd (great pic there)- Dinner at Pepe (take note of the posters on the wall! They are quite antique)- Will also pass by Mt Cook Salmon!! Salmon overdose!
Day 13- Stuck in Tekapo- Icy Road and it's snowing! There happens to be vehicle restriction - only 4WD can pass - waited for an hr and was given the go ahead- had to get down asap cos it was expected that the snow will get heavier
(Hint- check the weather before that to ensure no road closure due to weather conditions)
- will pass by Fairlie- Geraldine- can stop for meals- to CHCH
Day 14 - Decide to get out of CHCH - wanted to go for Akaroa but road was closed due to flood and it was snowing (accd to the I Site) - went to Hammer Springs - soak in hot pools!! Ahh...
(hint- bring your swimsuits cos you never know when you might just feel like taking a dip in their pools/ lakes!)
Day 15 - Back home...
Hope tt this would shed some light unto those who are planning for their travels! So kick back, relax and enjoy yourselves there!
In my next trip there, I will be doing more on Nelson, Picton, Abel Tasman, Farewell Spit-- Dunedin --- and the Southern Scenic Route--probably will be trying to paraglide again in QT! hahah...
And probably will be renting the campervans the next time!
