New Zealand

[iloveoreo]

Hi all,

Just to add on, i went to NZ in March for 10 days.
Everything is DIY. I just bought the air tickets and for the rest i booked directly with the rental car co. and the motels.
Will definitely plan to go again as NZ is really beautiful.
All in all, I spend about $2500 inclusive of accomodation, airtickets, food and car rental and petrol based on a group of 3 ppl.
Here's my itinenary if anyone is interested in a 10 day trip.

Day 01 - Depart Changi Airport, transit at Auckland.
Day 02 - Arrive Christchurch, tour city centre
Day 03 - Take TransAlpine to Greymouth, pickup rental car, drive to Franz Josef Glacier
Day 04 - Took a half-day glacier tour, Knight's point view pt at Haast, Queenstown
Day 05 - Queenstown
Day 06 - Queenstown, Kingston Railway Station, Bluff Lookout (southern most part of south island), Farmstay at Lumsden
Day 07 - Lumsden Farmstay, Dunedin, Baldwin Street (world's steepest street), Larnach Castle
Day 08 - Moeraki Boulders, Mt. Cook
Day 09 - Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo, Lyttelon Port (visit Timeball stn), Governor's Bay
Day 10 - Depart Christchurch, transit at Auckand, arrive Singapore.

If anyone needs help in planning, feel free to approach me or ask me any questions.. will try my best to help.

 

[sakurasan]

Hi Oreo

You spent so little! How did you do it? Air-tix is oredi $1K pax. Accommodation is another $500 plus food, day tours and transport.

 

[sakurasan]

I've got one more qn for those of you who went to NZ. Did you book ur accoms prior to ur departure or when you arrived?

 

[iloveoreo]

Sakurasan,

There was a promo in Mar for airtickets for Air NZ.. think the tickets was about S$800 plus, definitely less than $1k.
For the car rental co., the rate was about $40 per day.
And since we stayed in motels most of the time, we bought food from the supermart and cooked dinner in our motel. We only eat out during the daytime.

 

[iloveoreo]

It's best to book your accomodation in advance.
If not, you might have to spend more time looking for accomodation than touring around the place.
For me, I booked all my accomodation on internet before i left for my trip.

 

[eggie]

hi oreo,
i'm interested to know the car rental co u go with? btw, can u advice me how to go about taking the TranzAlpine if you have car rental at hand? do u rent one for a few days, n re-rent again when u reach over the other side? Thanks

 

[iloveoreo]

Hi eggie,
I went with Auto Rentals. You can view their details/info at http://www.autorentals.co.nz

When i first arrive at Christchurch, i did not rent the car. In fact, i took public transport around the town which is more economical.
I booked the TranszAlpine one way (definitely recommended!!) through Auto Rentals. (You book in advance with them. They will mail the train tickets to you.)
When i reached Greymouth, one of the staff from Greymouth met me at the train station and deliver the rental car to us.
We drove down from Greymouth
and i returned the car at Christchurch airport at the end of our trip.

 

[sakurasan]

Hi Oreo

Thanks very much for your information. I've made reservations for SQ flight to Christchurch - thats abt $1K pax. Hopefully, there'll some good offers coming next year for NZ.

May I ask if you took the Group A or Group B Sedan? Do you need a bigger capacity car to drive in NZ?

I'm also planning to stay in motels and cook in the evenings. Coz I heard that eating out is very expensive over there.

Could you also share the motels that you stayed in?

Thanks very much.

 

[soupie]

sakurasan, hey... my hubby can't drive too! but really wish that we can do a F & E to new zealand... u intend to drive all by urself?!

i haven't been driving much at all in sg... so dun really dare to drive in new zealand... :/

 

[kite~]

hey soupie,

we intend to do a self drive in NZ for honeymoon. though at 1st we were very scare to drive in melbourne. but self drive is really fun esp w a detailed map and u can stop at anywhere n anytime u like.

for us, both of us can drive. we take turns.

 

[sakurasan]

Hi soupie

I haven't been driving much in Singapore too! I've been thinking of joining a carpool and drive once in a while or else I may forget how to park a car!

We started out by wanting to get around NZ using the Intercity coaches - quite cheap for most routes except the really long ones like Queenstown - Fox Glacier. We will drive only ard the town areas like from Dunedin to Larnach Castle. But as I read from this thread and with feedback from frens who went on a self-drive holiday as to how easy to drive ard in NZ, I'm beginning to get tempted to self-drive coz there's so much more flexibility. We'll see how it goes but for the time being, the plan is to self-drive and take coach for the long routes (ie more than 5 hrs). We've planned our itinery to make our trips slow and easy.

 

[squidhead]

hi for all who plan to drive in NZ, please be beware that there are a couple of routes that is considered as "potential danger". This route was even listed in the directory "to drive with care"

Went to NZ about 4 years ago when my boyfriend (now hubby) was studying there. He has been there for about 3 years so he is familiar with the routes there.

I know one of the route that is considered as "potential danger" is the route to Milford Sound. So for all who are planning to drive there, please please be careful.

Basically I think for all who wants to drive, please find out the "rules" there. For Singapore, the side road must give way to the main road cars rite? but for NZ, its the other way.

My trip to NZ was 3 weeks (South Island). During this time, only my hubby drove ... sometimes almost for 8 hrs .. but we always take short breaks and if we know that the next day is going to be a long drive, we sleep early the night before.

For those who havent been to NZ, here's a short intro:

1) Queenstown (my favourite!!) - there u can do bungy jumping, rafting, para-gliding, jet-skiing. From Queenstown, about 1hr drive, you can go to this place called Glenxxx (cant remember the spelling). That's where they filmed LOTR (i think) ... that place is really really backward ... the place reminds me of some forgotton mexican town .. where all the cowboys go )

2) Dunedin - very crowded ... that place very hard to drive around. You can see many students around in that town. We went to Larnach Castle. That places gives me the creeps man. When my hubby n I went to the basement, we felt the hair standing ... later we realised that there are rumours of ghost sightings. But there is a street you need to go ... BALDWIN STREET, there you have the World's Steepest Street. Its really very steep.


3) Kaikoura - where you can see the dolphins and whale. Very lovely to see the dolphins swimming. Can eat some nice seafood like lobster in that town.

3) Milford Sound - basically I think it was a waste of time going there. Took us more then 8hrs to drive there! and I was really disappointed man. All you see is just mountain and some small waterfalls

But I still love NZ the best! Love to migrate there some day.

 

[eggie]

hi oreo,
thanks for your recommendation. so there is no problem with your car rental company? Yah, i was also wondering which category of car rental is suitable for 2 ppl. Is it really expensive to eat out? then i should consider motel instead of hostel?

hi matka,
do you cook at the hostel? or u eat out?

hi squidhead,
thanks a lot for all the advices. How long the journey from Te Anau to Milford? We have to be extremely careful if we need to drive there.

 

[halo]

hi kite~ (kite~)
we are on F&E. we spent about SGD2300 per person (everything except air ticket). We book all the acoomodation thru website.

hi, sakurasan (sakurasan)
The airfare for SQ is 1k for off peak season only, for peak like mid nov to Dec is 1.4k.
For those who want to go yr end, advise to book early cos the seats get filled up easily.

here are the motels that we stay for reference,
CHC - BellaVista Motel
Nelson - BellaVista Motel
Greymouth - Revingtons Hotel
FranzJosef - YHA
Wanaka - BellaVista Motel
Queenstown - Blue Peak Lodge
Te Anau - YHA
Dunedin - Best Western Shoreline
Twizel - Mountain Chalet Motel

some tips
Blenheim/nelson region have a lot of wineries. should explore a few, quite interesting

Hokitika (between Greymouth and FranzJosef) - allocate some time for shopping here as they have jade factory outlet where they sell jades and handcrafted bones and shell and also blow glass factory outlet. try to get your souvenir here as they are cheaper than anywhere else.

Queenstown - There is a place outside Queenstown where they do bungy-jumping. can't remember the name, will find out. a lot of tourists there, can see people jump from the bridge. quite entertaining if you can see those who dare not jump.

Te Anau has nothing much, just a stopover if you are going to Milford Sound. However, if you are driving to Milford, remember there is a valley before the tunnel, it is beautiful. Ya...if going to Milford, remember to bring insect repellent. Believe me, there are a lot a lot of sand flies.

If you stay at Twizel, drive to Mt Cook, the scenery along the way as you are approaching the mountain is very stunning.....We drove back to Twizel in the evening like 8pm (still very bright as sunset is at abt 930pm), and we get to see a lot of sheeps crossign the road along the way...very interesting. Lake Pukaki is recommended for seeing Mt Cook from far and in the reflection. The water is light blue in color makes it beautiful. However, pls check with the local visitor centre on the weather. We went there in the morning and couldn't see Mt Cook - block by clouds. The staff at the visitor centre told us that it happen occasionally in the morning.

Lake Tekapo has a small little church - looks a bit scottish to me. must visit and if lucky can see couples getting married there.

that's all for now, if got time will post up more tips. Ya, one more thing for those who are self driving. Remember to fill up your petrol tank in the big cities/town like nelson, Christchurch, Queestown, and Dunedin. As they are cheaper there by as much as 10-20%. cheapest unleaded petrol at CHC is 98.9 cents and at some towns are like $1.20. can save some money also.

 

[eggie]

hi halo,
wow! really appreciate all the information that you gave us. very informative. i also have a budget of about $3500 per person including air ticket. I got a few questions that I hope you can answer for me.

1. Which airline do you book? SQ or NZ? u pay about $1400 per person?
2. Do you cook your meals in the evening? Especially when you stay in YHA? Is staying in YHA comfortable? Cause I want to stay there for almost all the nites.
3. During summer, the daytime is long is that? Is from roughly what time to what time?

Sorry for asking so many questions. Thanks a lot. I think i will start noting down all the tips ppl gives me.

 

[sakurasan]

Hi Halo

Thanks very much for your useful tips! I think I'll stayover Te Anau for one nite and take a day tour to Milford Sound. Don't think I'll drive there coz I heard that it's a "dangerous" route.

 

[sakurasan]

Hi Halo

May I know what's interesting at Wanaka besides the Puzzling World? Thks.

 

[halo]

hi eggie,

1)I work for SQ so we got free tix. However, now only SQ flies to CHC. Though Air NZ is code sharing, that means they can sell on SQ flight. think the price is lower but limited seats.

2) some evenings only. not cooking actually. 2 person hard to cook, when you add up all the ingredients, it is not so cheap too. So what we did was to buy some pizza or sausages from the supermarket and use the microwave oven in the room. Realise the food in the restaurant is actually cheaper if you compare to the restaurant in singapore. Especially pizza, you can get a medium one for about 10NZD, which is enuff for 2 person.
3)Yes, during summer the day is much longer. dunno what time sunrises as normally wake up at 7plus...hehehe...think should be around 6am. but for sunset is always after 930pm.


Hi sakurasan,
u r welcome. the road to milford is not really extremely dangerous. it is just a bit narrower than those state highway (btw, those highway is a single lane road). and also a bit winding. but if you drive, you can stop along the way for some beatiful scenery like rivers, waterfalls, flowers, the valley and there is viewing deck somewhere in the middle. just drive not so fast will do. ( we spent abt 4 hrs t oreach milford, including side stops).

For those going to Punakaiki on the west coast, remember to check the high tide timing a day before yo uarrive. so you can see the most spectacular blow hole effect. we didn;t check and missed it by one hour...sigh

 

[eggie]

hi halo,
thanks for your answers. wow! that means in summer it's daylight most of the time. think it'll be really nice. can really relax n see places.

1.any comments on staying in YHA? especially it's honeymoon. is it clean and quiet?

2. since it's summer, what clothes would u recommend? is the temperature as warm as Spore?

3. is the tourist places crowded during summer? is it advisable to book the car rental and accommodation earlier? or we can wait till we arrive in NZ?

Thanks.

 

[iloveoreo]

Hi eggie, sakurasan

I went with a group of 3 (all girls!!!) and i'm the primary driver. I love driving so it wasn't a problem for me to self-drive in NZ.
I let my friends drive only when the road is long and straight as they do not drive in Singapore. Somehow or rather, i feel safer when i'm in control of the vehicle.

However, for those who plan to self-drive, do note a couple of things.
You'll seldom see lots of cars on the road unless you're in the town itself.. so driving is not really that difficult. The highways are pretty straightforward and u seldom get lost.
The roads around Franz Josef all the way to Haast and Wanaka can be pretty tricky.. so have to drive carefully.

Here are the places i visited and stayed in :
1) Christchurch - Christchurch motel 252 Riccarton road

2) Transalpine - one way from Christchurch to Greymouth (highly recommended as you get to enjoy the scenary.

3) Greymouth - rented a group B sedan from Auto Rentals

4) Franz Josef Village - Glacier Gateway Motor Lodge, if you're adventurous, can try the glacier walk. highly recommended too!!!

5) Haast - Knight's point view (can consider making a rest point here, pretty nice scenary) Also, don't forget to take pictures of Wanaka lake on the way to Queenstown.

6) Queenstown - stayed at Flag Inn Lomond Lodge, room had beautiful view of the lake. We spent about 2 days here, did stuff like Shotover Jet, Heli ride, bungy, skyline gondola, shopping (goes without saying!!)

7) Kingston - a quick rest stop at Kingston Railway Station. We were lucky in the sense that when we were there, a very old steam train was parked there( the one that runs on charcoal) and it still ferries passengers to various towns.

8) Lumsden - Farmstay at Coleraine Cottage, Lovely couple with 3 kids.. the family showed us round their farm.. we even had dinner with the whole family!

9) Dunedin - stayed at Cargills Hotel (i didn't book in advance so have to spend a little more time looking for accomodation and we ended here) , it's a student town, lots of asian students. A couple of must do!!! -> Drive up to Baldwin Street and back down (It's the world's steepest street!), visit the peninsula area, catch dolpines, penguins, etc.., larnach castle and of course shopping!

10) Mt. Cook - stayed at Mt. Cook Alpine Village Chalet (part of the hermitage), also for the adventurous, try the glencoe walk. it takes about 3 hours to walk but the walk is worth it. Shan't say more.. walk and you'll discover for yourself!

11) Lake Tekapo - another scenic spot.

12) If still have time, can consider Lyttelon Port (visit Timeball stn) and Governor's Bay.

I did not visit Milford Sound or Steward island as i understand from my friend (who went to NZ a couple of times) that Milford sound is just full of trees. It will only look beautiful when it's raining.. if you're lucky, you might be able to spot a rainbow.
As for Steward Island, you're there to see animals... and we're not really into that.

 

[iloveoreo]

Oops, mistake!! The walk at Mt. cook is called Hooker valley not glencoe walk.
It's in the same location as the caravan's camp area.

 

[eternity168]

Hi Kite,

Mine is F&E and we spent about 5-6 K for 2 persons excluding air tickets.

Will try to upload the photos, don't have it with me now.

 

[kite~]

hi eternity,

ok shall look forward to view ur pics or u can email me. thanks.

 

[iloveoreo]

Hi,

Qantas is having a promo for their airlines.
NZ only cost $788.
Check it out!

The following flights are only bookable through your local NATAS travel agents Or Qantas Holidays Tel: 6734 1818.

Bali $250 [Australian Airlines ]
Sabah $250 [Australian Airlines ]
Cairns $588 [Australian Airlines ]
Gold Coast $588 [Australian Airlines ]
New Zealand $788
[Qantas to New Zealand via Sydney,Melbourne or Brisbane]

Hurry, offer ends 5pm, 10 January 2004.

 

[pkj]

Just returned from a trip to New Zealand. Was there for my 3rd Honeymoon. But would recommend to anyone who is considering Honeymooning here. My first was Scotland... ...which is also fantastics. Can email me at [email protected] if you want to see the photos

 

[ahmel]

Hi,
Does anyone know which domestic flight I could take from Christchurch to Auckland ?
The online price listed for Air NZ is $600! This is really expensive.... is it cheaper to buy it over in NZ? Or any other airlines available?

I'm going there on 1 to 15 Feb for my honeymoon, self-drive F&E trip.
Thanks !

 

[crazbin]

Hi AhMei,

Have you booked your tickets from Singapore to Auckland yet? Most of the flights are already fully booked now ...

 

[amby]

hi all,
if you realy wanna experience something different, do drive to Catlins & Invercargill. these places are not v popular even with backpackers..but i guarantee you wouldn't regret it if you drive pass Catlins.lotsa nature walk where u can see waterfalls,experience the coldest and windiest part of South Island. go to Curio Bay and Slope Point. wear thick clothings with ear protection. there's another great finding : Tautuku Estaury Boardwalk. highly recommended by the locals. btw, all these places are free admission, keke..
if you are there, try staying in backpackers' lodge ,there's bound to be a journal by the backpackers describing the places they have passed.

 

[angph38]

AhMel,
which day u depart/return from Christchurch - Auckland?

i saw the air NZ (nz site) that there's only 1 flight left for 09 Feb - 14 Feb, but it's damn early @ 6am depart CHC. however, it's cheap, there're 3 types of fare (Smart Saver NZD$90, Flexi Saver NZD$150, Fully Flexi NZD$260 per way per pax). i do not noe what's the diff btw the 3 prices, or any other conditions.

maybe u check the site urself?
http://www.airnz.co.nz/

 

[ahmel]

<font color="ff0000">Crazbin,</font>
Yes, managed to book the tickets from Royal Brunei airlines, for Sin - Auckland. Only left this choice as all the rest are fully booked .

<font color="ff0000">Angelia,</font>
hey, good to see u here

I will depart Christchurch on 15 Feb.
My colleague did check out AirNZ site and saw those fares u indicated, but seems that they are only valid for residents of NZ...
Yesterday I was surfing around and found the Qantas nz site , managed to book the domestic tickets at only 79.99 per pax. I thought it could be for residents only, so called their hotline to check , and seems open to all .

So I quickly purchased them online... think it's not a Qantas airplane, but operated by them .
Happy now ! And thanks for ur help

 

[crazbin]

Hi AhMei,

Good for u. I myself having difficulty in booking the tickets. Thinking of departing around the same period as u.

 

[ahmel]

<font color="ff0000">Crazbin,</font>
Oh, u looking for tix now ?
I just checked with the agent which I got the tix, for Royal Brunei, the nearest date which they have tickets is 4 Feb, only 4 seats left now... You could call TVI Holidays 65332533 to check.
Good Luck!

 

[crazbin]

AhMei,

oh, okie! Thank u!

 

[angph38]

AhMel,
is ur a direct flight?

 

[ahmel]

<font color="ff0000">Angelia,</font>
Nop, need two transits at Brunei and Brisbane...

very leh-cheh ..... and reach Auckland at 4am!

<font color="ff0000">Crazbin,</font>
u're welcome

ahem...btw, my nick is not AhMei ...i'm a 'bad boy' AhMel ...

 

[angph38]

AhMel,
oh.. u took the pkg of airfare + accom izzit? how much per pax?

cos i saw Qantas website still hv tix.. but transit either Mel or Sydney... then they hving promo now.. kekekee.. but might still be more worth it to get F&amp;E pkg from travel agent lah.

 

[ahmel]

<font color="ff0000">Angelia,</font>
No package. I only purchase the airtickets from the agent. Will be booking accom + activities via internet, still sourcing ard ...

 

[kite~]

hi,

wil it be cheaper if book from local agents on the free&amp;easy package rather than sourcing accomodation, car rental and air tickets individually? normally how much savings wil u save? thanks

 

[ahmel]

<font color="ff0000">Angelia,</font>
oh...and the price of tickets is $865 (incld tax) per pax.

 

[orcabee]

For those of you going NZ, do check this out - http://www.vodarent.co.nz/
It is a SIM card/Mobile phone rental. If you call 0800 numbers (NZ toll free numbers), you don't have to pay.
I find that useful when I need to book for accomodations, cars, fun...etc.

 

[kite~]

Hi,

I borrowed new zealand guide books from national library, couldnt find Lonely Planet one but found 2 books from Thomas cook publisher.

then yest i showed FH on the pics from the book n he said NZ seems like not as fun as Melbourne, great ocean road leh. hmm wat do u tink? like abit boring but we love sightseeing. maybe the pics on the book doesnt show enough nice pics?

 

[iloveoreo]

Hi kite,

i've been to NZ, and i can definitely tell you that you will not regret going.
It's a nice scenic place, and in Queenstown, you can try out all the fun stuff like bungy, heli ride, shotoverjet,.. etc.. esp. if you're the adventurous sort. There are definitely a lot of places to see esp. in South Island.
You can walk on glacier at Franz Josef, hike around Mt. Cook, farmstay, drive along the coast.. etc.....

I will definitely go again!

 

[kite~]

hi oreo,

hmm but i dont like those bungy jumping n those stuffs cos not too adventurous. in fact we prefer e beaches, sea and sand. any nice beaches around?

i m planning 12 to 14 days for my HM. Just wondering anyone has a good itinerary to share for self drive for south island only? thanks.

 

[diamonddust]

Hi,

If flying by Air NZ, do check out for the code-shares flights/planes. If you are lucky, you book with Air NZ but can fly on an SIA plane.

I booked with Air NZ, flew by Air NZ but on rtn journey, flew by SIA plane.

Also, if you need Internal flights, do remember to book together with your International flights. Its much cheaper this way.

South Island is Great !!! Very cool, windy &amp; scenic.

However, certain areas, not advisable to self drive. Shld take their buses or internal flights. Otherwise, it takes ages for you to reach your destination....

I used Christchurch &amp; Queenstown as my base for exploring.

Start at Christchurch first.

Then head to Mt Cook &amp; the Glaciers.

I rtn to CHC &amp; took an internal flight to Queenstown. Its those propeller plane, so it flew really low &amp; I enjoyed the scenic flight.

Scenery at Queenstown is great. Doesn't matter if you don't enjoy those action/adventure packed stuff.. I didn't do any of those during my last trip. Try to book a hotel near the lake/jetty.

From Queenstown, can go to Wanaka.

From Queenstown, join a tour to Milford Sound. Its a 5hr coach-ride to the "jetty" before the cruise at Milford Sound. Not advisable to self-drive though. You pass thr' "remote mountainous" roads &amp; the famous Tunnel. When I was there, my coach met with an avalanche.

From Queenstown, headed to Otago/Dunedin.

 

[kite~]

hi diamonddust,

y is it not advisable to self drive to milford sound? any other places to advisable to self drive too cos we wil b doing that too. btw i though of skipping milford sound cos alot of ppl say not nice over there. pls. advise. thanks

 

[diamonddust]

Hi,

Not too sure if you read any travel brochures regarding the driving routes down to Milford Sound. I can't really remember the details/warnings stated in the book.

Certain roads are really winding (I feel if the coach is going to plunge in to the river/lake).

Along the way, esp nearer to Milford, where its quite remote, there might be avalanche.. the snow falling down frm the mountains. It will block your way, ur car needs to have equipment to plough the snow away. You need to check if rental of car includes this or pay additional.

(oh i forgot when u r going, not sure if really depends on the season whether the avalanches will happen)

Nearly towards the end of the journey, there will be a long dark tunnel thr' the mountains. There isn't much lighting there, very dark (u noe its like the opposite of our CTE tunnel)....

if you self-drive, you must really plan your time to catch the Cruises !!!

BUT HEY then again, there are lots scenic spots to stop, rest &amp; enjoy the Fantastic scenery.. My favourite is the Mirror Lake )

 

[pikaduck]

just came back from Newzealand self drive.

The road to milford sound is not that bad. Pretty okay if you are used to driving overseas, along cliffs. I did not do drive as I am terrified of heights. There are other worse roads around. TOP on my list is the drive up nugget point!!! That road is TERRIBLE. It is a gravel road and VERY narrow and it is right at the edge of the cliff. One skid (very possible on gravel roads) and you are DEAD. The road to milford sound is actually quite okay, all paved and wide. If you are going soon (summer), there will be no snow and the roads are pretty okay. I heard the weather in Milford sound is pretty rainy. For mine case, it was okay.

The mirror lakes looks VERY pathetic from the road. We saw some little ponds from the road so we did not stop. Did we get the mirror lakes wrong? Is it not visible from the road?

We self drive from christchurch, arthurs point, west coast, Fox glacier, wanaka/queenstown, te anau, milford sound, ivencargill, dunedin, oamaru, mt cook, christchurch.

Top on my scenery list is the west coast north of greymouth. MUST go. The coast line is very dramatic but the drive is along a cliff so must get driver who is not afraid of heights.

As to accomodations, THERE are PLENTY of motels. Cheaper to go in groups of 4. Get a space wagon (4 people share) then the accomodation cost like average 150 NZ one night for FOUR which is like 40 buck/per person.

 

[kite~]

Hi Pika,

thanks for the info and guess u must hv enjoyed ur trip to NZ.

Btw how many days u went there and how much did u spent in total?

If u dont mind, care to share your itnerary with me? cos i m planning to explore e south island self drive.

thanks.

 

[pikaduck]

We stayed for 12 nights.

The air ticket is $1050 (SQ), the car rental for space wagon is 100/day, motel stay is around $150 (for 4 people) Petrol is around $300 altogether. The rest is up to you.

I have posted my route in my earlier post. Although I wished we could have driven north to picton but then we would have missed Arthur's pass. Which is okay as Arthurs pass is quite similar to queenstown/wanaka area. If you have 14 days, maybe you can afford to drive north.

 

[kite~]

hi pika &amp; diamonddust,

dont mind do u hv any pics to share? thanks.