New Zealand

elf88

New Member
Dear all,
I'm back from NZ and missing it already!! hehehe

it's really an AweSome place to be and I'm already planning for my next trip there!
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will be sharing my trip report soon. hope that it will help out in a few of the queries esp for those who are travelling in this winter season!
 


mito82

New Member
Hi, i am planning to go NZ by end Nov this yr but I am still waiting if there is promotion for SIA or Qantas.

May i know if you have any idea about the ticket price when there is any promotion? If the difference is not much, i think i need to book it now, right?
 

angy

New Member
I had not been in this forum for sometime and found some requests.

Lizliz, you are obviously in NZ by now. I hope you missed the recent rain.

Oleander, if you come in September, you will see tulips and daffodils blooming everywhere. Beautiful site. Daylight savings start at 26 September. You will see tulips and daffodils around mid September onwards. Dont come too early. Windy road is a relative term. You should be ok. It all depends where you want to drive.

Mito, You will not get cheap tickets end November as it is peak season. I recommend you buy tickets soon. If you want dirt cheap, buy Brunei Airlines now.

Low, I like your blog and can see that you enjoyed NZ.

Elfie, did you kena the downpour recently? hahaha. Please share with the reader your likes, dislikes and tips. Also share with us what you is your next trip going to be like.
 

oleander

New Member
Hi angy,

tks so much for your reply. So if around 7th sept onwards, around what time will it start to get dark? Hope to be able to see the blooms by then as we plan to go coinciding with the sch holidays here.

I'm bringing 2 kids along, aged 4 &5. Would like to experience snow..just go for sightseeing, not skiing. Will Mt Cook be good enough instead of Mt Hutt? Also, i see there is glacier explorer (http://www.hermitage.co.nz/)near mount cook. I wonder if its worthwhile if we are not going to Fox Glacier (as the kids are underage)?

Appreciate your advise. tks
 

angy

New Member
Oleander

From past experience, I dont think the tulips bloom that early. However, if this winter is going to be cold, maybe you might see it.

The problem with Hermitage is, you have to drive very very long way just to get there. Along the way, is like desert. However, if you want to see the glacier, you should definitely go there. Also, if you are keen to goto Mt Cook, you might as well goto Lake Tekapo Observatory. Die Die must go..

You asked about experience snow? You should see snow during September, unless the weather is getting warm. Last year, the ski slopes closed quite late.

Fyi, fox glacier and Mt Cook are on opposite side of the mountain. If you want to goto Fox Glacier, you have to plan your trip properly to cover Mt Cook well. Every place is worthwhile to go. It all depends on time and money.
 

elf88

New Member
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
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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 :p (only during this time ...i guess)

What we did extremely well was that we did not have any bookings when we got there !!
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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!
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- 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!
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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 !
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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
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- 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!
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- 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!
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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!
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angy

New Member
elfie

Looks like you had an amazing time in NZ. That is cool. Next time, you know what to do and not to do.

If you want to fly again in Dec, book with Brunei airlines now, very cheap tickets.

I am glad you like Arrowtown and the Crown Range Road. Fyi, Crown Range road is usually open all year because of the ski seasons. However, you do need chains to drive up during winter, if there are snow on the road.

I agree with Elfie that you need to check the weather before you drive the next day. If you want to miss ice on the road, dont drive too early in the morning.

I am glad you did not book your accomodations until you are in NZ. That gives you a lot of flexibility.

Last, hhahaha, you experienced the downpour it must be an experience.
 

elf88

New Member
Yeps...the downpour was definitely an experience itself.

We met so many people there and made so many friends. Some of the tips was actually from them esp on the good eating places and the views to lookout for. Do talk to the locals and other travellers, they are more than willing to spend time to talk
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Take note that if you're driving early in the morning, there's always thick fog! So be careful & slow esp on the bends cos there might be 'black ice' on the roads.
And also , we had problem with visibility in the car, cos the windscreen kept fogging up.

But other than that, there is plenty of activities to occupy each and every age grp in NZ. (even in Queenstown!)
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drizzles54

New Member
Hi
Anyone tried Tranzalpine Express? Train ride frm CC to Greymouth... Upon chking the rates online... Its $322 for 2 adults. Not sure if its worth the moni... Cos toying wif e idea of this rail journey frm CC to Greymouth, (apparently, this is one of the must-dos recc in travel books, forum etc), then rent car n slowly making our way to Queenstown.
 

mstoy

New Member
Hi there,
I went to New Zealand last year, Oct, and eventually brought a GPS. If you are self-drive and looking for a GPS, do PM me if you are keen. At time, GPS is quite useful and cut down a lot of time in looking for a specific place.. Thks.
 

happytea

Member
Hi angry, my hubby and I gave new zealand a miss for our honeymoon and now with a 3 yrs old boy, we are tempting to do south island. But well, with a small kid along, I dunno what would be the best itinerary.

Can u recommend us a suitable plan? We are looking at Nov of maybe 10days.. What can I expect or not to expect from this period?

Any recommended airlines?
Does anyone take Jetstars to NZ transit Australia? It is so much cheaper than SQ flights. But I can't imagine the long flight.
 

angy

New Member
Happy Tea

Jetstar dont fly to NZ till march next year. It is never cheap flying to NZ or going to NZ for a holiday. If cost is a concern, dont visit NZ. I can tell you, nothing is cheap in NZ compared to Singapore.

November is a good time to come, just before the school holiday starts of course.

A suitable plan? I think the more you do your research, the more you know what you want to do. If you want to come for 10 days, focus on specific places. Pleae read all my comments and other visitors feedback. You will know where you would like to go and what you want to do.
 

angy

New Member
Happy Tea,

when you coming in Nov, be careful of the West Coast of South Island. There are alot of sandflies.

Other than that, your 3 year old son will have a ball in NZ
 

oleander

New Member
Hi angy, need your advise, here is a rough plan of our itenary:

CHC - Kaikoura - Hanmer Springs - Lake Tekapo - Mt Cook - Wanaka - Queenstown - Dunedin - Oamaru - Akaroa - CHC

Need your advise, on the way back between Oamaru & Akaroa, where would be the interesting town to stop at? Do not want to drive long distance at 1 shot. ALso, is Nugget point worth visiting? We plan to stopby Nugget point along the way from Queenstown to Dunedin. Workable? Thanks so much.
 

beanieduckie

New Member
Hi folks, we are planning 17-18 days (exclude flight time) honeymoon in NZ south island.

Looking at 2 options now. Can the experts here advise which is better or if even doable in the first place?

Option 1: (openjaw, 18 days)
CHC - Kaikoura - Hammer Springs - Greymouth - Fox glacier - Wanaka - Mt Cook - Lake Tekapo - Dunedin - Invercargill - Te Anau - Milford Sound - ZQN

Option 2: (loop, 17 days)
ZQN - Wanaka - Fox glacier - Greymouth - Hammer Springs - Kaikoura - CHC - Lake Tepako - Mt Cook - Dunedin - Invercargill - Te Anau - Milford Sound - ZQN

Appreciate any advice or feedbacks... thanks a bunch!
 

angy

New Member
wah piang, suddenly so many people planning to come to NZ for holidays. OK here goes

Oleander,

1. How many days do you intend to spend in NZ?
2. If you drive fast, can take about 5hours or less to drive from Dunedin to Christchurch. Along the way, check out Moreaki Boulders. Why Akaora?
3. Nugget point is not along the way from Queenstown to Dunedin. I believe you can see seals along the way to Nugget Point. If you want to go there, make sure you go to the lighthouse.
4. Add Milford Sound if you got the chance.

BeanieDuckie,
Here are my feedback
a. I prefer option 1. But why do you need to fly off at ZQN. Very expensive airport to find out off to AKL.

b. Make either Wanaka or Te Anau your hub for your Invercargill/Milford Sound trip. Once you d-finish that, drive to Dunedin, stay for the night and next day five hours to Christhurch airport. Along the way visit Omarau, Moreaki Boulders.
 

beanieduckie

New Member
Thanks angy, qantas is having better price to fly out of zqn compared to chc, that's why we are thinking openjaw. What did you mean exp to find out of akl? Thanks for your help!
 

poseidon_gal

New Member
sooo exciting!!! Me is finally going NZ.. hee it will be a post-honeymoon trip as we were too broke to go NZ last yr during our wedding..

okie below is my plan.. 16 days (5/11~20/11) south island self drive trip..

5/11 : Reach CHC..
6/11 : Day tour to Kaikoura. Night at CHC
7/11 : Pick up rental car. Travel to Hokitika.
8/11 : Hokitika to Fox Glacier
9/11 : Fox Glacier
10/11: Fox Glacier to Wanaka
11/11: Wanaka
12/11: Wanaka to Te Anau
13/11: Te Anau ( day tour to Milford Sound)
14/11: Te Anau ( day tour to doubtful sound)
15/11: Te Anau to Dunedin
16/11: Dunedin
17/11: Dunedin to QT
18/11: QT to Mt cook village
19/11: Mt cook to CHC
20/11: CHC to Singapore

The reason why I travel from Te Anau to Dunedin then from Dunedin to QT..is becoz people been telling me that Lindis pass is really scenic..

Is my plan ok???? appreciate any suggestions..
 

angy

New Member
beanie,

if you are flying out of ZQN to Australia, that is good. I thought you need to fly from ZQB to AKL for a flight to Singapore.

Poseidon
6/11 : Day tour to Kaikoura. Night at CHC
7/11 : Pick up rental car. Travel to Hokitika.

why dont you hire the car and goto Kaikorua and from there, decide if you want to goto Hamner Springs. Instead of coming back to CHC.

11/11: Wanaka or Queenstown
12/11: Wanaka or Queenstown
Wanaka to Queenstown is quite near to one another. Why not finish Wanaka and Queenstown instead of back tracking.
Dont forget to goto Arrowtown. They are all along the way.

then you can change the following
17/11: Dunedin to QT
18/11: QT to Mt cook village
19/11: Mt cook to CHC

What do you want to do in Mt Cook Village? Are you going to see Lake Tekapo as well?
 

poseidon_gal

New Member
Angry,

We wanted to try taking the train in NZ..that's why decided on a day trip to Kaikoura..can take tranzcoastal train. Was told that Auther's pass is very scenic..that's why want to try going through Arthur's pass.. What's there to see in Hammer Springs? Worth giving up Aurther's pass to go to Hammer Springs?

I want to do Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound.. The drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound is more scenic and nearer compared to QT to Milford sound.. so suggest i skip Te Anau totally and stays in QT?

I was deciding between Mt cook village and Lake Tekapo..are they near to each other?? what is the difference actually?? Will staying at Mt cook village provide a better view of Mt cook?
 

oleander

New Member
Angy,

Thks fr the reply. We are spending 13days, is the itenary ok? May stop for 2 days in places like Queenstown,Dunedin. Have not plan the timeline yet.

yes, planning to do Milford sound as day tour frm Queenstown and skip te anau, advisable?

We are thinking of visiting akaroa before we head off back to CHC. Yes, will check out the Moereaki Boulders.

What do you think? no need to stay over at oamaru and drive off to CHC/Akaroa straight away? its 5hrs drive, any advise where to stop by? I'm bringing along my 4 & 5 yr old kids, so may need to stop along the way.

We are there from 7th sept onwards, what would be the temperature like? tks
 

angy

New Member
Oleander

13 days is ok, but dont goto to too many places.

If you want to do day trip based yourself either in Queenstown or Arrowtown. Arrowtown is a nice small place where the chinese came in the late 1800s for gold mining. Check out the pricing between Arrowtown and Queenstown.

Queenstown and Wanaka are going to be 2 expensive places. Be prepared to pay and pay.

Given that you are going to be there from 7th Sep onwards, I recommend goto the ski fields. Do a day trip and play with the snow. The ski slopes there are among the best in the southern hemisphere. The USA gold medal winner is currently training at Mt Hutt ski fields.

You can bypass Dunedin and drive to Oamaru and stay there for the night. Staying in Oamaru for the night will shorten your trip to CHC for the next day. Dunedin is much nicer but the distance to drive back to CHC is around 4-5 hours.

You are coming in September, it will not be warm. I recommend be prepared for cold weather and be careful when driving early in the morning. There might be black ice.

Akora is an inlet outside CHC.75Km from CHC. That means, 1 hour drive each way from CHC. Are you sure you have time? if you are flying off the same day?

I recommend spend time in the ski fields. But come prepared if you want to goto to the ski fields.
 

angy

New Member
Posiden

if you want to take the trans alpine express, are you going to do a day trip or staying in greymouth?

I dont think car rental companies allow you to pick the car at greymouth and return in CHC.

So, if you die die want to do the train trip, do it at the end of your journey. You spent 2 days for that. One day to go to Greymouth, next day to come back to CHC.

if you want to do the Sounds, stay at Te Anau. 1 day to Milford 1 day to Doubtful. Cheaper accomodation and shorter distance to drive compared to staying at Queenstown.

Mt Cook village is a long and boring drive from Twizel. From Mt Cook to CHC, you will pass by Lake Tekapo.

If you just want to see Mt Cook, I recommend the following.

18/11: QT to Lake Tekapo

Drive to Mt Cook village, look see look see and then stay at Lake Tekapo for the night. But if you want to do something at Mt Cook, then you have no choice but to stay at the village.

Last, make sure you visit the Salmon farm.

http://www.mtcooknz.com/mackenzie/product/?product=mount-cook-salmon-ltd
 

poseidon_gal

New Member
Angry,

I will be doing day trip to Kaikoura from CHC.. so will pick up car from CHC the next day then drive to Hokitika..
hmmm u are making me having 2nd tots about Mt cook village..how far is lake tekapo from mt cook village?
 

angy

New Member
Poseidon

distance is relative. It all depends what you want to do.

I suggest do a google search and decide what you like to do at each places
 

beanieduckie

New Member
Wow... with all the info here we are busy considering our options before the 2nd draft...

Hi Angy,you recommended booking accom and trips only in NZ, is this also true if we come mid Nov - early Dec (is it peak?)?

Accom mostly B/B or motels...

Some activities we hope not to miss are:
hotair ballooning, whale watching, observatory night tour, cruise milford, helicopter milford...

other activities should probably always available, just have to queue (shotover, glow worm cave, hang glide, trekking, horse riding, etc.)
 

angy

New Member
beanieduckie

No problem, mid Nov to early Dec, is easy to get accomodation. In fact, in CHC, there are many accomodation that you can book online, no need to go with SG travel agents.

All your activities are very expensive, so be prepared to pay. I think hot air balloon is good to do first thing in the morning. Whale watching is a matter of luck. Sometimes you see them, something you dont. There is a glow worm cave in Te Ananu.

go read what I have recommend in the past and the do you 2nd draft. In your 2nd draft, die die have to drive the Crown Range road. Google that
 

beanieduckie

New Member
Hi angy,

Unlikely we will book thru agents, how about online direct booking? Is that ok you think? Or booking in NZ itself is better?

Yeah, some of the stuff looks to be really ex... but since honeymoon is once in a lifetime, we will try to make the most of it. That said, will activities like hot air balloon / heli / cruise be overbooked in Nov / Dec? If no price diff then maybe booking thru net maybe safer bet, worry that there is limited space everyday.

btw, after doing research, there are possible alt routes... what is your opinion of them?

Hammer springs OR Nelson? (leaning towards HS cos N is a long way to go for wine and mussels)

Fox or FJ glacier? (which is the more scenic trek?)

Is Stewart Island worth the trip or should I add the time to one of the bigger cities?

Milford Sound is confirmed, is there still a need to visit Doubtful Sound? Or is it more of the same?

Ha... we have so many qns, thanks for your patience... =)
 

angy

New Member
beanie

you can book online, no problem. The challenge you faced is, what happen when you are in NZ, and then you decide either to extend one more day in place. That will mess up the rest of your trip if you prebook everything before you fly to NZ.

Nov is not the peak season. Plenty of opportunity, just where you are kaisi, kaisu, or kai bor. (haha)

Hammer Spring and Nelson, hahah, they are miles away. Hammer Spring is for hot spring, Nelson is for the hot weather and wine. If you are into wine, Nelson area is fantastic for Chardonnay, Pinor Gris and Savu Blanc.

If you driving up to Kaikorua, Nelson is up further another 2 hours. If you decide to travel to Nelson, then your travel plans will change again. You can drive by the west coast to greymouth.

Stewart Island is just an island nothing there, except for seafood and abalone and the peacefulness. You need at least 2 days there. One day to travel, one day camp overnight and one day back. The sea can be rough. But hey, you can tell everyone you been the lowest part of the island in the world.

When you goto Milford, you go see the Fjords. You dont have to decide now. Decide later.

If you are driving down from Greymouth, you will pass the 2 glaciers.

If you allocate 200 a day on accomodation and petrol, you should be fine. It is going to be an expensive trip but definitely worth it. Go read what I have recommend in this sub forum, but my opinions are biased.
 

poseidon_gal

New Member
Based on my original plan, I will be travelling from Wanaka - Te Anau - Dunedin - QT - Mt cook..
I feel that it is kinda stupid to backtrack from Dunedin to QT.. I can go direct from Dunedin to Mt cook.. but i heard soo much about Lindis pass..
Now i am thinking is it worth driving through my orignal route or should i forgo Dunedin then it will be a more direct route.. Te Anau to QT and QT to Mt cook.. or i forget about Lindis pass and travel from Dunedin to Mt cook..

Any suggestions???
 

beanieduckie

New Member
Hi angy... fine-tuned our itinery, what do you think? Too relaxed / too rushed?

Any chance to see the Aurora Australis north of Stewart you think? Sadly the solar flare arrived too early in Aug.

As for car rental, is it possible to shorten the period? Pick up on 18 Nov when leaving CHC and drop off 2 Dec after ZQN day trips... do we still need cars while in these major cities?

16 Nov - arrive CHC, city tour, Antarctic experience, stay CHC
17 Nov - hot air balloon (Cantebury), Avon punting, garden, stay CHC
18 Nov - to Kaikoura (2hrs) via Cheviot, whale watch, stay Kaikoura
19 Nov - to Hammer Springs (2.5hrs), hot springs, stay HS
20 Nov - to Greymouth (2.5hrs), Monteith's brewery, stay Greymouth
21 Nov - to Fox / FJ (2.5hrs), glacier trek, heli flight, stay Fox / FJ
22 Nov - to Wanaka (3.5hrs), Puzzling World, Lake Wanaka, Rippon vineyard, stay (Wanaka)
23 Nov - to Mt Cook (2.5hrs) via Lindis Pass, hike, salmon farms (not sure where), stay Mt Cook
24 Nov - to Lake Tekapo (1.5hrs), Lake Tekapo, Church of the Good Shepard, star gazing, stay Tekapo
25 Nov - to Oamaru (2.5hrs), hanglide/parapente, see penguins, stay Oamaru
26 Nov - to Dunedin (1.5hrs) via Moeraki, city tour, castle, stay Dunedin
27 Nov - Cadbury choc factory, see albatross, penguins, seals, stay Dunedin
28 Nov - to Invercargill (3hrs), city tour, see tuatara, the Bluff, stay Invercargill
29 Nov - to Te Anua (2hrs), glow worm cave, Milford Sound overnight cruise
30 Nov - to Milford Sound (2.5hrs), Milford track, stay Milford Sound
01 Dec - to ZQN (4.5hrs), city tour, stay ZQN
02 Dec - day trips to Arrowtown / Cromwell (via Crown Range), horse riding Glenorchy, stay ZQN
03 Dec - Shotover, Skyline ZQN, Gibbston Vineyard
04 Dec - chill and dep ZQN
 

angy

New Member
poseidon,

it all depends on how much time you have? Dunedin is a nice place to visit.

19/11: Mt cook to CHC
You will pass Lindis Pass right?

come back with a more detail plan
 

angy

New Member
beanie

wa, kiwis will love you, You will be spending alot of money in NZ. You trip easily 10K including air tickets.

Your trip very packed. I hope you will have energy after each day.

Have you check this?
30 Nov - to Milford Sound (2.5hrs), Milford track, stay Milford Sound

There are very few accomodation you can stay in MS.

01 Dec - to ZQN (4.5hrs), city tour, stay ZQN
02 Dec - day trips to Arrowtown / Cromwell (via Crown Range), horse riding Glenorchy, stay ZQN

ZQN is very expensive. You might want to stay in Arrowtown for 1 night.

You know your stuff. Aurora Australis can only be seen in the South Island. You need to go down to Invercargill to see them. However, sometimes it depends on luck. You might see it in Lake Tekapo.

Last, yes, you need cars in the major cities.
 

beanieduckie

New Member
heya angy...

you are right... estimate 10k is excluding food and shopping, blew the initial budget. We will see if we can cut some of the expensive stuff...
=P

We planned many stops to cut down on long stretches of driving but moving accomm every night maybe tiring too. Any suggestion on what to cut (hammer springs/greymouth/oamaru are possibilities - but the drive from Kaikoura-Fox will be too long)? and where to extend the extra days? (already cut Stewart Island and Doubtful Sound from original)

Haven't booked accom at milford, guess this is one place we must prebook then.

We found B&B just at the edge of ZQN going abt NZ120, reasonable? Not sure of availability though...

Abt car rental, so you think we need the car even within CHC and ZQN? Was thinking that the parking might be exp so we'd forgo the car at the start and end to cut cost... sigh

Thank for all the valuable info!!!
 

angy

New Member
Beanie

18 Nov - to Kaikoura (2hrs) via Cheviot, whale watch, stay Kaikoura
19 Nov - to Hammer Springs (2.5hrs), hot springs, stay HS

that can be combined and do a day trip, drive back to Hanmer Spring.


19 Nov - to Hammer Springs (2.5hrs), hot springs, stay HS
20 Nov - to Greymouth (2.5hrs), Monteith's brewery, stay Greymouth
21 Nov - to Fox / FJ (2.5hrs), glacier trek, heli flight, stay Fox / FJ

You might be able to stay at Fox G or FJ instead of Greymouth.

Kaikorua to Fox? that is possible provided you do no sight seeing but just driving.

Anything in ZQN is expensive, the rest are ok. If you are brave, book when you are in NZ. That means you have flexibilty where you want to stay and what you want to do.

Car parking is relatively cheap compared to Singapore. If you stay in a motel, parking inside the motel is free. If you shop, parking in shopping mall is free for 2 hours. If you park along the road, it all depends where you are. Parking range between $2-$4 an hour. After 5pm, free parking.

You need a car wherever you go. You are in NZ for a holiday and you dont want to muck around walking or typo in a foreign land.

If you want to check out the stars and aurora, do remember to bring along a wide angle lens.

My opinion, Mt Cook Village is boring unless there is something you really want to do in there. It is a long drive from Twizel.

last, crown range road, die die must go. But be careful when driving along there. It is gravel road not tar sealed.
 

oleander

New Member
Hi Angy, tks for your recommendation!

We plan to have a go in the skifield at wanaka, treble cone.

Any place in CHC that sells some winter accessories like gloves or those waterproof pants (not easy to find here)? would it be cheaper there
happy.gif
? And need your advise, we are staying at ibis CHC, can i know where is the nearest Pak & Save? tks
 

angy

New Member
Oleander,

If you going to the ski fields, you die die have to bring the children for skiing. Yes, children at age 4-5 can go for ski lessons.

If however, you chicken out and only want to goto the ski fields to walk around, you need to be careful with having the right footwear. Track shoes are useless on ski fields. You need like real tramping boots at least. Or, snow boots.

OK, since you are going to be ski fields for 1-2 days, I recommend dont buy anything from SG. The ski gears will kill you. It is bulky. But you need to bring along a waterproof jacket and a thermal vest. You do not need to buy a thick jacket, they are too bulky. Go read about layering guide in the Kathmandu website. If you want to, you can buy ski gloves from SG or come to NZ to buy them. Remember to bring suntan lotion to the ski fields and wear the right UV protection glasses in the ski fields. You will need a beanie too. (Beanie can be bought in NZ).

In NZ, you can goto Kathamandu or Macpac for all your ski gloves. I recommend hire all the ski gears at the ski fields. It might be expensive, but you dont have the hassle of bringing them back to SG. They are useless in SG anyway. I suggest google the ski field websites and get some information.

As for supermarket, you dont have to goto Pak n Save. You can goto New World, Countdown or Woolworths. Not much price difference and you can shop in other supermarket in your NZ journey.

here are the 2 websites you might find useful
http://www.kathmandu.co.nz/
http://www.macpac.co.nz/

those two companies having lelong sale now.

Please read the layering guide in the Kathmandu websites.
 

bluerosie

New Member
anyone can advise the weather and wat to watch out for there in mid Nov south NZ? My parents juz booked 10days there n is their 1st time to non asian country and wanna prepare them for the coldness or culture shock
 

oleander

New Member
angy, thanks for the detailed advise. Appreciate it so much! Can check one more thing with you, i would like to get a mini rice-cooker there as my son is a rice-eater. Is it available in the supermarkets that you mentioned? If not, I have to bring it from here, if it is diffulcult to find.
 

angy

New Member
Oleander

I suggest you buy a mini rice cooker for SG or you learn how to cook rice using microwave. It is impossible to find mini rice cooker in NZ.

Jaq
November weather is beautiful. average temperature around the 18-23
 

oleander

New Member
Angy, if thats the case then i bring one from here. Setting off for sydney tmr and NZ next week. Thanks for your help all this while, bless you for this!
 

beanieduckie

New Member
Hi angy, with our itinery almost finalized, we started looking at possible accoms around south island. One of the farm owners told us Nov is pretty popular time due to Singapore school holidays (!?!?!). Wow, didn't know bulk of their business came from SG tourists? (i didn't tell them we were from SG)

Anyway... a bit worried now, cos some of the activities we planned are going fast or already gone... wondering if it's time to relook at pre-booking

Eg. Milford Sound overnight cruise left with few spaces, if it is full during the actual day, we will be left without a roof over our heads as there will be no alt accom at that location.

Larnach Castle accom for nov weekends are all gone and it's only Sep... wow!

Now we are intensifying search for accom in smaller town like Fox glacier and Lake Tekapo... also for activities that are once a day affairs like hot air ballooning...

Not as easy as we thought apparently.

Are there many more bnbs in NZ that are not listed online? If those online are all there is, certain points of our trip will be in jeopardy.

Your thoughts, are they bluffing? Thank you!
 

angy

New Member
Beanie

Are you coming during SG school holidays? If it is, you are in dire straits.

In my experience, November for motels are pretty ok. If you die die want farm stay and at specific location, yes, it is an issue. However, if you just want a place to sleep, I cannot see why not.

Like I mentioned before, Milford Sound is special because you cannot stay inside the Sounds itself. So, maybe for the cruise, you have to book.

Larnach Castle, why you want to stay there? You do know that it is haunted.

Where else can you hunt? Here are some examples:
http://www.bookabach.co.nz/
http://www.holidayhouses.co.nz/
http://www.travelbug.co.nz/
http://www.truenz.co.nz/farmstays/
http://www.travelplanner.co.nz/accommodation/farmstay.cfm
http://www.farmstaynewzealand.co.nz/
http://www.dunedinnz.com/Home/Accommodation/Farmstay/tabid/337/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

Btw, you must have heard that Christchurch has a big earthquake today of a 7.4 magnitude. I recommend you forget about Christchurch when you are in NZ during November. Personally, i think it will take sometime before the town can rebuild itself.
 



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