New Zealand + Cook Islands

[engineer21]

So, planning a trip away next summer july/aug for a friends wedding in the cook islands

looking for any advice on the whole trip basically
planning 5-7 days in the cook islands then 2 weeks in NZ

anyone thats done a road trip, campervan holiday etc in NZ with any hints or tips would be great! still at planning stage so no flights booked yet

cheers

[moles]

If you driving id suggest sticking to one island as the roads are amazing but can be quite slow as loads of twisty bits and distances are vast. We hired a car for 2 months last year and did both islands but still missed loads out as not enough time to visit some places. Will be winter as well that time of year so south island is likely to have snow which could make things interesting on some of the passes. We found it about a third cheaper to hire a ford focus and stay in 4star hotels and apartments than it was to hire a camper and stay on camp sites. Decide which island you want to visit first and go from there if you need to visit both islands then fly as will save loads of time.

[WhereamI]

Hmm, july/august. Winter in NZ, personally I wouldn't be choosing that time of year (not that you have a choice), particularly in South Island you are talking similar weather to the UK now, temperatures in single digits etc.

It's probably no help but I'd be looking to spend my two weeks elsewhere in the south pacific or asia and do NZ at a better time of year.

[engineer21]

cheers for quick replys, yeah will admit the time of year is a concern and one we are thinking about,
mabye 10 days in LA is better option?
she does have her heart set on NZ tho is the weather that bad???

we would really want to see a bit of both islands, idea was to drive right from one end to other but maybe thats not really possible?
thanks for tip on car/hotel mabye we will try and mix it up between both

keep the tips / ideas coming

cheers

[Fleegle]

I did 10 weeks touring in NZ over a July/August/September

Weather wasn't too bad, but certainly not shorts time of the year. I did both islands , the North was sunny for most of that period, the South was like Scotlands early winter. Saw snow in the mountains but most roads were passable. Worst area over that period is Milford sound for some reason.

I'm pleased I went that time of year, campervan was cheap, nowhere was too busy

Fantastic place by the way, so much scenery that will make your jaw drop

[WhereamI]

engineer21 said:

cheers for quick replys, yeah will admit the time of year is a concern and one we are thinking about,
mabye 10 days in LA is better option?
she does have her heart set on NZ tho is the weather that bad???

we would really want to see a bit of both islands, idea was to drive right from one end to other but maybe thats not really possible?
thanks for tip on car/hotel mabye we will try and mix it up between both

keep the tips / ideas coming

cheers

Personally I'd get round the world tickets, fly somewhere, stay a few days, fly on further, stay a few days etc.

NZ in winter is like the UK in winter, maybe a little warmer, but not greatly so. It's a maritime climate, much like the UK - climate-wise just think of it as the UK in maybe October/November and you won't get it far wrong. It's also similar in size to the UK in that top to bottom is about 1,000 miles whilst Land's End to John O'Groats is 900ish. It doesn't have the same quality roads though, but then it doesn't have the same volume of traffic.

For me it was one of those places I always wanted to go to but I found it to be a disappointment. I have customers there now and I've been maybe six times, three in the past year. It's 'nice' but very quiet and slightly weird. I'd say that the main attraction is the scenery, particularly in South Island, and that's a big part of the reason I'd say not to go in winter.

I guess if it's somewhere you would really like to go the question is whether you are likely to be able to go again at another time. If yes then I'd give it a miss this time, but if this is a bit of a 'trip of a lifetime' then there is no reason not to go, just expect winter and expect to need to wrap up warm.

[moles]

I wouldn't spend 1 day in LA if I was you let alone 10 it is a truly horrible place and exactly the opposite of anything NZ has to offer. San Francisco is a good option though and a nice place but 10 days might be a bit too much what about Australia sydney or cairns/brisbane?. You could drive top to bottom but at a guess is 30hrs worth without stopping so would waste so much time and wouldn't do the place any justice at all.

Edited by moles on Sunday 25th November 14:06

[Matt..]

If the US is an option then in 10 days you could easily do the standard loop of:
- LA to LV (2 nights)
- Death Valley (1 night)
- Yosemite (2 nights)
- San Francisco (2 nights)
- Carmel (1 night)
- Santa Barbara (1 night)
- LA


NZ will probably be ok though, but it isn't really the optimal time for visiting, and the weather will probably be wet and cold

Edited by Matt.. on Sunday 25th November 15:18

[engineer21]

hi guys, cheers well coming from the very north of scotland it might be ok out there!
already done austraila, and yeah my plan would be the standard road trip in america but might just stick to NZ but mabye look into a good stopover on the way back,
ive no doubt ill be back in NZ sometime, as love travelling. and i do like the fact that stuff will be a bit cheaper as its off season etc

my first driving holiday so how is it to drive there? standards of accomadation good??

cheers

[WhereamI]

You should have mentioned northern scotland, you'll feel right at home!

Driving is easy, obviously on the left, roads are small but traffic is light and pretty law abiding. Roads are well maintained generally. Accommodation is fine in the mid range, but lacking at the higher end it least in the cities, but there's some very nice B&B style places in lots of places if you seek them out.

[Bluebarge]

Well the Cook Islands will still be nice at that time of year - average max about 25c. I'd aim to spend a week in Rarotonga and Aitutaki if I were you, then fly on to enjoy some Scottish weather in NZ.

[sjg]

My first trip to NZ was in August - yes, the south of the south island will be cold but we had beautiful crisp clear weather (mostly) and everything still runs. We did the jet-boat and kayaking trip down the Dart river still - they just dress you up in wetsuit, etc and chuck a few extra layers over the top to keep you toasty! There are ski areas around there but tend to be up higher, roads between places are usually fine.

As you get further north it gets more temperate - places like Bay of Islands will be in mid to high teens, maybe in the 20s during August. We dived at Poor Knights at that time, and it was OK in wetsuits.

2 weeks is pushing it for an end to end driving holiday - we did Queenstown to Bay of Islands in 2 1/2 weeks but we skipped out a lot of things (no Doubtful or Milford Sound, for instance) and tended to spend half of each day driving on to the next place. I reckon fly down to Queenstown or Christchurch, do a week-long loop around there then fly back up to Auckland and spend a week checking out Coromandel or Bay of Islands.