New Zealand - Please help me plan!
Discussion
If it helps, we managed to fit in Christchurch - Mt Cook - Wanaka in a single day. At Mt Cook we visited the salmon farm and did a ski-plane up onto the Tasman glacier, and that was it (saw the important stuff, except for the astronomy centre).
What I would say though, is that of all the sights, Mt Cook is probably the most weather-dependent. If it's overcast, you won't see the mountain and the planes won't fly...
You could probably also do Kaikoura as a drive-by - the only thing there really is the whale-watching cruises, but I'd research those first - by all accounts your chances of seeing a whale are very season-dependent and average ~50%...and you're stuck in the boat for 3-4 hours in uncertain seas hoping for a 20-second sighting. Reports suggest still worthwhile if you see one, frustrating if not. Akaroa is an alternative - Black Cat Cruises do 'swimming with dolphins' (dry-suit) trips out to the edge of the Akaroa bay-area where there's usually a pod of Hectors. Again, not guaranteed either sighting or playful dolphins, but sightings there are well over 80% apparently - on our day-trip from C'church we saw about 4 or 5, none of whom wanted to play though...
So could I suggest this alternative itinerary (depending on what time you land):-
C'church OR Kaikoura - 1 night
Blenheim / Nelson - 2 nights
Abel Tasman - 2 nights
F-Josef - 1 or 2 nights (you'll make it there easily in a day)
Qu'town - 2 nights
Te Anau / Doubtful Sound / Milford Sound - 2 nights
Wanaka - 1 or 2 nights, depending on the weather for
Mt Cook - 0 or 1 night, depending on weather and whether you want to see observatory
Christchurch & Akaroa - 1-3 nights, depending on what's left.
(Yes I've taken Hokitika out, but what's there that you want to spend the night there for?)
...which could leave you with a night or two spare to slot-in.
The downside is that in Dec you might HAVE to book your accomodation in advance - check e.g. TripAdvisor forum, see what they think.
PS - roads on south island are SO quiet (outside of the big towns/cities) that even despite the speed limits you'll still make good time between places.
What I would say though, is that of all the sights, Mt Cook is probably the most weather-dependent. If it's overcast, you won't see the mountain and the planes won't fly...
You could probably also do Kaikoura as a drive-by - the only thing there really is the whale-watching cruises, but I'd research those first - by all accounts your chances of seeing a whale are very season-dependent and average ~50%...and you're stuck in the boat for 3-4 hours in uncertain seas hoping for a 20-second sighting. Reports suggest still worthwhile if you see one, frustrating if not. Akaroa is an alternative - Black Cat Cruises do 'swimming with dolphins' (dry-suit) trips out to the edge of the Akaroa bay-area where there's usually a pod of Hectors. Again, not guaranteed either sighting or playful dolphins, but sightings there are well over 80% apparently - on our day-trip from C'church we saw about 4 or 5, none of whom wanted to play though...
So could I suggest this alternative itinerary (depending on what time you land):-
C'church OR Kaikoura - 1 night
Blenheim / Nelson - 2 nights
Abel Tasman - 2 nights
F-Josef - 1 or 2 nights (you'll make it there easily in a day)
Qu'town - 2 nights
Te Anau / Doubtful Sound / Milford Sound - 2 nights
Wanaka - 1 or 2 nights, depending on the weather for
Mt Cook - 0 or 1 night, depending on weather and whether you want to see observatory
Christchurch & Akaroa - 1-3 nights, depending on what's left.
(Yes I've taken Hokitika out, but what's there that you want to spend the night there for?)
...which could leave you with a night or two spare to slot-in.
The downside is that in Dec you might HAVE to book your accomodation in advance - check e.g. TripAdvisor forum, see what they think.
PS - roads on south island are SO quiet (outside of the big towns/cities) that even despite the speed limits you'll still make good time between places.
hornetrider said:
Matt.. said:
hornetrider, a heli hike is definately on the list, and i am quite interested in a heli ride somewhere else too. I was thinking of maybe one around Mt Cook? Only issue is i am on my own, so would need to go when i could join another group as i can't afford a whole heli for myself!
We had an uber expensive day that day and also took a scenic plane ride around Mt Cook - it was a small 8 seater job and flew up the glacier. It complemented the heli-ride really well - recommended!!
The plane is great, views are amazing, you're fine going on your own, they just fill it up with other paying passengers, so you don't pay to hire the whole plane on your own (unless you want to!).
Also, we went on an escorted hike onto the lower slopes of one of the glaciers, about a 4 hour walk though, but not too taxing unless you're not fully able bodied (ladder to climb in one place).
I did the south island as my honeymoon last summer.
If you want to climb a glacier then I was advised to avoid the busier franz joseph and go to fox. I think (I may be wrong)that fox is a bigger glacier and quieter than franz.
Also I preferred wanaka to queenstown, less spoiled and slightly quieter.
What I must say is that I had the same amount of time as you over there and still couldnt acheive all that I wanted. The country is so big and there are so many things that you will see that will make you stop and get out to take a pic that you may find that you need to be a bit flexible on your itinery.
If you want to climb a glacier then I was advised to avoid the busier franz joseph and go to fox. I think (I may be wrong)that fox is a bigger glacier and quieter than franz.
Also I preferred wanaka to queenstown, less spoiled and slightly quieter.
What I must say is that I had the same amount of time as you over there and still couldnt acheive all that I wanted. The country is so big and there are so many things that you will see that will make you stop and get out to take a pic that you may find that you need to be a bit flexible on your itinery.
matt.m said:
I did the south island as my honeymoon last summer.
If you want to climb a glacier then I was advised to avoid the busier franz joseph and go to fox. I think (I may be wrong)that fox is a bigger glacier and quieter than franz.
Also I preferred wanaka to queenstown, less spoiled and slightly quieter.
What I must say is that I had the same amount of time as you over there and still couldnt acheive all that I wanted. The country is so big and there are so many things that you will see that will make you stop and get out to take a pic that you may find that you need to be a bit flexible on your itinery.
What were the best things you did then? The things that i cannot miss!?If you want to climb a glacier then I was advised to avoid the busier franz joseph and go to fox. I think (I may be wrong)that fox is a bigger glacier and quieter than franz.
Also I preferred wanaka to queenstown, less spoiled and slightly quieter.
What I must say is that I had the same amount of time as you over there and still couldnt acheive all that I wanted. The country is so big and there are so many things that you will see that will make you stop and get out to take a pic that you may find that you need to be a bit flexible on your itinery.
One thing i do have on my side (kind of!), is that as i'm on my own, i will generally be able to see and do things a lot faster, so hopefully it wont be too bad. Though i do agree that everything needs to be flexible, if only to deal with the ever so slightly variable weather!
Edited by Matt.. on Tuesday 4th August 19:22
havoc said:
Mt Cook - 0 or 1 night, depending on weather and whether you want to see observatory
I thought it was just me that would enjoy going to Mt John 
It's an hour's drive from Mt Cook, just outside Tekapo. There's a good view during the day, but if you're really interested they do night time tours where you can look through a telescope - weather depending.We tried three times to go on a tour, but two nights it got cloudy (one night was a nice storm), and the last day I fractured my elbow by falling into a stream about 10 miles south of Mt Cook.
The only issue with staying at Mt Cook, if you want to do a Mt John night time tour, is that they won't know whether it's going to go ahead until about 30 minutes before the tour is due to start. Since you're an hour away, you won't make it, so you have to go there regardless an hour before and hope it goes ahead. Here's a crap photo:
Driving back at night is interesting, pretty much every single mammal in the vicinity will dart out in front of your car!
cottonfoo said:
The only issue with staying at Mt Cook, if you want to do a Mt John night time tour, is that they won't know whether it's going to go ahead until about 30 minutes before the tour is due to start. Since you're an hour away, you won't make it, so you have to go there regardless an hour before and hope it goes ahead.
And Mt Cook (or whichever place is on the main-through-road just south of the foot of Lake Tekapo) looks like a complete backwater of a town even by NZ standards...we were there in mid-Sept at ~5.45pm (thinking about looking for a place to stay and a restaurant). We drove in, saw the metaphoric tumbleweed drifting through the place, then looked at the map, worked out Wanaka was <2 hours away, grabbed some drinks and snacks for the car and legged it to Wanaka...best decision of our holiday!havoc said:
And Mt Cook (or whichever place is on the main-through-road just south of the foot of Lake Tekapo) looks like a complete backwater of a town even by NZ standards...we were there in mid-Sept at ~5.45pm (thinking about looking for a place to stay and a restaurant). We drove in, saw the metaphoric tumbleweed drifting through the place, then looked at the map, worked out Wanaka was <2 hours away, grabbed some drinks and snacks for the car and legged it to Wanaka...best decision of our holiday!
Yep, that's Twizel, not much there or in Mt Cook Village itself. I stay at the Hermitage mostly just for the hiking, the views on the way up to Mueller Hut are awesome.You can just about make out the Hermitage and village in the middle-right:
Matt.. said:
I am definately not taking a bus. I much prefer the freedom of having a car, and i will meet plenty of people in the hostels
Oh and in NZ you cannot hire fun cars
they don't seem to have any!
Smart Cars out of Auckland seemed to have a slightly more interesting range. We did it in a E92 3-series convertible. No issue crossing islands and not that bad for the mileage charges. On reflection, an A4 cab would have been better as the canvas roof doesn't reduce the boot space so much. Nice way to travel... people kept asking us what the special occasion was - european prestige cars are kind of rare I guess! IIRC they had MX5 and mini coopers too...Oh and in NZ you cannot hire fun cars
they don't seem to have any!By the waym internal flights are pennies. Just because you land in Christchurch, you don't have to stay there... you could fly from Christchurch to Auckland, then spend your time travelling round both islands?
Matt.. said:
I might just do a heli flight around Mt Cook. Not 100% on that yet, but it might be a fun thing to do, and means i dont have to stay all that long, as it doesn't sound such a great place!
It isn't a great town, but the heli flight either from that side or up one of the glaciers finishing somewhere near Mount Cook summit is amazing v15ben said:
Matt.. said:
I might just do a heli flight around Mt Cook. Not 100% on that yet, but it might be a fun thing to do, and means i dont have to stay all that long, as it doesn't sound such a great place!
It isn't a great town, but the heli flight either from that side or up one of the glaciers finishing somewhere near Mount Cook summit is amazing Here's my itinerary that i think i'm going to book
2 - Christchurch (fly in from Melbourne)
3 - Lake Tekapo/Mt Cook
4 - Queenstown
5 - Queenstown
6 - Te Anau (+ Milford Sound)
7 - Te Anau
8 - Wanaka
9 - Wanaka
10 - Franz Josef (+ Haast/Mt Aspiring)
11 - Franz Josef
12 - Christchurch (+ Akaroa)
13 - Christchurch
14 - Abel Tasman
15 - Abel Tasman
16 - Nelson
17 - Nelson
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch (fly out to Sydney)
Does this seem ok? It's approx 1,800 miles driving, which is 37hrs or so!
2 - Christchurch (fly in from Melbourne)
3 - Lake Tekapo/Mt Cook
4 - Queenstown
5 - Queenstown
6 - Te Anau (+ Milford Sound)
7 - Te Anau
8 - Wanaka
9 - Wanaka
10 - Franz Josef (+ Haast/Mt Aspiring)
11 - Franz Josef
12 - Christchurch (+ Akaroa)
13 - Christchurch
14 - Abel Tasman
15 - Abel Tasman
16 - Nelson
17 - Nelson
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch (fly out to Sydney)
Does this seem ok? It's approx 1,800 miles driving, which is 37hrs or so!
Looks perfectly achievable, and a sensible amount of time in each place. I'd perhaps swap Wanaka and Queenstown around, and (unless you want to go to the observatory or heli-ski) ditch the night in/near Mt Cook - we drove from C'church to Mt Cook, did a ski-plane onto the glacier, did the salmon farm, took a few hundred photos and still got to Wanaka around 8pm.
Edited by havoc on Sunday 13th September 22:57
havoc said:
I'd perhaps swap Wanaka and Queenstown around, and (unless you want to go to the observatory or heli-ski) ditch the night in/near Mt Cook - we drove from C'church to Mt Cook, did a ski-plane onto the observatory, did the salmon farm, took a few hundred photos and still got to Wanaka around 8pm.
Yeah that is a possibility. I only really have that in as i'd quite like to do a helicopter trip of Mt Cook. If i took that out i might be able to work things so that i free up a day. I could then maybe add in somewhere like Picton?Slightly amended version:
2 - Christchurch (fly in from Melbourne)
3 - Queenstown (+Lake Tekapo, +Mt Cook)
4 - Queenstown
5 - Te Anau (+Milford Sound)
6 - Te Anau
7 - Wanaka
8 - Wanaka (+Mt Aspiring)
9 - Franz Josef (+Haast)
10 - Franz Josef
11 - Christchurch (+Akaroa)
12 - Christchurch
13 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
14 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
15 - Nelson
16 - Nelson
17 - Picton
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch (fly out to Sydney)
On a map: http://houlbrooke.co.uk/travel/nz2.png
Here is a slightly different route
2 - Christchurch
3 - Christchurch (+Akaroa)
4 - Queenstown (+Lake Tekapo, +Mt Cook)
5 - Queenstown
6 - Te Anau (+Milford Sound)
7 - Te Anau
8 - Wanaka (+Mt Aspiring)
9 - Wanaka
10 - Franz Josef (+Haast)
11 - Franz Josef
12 - Arthurs Pass
13 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
14 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
15 - Nelson
16 - Nelson
17 - Picton
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch
On a map: http://houlbrooke.co.uk/travel/nz1.png
Edited by Matt.. on Monday 14th September 00:16
Please give me your thoughts!
Thanks
Edited by Matt.. on Monday 14th September 00:17
Matt.. said:
Slightly amended version:
2 - Christchurch (fly in from Melbourne)
3 - Queenstown (+Lake Tekapo, +Mt Cook)
4 - Queenstown
5 - Te Anau (+Milford Sound)
6 - Te Anau
7 - Wanaka
8 - Wanaka (+Mt Aspiring)
9 - Franz Josef (+Haast)
10 - Franz Josef
11 - Christchurch (+Akaroa)
12 - Christchurch
13 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
14 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
15 - Nelson
16 - Nelson
17 - Picton
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch (fly out to Sydney)
I would consider shifting the middle Christchurch visit and doing it at the end before you leave. You could then go directly up the west coast from Franz Josef to Nelson, which is a pretty neat drive (and means less time on the road overall). Then again, you can get most of that with your planned itinerary if you do Chch-Nelson via the Lewis pass...2 - Christchurch (fly in from Melbourne)
3 - Queenstown (+Lake Tekapo, +Mt Cook)
4 - Queenstown
5 - Te Anau (+Milford Sound)
6 - Te Anau
7 - Wanaka
8 - Wanaka (+Mt Aspiring)
9 - Franz Josef (+Haast)
10 - Franz Josef
11 - Christchurch (+Akaroa)
12 - Christchurch
13 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
14 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
15 - Nelson
16 - Nelson
17 - Picton
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch (fly out to Sydney)
Picton and the Marlborough Sounds are well worth seeing - perhaps take 2 days there.
Matt.. said:
2 - Christchurch (fly in from Melbourne)
3 - Queenstown (+Lake Tekapo, +Mt Cook)
4 - Queenstown
5 - Te Anau (+Milford Sound)
6 - Te Anau
7 - Wanaka
8 - Wanaka (+Mt Aspiring)
9 - Franz Josef (+Haast)
10 - Franz Josef
11 - Christchurch (+Akaroa)
12 - Christchurch
13 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
14 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
15 - Nelson
16 - Nelson
17 - Picton
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch (fly out to Sydney)
On a map: http://houlbrooke.co.uk/travel/nz2.png
Here is a slightly different route
2 - Christchurch
3 - Christchurch (+Akaroa)
4 - Queenstown (+Lake Tekapo, +Mt Cook)
5 - Queenstown
6 - Te Anau (+Milford Sound)
7 - Te Anau
8 - Wanaka (+Mt Aspiring)
9 - Wanaka
10 - Franz Josef (+Haast)
11 - Franz Josef
12 - Arthurs Pass
13 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
14 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
15 - Nelson
16 - Nelson
17 - Picton
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch
On a map: http://houlbrooke.co.uk/travel/nz1.png
This is my best plan so far, though i'm thinking of dropping Picton and using the day elsewhere. Does anyone have any ideas on whether i should keep Picton or go somewhere else?!3 - Queenstown (+Lake Tekapo, +Mt Cook)
4 - Queenstown
5 - Te Anau (+Milford Sound)
6 - Te Anau
7 - Wanaka
8 - Wanaka (+Mt Aspiring)
9 - Franz Josef (+Haast)
10 - Franz Josef
11 - Christchurch (+Akaroa)
12 - Christchurch
13 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
14 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
15 - Nelson
16 - Nelson
17 - Picton
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch (fly out to Sydney)
On a map: http://houlbrooke.co.uk/travel/nz2.png
Here is a slightly different route
2 - Christchurch
3 - Christchurch (+Akaroa)
4 - Queenstown (+Lake Tekapo, +Mt Cook)
5 - Queenstown
6 - Te Anau (+Milford Sound)
7 - Te Anau
8 - Wanaka (+Mt Aspiring)
9 - Wanaka
10 - Franz Josef (+Haast)
11 - Franz Josef
12 - Arthurs Pass
13 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
14 - Nelson (+Abel Tasman)
15 - Nelson
16 - Nelson
17 - Picton
18 - Kaikoura
19 - Christchurch
On a map: http://houlbrooke.co.uk/travel/nz1.png
Maybe an extra day in Queenstown, if you've nothing better - the roads around there are lovely, the lake is beautiful, and with the drive down from C'church you'll only have one full day there otherwise.
Alternatively, how much time would heading to the SW coast and then to Te Anau cost you?!?
Alternatively, how much time would heading to the SW coast and then to Te Anau cost you?!?
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff