New Zealand - Help me plan what to do!

[Matt..]

I have decided on a route around the south island of New Zealand (i will be there in December!). I'm interested in seeing what people think that i should do at each stop along the route though.


2nd - 3rd
Christchurch
- Day trip to Akaroa

4th
Mt Cook
- Lake Tekapo
- Maybe a help trip

5th - 6th
Queenstown

7th - 8th
Te Anau
- Day trip to Milford Sound

9th - 10th
Wanaka
- Skydiving (maybe...!)

11th - 12th
Franz Josef
- Haast
- Lake Matheson
- Heli hike

13th
Arthur's Pass
- Walks

14th - 15th
Abel Tasman
- 2 day sea kayaking trip

16th - 17th
Nelson

18th
Kaikoura
- Whale watching (maybe)

19th
Christchurch

[soprano]

Wow busy schedule!! Nice route though, you will have a blast. When in Queenstown make sure you go luging - great fun.

ETA check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD0fpSHBPZk

Edited by soprano on Wednesday 21st October 09:59

[rhinochopig]

There was a long thread on exactly this subject - some good advice in it.

[Don]

The Moeraki Boulders are worth seeing once.



Great route: we pretty much did a circumnavigation of the South Island a few years back. It was excellent.

[adam85]

I was lucky enough to go there this year too, great sounding route you have there - budget more time and money than you might expect in Queenstown mind! Also make sure to get a Fergburger!! Kaikoura Whale Watching is also pretty special, also the Franz Josef Glacier hike is great fun!

[Dan_1981]

Whale watching is worth doing once. - i think you get a refund if you don't spot anything.

I skydived in Taupo - great view, great company - Taupo Tandem Skydiving - discount for doing an early morning jump - benefits - no time to worry about it.

[Bonefish Blues]

I'd advise that between the 2nd - 19th inclusive you should be enjoying some of the finest trout fishing in the world, but that may be a little "focussed" for your requirements?

[Don]

Dan_1981 said:

Whale watching is worth doing once. - i think you get a refund if you don't spot anything.

Pah! Whales. Big boring feckers with bad breath.

Give me Dusky Dolphines splashing the tourists purely for fun anyday...much more fun than the grey ones bowriding...

Kaikoura is worth a visit - AND a Whale Watching trip out. But the whales are the most boring thing you will see whilst out there...

[timbo48]

Pretty much what we did in the mid 90s, except for Arthurs Pass. We found that after moving on everyday rather than staying in places we liked for a couple of days got too much in the end and did the latter. If you're going whale watching book early, we didn't thinking that there would be no trouble getting out to see them and, needless to say, everything was fully booked for a week ahead. Banks Peninsula is nice and Akaroa a nice little town, street names in French! We stayed on a campsite in Abel Tasman called The Barn, I think. It's at a place called Marahau where you can catch a water taxi (boat turns up on a trailer at the cafe, you help to launch it......what health and safety?) which takes you along the coast to Torrent Bay, where you can walk back. We were lucky on the boat and joined in with a local dolphin pod on the way there. Great cafe/bar at the end of the walk plus the local brew is good, too. Must go back there.

[51mon]

In Queenstown at the moment and can certainly second the Fergburger advice....! Drove in from Fox glacier yesterday over the Haast pass, ace road with stunning views, just a pity I was driving a bloody campervan, plenty of things broken uin the back after the drive......!

[sjg]

Good schedule.

I'd consider doing the overnight Doubtful Sound trip instead of Milford - goes lunchtime to lunchtime (just down the road from Te Anau) which fitted with our schedule better and it's the only boat in the place. Watching the sun set and come back up the next morning was fantastic.

Lake Matheson is great before dawn, watch the sun come up across the glass-flat lake. Wouldn't bother with a heli trip onto the glacier, the normal ones are only half-day and as long as you're reasonably fit, no big deal. Gives you a great sense of the scale of the things.

The Abel Tasman trip is a great call, we did a one-day and it was ace.

And if you're into thrillseeking, I'd maybe skip the skydive and do one of the bungys (or maybe the Canyon Swing) in Queenstown. One of the best places in the world for it, and the Nevis bungy is one of the highest you can do anywhere.

[Kylie]

Hi Matt sounds like you got it pretty sussed to me. Tekapo is lovely, take the time to visit Mt John observatory. Webby > www.tekapotourism.co.nz
also the tekapo canals have a salmon farm. Fun feeding the fish. All the best for yr travels

[Matt..]

I am now in the process of booking all the hostels, could anyone recommend any for the places i am visiting? Mainly i am after ones for Queenstown and Wanaka, most of the others are sorted

Thanks!

[Dan_1981]

I had a very very nice hostel in Queenstown but i can't for the life of me remeber its name.

I'll check when i get home if i can find my old diarys and stuff.

[havoc]

sjg said:

I'd consider doing the overnight Doubtful Sound trip instead of Milford - goes lunchtime to lunchtime (just down the road from Te Anau) which fitted with our schedule better and it's the only boat in the place. Watching the sun set and come back up the next morning was fantastic.

Seconded. Did it 12 months ago (booked in advance, though!!!) and the crew were excellent, the food was good, and the place was sublime - all the more special for being the only boat on the sound, too!

[YRRunner]

Queenstown is a blast. Bit too early for marvellous ski-ing in the Remarkables but I can highly recommend the "Fly by Wire" in the middle of a canyon, and the Jet boat run down the river. Both very exciting. I agree with the previous post, you may need more time in Queenstown. Great bars and nightlife in the centre too. Love it. The flight into Queenstown airport is a thrill in itself!!

[bullies180]

I'm going to NZ too next year, so....

BUMP

[nw28840]

don't botehr booking accommodation in advance :

use : http://www.wotif.com/?country=NZ

get to stay in some fantastic places for good prices by booking a few days in advance or that morning.

Plenty of internet cafes' , couple of dollars to use the internet for 15 minutes, book online with a credit card and away you go - did this for 20 odd nights whilst over there and stayed in a couple of great hotels for b&b prices during the trip.

[nw28840]

don't bother too much with booking accommodation in advance :

use : http://www.wotif.com/?country=NZ

get to stay in some fantastic places for good prices by booking a few days in advance or that morning.

Plenty of internet cafes' , couple of dollars to use the internet for 15 minutes, book online with a credit card and away you go - did this for 20 odd nights whilst over there and stayed in a couple of great hotels for b&b prices during the trip.

[havoc]

nw28840 said:

don't botehr booking accommodation in advance :

use : http://www.wotif.com/?country=NZ

get to stay in some fantastic places for good prices by booking a few days in advance or that morning.

Plenty of internet cafes' , couple of dollars to use the internet for 15 minutes, book online with a credit card and away you go - did this for 20 odd nights whilst over there and stayed in a couple of great hotels for b&b prices during the trip.

A good idea, IF you're going out-of-season. We went in September, did some research beforehand on e.g. TripAdvisor for good places, and rang each place a day or two beforehand. Had no problems, even in Queenstown.

However, we were told that some places book up very quickly at peak times, so it all depends when you're going...