Back from South island New Zealand

the_dog

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Hi,

How much petrol do I need for a drive around South Island?

My itinerary will include driving from Greymouth down to Milford Sound, and then up across to Kaikoura, and finally back to Christchurch.

I assume the gas prices are about the same as SG's?

It really depends what sort of car you rent - obviously an SUV will consume more petrol than a small hatchback.

And do note that petrol prices in NZ are not fixed like our fake "free market" system. :s22: The prices vary between stations and towns. You can check out pricewatch.co.nz to see which places have cheaper petrol and plan to top up there.
 

carleon8

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It really depends what sort of car you rent - obviously an SUV will consume more petrol than a small hatchback.

And do note that petrol prices in NZ are not fixed like our fake "free market" system. :s22: The prices vary between stations and towns. You can check out pricewatch.co.nz to see which places have cheaper petrol and plan to top up there.
I should be renting a small economical car. There are only 2 of us and we don't want to spend too much on the car rental.

From google map, it seems I may need 4 -5 tanks of petrol. Is that an underestimate?
 

the_dog

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I should be renting a small economical car. There are only 2 of us and we don't want to spend too much on the car rental.

From google map, it seems I may need 4 -5 tanks of petrol. Is that an underestimate?

NZ roads are mostly clear of traffic, so you can assume highway type of consumption, probably anywhere from 12km/l to 15km/l for an economy car.

You can just total up your distance covered by your route, add maybe 10-20% more for driving around towns and getting lost :s22: Then divide by the estimated consumption and you get the number of litres you should be burning off. Then multiply by the average price per litre of petrol and you get roughly what you will spend on petrol.
 

carleon8

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NZ roads are mostly clear of traffic, so you can assume highway type of consumption, probably anywhere from 12km/l to 15km/l for an economy car.

You can just total up your distance covered by your route, add maybe 10-20% more for driving around towns and getting lost :s22: Then divide by the estimated consumption and you get the number of litres you should be burning off. Then multiply by the average price per litre of petrol and you get roughly what you will spend on petrol.
thanks. I'll do that. :)
 

peepee

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Jetstar got promo to NZ. Auckland is around $690 - 2way. If go during Sep school holiday is it cold? Thinking of doing campervan again. Last time, I did campervan in Sydney....
 

touchme

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Jetstar got promo to NZ. Auckland is around $690 - 2way. If go during Sep school holiday is it cold? Thinking of doing campervan again. Last time, I did campervan in Sydney....

mar-apr book was 2-for-1 promo, works out to S$550 each.
pls do camper, in a more rugged manner.
And do update your sydney thread, though I am only other supporter.(same for mine..lol)
 
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lunn89

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Hello guys, I'm thinking of going south nz next year June. As me and my friends are still students, we can only afford 3k Max. Thinking of doing campervan road trip.
Rental (6 berth) and fuel will be shared by 4-5 person.

since June is winter, the rental will be quite cheap.
We wanna do mostly free camping and will not eat out.
Skipping all paid tour and attractions, mainly focus on sceneries.

Possible? Do you guys thinking it's doable with 3k for maybe 14-20days?
 

touchme

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Hello guys, I'm thinking of going south nz next year June. As me and my friends are still students, we can only afford 3k Max. Thinking of doing campervan road trip.
Rental (6 berth) and fuel will be shared by 4-5 person.

since June is winter, the rental will be quite cheap.
We wanna do mostly free camping and will not eat out.
Skipping all paid tour and attractions, mainly focus on sceneries.

Possible? Do you guys thinking it's doable with 3k for maybe 14-20days?

So here you are, without my reply there...sorry.
tot you are doing aussie 1 month, and now is NZ-20 days?
Will talk to you at the campervan thread for more exclusivity..lol
But din i advise you not to go 6-berth, have 2x 3-berths instead?

June in NZ may be a tag too cold to enjoy, but on the other hand lo-season, lower cost, and caught more snow, if you like.

Nz is a land of both sceneries and adventures..So you shdn;t just skip the latter, though I must admit it is getting very costly at $180-$270 for a 5 seconds jump, and >$1000 for a-hr flyover or >1500 for heli-sightseeing. Perhaps just go for farm buggy-rides, or heli-hikes, choosing the less commercialised places. Such activities are available islandwide, not just in Queenstown.

Also, it is not mentally healthy to eat in and car-camp non-stop 1 month.
Eat out, and check in cabins/motels every few days for a thorough cleanup and top-up, unless you really have a superb chef amongst you.

But I can say, booking your flight at the right time, your $3k can be enough for you 1 month in NZ, without having to stinch, just thrift, and see more than what most others see and xp.

See you at : http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/australia-trial-317/nsw-camper-4258792.html
 
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mata_hippo

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not advisable to do campervan during winter period...

nz with campervan during april also quite cold at night liao...

i did campervan in the north island in april and used a normal sedan for the south in june+stay in backpackers...
 

chuan3205

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Hi all, I would appreciate your advices for part of my proposed itinerary. Gonna self-drive throughout:

Mt Cook > QT - stay 2 nights
QT > Milford Sound - going for overnight cruise
Milford Sound > Te Anau > Dunedin - stay 2 nights
Dunedin > Oamaru > Wanaka
Wanaka > Fr. J Galcier

Ain't sure if this plan is too tedious or allocated insufficient time for certain places.

My alternative plan for this same period of time is:

Mt Cook > Oamaru > Dunedin
Dunedin > Te Anau
Te Anau > Milford Sound - going for overnight cruise
Milford Sound > QT - stay 2 nights
QT > Wanaka
Wanaka > Fr. J Glacier

Better?

Thanks! :s22:
 

touchme

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Hi all, I would appreciate your advices for part of my proposed itinerary. Gonna self-drive throughout:

Mt Cook > QT - stay 2 nights
QT > Milford Sound - going for overnight cruise
Milford Sound > Te Anau > Dunedin - stay 2 nights
Dunedin > Oamaru > Wanaka
Wanaka > Fr. J Galcier

Ain't sure if this plan is too tedious or allocated insufficient time for certain places.

My alternative plan for this same period of time is:

Mt Cook > Oamaru > Dunedin
Dunedin > Te Anau
Te Anau > Milford Sound - going for overnight cruise
Milford Sound > QT - stay 2 nights
QT > Wanaka
Wanaka > Fr. J Glacier

Better?

Thanks! :s22:

how is it that both your plans starts from MT cook, and ends at the glacier?..wouldn't it be the cities with bigger airports like CH, DN or QT?
unless you heli from north island.
 

Some-one

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Interested in going New Zealand one day as well. Is it easy to get around New Zealand via public transportation? Must it be self-drive?
 

touchme

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Interested in going New Zealand one day as well. Is it easy to get around New Zealand via public transportation? Must it be self-drive?
Depends on your available time.
Self drive covers more ground in less time.
overall, dep on your travel group, size, lifestyles and habits,, NOT necessarily backpacking lower costs than self drive.
 

chuan3205

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how is it that both your plans starts from MT cook, and ends at the glacier?..wouldn't it be the cities with bigger airports like CH, DN or QT?
unless you heli from north island.
Hi, this just part of my itinerary.

The beginning is like what you have mentioned, touch down in CH then drive off from here to Lake Tekapo > Mt Cook. :)
 

chuan3205

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I'll be transiting in Sydney on flight to CH. Do I still need to apply VISA in this case? :s11:
 

♥Strawberry♥

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Hello pro travellers,

I'm asking as a free&easy city tourist and who only flip through NZ lonelyplanet. Clicked around NZ official tourist website and I got the rough idea that NZ is about doing exciting outdoor activities, if not, just relaxing trip by hitting the beach/vineyard/cultural maori visits etc.

I'm more inclined towards the latter option but would like to add in abit of affordable outdoor activities to make the entire trip well balanced. I'm planning for 9days and since this is a 2-girls-trip, I prefer a safe itinerary. I hold a driving license but not comfortable to drive in foreign land especially when I don't drive in Sg. =.= Bleh.

Heard from colleague that hiring a driver to drive us around will be much more exp than Asian countries coz labour costs are much higher. Is that true?

Any advice?
 

touchme

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Hi, this just part of my itinerary.

The beginning is like what you have mentioned, touch down in CH then drive off from here to Lake Tekapo > Mt Cook. :)

Since you include Fox glacier, May even be an anti-clockwise roadtrip from CH-glaciers, thru Arthur's Paas ,the west coast is also as charming.
 
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