Back from South island New Zealand

hutkahn

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Just ticketed my return tickets to Auckland. Going for full 9 days. Can anyone share your self drive itinerary? Thanks!

Btw, i already spent 16 days at south island last year, so want to explore north this time.

When will you be going? What kind of stuff are you interested in doing?
 

kakashixx

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Here is my revised itinerary:

Day 1 Reach Christchurch 9.30am. Rest & Explore
2 Christchurch to Franz Josef Glacier via Arthur Pass
3 Franz Josef Glacier
4 FJG to Wanaka
5 Wanaka
6 Wanaka to Queenstown
7 Queenstown
8 Queenstown
9 Te Anau
10 Milford Sound
11 Te Anau to Dunedin
12 Dunedin
13 Dunedin to Mount Cook
14 Lake Tekapo
15 Lake Tekapo to Kaikoura
16 Kaikoura
17 Kaikoura to Chirstchurch
18 Depart Christchurch 10.50am


Workable? Or i should allocate more time to certain part?

Remove te anau, dedicate 1 full day to do milford sound from queenstown. Start early n return by night.

Glacier is weather dependent but the last timee i went, i took the same risk n fortunately made it.

dunedin n kaikoura..depends on how much u really want to visit them..to me, its optional.

Lastly, u shld have more days in wanaka, the best place in south island for me!
 

hutkahn

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going in august. Bringing along my 8 mth old baby (by then). We like scenery.. Visit hobbitons.. Donno what else is interesting at the north. Is there Fergburger?

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August will still be winter, but in the North it's not so bad (around 0-10 degrees at night, so make sure you bring warm clothes especially for your baby).

I did a drive up to Auckland from Wellington when I was there, about 13 days total, but I don't think you will need to drive so far south since there's really not that much there unless you are really keen on visiting the cafes and Te Papa museum in Wellington :D

I've never explored the North of Auckland, so perhaps other bros can weigh in too. For Hobbiton, I suggest you base yourself nearer, like in Rotorua, and go for the first tour in the morning (9.30am) as it gets crowded after that and you can't really take nice pictures.

Around Auckland, I'd hit Piha beach (about 1hr west of Auckland city) for the black sand beach, and perhaps Rangitoto and Waiheke islands (vineyards).

Then head south towards the middle of North Island. Waitomo caves below Hamilton was quite an experience for me - I did black water rafting there but not suitable for your baby. There are guided boat tours though so perhaps can look at those! The glowworms hanging on the cave ceilings give a rather surreal experience.

For scenery, you can't go wrong with Rotorua and Taupo. Red wood forest in Rotorua is majestic, the Green and Blue lakes also quite good on a sunny day (rare in winter though). Then there's the thermal pools and Maori cultural experiences, and of course the Skyline and Luge offer some pretty good views of the surrounding. Tauranga is also nearby and I've heard Mt. Maunganui is pretty good. If you're feeling up to it, can visit Cathedral Cove, but it is a bit out of the way.

Taupo is quite a small city, but Huka Falls, Craters of the Moon and very nice places to visit for the scenery. Of course, Lake Taupo is also a must-see as Singapore can fit inside it :s13: From Taupo you can venture south a bit to see the three volcano mountains - they should still be snow-peaked. The desert road has a pretty good view of the 3 volcanoes.

Don't try to hit too many places, better to spread out your time and enjoy NZ! Even along the state highways, there are plenty of scenic rest stops where you can just stop for a while to snack and have a short rest. With 9 days I think you can cover these few places comfortably spending 2-3 days at each place.

Also check out http://holidayhouses.co.nz for some nice accommodation alternatives! Just remember to clean up after yourselves and don't leave too huge a mess :o
 

nicholaslee

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Thank you! A lot to digest but looks like you have planned out for me nicely!

Btw, I dont need any snow chain for my car for all those locations mentioned right
 

hutkahn

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Thank you! A lot to digest but looks like you have planned out for me nicely!

Btw, I dont need any snow chain for my car for all those locations mentioned right

Nope, roads in North Island should be fine! If you get a data sim you can also do without renting GPS also since the highways are quite straight-forward and generally well-signposted. I found I only needed to refer to maps/GPS in cities only haha
 

sellun

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Oh ya.. On my last south island trip, I got both data sim and rented the expensive GPS! Really I can do without GPS at north entirely and depend on my google map?

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Probably you can try and do campervan. I tried it in south during winter as well. Really quite fun and you don't have to move from hotel to hotels. KEA's vehicles comes with free GPS and is at half price during winter season!
GPS is not really needed but definitely good to have. There are many areas where you can't get mobile network thus you need to rely on satalite. Or you can preload the map in your phone and use your phone GPS too.

Sent from iPhone 7 using GAGT
 

nicholaslee

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Probably you can try and do campervan. I tried it in south during winter as well. Really quite fun and you don't have to move from hotel to hotels. KEA's vehicles comes with free GPS and is at half price during winter season!
GPS is not really needed but definitely good to have. There are many areas where you can't get mobile network thus you need to rely on satalite. Or you can preload the map in your phone and use your phone GPS too.

Probably not doing campervan.. not so adventurous :eek:

Am also concerned about no mobile network. Which app does preloading of map? Can google map app on android do it?
 

hutkahn

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Usually you won't get reception in places that are in the middle of nowhere (literally) haha. One such example is the desert road from turangi to Palmerston North. But on such roads usually there's no reason to stop so it's just going straight down anyway.

Google maps allows you to cache maps for offline use, but I preferred using the hardcopy maps to plan my routes and get my bearings. Go to any i-Site upon arrival and they should be well-stocked with free maps and brochures. Take like the Singaporeans we are :D I found the AA Island maps and the Jasons regional maps to be quite good.

Sent from using GAGT
 

nicholaslee

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Around Auckland, I'd hit Piha beach (about 1hr west of Auckland city) for the black sand beach, and perhaps Rangitoto and Waiheke islands (vineyards).

I was reading up on Waiheke island. Since I am renting a car, should i take a car ferry over and drive there? Am intending to find a nice villa or apartment to stay for a night or two! Are meals easily accessible there?
 

x_xicecube

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we are heading to CHC arriving first week of Dec , going to mount cook , wanaka and queenstown .
I am currently looking for a lakehouse nearby wanaka , any reccomendation ? prefer a place that is by the lakeside:) we have 7 adults and a kid
 

tripletrax

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WTS: NZ Intercity bus passes

If any of you are planning on taking buses in NZ, I have two Intercity Flexipasses to sell. Each one has 18 hours (worth NZD 147) and is valid until 30-Apr-2016.

They are a great way to travel round the country. And yes, they're totally transferable, so it's all legit! :) The reason I have to sell these is that my travel companion already bought them, and I hadn't checked beforehand.

PM me to negotiate and purchase.

Happy travels!
 

miniapple25

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Anyone tried BA flights from SIN to Christchurch?

Hi all,

Appreciate some advice on flights. We are planning a trip to South Island this Sep and were looking at flight schedules. SQ is the only airline with direct flights to Christchurch and they are a slight tad expensive. Found BA flight schedule which I wonder if it's do-able especially the return segment where the stopovers at Auckland and Sydney is only 1 over hour? Anyone took these flights to share if we have to load/offload my luggage? And is Terminal D and I in AKL airport very far apart? Can we make the transfer in 1hour? Many thanks for any thoughts.

----- DEPART -----
SIN-SYD 1920/0505+1 BA15
Stop over SYD Terminal 1 for 3h5m
SYD-CHC 1005/1510 Air New Zealand 884

----- RETURN -----
CHC-AKL 0955/1115 Air New Zealand 514
Arrive AKL Terminal D Stop over for 1hr20m

AKL-SYD 1300/1335 Air New Zealand 719
Depart AKL Terminal I
Arrive SYD Terminal 1 Stop over for 1hr55m

SYD-SIN 1530/2145 BA16

Regards,
Apple
 

punggolkid

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Hi all,

Appreciate some advice on flights. We are planning a trip to South Island this Sep and were looking at flight schedules. SQ is the only airline with direct flights to Christchurch and they are a slight tad expensive. Found BA flight schedule which I wonder if it's do-able especially the return segment where the stopovers at Auckland and Sydney is only 1 over hour? Anyone took these flights to share if we have to load/offload my luggage? And is Terminal D and I in AKL airport very far apart? Can we make the transfer in 1hour? Many thanks for any thoughts.

----- DEPART -----
SIN-SYD 1920/0505+1 BA15
Stop over SYD Terminal 1 for 3h5m
SYD-CHC 1005/1510 Air New Zealand 884

----- RETURN -----
CHC-AKL 0955/1115 Air New Zealand 514
Arrive AKL Terminal D Stop over for 1hr20m

AKL-SYD 1300/1335 Air New Zealand 719
Depart AKL Terminal I
Arrive SYD Terminal 1 Stop over for 1hr55m

SYD-SIN 1530/2145 BA16

Regards,
Apple

I personally find 1 hour to be a little tight if there are delays on the inbound flight into AKL and the knock on effects of your next flight from SYD. Since you are not booking on the same ticket, you won't be entitled to re bookings or refunds should you miss the BA flight. It's not a risk I was willing to take when I was planning my trip to CHC.

Why not book Qantas? They have codeshare with Emirates as well for a wider selection of flights and it also gives you peace of mind knowing its booked on a single itinerary. And it involves only 1 transfer on either leg.

I booked my flight on SQ in the end though. Save all the hassle.
 

hutkahn

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Hi all,

Appreciate some advice on flights. We are planning a trip to South Island this Sep and were looking at flight schedules. SQ is the only airline with direct flights to Christchurch and they are a slight tad expensive. Found BA flight schedule which I wonder if it's do-able especially the return segment where the stopovers at Auckland and Sydney is only 1 over hour? Anyone took these flights to share if we have to load/offload my luggage? And is Terminal D and I in AKL airport very far apart? Can we make the transfer in 1hour? Many thanks for any thoughts.

----- DEPART -----
SIN-SYD 1920/0505+1 BA15
Stop over SYD Terminal 1 for 3h5m
SYD-CHC 1005/1510 Air New Zealand 884

----- RETURN -----
CHC-AKL 0955/1115 Air New Zealand 514
Arrive AKL Terminal D Stop over for 1hr20m

AKL-SYD 1300/1335 Air New Zealand 719
Depart AKL Terminal I
Arrive SYD Terminal 1 Stop over for 1hr55m

SYD-SIN 1530/2145 BA16

Regards,
Apple

If it's booked on a single itinerary, you should be fine and luggage etc should be checked-through. If you're booking separately, then not enough time.

What about Qantas/Emirates options? I found their pricing to be quite competitive with BA's, plus Emirates food tends to be better :D they should also have flights with 1 stopover (probably SIN-MLB-CHC) which is less troublesome
 

darknezx

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Hi guys, have bought my tickets for 9 days (excluding flight) to South Island. Is it sufficient to see the main sights? I'm a scenic person. Reaching christchurch at 2pm.

Thinking whether to pay an extra 100 bucks to extend by 2 days.

Saw this itinerary and think may not need so many days at QT, any suggestions?

d1 - arrive in cc. take a day trip to kaikoura or akaroa. have a good night rest
d2- collect car. drive to fox glacier / franz josef glacier . overnight
d3 - ice walk in glacier. drive to wanaka. over night @ wanaka
d4 - QT
d5- ??
d6- ??
d7- dunedin
d8- lake tekapo
d9- mt cook
d10- ??
d11- sg
 
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