14 day honeymoon in NZ. Itinerary help please

Old Jul 28th, 2014, 10:43 PM
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14 day honeymoon in NZ. Itinerary help please

Hi,

We are planning to visit NZ from Dec 26, 2014 - Jan 9th 2015 on our Honeymoon. We will be landing in Auckland on 26 Dec (00.05 hrs) and will be leaving back from Auckland on 9th Jan (1:35 hrs). Our budget is around 5500 NZD excluding tickets.

I need your help in suggesting and reviewing my 14 day Itinerary, as my would be husband will be the only one driving throughout, and we are looking forward for a relaxing time out after all the busy ceremonies and hectic months we will go through.
Any suggestions on Hotel / resorts specially in Auckland and Queenstown / Wanaka will be most welcome.
Also if you can suggest what we should be seeing at the places We will be visiting will be welcomed.

Itineray 1 ----------

26 - 27 stay in Auckland and explore (site seeing suggestions)

28. Fly to CHC; explore

29. drive to Mt Cook via Lake Tekapo

30. Drive to Queenstown (2N)

31 explore/celebrate NYE

1 Jan. Drive to Wanaka

2. Drive to FJG

3. Heli flight; drive to Punakaiki

4. Drive to Hanmer Springs via Lewis Pass or directly to Chch via Arthurs Pass

5. Drive to Chch

6. Fly to Rotorua (2N)

7. Explore thermal area

8. Drive to AKL via Waitomo Caves

9. Fly home
__________________________________________________ _____________

Itinerary 2 ------
26th Dec - Auckland - Rest after long flight

27th Dec - Drive to Coromandel

28th Dec - Coromandel

29th Dec - Coromandel to Rotorua via Hobbiton

30th Dec - Explore Rotorua -

31st Dec - Drive to Auckland via Waitomo and fly to Queenstown. Or fly from Rotorua to Queenstown

1st - Queenstown

2nd - Queenstown

3rd - Queenstown or Wanaka

4th - Drive to Franz Josef

5th - Franz Josef

6th - Punakaiki

7th - Christchurch

8th - Christchurch, fly to Auckland in evening

9h - Fly home

__________________________________________________ ________

Itinerary 3 ----

26. Auckland

27. Fly to ChCh

28. Drive to Mt. Cook Via Lake Tekapo

29. Mt. Cook stay

30. Drive to Queenstown

31. Queenstown

1. Queenstown

2. Queenstown to Wanaka ( I wanted to go to Milford sound , but not sure if I can do a day trip to kayak there) Any suggestions pls. how to fit in this in my schedule OR will it be too much of driving?

3. drive to FJG - stay there a day (accommodation suggestion? )

4. Punakaiki - stay there a day (accommodation suggestion? )

5. ChCh - drive to ChCh via arthur's pass

6. Auck - site seeing and accomodation suggestion (which area should we look for a hotel)

7. Auck - site seeing

8. Auck - site seeing

9th - Fly home

Any suggestions on finalizing the Itinerary will be very helpful. I am confused in which will be the better Itinerary to cover the jewels of NZ and yet be relaxed and rejuvenated from the trip.

We might never visit NZ again so this is our only chance to cover the best.

Thanks a ton in advance.
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Old Jul 29th, 2014, 09:19 PM
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Hi Arps_G -

The one constant in all three of your itineraries is that you're trying to do too much in too little time.

All of these itineraries involve a considerable amount of driving and multiple one night stays; so essentially, you're spending the bulk of your holiday getting from place to place.

You also seem to have an inordinate amount of time dedicated to Auckland (Itinerary 3), which is a mistake IMO. NZ is about the scenery, not the cities.

It's impossible to 'cover the best' without a massive amount of driving/flying, and as one man's 'best' is another man's 'miss', you need to determine what's the 'best' for you.

I suggest you concentrate on one island (and I strongly recommend it be the SI), and slow things down a bit, perhaps spend 2-3 nights in a given location so you can actually experience the places you're driving to.
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Old Jul 29th, 2014, 09:45 PM
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Hi there,

I'm not sure where you are coming from so my advice re Auckland May be a little premature. I like itinerary 3 (and 1) but I would cut out some time from Auckland to make sure you get to do Milford sound. Auckland is a bit of a ghost town through the Christmas / new year period (which can be good) but it is just a city. But you don't get to do waitomo or Hobbiton with this one. What exactly are you wanted to see / experience?

If you really want to see Hobbiton and waitomo caves then itinerary 1 is probably the goer. Can you fly directly to rotorua from Chch? I recall my last flight there from Auckland and it was a flying pencil - six or nine seater I think...it's a tiny airport. An idea to keep Milford sound in his itinerary could be to fly directly to QT from akl rather than going via Chch. While the drive from Chch to QT via is nice you get plenty of views of mt cook at fox glacier (lake Matheson) but I guess that depends whether you want to see lake tekapo or Milford sound more...a very personal choice.

And depending on where you are travelling from you could connect straight from akl to QT on the same day and recoup in beautiful QT. Akl airport is 30mins drive from the CBD (rec staying there close to the viaduct precinct) so if you're only there overnight and you're really tired I wonder how much you'll really take in??

Otherwise the bones seem good so far

Note - The reason I thought itinerary 2 wasn't as good is that the coromandel is packed at that time of year and I just don't think you have enough time to do it justice, travel will be slower through this region as a lot of aucklanders leave on the 26th to go on holiday at their bach's (holiday homes)...well about 100000 mainly aucklanders. Don't get me wrong the coromandel peninsula is beautiful but I think it's simply a time thing
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Old Jul 29th, 2014, 09:48 PM
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And agree with what Melnq8 just said
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Old Jul 30th, 2014, 03:02 AM
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Then I can reduce the stay time in Auck and fly directly to QT. Please let me know if this seems feasible for driving or will I still be covering too much in too lil time.

Our focus is most on the scenery and enjoying the beauty. less driving and more or relaxation.

26th - Auck
27th- QT -- Fly Auck to QT
28-31 - QT for NYE ( cover Gremouth, Wanaka, Wineries ??)
1-2 Milford sound / Te Anau
3-4 - FJ Glacier
5-6 Punakaiki
7- ChCh - Fly to Auck
8 - Auck (Fly to Bangalore , India)
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Old Jul 30th, 2014, 03:33 AM
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You're making progress Arps.

I fail to see the point of spending a day in Auckland upon arrival (26th) assuming that's your plan??? It's unsafe to hop into a rental car after a long international flight, and even if you don't drive, chances are you'll be so tired from your journey that you won't have time/energy to do much, so why not just fly directly from Auckland to Queenstown on the first available flight?

If perhaps I've misunderstood, and you plan to spend a night at the Auckland airport before your onward journey, I can highly recommend the Novotel right at the Airport.

You can't realistically 'cover' Greymouth from Queenstown, it's a 8.5 hour drive ONE WAY, and there's nothing in Greymouth worth driving that far for. If you're thinking glaciers, as I assume you are, you should visit them on the way to Christchurch, on a one way journey from Queenstown, which is quite feasible if spread across 2-3 days.

You can easily see Wanaka (90 minute drive from QT) and many wineries within an easy drive of QT - be sure to check out Cromwell for their lovely Pinot Noir and dry Rieslings.
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Old Jul 30th, 2014, 07:52 PM
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Agree re staying the night in akl unless you arrive really late and there are no connections in which case the novatel at the airport will be perfect. It's a 30min drive from the airport to the CBD / waterfront if you know where you are going, there is an airport bus but otherwise only taxis and they rip you off. The waterfront is nice but you will get plenty of scenery down South.

Akl to QT is just over an hour and a half and the airport is 15mins drive from down town QT. Easier to pick up your rental for your first drive in NZ. Or catch the bus...taxi

If you are heading up to the glaciers / punakaiki post QT then you won't need to go to greymouth while staying in QT as you'll drive through there heading up the west coast. Wanaka is doable for a day trip and you'll head past their from QT to the glaciers too.

You'll need to check that the accomodation will let you check in / out over the ny period, some require a minimum stay .

Looking good
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Old Aug 2nd, 2014, 02:51 PM
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Based on our experiences in the SI last year trying to do too much despite melnq8's wise advice, I think that I might do this:


26th - Auck - Fly Auck to QT
27th- QT - stay 4 nights.
31st - drive to Te anau, stay 2 nights -
1st - Milford sound [need to check if it will operate this day]
2nd - Te Anau to Wanaka, stay 2 nights
4th - FJ Glacier - stay 2 nights
6th - Punakaiki
7th - ChCh - Fly to Auck
8th - Auck (Fly to Bangalore , India)

I know that this has the disadvantage that you will not be in QT for New year's Eve.

you could do it the other way round if that is important to you:

26th - Auck - Fly Auck to c/curch. stay one night.
27th- drive to FJ via Hokitika stay 2 nights.
29th - drive to Wanaka, stay 2 nights -
31st - Drive to QT, stay 4 nights [need to check if it will operate this day] book up early to get the best NYE rates.
4th - drive to Te Anau, stay 2 nights, see Milford sound
6th - drive back to QT - Fly to Auck
7th - overnight in Auckland
8th - Auck (Fly to Bangalore , India)
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Old Aug 21st, 2014, 11:20 PM
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Annhig,Melnq8,Osteorach

Below is what we are planning so far, We will start the booking of hotels by this weekend.
But before we start I want the last bit of advise on few doubts that I have.
We dont want to start travelling immediately after our long flight from Blr - Auckland, so are prefrring to stay at one location for 2-3 days of more and I selected QT to be that.
We want our NY to be celebrated in QT, which so far everyone has vouched is the best place, but staying from 26-31 will take away our time on other locations .
Should I remove Punakaiki from my Itinerary or it is a must visit.
One option is going to ChCh from Auckland as suggested by Annhig and then travelling from north to south.
And another option is fly to QT and then travel from south to north but in that case we are staying in QT for 5 days until NY.

I really need your advise to freeze it this weekend, so tht we can start our bookings.

26- 31Dec -- Fly Auck to QT
1-2 jan -- Te Anau (2 days)
3 Jan -- Drive to FJG from TE Anau (Will it to be too much to drive from Te Anau to FJG or shud we stay in QT)
3-4 Jan -- FJG via wanaka (stay 2 nights)
5 Jan -- Punakaiki (1 night)
6 Jan -- Drive after Breakfast from Punkaiki to ChCh
7 jan -- ChCh (Fly to Auck)
8 jan -- Auck ( Fly to Blr)

Thanks very much in advance

Arps
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Old Aug 25th, 2014, 06:34 AM
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Hi Arps,

personally I would find that length of time in QT too much, especially over the Christmas hols when I expect it will be heaving.

You don't have to go north from C/Church. [sorry if I gave that impression].

Anyway, as it's important to you to be in QT for New Year's Eve, why not try this:

26th - Auck - Fly Auck to c/curch. stay one night.
27th- drive to Oamaru [or dunedin] - stay one night.
29th - drive to QT stay 3 nights
31st - Drive to Te Anau, stay 2 nights - see Milford Sound
2nd - drive to Wanaka, stay 2 nights,
4th - drive to FJ - stay 2 nights
6th - drive towards Christchurch, stay ?
7th - finish drive to C/church. Fly to Auckland, overnight there.
8th - Auck (Fly to Bangalore , India]

if you can fly from Nelson to Auckland, you could drive there instead :

26th - Auck - Fly Auck to c/curch. stay one night.
27th- drive to Oamaru - stay one night.
29th - drive to QT stay 3 nights
31st - Drive to Te Anau, stay 2 nights - see Milford Sound
2nd - drive to Wanaka, stay 2 nights,
4th - drive to FJ - stay 2 nights
6th - drive to Hokitika - stay one night
7th - drive to Nelson. Fly to Auckland, overnight there.
8th - Auck (Fly to Bangalore , India]

if necessary you could drive to Nelson in a day from FJ - we did it in a day going the other way but it's hard going - it took us from approx 9am to 5pm with not much time for stops.

The trouble is, there are no perfect trips. Every itinerary involves some compromise and only you can decide what is a "must see" for you.

good luck!
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Old Aug 25th, 2014, 09:21 AM
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Hi Annhig,

Me and my fiancee are planning to freeze the below itinerary...

12/25/2014 1 Chennai
12/26/2014 2 Auckland
12/27/2014 3 Auckland
12/28/2014 4 Invercargill
12/29/2014 5 Invercargill
12/30/2014 6 Te Anau
12/31/2014 7 Te Anau
1/1/2015 8 Queenstown
1/2/2015 9 Queenstown
1/3/2015 10 Queenstown
1/4/2015 11 Wanaka
1/5/2015 12 FJG
1/6/2015 13 FJG
1/7/2015 14 ChCh
1/8/2015 15 Auckland

I was jus wondering if we shud stay in Wanaka or directly go to FJG from QT and then stay a day in Punakaiki enroute to ChCh.

Thanks for your help in advance!
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Old Aug 25th, 2014, 01:35 PM
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Hi Arp,

glad that your trip is coming together. We didn't get to Invercargill so I can't help you there - perhaps Melnq8 knows it.

for driving times we relied heavily on the pathfinder atlas that we fortunately found in a petrol station on our first day and it proved to be pretty accurate.

it reminds me that Wanaka to FJ is 6 hours, and starting from QT adds another hour or so to the journey. so either way, a looong day.

however, much worse than that is FJ to C/church which is at least 8 hours on the road, with perhaps an hour's stop or so. personally, to avoid that I would drop Wanaka and go straight from QT to FJ on 4th Jan [you're writing the dates in the US way which is confusing me]. If you stay 2 nights, you will then be leaving there on 6th Jan which will give you a night en route to C/Church, which you could spend somewhere on Arthur's pass. [I'd want to book as I don't think there's that much accommodation on that road] or at Punakaiki, though it is a bit out of your way.

I would try hard to get hold of a copy of a map book or website of NZ that has driving times so that you can ensure that the driving you are planning to do is realistic. We changed out plans half way through our trip as we realised that we'd over-reached ourselves. luckily we were able to cancel our 2 nights in Te Anau as we'd used the free cancellation terms on booking.com, and to extend our stay in Wanaka by the same amount, but that might not be possible over the Christmas period.

the good things about the long distances is that you don't have many one night stands, and you'll be travelling when the days are longest, so if you get an early start, you'll have plenty of daylight to finish your journeys.

Have a great trip!
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Old Aug 25th, 2014, 03:14 PM
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I'm curious why Invercargill Arps?

We spent three nights there once, but there's not much on offer for visitors, as it's an agricultural town. It's the gateway to Stewart Island (via Bluff), but not usually on the itineraries of first time visitors.

QT to Franz Josef is doable, but it's a very long day with lots of places to stop en route to walk and take photos. Get an early start from QT.

Punakaiki isn't on the way to Christchurch. It's 45 minutes north of Greymouth. The turn off to Arthur's Pass (to get to Christchurch) is 25 minutes south of Greymouth. So by adding Punakaiki into the mix, you're increasing the usual 5.5 hour drive from Franz to Christchurch to eight hours. So there won't be any day left to spend in Punakaiki.
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Old Aug 25th, 2014, 08:17 PM
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We wanted to travel from south to north in south island.. so thought of taking a flight to Invercargill from Auckland.
As per earlier itinerary we planned of flying to QT and then go to Te Anau and then to Wanaka which was increasing our travel time. I shud then stick to earlier plan or fly to ChCh and go all the way to Te Anau and fly back to Auck.
OR shud we fly to Dunedin and then rent a car all the way till ChCh.
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Old Aug 25th, 2014, 09:18 PM
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I think adding Invercargill just confuses matters and eats up time better spent elsewhere.

I think your plan of flying from Auckland to QT and then working your way north is a good one.

It takes 2:15 to drive from Invercargill to Te Anau. It takes 2:00 to drive from QT to Te Anau. Therefore, starting in Invercargill actually adds drive time and it uses up two of your nights.
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