18 days nz.

Old May 26th, 2016, 08:07 AM
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18 days nz.

Help. Is this do able? On a motorhome in early aug.

Our main aim is to just soak in the scenary (especially mt cook, milford sounds and franz josef) and introduce snow to our 6 year old.

day 01 - arrived. cc. Zzz

day 02 - cc. motorhome

day 03 - lake tekapo/pukaki

day 04 - aoraki/mt cook

day 05 - qt/wanaka

day 06 - te anau? Fishing?

day 07 - milford sound

day 08 - franz josef

day 09 - franz josef

day 10 - hokitika

day 11 - picton

day 12 - wellington

day 13 - waitomo caves

day 14 - rotoroa

day 15 - matamata

day 16 - te henga

day 17 - auckland

day 18 - flying off

I feel like squeezing in some jetboat and rainbow end or even dunedin somewhere? Possible?

thanks.
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Old May 26th, 2016, 12:04 PM
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I hope your motorhome has heat!

Your itinerary is overly ambitious and in some areas completely unrealistic.

You've not taken into consideration drive times - for instance, your itinerary goes seriously wonky on Day 8 - the drive from Milford to Franz Josef is about 10 hours! They're separated by a mountain range.

Do I understand correctly that you're planning fifteen one night stays in 18 days?? Do you really want to move around that much?

You need to look at a map and drive distance calculator and go back to the drawing board:

Driving long distances on the same day you plan to explore doesn't make much sense to me - especially in winter when days are very short and conditions unpredictable. Your six year old is going to be exhausted, as are his/her parents.

I don't understand the reference to 'rainbow end'???

Don't even think about trying to fit in Dunedin, unless you forgo the NI, and spend all of your time on the SI, which I highly recommend anyway.

I assume you're taking the ferry from Picton to Wellington? And then what? Are you picking up another campervan, or are they allowing you to take in on board the ferry?
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Old May 26th, 2016, 12:04 PM
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Regarding winter fishing - check this out:

http://www.nzfishing.com/AboutFishin...ishingYear.htm
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Old May 26th, 2016, 02:35 PM
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No this is not doable at all. August is winter here, the campervan is slower to travel than a car and it reads like a nightmare rather than a lifetime holiday.
You have to cut out some places.
Rainbow's End is a theme park in Manukau, a suburb of Auckland. It is pretty ordinary and underwhelming. There are better attractions in Auckland.
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Old May 26th, 2016, 03:50 PM
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���������� thanks for the replies. Urgh.

Our flights are to cc and from auckland.

I reaaaally want to go to mt cook, milford and franz josef. Is there any other routes that I can do all 3 from cc and in 10 days?

yes. The ferry is included. Motorhome will go up the ferry. The only 2 things that we aim to cover at north are the waitomo caves and matamata. Is there any direct route?

Thank you!
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Old May 26th, 2016, 04:28 PM
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Well, sure, but you'd have to give up something else, like Picton and the ferry to Wellington, which is an easy sacrifice IMO. But then there's still the issue of incorporating both the inland route (Mt Cook) and the West Coast route (Franz Josef) into so few days.

You could arrive Christchurch, head over Arthur's Pass and down the West Coast and on to Queenstown, then on to Te Anau and Milford, and then work your way back to Christchurch via the inland route (Mt Cook), BUT...it's still a lot of driving for 10 days. Why not add those NI days to the SI and have yourself a nice trip without all the rushing about?

You will very much be at the mercy of the weather, so it's best to be flexible and have some wiggle room, which you just don't have with a 10 day quasi-loop of the SI. You could potentially run into closures on Arthur's Pass and or Milford Sound, so it pays to have a few extra days to work with just in case.

Why not add a flight from Christchurch to Auckland on Day 17 or 18 and just spend your limited time on the SI? Or fly to Auckland from Christchurch on Day 15 or 16 and have a few days to explore Auckland and vicinity?

Something has to give, and I'd suggest it be Picton and Wellington, plus some or most of the NI.
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Old May 26th, 2016, 07:58 PM
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Like anyone travelling anywhere some times your wish list can't fit the time you have.
If you really want to see Mt Cook, Milford Sound and Franz Josef cut out your North Island days.
August is winter, who knows what the weather will dish up? Last weekend 36 people got snowed in near Roxburgh in the South Island and had to be rescued. Their cars will stay there until spring before they can be dug out. This is an extreme example but don't underestimate New Zealand's weather or have your trip so tight there is no room for any unexpected surprises.
The most direct North Island route would be Wellington - Taupo - Waitomo - Matamata.
Wellington to Taupo is 400 km and a 5 hour trip. Then off to Waitomo the next day (2 hours and 150 km). See the caves and stay the night there.
Waitomo to Matamata for Hobbiton (1 hour and 100 km).
Already you have used 3 days and as we mention before the weather. The Desert Road is often closed in winter and then you need to take the alternative route which would ruin all the North Island plans.
Waitomo and Hobbiton can be done as day trips from Auckland maybe that's worth looking at.
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Old May 27th, 2016, 01:05 AM
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Mr. Pickle and I are on the South Island right now. It took us most of a day to drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound due to stops for pictures, groceries, and lunch. Today, we took about six hours to drive from Wanaka to Franz Josef with stops along the way. You really don't have time to do everything you'd like unless you plan flights between some of your destinations.

Lee Ann
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Old May 27th, 2016, 04:56 AM
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Hi Lee Ann! I hope your trip is going well. How was Milford Lodge?
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Old May 28th, 2016, 02:14 AM
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We are having such a good time!

Milford Sound Lodge was pretty decent - nice people, good food in their restaurant. Our package included dinner, breakfast before our cruise, and a box lunch on the boat, so that was helpful.

We reserved a room in their backpackers' section. It was pretty small, but our bed was comfortable, and we enjoyed trying to get the friendly neighborhood bush robin to pose for us.

The only drawback was the bathroom was down the walkway and around the corner from our room - outside. That was a chilly walk in the middle of the night!

However, we had a beautiful, clear, sunny day for being out on the water, and we saw seals and a pod of dolphins, including a baby!

Lee Ann
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Old May 28th, 2016, 12:55 PM
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So glad you had good weather Lee Ann, fingers crossed it continues for the rest of your visit.
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 08:08 AM
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Hi hi hi. Thanks for all the inputs. Just read. We will just stay in south island for 16 days and fly back to auckland a day before flying back home.

swap hobbiton with south island middle earth tour. A win-win situation for me and husband. I get my fox glacier and him the tour.

Cant wait for nz!
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 11:05 AM
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Now that's more like it alna, well done.
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