New Zealand rough itinerary (wheelchair accessible)

Old Jun 21st, 2017, 11:13 AM
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New Zealand rough itinerary (wheelchair accessible)

We are a family of four (all 21+) with one in a power wheelchair. We are currently planning our New Zealand/Australia trip for December-January, coming from the USA. We really enjoy beautiful scenery and scenic drives. We also like charming towns, good food, and a little shopping (unique/trendy/urban, not souvenir shops). Our main focus will be on the South Island since it seems that is the most scenic (and beautiful scenery is our first priority).

We are still trying to figure out the best way to rent a vehicle. Also trying to decide if we should fly from Wellington to Christchurch or just take the ferry. Leaning toward the ferry so we don't have to switch cars and less hassle. But does anyone know how rough the waters will be around the end of December?

Nights:
12/22: Auckland
12/23: Auckland (Waiheke Island day trip)
12/24: Roturua
12/25: Wellington
12/26: Wellington
12/27: Nelson / Blenheim (not sure if we can do Abel Tasman so might spend a couple of nights in the Marlborough area visiting a few wineries. From what I've read, this is the best area for wineries?)
12/28: Nelson / Blenheim
12/29: Blenheim / Kaikoura (depends if Highway 1 is re-opened by then...anyone know when it's supposed to re-open?)
12/30: Punakaiki / Hokitka
12/31: Franz Josef Glacier/Fox Glacier (visit Mt Cook National Park)
1/1: Wanaka
1/2: Wanaka
1/3: Queenstown
1/4: Queenstown (Glenorchy day trip)
1/5: Queenstown (is this too long in the Wanaka/Queenstown area?)
1/6: Te Anau (Milford day cruise)
1/7: Te Anau
1/8: Tekapo
1/9: Christchurch (fly to Australia)

We will also be going to Australia for 6-7 nights, but we still haven't decided on which 2 areas to visit (Sydney/Melbourne/Great Ocean Road/Tasmania/Cairns-Port Douglas).

I'd love to get your input on our current itinerary, wheelchair accessible sights/activities/trails/etc, and any suggestions for can't miss sights that I haven't included.
traveler8586 is offline  
Old Jun 21st, 2017, 01:24 PM
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You'll find wineries throughout NZ.

Marlborough is known for its Sauvignon Blanc. Central Otago (Cromwell, Arrowtown, Queenstown areas) is known for it's Pinot Noir. Lots of other wines, though - we really like the dry Riesling of Central Otago too.

Martinborough (NI) is also known for its Pinot Noir.

You don't have to go very far to find a winery in NZ. You don't even have to try, unless you're looking for something specific.

You can't visit Mt Cook from the glaciers, unless you're planning to fly over it. The glaciers and Mt Cook (village) are separated by a mountain range. If you want to visit Mt Cook village, you'll need to take the inland route. If you want to see the glaciers, you'll need to take the West Coast route. To do both, you'll need lots of time as the drive distance is vast.

Not all car rental agencies will let you take their cars from north to south island - some will have you drop off and then pick up on the other island. So, the ferry presents its own hassle factor.

It really comes down to where you want to land on the opposite island - if you want to see Blenheim and Nelson, it makes sense to take the ferry to Picton, but this will increase your drive time/distance in getting down south.

No, three days is definitely not too long in QT, especially when one is spent exploring Glenorchy. Loads to see and do in QT, including a lot of wineries!

We are avid hikers, and many tracks in NZ are stroller/wheelchair friendly. Take a look here for some ideas:

http://travability.travel/New%20Zealand/easy_walks.html
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Old Jun 21st, 2017, 03:02 PM
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Honestly you are packing far too much in. I see 2 problems with your itinerary :
1. time of year as you will be here at the peak of the season. Can you get a ferry booking? Accommodation bookings?
2. too much driving planned. Car travel is not fun here - winding narrow roads, hills and bends and holiday traffic. It is not like driving in the States.
I would fly Rotorua to Christchurch and avoid the Rotorua to Wellington drive. However this would mean missing Nelson so maybe fly Rotorua to Nelson. I think you should fly some of the way as you will get sick of the driving and being in a hot car. The ferry should not be rough in December.
"To do both, you'll need lots of time as the drive distance is vast." take Mel's advice -if she says its a long way then its a long way (she is American so can judge the distance). I live here and I know it's a long way but people look at NZ on a map and think it looks tiny and they can drive around it in a flash!
On a more positive note there are wineries galore here and my favourites are those on Waiheke and in the Nelson/Marlborough area.
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Old Jun 22nd, 2017, 07:04 AM
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Thank you for the info! I have contacted some accessible vehicle rental companies and will see if we can take the car from the NI to the SI.

I am worried about getting seasick on the ferry but I think it would be less hassle than flying because of the special vehicle rental. If we did fly from Wellington/Roturua to Christchurch then we'd miss out on Wellington and the Marlborough area. But we'd probably add Arthur's Pass. Which option to choose?? So difficult making these decisions.

To break up some of the driving, what do you think of the following SI itinerary?

Nelson / Blenheim
Nelson / Blenheim
Punakaiki
Franz Josef Glacier/Fox Glacier
Franz Josef Glacier/Fox Glacier
Wanaka
Wanaka
Te Anau
Te Anau
Queenstown
Queenstown
Queenstown
Mt Cook
Christchurch

Might subtract a day from the glacier area and add another day to Mt Cook. Or is 2 nights in Wanaka too much?

I understand it's a lot of driving but we really do enjoy scenic drives.

Would love to get more input on any and all accessible sights, trails, activities, etc.
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Old Jun 22nd, 2017, 07:08 AM
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Melnq8, thank you for that link! It is extremely detailed and helpful!
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Old Jun 23rd, 2017, 04:06 AM
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Some more links regarding accessible NZ:

http://www.newzealand.com/us/feature...ed-facilities/

http://www.wheelchairtraveling.com/w...d-tour-access/

http://www.tourism.net.nz/accommodat...-accommodation

http://www.accessiblejourneys.com/in...and/index.html

Two nights anywhere in NZ isn't too much - in fact it'd be a bare minimum for me. Two nights only gives you one full day to explore the area you've come so far to see. You'll have long drive days on most of your travel days, so your arrival day will be pretty much shot. Without that second night, you'd just be climbing into the car the next day and moving on. What's the fun in that?
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Old Jun 25th, 2017, 06:11 AM
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Agree you are trying to cram in too much "driving and not enough stopping. To paraphrase the Viking River Cruise commercial you'll be "spending more time getting there than actually being there".

When we did our 6 week driving tour of NZ we worked our itinerary so we had no more than 3-1/2 to 4 hours of total "drive time" between stopovers and we spent 3 to 4 nights in each location (with one exception when we drove for 5 hours). The short drive times allowed us to travel at a leisurely pace making intermediate stops along the way to actually "see & enjoy" not only the scenery but points of interest we would have otherwise just driven past. We also, flew between Wellington & Nelson rather than take the ferry. It was very easy to turn in our rental car in at the airport in Wellington and pick up a new one at the Airport in Nelson.

By the way, unlike tasmangirl I really enjoyed driving in New Zealand - the hilly twisty roads were fun to drive and the scenery was spectacular. My only regret about about driving was we did it in an SUV instead of a neat little exotic sports car which would have tripled our fun.

Since we never had far to go we could make numerous stops just to enjoy the view. I tell people that if we stopped for just 10 minutes at every scenic overlook we passed we STILL BE driving around New Zealand. My point being "don't be in such a rush to get from point A to Point B - if you do you'll miss out on so much of what New Zealand has to offer.

It's a great country and I'd go back in a heartbeat.
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Old Jun 25th, 2017, 12:36 PM
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"By the way, unlike tasmangirl I really enjoyed driving in New Zealand - the hilly twisty roads were fun to drive and the scenery was spectacular."
This is so true and I was not trying to be negative but rather get across the point that people might find our roads a bit 'rural' and it can take a bit of concentration driving here. There is only 200 km of motorway/freeway in the whole country!
Traveler8586 - New Zealand has worked hard to make access for all here with ramps, lifts etc in all public places like malls, motels and hotels. However out in the countryside it may be another issue. We are a small population so therefore the number of wheelchair users is much smaller.
I looked up Fuller's Ferries for your Waiheke trip and there is wheelchair access for the ferry. Not on the Waiheke buses sadly so you'd need to hire a taxi for tripping round the wineries.
If you would like to list specific places then I could investigate further for you about the access or I may have been there and could give an opinion.
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