Namrata30

Hi,

I read a lot of forums but couldnt find an answer to what I was looking for. Maybe this post would help.

Me and my husband (both 30) are travelling to New zealand for 15 days in February of 2014 and here is our itinerary -
Day 1 Start from Auckalnd -- to Waitomo Caves and then head to Rotorua (Stay here)
Day 2 Geothermal park and then if time permits - bungee and then to Taupo (Stay here)
Day 3 Tongariro crossing and back to Taupo (Stay here)
Day 4 Taupo to Napier (stay here)
Day 5 napier to wellington (stay)
Day 6 Wellington to christchurch - flight (stay)
Day 7 Christchurch to Greymouth via Tranzalpine and Punaikiki by road (Stay in Greymouth)
Day 8 Greymouth to Franz Joseph (Stay)
Day 9 Franz joseph glaciar tour (Stay)
Day 10 Franz joseph to queenstown (stay)
Day 11 Skydiving in Wanaka and stay in Queenstown
Day 12 Milford SOund (stay in queenstown)
Day 13 Wellington to Auckland by flight

The first 2 days are going to be spent with friends in Northland doing Bay of islands

Now the question is we want to do some self driving and do some bus travel and want to break it up. Which is the best island for self drive? Also looking for how difficult the roads are to drive on, can we stop anywhere on the way (on the side of the road obviously) when we see a beautiful spot? Would there be snow on any part of our ride?

From what we read, we were thinking of taking the bus in the northland and self drive in the South island from Greymouth to Queenstown. Or would you suggest the other way round?

Please help us decide if this is a good plan.

Thanks!!!!

RalphR

I've only been to Wellington on the North Island but have been to the South Island three times. Based this experience, I would suggest the latter part of the itinerary looks quite rushed, not taking in the distances and the times needed to enjoy the destinations. On day 13 for example, Milford and back to Queenstown will be a very long day. An overnight (or two) in Milford or Te Anau would take the pressure off. I would prefer to self-drive the SI: I would find the inability to stop at will to enjoy the scenery frustrating!

Bottom line: cut a day or two or more from the NI and add to the SI! You won't regret it. And drive yourselves around.

Diamantina

I agree with RalphR, that the latter part of your itinerary looks rushed and that you should cut at least a day from the North Island schedule. Personally, I enjoy Napier but given your tight itinerary, you should skip it, particularly as you will have already spent some time by the sea in Bay of Islands.
In answer to your question, the South Island roads can be winding and narrow (apart from urban areas, these are generally roads with only one lane in each direction), but there are frequent passing lanes, scenic lookouts, and rest stops, when you might find restrooms and picnic tables. There is not much traffic on the South Island. There are well-maintained public restrooms/toilets in all the towns. When driving, remember to stay on your side of the road (a lot of accidents are caused by people crossing over the line). Towns that are popular with tourists will have I-Site (govt. tourist information) offices, where you can pick up brochures, ask advice, book activities or accommodation for free. They can also inform you of local road closures, road works, that sort of thing. There are I-Site offices at the airports as well.
On Day 13, are you flying from Queenstown to Auckland?
In answer to your other question, you are unlikely to encounter snow on your route in February; this is generally the warmest time of the year, though it might rain.
If you do Milford Road and Cruise from Queenstown, do it as a day tour because, as RalphR cautions, this will require a lot of driving--and you are not familiar with our roads. Plus, you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the views and the driver's narration. You will not be able to see or do as much as if you were self-driving, but you will still enjoy it. A couple of my friends who were here in November did this, and they had a great time; they even saw whales and penguins on their cruise. They also took the train and buses on the North Island and rented a car to drive around the South Island, which they found easy to do. The North Island is well served by public transport. On the South Island, you will want a car to be able to go at your own pace and to stop at all the interesting places in-between towns, places off the main roads, and to sights around towns (such as those around Fox and Franz Josef).
The first time we visited the South Island (we live here now), we also visited Milford Sound on a tour from Queenstown, though it was an overnight tour (we spent the night on the boat). We were supposed to take a scenic flight back to Queenstown in the morning, but the weather was poor, so we had to bus it back--but this was not in February when the weather tends to be milder. Apart from this overnight tour to Milford Sound, we used a rental car to tour the North and South Islands. Since moving to New Zealand's South Island, I have used the intercity buses when traveling solo from city to city on several occasions. (Because of NZ's unpredictable weather, the bus is often more reliable than flying.) It is easy and cheap, though the earlier you buy your bus tickets, the cheaper it is.
For February, you should pre-book your activities and accommodations at least days in advance.

Diamantina

Here's are some links for Tongariro Alpine Crossing:
http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/...ing-track.html
http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/...-activity.html
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...pine-crossing/

michelhuebeli

With that tight a schedule I don't see any scope for taking buses. You need to have your own wheels and maximize the hours of every day.

Make Taupo to Wellington to Christchurch in one day. You'll need that extra time when you get up into the mountains!

Get up real early, by breakfast time you're in Napier (it takes less than two hours from Taupo to Napier). Drive around town, looking at the art-deco city streets, drive up to the Bluff Hill lookout for the views, that's about it for Napier. By lunchtime you're in Wellington. Visit Te Papa, then head for the airport and catch an afternoon-evening flight to Christchurch.

You ask about pulling over on the country roads: Country roads ("highways") are well maintained and great to drive, but for long stretches just one lane each way, and not necessarily with shoulders broad enough for you to just stop and pull over. Sometimes, yes, many times, no, too narrow.

ElendilPickle

The whole trip seems pretty rushed. At that pace, you'll definitely want a car for the whole trip.

Are you planning to drive from Auckland to Waitomo to Rotorua after your flight? Don't underestimate jetlag. We drove from Auckland to Whakatane our first day there, but we had to pull over and take a nap. I wouldn't recommend driving like that.

Lee Ann

Diamantina

They wrote: "The first 2 days are going to be spent with friends in Northland doing Bay of islands."

michelhuebeli

And let's hope that those friends pick them up at the airport and drive them there.

ElendilPickle

Thanks, Diamantina, I missed that.

Lee Ann

Diamantina

If their friends can't meet them at Auckland Airport, they can fly or take the bus from Auckland Airport. The bus takes all day and they will have to transfer, but it will get them there (and they can sleep on the bus).
The first time we visited Bay of Islands from Auckland we flew into Kerikeri because we didn't want to deal with the 3.5 hour drive. The next time we drove.

lauren_s_kahn

You have too much in your itinerary. New Zealand is larger than it looks on the conventional Mercator projection. The roads are very slow with one lane bridges, etc. You don't want to spend your entire vacation in a car. When I went to Milford Sound I flew to Queenstown and then took the day tour to Milford. I would not attempt to drive that road. There is this tunnel you go through; let the coach driver do it!

Diamantina

I checked some random dates in February to see if you could do this by bus. As I said, I sometimes take the buses from city to city, so I was curious.
Seems there is an Intercity 7:30 a.m. bus that goes from Auckland to Waitomo Glowworm Caves (arrives 10:10 a.m.) Then there is a Naked 5:30 p.m. bus that goes from Waitomo Caves to Rotorua. (same day). Intercity offers four daily trips from Rotorua to Taupo (two morning, one afternoon, and one evening. Then from Taupo to Tongariro, check out:
http://tongariroexpeditions.com/#!/p...mmer_timetable or
http://www.greatlaketaupo.com/new-ze...ing_transport/ or
http://www.alpinehotbus.co.nz/
Naked Bus has three afternoon buses that go from Taupo to Wellington. Price if you buy now: $5!
I like Napier a lot, but you should skip it, so that you can add a day to your South Island itinerary. Also, it always good to have some "wiggle room" in case something goes wrong.
http://www.intercity.co.nz/
http://nakedbus.com/nz/bus/
I think you have to rethink your South Island plans, too. Cut a town or activity. Train to Greymouth and then rent a car? I think this will not be as economical as renting a car in Christchurch.

lauren_s_kahn

I have been to NZ twice and there is more than enough to do on either island without killing yourself by trying to do both in a 2-3 week stay. I still have enough for a 3rd trip if I ever get a chance to return.

annhig

Hi Namrata,

I suggest that you click on my screen name and read the end of my thread about how much time to spend on the recent trip we did to HK, OZ and NZ, including 4 nights on the NI and 13 on the SI.

I think that your itinerary is very rushed; many people warned us about how long it takes to drive in the SI but IMO the NI is worse!

a few specific points on what you have posted:

why are you going from Napier to Wellington [which will take most of a day] just to fly out? why not fly from Napier or Rotorua to Christchurch instead? and why for that matter are you going to Napier just to leave there the next day? there's plenty to justify a 2 night stay - all the art deco buildings, the wineries, and best of all the gannet colony, which was one of the highlights of our trip.

in the SI I would recommend staying in Wanaka [the Criffel Peak BnB was great, the best we stayed in in NZ] which we much preferred to QT. you more or less have to drive through wanaka to get to QT, and you want to do sky-diving there, so why not stay? you could even do Milford Sound from Wanaka by helicopter if you wanted to, though having now don'e Doubtful Sound, I'm not sure if the fjords are somewhat over-hyped.

and I would not stay in Greymouth. Hokitika just down the coast looked a much more interesting place, livelier and more fun. hire your car in Greymouth when you get off the train [the train ride looked very interesting] and drive to Hokitika just down the coast.

We stayed in Franz Joseph, but went on the glacier in Fox, as the FJ glacier has receded too far for one to be able to walk onto it, and is only accessible by helicopter. it's an easy 30 mins drive between the two places so you can decide what you want to do on the day. but if you stay in either place, do leave time to drive down to the beach near Fox and look back at the mountains - the view is spectacular.

finally, I see that at the end of your trip you have this planned:

Day 12 Milford Sound (stay in queenstown)
Day 13 Wellington to Auckland by flight

how will that work? driving to Milford and back in a day from QT is doable but not ideal, but then how are you planning to get to Wellington? flying from QT? in which case why not just fly to Auckland from QT?

Finally, I'm not sure about the necessity of booking all accommodation in advance. Everyone told us that in December that was necessary but in fact, had we not booked we would have had no difficulty finding a room. There were loads of motels and BnBs advertising everywhere we went, some with special walk-up deals. the i-sites are there to help as well, which is how we got our BnB room in Oamaru. Once the kids are back at school [which happens I believe at the end of Jan] you should have no problem.

have a great trip!