North and South Island of NZ

Old Feb 10th, 2017, 09:59 AM
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North and South Island of NZ

My husband and I traveled to NZ for the month of November. What a fabulous trip!! I will try and capture the experience in this trip report. BUT--the best guide books we used to plan this trip were NZ FRENZY by Scott Cook. Both the North Island and the South Island book.

Day 1 We arrived in Ackland at 5:00AM. We rented a car from HERTZ and headed to Devonport. This was an easy (45 minute) drive to an absolutely darling town. We stayed at The Esplanade Hotel, in the Victoria Suite. This, and the Sunroom Suite, both overlook the harbor and the skyline of Auckland. Our room was not ready so we walked to a little restaurant called the Stone House. There, we had a fabulous burger with bacon and a fried egg on it! After a nice long nap, we rented bikes and toured this little town, where every street had darling small Victorian home. Such a fun day. Dinner was at at the hotel and the food was fabulous.

Day2. We headed North along the "free road". This was a beautiful drive. We stopped at Whangarei falls and the AH Reed walk. Nice, easy walk. The falls were lovely and the trail was well marked and wide, and almost jungle like with a bubbling stream and Kauri trees. 2 hours from Devonport, we arrived in Russell. We stayed at the Russell Cottages (#13) for the next 2 days. In Russell, the walk to Flagstaff Hill is a steep and worthwhile climb. The views are beautiful. On the way down, there is a small steep but well marked trail to the beach. Be certain that you are aware of the tides as we almost were trapped on the rocks!! There is an app that I put on my phone "Tide Charts Near Me" .. This was a HUGE help in our future adventures.

Day 4 We drove south.on SH1. A HIGHLIGHT of our trip were the Waipu Caves, DON'T MISS THIS!! Just south of Oakleigh but north of Uretiti, turn right onto Springfield Rd. Follow it for about 10 miles and turn left on the Waipu Cave Rd for about 3 more miles. You can proceed pass the carpark as i'ts ok to to park inside the gate on the grassy area. Wear your headlamp and make sure the batteries are fresh to give you the best light. This is an uncommercialized cave --a hole in the ground filled with giant stalactites and stalagmites over a small stream. Let your eyes adjust for a few minutes without the flashlight on. Don't hurry this adjustment - it will take about 5 minutes. Then, proceed into the cave, following the stream-bed. The "stars" overhead will thrill you! It is just amazing. A FREE Glowworm galaxy!!

Day 5 Once back in Devonport, we ferried out to Auckland and to Wheheke Island.

Day 6 - We stayed our last night in The Novatel at the airport. It was a fabulous hotel - well placed and very upscale. Tomorrow --Queenstown.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 02:02 PM
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Along for the ride...
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Old Feb 11th, 2017, 12:40 PM
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Me too!

Lee Ann
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Old Feb 11th, 2017, 05:59 PM
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I'm back.. OK --after a fabulous night in the Auckland airport Novatel, we flew from ACK to Queenstown. Sit on the right side of the plane for the best views as you descend. QT is situated on Lake Wakatipu, and framed by the Remarkable Mountains. Stunning! We stayed in Arrowtown, which is a darling town about 20 easy minutes outside of the bustling and commercial QT! www.arrowtownhouse.com Owners, Steve and Janette. Our suite was perfect, with a beautiful garden and most gracious host and hostess.

The next day we drove to Glenorchy. It is one of the most incredible drives in this area. Paved road, and right outside of QT. Beautiful vista after vista. Blue sky - snow capped mountains and the calm water fingers of Lake Wakatipu. We stopped and took numerous pictures and enjoyed the fields of sheep, so the drive is probably less than an hour! After our return, we had lunch on the water in QT and roamed around the town and the shops. For dinner we had shepherd pie at a historic and yummy Pub in Arrowtown. We finished off our day by taking a drive up the Remarkable Road to see the sunset. This drive is off SH6, south of QT and Frankton - south of Kawarau river Bridge. The view is Phenomenal but not for the faint of heart. The incline is about 16% WITHOUT guardrails!!

We are NOT adrenaline junkies, and QTs offers it all. BUT--one thing I would definitely do again is the Shotover River Jet Boats. 5 star fabulous. It was definitely "white knuckle thrills" and lasted about 20 minutes. Wear enough underlayers to be warm and they provide the top layers. You will be delighted as you navigate through the deep beautiful gorge of fantastic volcanic formations. AWESOME..we had so much fun and still laugh when we remember it.

Today we are off to TeAnu. What a beautiful drive. It reminded us of "Big Sky" Montana. Be cautious, however, of your speed as there are camera everywhere ( can you tell we got a speeding ticket?). This drive is about 2-3 hours. We were happy to have a reservation here as it is a rather small area. We stayed at The Croft (Ross and Jane). Nice, reasonable and comfortable accommodations, with a cook to order breakfast. After our arrival we hiked the Kepler track from Rainbow Beach to Montapouri Lake. It is an easy walk through a rain forest and it was our first swing bridge. Incredible ! ( I feel like I need a thesaurus as there are just not enough adjectives in my vocabulary to describe how serene, yet stimulating, this country is)!

Today is a much anticipated day --we packed a lunch (important) are off to see (and devour) the Milford Fjords!! A HUGE HINT--arm yourself with Deet from NZ to protect from the nasty sand flies. It is 80% proof. We put the lotion on our bodies (90%) and then last minute sprayed our clothes. (FYI-- Even Captain Cook in his 1773 journal wrote about how intolerable the sand flies were!) Even An even more important hint --get GAS prior to leaving TeAnu!!! I have to say --the drive into the fjords was as spectacular as our cruise. Take your time --it just doesn't get any better. The magnificence of nature here is phenomenal. And --pesty as they were, we really enjoyed the Kea Parrots who visited every car that stopped for pictures, or waited at the single lane Homer Tunnel. We had a bit of rain or we would have stayed taking pictures for days. Once at the fjords, take the NATURE CRUISE (not scenic). It went all the way to the Tasman Sea and had a fun naturalist who narrated and was there to answer questions. We finally headed home late afternoon. A random suggestion: check out Milford Sound Lodge. It was on the Milford road, close to the fjords. It is on the river and looked very clean and inviting. There are so many wonderful hikes in this area that it would have been fun to stay over night. BUT--it was now raining so we were OK with driving out. Stop on the way out at the Chasm Walk. It is about a 15 minute delightful stroll. Well worth it. Ahhhh back at the Croft to dream about a day we will remember forever.

Before driving out of the TeAnu area, we drove to Manapouri. It is a beautiful lake side town. We strolled along the water and enjoyed our last view of Fjordland......
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Old Feb 11th, 2017, 07:51 PM
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Thanks for sharing this-going next month and was wondering how far Devonport was from AKL airport!
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Old Feb 12th, 2017, 07:04 AM
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Ahhh you will love Devonport. It took us about 45 minutes since we were in morning "rush" hour traffic. The drive is all on interior streets with numerous traffic signals. Not sure where you are heading after this, but another idea would be to take the ferry to Devonport.
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Old Feb 12th, 2017, 08:11 AM
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We leisurely drove from TeAnu to Queenstown in about 2 1/2 hours. Lunched and watched people bungy jump off the Kawarau bridge. (This, for us, was a spectator event ONLY. YIKES!!) QT to Wanaka was a beautiful, easy drive and took about 2 hours. WOW --it is beautiful in Wanaka. Since we are doing this entire trip without any lodging reservations (except for our 1st night and TeAnu), we were thrilled to find availability at the Lakeside Serviced Apartment. These units are quite large, well equipped, beautifully furnished, across from Lake Wanaka and at the base of the mountains. PERFECT! The next day, after I made us a great hot breakfast in our unit, we rented mountain bikes and took off. The trail we took was beautiful, through fields of multicolored Lupen, quite flat and had some really fun undulating treks along a roaring creek. We stopped and enjoyed a light picnic lunch along the way. Once back in our apartment, my husband watched the Packers (win) and I read a book on our deck. Dinner was outside overlooking the water where we enjoyed some people watching and talking with the locals about their sheep! I have to say--the people in New Zealand are the friendliest people we have ever experienced!! Such a relaxing and enjoyable day.

The weather is perfect so we headed out to the Rob Roy Trail. Take plenty of water and a good lunch - this is an all day INCREDIBLE adventure. I would say this is a MUST DO track!! The trail is about hour from Wanaka and 1/2 of it is on a washboard dirt road. We read a great tip--- drive this washboard road FAST to smooth out the road (50 mph) - otherwise it will take you twice as long to get to the trail-head. Incredibly enough, there were about 10 places we had to FORD!!!! Well marked ahead of time, too, so keep your speed up and steady or it will be an arduous drive. At the trail head there were rest rooms and maps. This hike is AMAZING - it begins along the roaring, white capped, ice blue Matukituki river, crosses a HUGE swing bridge, hikes uphill into a dense rain forest and culminates at a glacier with panoramic waterfalls. We sat by the ice cold river, under a shade tree with the waterfalls whipping in the breeze and ate our lunch. OMGoodness this was probably the most wonderful hike we have ever been on!! We returned to enjoy time in the hot tub and strolled around Wanaka finding the perfect dinner spot. INCREDIBLE DAY.

This day it was raining. We drove up the Haast Pass, from Wanaka, to the Blue Pools on the Makarora River and the Fantail Falls. The rain prohibited us from exploring the slot canyons and the falls which was a disappointment. And, the "blue pools" were NOT blue due to all the rain.. One thing we were NOT prepared for were the sand flies here!! Luckily I had some DEET in my day pack but it was too late for my husband whom the biting bugs LOVE. Oh well --it was a stunning drive between the Lakes Wanaka and Hawea!

Leaving Wanaka and knowing it would be an ALL DAY drive we headed towards Christschurch. (NB* Due to the earthquake in Kaikoura, we had to reroute our trip as SH1 was closed and we were now flying out of Nelson rather than CC - bummer). Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki were nice but not knock your socks off. We did a short hike here and then had lunch at the Mt John Observatory. Our destination today was Akaroa. It was a beautiful but far drive. Akaroa is a wonderful little harbor side town and we decided to stay 2 nights. We did numerous hikes into the hills, strolled the waterfront and took a 2 hour morning cruise that explored the harbor. On the cruise we say blue Hector dolphins, and Penguins that are indigenous to only NZ! Plus - the lava formations were stunning. It was a wonderful few days!! We stayed at the Akaroa Village Inn in their Penthouse!! Quite a charming spot, overlooking the water. Another lovely Lodge we toured that was recently refurbished was The Oinako. web site: www.oinako.co.nz. ($350 NZ dollars). Tomorrow we head through Arthurs Pass to the West coast.
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Old Feb 12th, 2017, 08:55 AM
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Enjoying the report so far danen5, helping us relive our trip from exactly one year ago. We also stayed at The Croft in Te Anau and enjoyed it tremendously. Jane and Ross were great hosts and my wife loved meeting their one "domesticated" pet sheep. We also felt the Rob Roy hike was a must do in Wanaka, and that driving the washboards fast was also a nice tip (though we got a flat tire from it )
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Old Feb 13th, 2017, 11:44 AM
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We left Akaroa to head West across Arthur's Pass - this was about a 3 hour drive. Our first stop was one of my favorites - ever. About 16 miles North of Greymouth, past the "12 mile bridge" and right after its' hairpin turns, is Motukiekie beach. PLAN AHEAD - This is a LOW TIDE ONLY walk. (check your Tide App!) Watch for the cottages on the left and park. You'll have to scramble down some rocks and sand hills, but don't hesitate. This was a fabulous and dramatic walk. The off shore sea-stack cornucopia, steep sand cliffs, caves, starfish, and waterfalls make this beach Indescribable. Bring your camera--my husband and I were the ONLY HUMANS on this stretch of incredible beauty!! ENJOY - but beware of the tides!!

After our delightful beach walk, we headed North about 30 miles to the Pancake Rocks. Again --check your Tide App. Plan AHEAD. It is imperative to be there at HIGH TIDE to experience the blow holes. This is a spectacular natural site. ( And - as a result there are many tourists.) The ground actually seems to rumble with the waters' movement and then it BOOMS. There is more to enjoy than the blowholes, however, as the stacks of layered limestone actually look like Pancakes. It was wonderful and we spent probably 30 minutes just enjoying the "WOW".

We spent the night in Nelson. Nelson was a huge disappointment. So- we took off early for Marlborough country. The vineyards and fjords made this area absolutely beautiful. Our favorite walk was outside Picton. It is called the Snout Track to the Queen Charlotte overlook. Spectacular!
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Old Feb 13th, 2017, 11:50 AM
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Curious why Nelson was a disappointment? Too city-like?
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Old Feb 13th, 2017, 11:51 AM
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The Snout Track is one of my favs too.
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Old Feb 13th, 2017, 03:00 PM
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We stayed at Milford Sound Lodge last year and enjoyed it very much.

Lee Ann
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Old Feb 13th, 2017, 03:10 PM
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Motukiekie was a highlight of a previous trip as well.

High tide does not guarantee the blowhole at Pancake Rocks. We were there at exactly high tide and it just sputtered. I later found out it was quarter-moon when tides are "Neap Tides" and not the "Spring Tides" of full or new moon. In other words, they are not as extreme. We enjoyed the whooshing and gurgling of the surge pool much more. Still worth going to.

Also fun is Truman's Track, just north of Pancake Rocks. Try to plan it on the lower half of tide so you can get to the waterfall without worry.
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Old Feb 13th, 2017, 05:11 PM
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This is great information about the Pancake Blow holes. As far as Nelson- It is a big city and big port. It is not at all quaint and because it is so spread out with most of it being "multiple use", it was not pretty or enjoyable.

My final entry is about our last 6 days. If you recall, we were rerouted due to the earthquake in Kaikoura. Thus --we had 6 nights to spend in Abel Tasman and Kaiteriteri. I am REALLY HAPPY we were there for so long! To enjoy the National Park, you take water taxis into the park and they return to pick you up. They keep a great schedule. PACK FOOD and WATER!! One day we walked from Marahau into the park and another day we did the water taxi. The hikes were well maintained and beautiful. It was SO FUN. Plus --our accommodations in Kaiteriteri were top notch! For 3 nights we stayed in Kimi Ora Lodge. It was Beautiful. Our suite had a deck and sun porch and big living room and kitchen. The buffet breakfast was delicious and the grounds a hoot. We borrowed mountain bikes, played ping pong (after another Packer win) and enjoyed the pool but most amazing of all was our after dark walk into the forest. The owners have developed a board walk that has a rope railing. It is a maze getting into the woods but then you turn off your flashlights - hold onto the thick rope "railing" and the woods come alive with ground glow worms. INCREDIBLE!!! Also from Kimi Ora Lodge we walked into town on a trail called Willow Walk. It was a lovely. Almost every night we ate at the Beached Whale (Owner, Anthony). It was delicious, casual and one of 2 places to eat in town. The last three nights we stayed in the Kaiteriteri Beach Motor Camp. Don't be fooled by the name --this was a huge splurge but ever so worth it. They are booked through the motor camp but owned by the recreation reserve board. We stayed in the apartment in the front of the building overlooking the ocean. Incredible - fabulous - relaxing and we'll remember it forever. It was so amazing to walk on the beach during low tide and discover all the new real estate that the ocean was covering. We climbed over the rocks, waded in the surf and walked numerous trails along the ocean. As I mentioned earlier --a trip to remember forever.

A few hints:
Remember head lamps and good flashlights - put in new batteries.
Pack less as there are W/D in many accommodations
Pack to wear layers and don't worry about fashion
Put DEET in your day pack
Bring water bottles
Rent a 4 wheel drive.
Fill us in TeAnu if going to the Fjords
Add that Tidal Chart app.
ENJOY ENJOY - don't try and do too much ---soak it in.
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Old Feb 14th, 2017, 05:37 AM
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Nelson only has a population of ~46,000, but I understand where you're coming from. Every time we go there or pass through, I'm surprised at how big and busy it feels.

There's quite alot to do in/around Nelson, but I prefer the 'around' vs the 'in'.

Never have found use for a four wheel drive in NZ though, and we spent alot of our time off the beaten path.

Glad to hear you've enjoyed your trip.

>Fill us in TeAnu if going to the Fjords trip!> Can you clarify this comment, I don't follow. If you mean that one should stay in Te Anau, I wholeheartedly agree.
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Old Feb 14th, 2017, 07:45 AM
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Hi Mel --That was a typo and I'm glad you asked. "Fill UP your tank prior to going to the Fjords". Sorry. As far as the suggestion of the 4 wheel drive- there were smaller cars that could not "ford" and we just loved that unique drive into the Rob Roy Glacier. I have to say, Mel, --that you were a very big help in planning our trip. Thank you for all your insight and suggestions. The distances between areas is MUCH farther than what the map reveals. Without your help it would have been a "driving vacation"!!

Happy Travels!
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Old Feb 14th, 2017, 09:30 AM
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Thanks for the clarification danen and I'm happy to hear my suggestions helped.
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Old Feb 14th, 2017, 04:33 PM
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We were lucky to be in Wanaka during a drought, so the water crossings on the way to Rob Roy Glacier were mostly dry.
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Old Feb 15th, 2017, 07:27 AM
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That was our experience as well. We traveled in February to Rob Roy Glacier carpark and did fine with our 2WD. (Be sure to check your car hire's Terms and Conditions to see if you can drive there - Apex does not allow their cars to go there!)

I think the necessity of a 4WD may apply if you have plans for this one particular walk outside of the summer season. Otherwise, a 4WD is unnecessary.
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Old Feb 24th, 2017, 05:31 PM
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Umm Nelson has a lot of quaint houses, and historic venues, as well as a lot of arts and crafts. Nelson is definitely not just the port. It has a fantastic crafts market on a Saturday morning in the centre of town, fantastic restaurants, and lots of enjoyable walks. There are multiple vineyards a short drive away, Mapua is a great place to visit. There are wonderful bike trails. It has a lot to offer.
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