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Please help with our first attempt at New Zealand itinerary

Please help with our first attempt at New Zealand itinerary

Old Aug 9th, 2014, 08:00 AM
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Please help with our first attempt at New Zealand itinerary

Hello, everyone. We are active seniors going to New Zealand and Sydney in November. We'll have 29 nights there which we've divided into 24 in New Zealand and 5 in Sydney. We're flying into Auckland from the US then taking a short flight to Rotorua, since we found a good airfare on grabaseat.co.nz. We decided to not visit Auckland and Christchurch so we can spend more time in the rural areas. We're not into hiking much but love beautiful scenery, wildlife, museums, history, etc. So...........we'd love your suggestions and tweaking of how we're dividing up our time. So far, we have 21 of the 24 nights for New Zealand. Also would welcome suggestions for B&B's or motel/hotels, preferably not over $175NZ per night.
Here goes:
Rotorua - 3 nights
Napier - 2 nights
Wellington - 3 nights
Nelson - 2 nights
Wesport or Punakaiki - 2 nights
Franz Joseph - 2 nights
Wanaka - 2 nights
Te Anau - 2 nights
Queenstown or Arrowtown - 3 nights (Is Arrowtown a good base? We prefer to stay in smaller towns).
Flying from Queenstown to Sydney for 5 nights, then home.
Thanks for any help.
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Old Aug 9th, 2014, 12:50 PM
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I forgot to mention that we haven't yet bought our tickets from Queenstown to Sydney so since we have 3 nights to use up we could possibly spend two nights in Oamaru to see the penguins etc. and one night in Christchurch then fly from there to Sydney. We want to see penguins someplace on our trip. Thanks a bunch.
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Old Aug 9th, 2014, 01:18 PM
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As you say, you have 3 spare nights which makes the NZ part of your trip about a week longer than the one we did last year.

Based on our experiences, i would do this:

Rotorua - 3 nights [never been, can't help with whether this is too long/short/just right]
Napier - 3 nights [one day for the town/wineries, another for the gannets and wider exploration]
Wellington - 2 nights [we only had one, would definitely want a whole day here]
Nelson - 3 nights [a great base for touring, you need 2 whole days]
Wesport or Punakaiki - 1 night at most
Franz Joseph - 2 nights [you need a whole day]
Wanaka - 3 nights [definitely]
Te Anau - 2 nights
Queenstown or Arrowtown - 3 nights - you would probably prefer Arrowtown.

that's still only 22 nights!

if you want to see the penguins at Oamaru, which was certainly one of the highlights of our trip, then I would do this instead:

Rotorua - 3 nights
Napier - 3 nights
Wellington - 2 nights
Nelson - 3 nights - drive straight to FJ via Punakaiki -
Franz Joseph - 2 nights
Wanaka - 3 nights
Te Anau - 2 nights
Arrowtown - 3 nights
Oamaru - 2 nights
Christchurch - 1 night.

that is 24 nights, I think.

BTW, we had 5 nights in Sydney and if you're planning to spend them all in the city, that may well be one night too many.
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Old Aug 9th, 2014, 01:41 PM
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Hi, Annig. Thank you for your suggestions. I particularly like your 2nd itinerary because of the penguins there. I also read about the penguin tours at Akaroa, out of Christchurch and was wondering if anyone knows how it compares with seeing them at Oamaru. Maybe a guided tour isn't necessary. For Napier, we're not into wineries so would we still allow 3 nights there? Also, your idea of shortening Sydney by one night sounds good. Where should we add the extra night? I appreciate your insights, Annig. You're always so helpful on these boards!
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Old Aug 9th, 2014, 02:12 PM
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Also, I've been wondering about staying in Akaroa for one or two nights since we'll take one night off of Sydney and (maybe) 1 night off somewhere else.
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Old Aug 9th, 2014, 02:35 PM
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Hi, jrjcollins

Just wondering what you are planning to do in Rotorua for three nights / two days - hopefully you will visit Orakei Korako, not far out of Rotorua, which could be done on the drive to Napier.

If you drop a night from Napier you will only have a day to visit the gannets, look around the city, visit Havelock North and Te Mata Peak (great for the views), visit the Museum, etc.
I would keep 3 nights for Wellington as there is plenty to do - Zealandia Sanctuary, Te Papa museum, Weta Workshop tour http://wetaworkshop.com/visit-us/the...workshop-tour/, wonderful coastline for driving around - just to name a few.
I would restructure the time thus:

Rotorua - 3 nights
Napier - 3 nights
Wellington - 3 nights
Nelson - 3 nights - drive straight to FJ via Punakaiki -
Franz Joseph - 2 nights
Wanaka - 3 nights
Te Anau - 2 nights
Arrowtown - 2 nights
Oamaru - 2 nights
Christchurch - 1 night.

I've dropped a night in Arrowtown purely because Wanaka, Te Anau and Arrowtown are in close proximity.

Oamaru has an interesting historical area that is worth time looking around. Make sure you've got plenty of warm layers for the penguin visit. http://www.penguins.co.nz/

However you allocate your time you have a reasonable coverage of New Zealand which will cover many of the main points of interest. Enjoy the planning, and the visit of course.
Dot
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Old Aug 9th, 2014, 04:29 PM
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Thanks, Dot. I like your ideas of staying in Wellington for 3 nights and Arrowtown only for two. The itinerary is getting better all the time!
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Old Aug 9th, 2014, 06:30 PM
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I like staying in Arrowtown, as it's easy to access QT w/o having to actually stay amongst the tourist fray - QT can be quite busy and overwhelming at times.better, IMO as one night doesn't give you time to do

I'd stay at least two nights though, three would be even anything, and I assume you'd want to visit QT and possibly Glenorchy from your Arrowtown base.

As you have extra nights, I'd suggest lengthening your existing stays vs. adding new locations. Three nights will give you two full days to explore a given area. There are exceptions of course, Punakaiki is all about the Pancake Rocks and hiking tracks, so as you're not a hiker one night is probably sufficient there - check high tide times and plan accordingly if possible.
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Old Aug 9th, 2014, 07:55 PM
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Thank you, Melnq8. Since we're changing Sydney to 4 nights, we'll have 25 nights in New Zealand. Not sure if we should change Arrowtown to two nights so we can stay one night at Punakaiki. How does this itinerary sound?
Rotorua - 3 nights
Napier - 3 nights
Wellington - 3 nights
Nelson - 3 nights
Franz Joseph - 2 nights
Wanaka - 3 nights
Te Anau - 2 nights
Oamaru - 2 nights
Christchurch - 1 night.
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Old Aug 9th, 2014, 08:09 PM
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Sorry, this is the corrected plan:
Rotorua - 3 nights
Napier - 3 nights
Wellington - 3 nights
Nelson - 3 nights
Franz Joseph - 2 nights
Wanaka - 3 nights
Te Anau - 2 nights
Arrowtown - 3 nights
Oamaru - 2 nights
Christchurch - 1 night
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Old Aug 10th, 2014, 01:52 AM
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jr - the longest drive we did was from Nelson to FJ, and it took us all day with a very early start which meant that we had no time to stop and stare.

if you were going to put in an extra day, I think that I would put it in at Punaikaiki.
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Old Aug 10th, 2014, 06:07 AM
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That sounds like a good idea, annhig. Perhaps we should add one night at Punaikaiki and change Arrowtown to two nights.
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Old Aug 10th, 2014, 04:18 PM
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Sorry for my garbled post, I should have proofread.

Yeah, Nelson to Franz is a long haul, suggest you spend a night at Punakaiki as annhig suggests.

And just an FYI, if you're staying in Nelson primarily to visit Abel Tasman, you might consider staying closer to the park - (Kaiteriteri, Upper Moutere, Tasman, Mapua, Ruby Bay...) this would also shorten your drive day to Punakaiki by a wee bit.
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Old Aug 10th, 2014, 05:12 PM
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>

Franz Josef - 58 on Cron

Wanaka - Clearbrook Motel

Te Anau - The Croft (B&B), Birchwood Cottages, Assure Amber Court Motel

Arrowtown - Orchard Cottage

Christchurch - Roma on Riccarton
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Old Aug 10th, 2014, 05:55 PM
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Thank you for your suggestions, Melnq8.
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Old Aug 10th, 2014, 11:46 PM
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Not sure if you have any spare nights without taking away from somewhere else. If you do I would add a night in franz, the drive to and from franz will be your longest and if you want to do fox and franz glacier as well as lake Matheson you will have a jam packed single day. Or a heli tour if walking 1hr to each glacier terminal face is too much.

Just going to throw this out here for a first time South Island visitor. Re small towns, what is small to you? QT is only ~15k and you are travelling in off season - no school holidays, no skiing / winter sports, too early for summer hols - so it's not like you are travelling in high season to get the touristy buzz that you are trying to miss. Guess I'm just challenging what rural is in your decision to go with arrowtown. (I'm not saying arrowtown isn't a beautiful little town).

Melnq8 would you do arrowtown / QT after te anua or before?

Also, just making sure that your flight from akl to rotorua included checked luggage?
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Old Aug 11th, 2014, 01:55 AM
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osteorach -

I'd do Te Anau first.

Arrowtown to Oamaru is about a four hour drive, whereas Te Anau to Oamaru is closer to six.

And while I'm the first to encourage visitors to slow down, I think two nights in Franz is sufficient if short on time. I did this last year with my brother (his first visit, time poor)and it worked out well.

In one full day we took the Lake Matheson walk, walked to the terminal face of both Franz and Fox and spent a leisurely night at the hot pools.

Having said that, if the weather is crap and you're set on a helihike or similar, more time is always better as it gives you more than one chance.
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Old Aug 11th, 2014, 02:01 AM
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And just to confuse matters more, have you considered the very small 'town' of Glenorchy?

Incredible scenery, almost tourist free save the odd wandering visitor from QT or a backpacker here and there on their way to the Routeburn. It'd also give you more of a scenic mix than staying in both Wanaka and Arrowtown, which are relatively close together. Glenorchy is IMO the prettiest spot on the SI (don't tell anyone). I can also suggest a wonderful B&B there.
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Old Aug 11th, 2014, 05:50 AM
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Osteorach, I guess my idea of a small town is under 10,000. And, yes, the airfare from Akl to Rotorua includes luggage. Thanks for asking. Melnq8, Glenorchy sounds wonderful. Would you substitute Arrowtown for Glenorchy? In that case, would the order be Wanaka, Te Anau, Glenorchy, and Oamara? What is the name of the B&B in Glenorchy that you enjoy? Thanks, again, for all of your input.
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Old Aug 11th, 2014, 06:16 PM
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>

I would, yes, but with a caveat. I'm a hiker. A non-hiker might prefer seeing Glenorchy as a day trip from Arrowtown or QT.

The main attractions of Glenorchy to me are the scenery, the serenity, and the hiking tracks.

It's a town of about 465 people. There are very limited services, scant accommodation. Food options include one café and two pubs, of which only one might be open at a given time.

To me, Glenorchy is a getaway destination, a slice of paradise, a hidden gem. To others, it's a sleepy town surrounded by national parks with not-much-to-do.

By contrast, Arrowtown is a quiet place to stay on the outskirts of QT that provides easy access to all that QT and the Lakes District has to offer. I'm not a fan of the 'town' of Arrowtown, but I do like the surrounding countryside, the walking tracks and its proximity to QT.

The B&B in question is above your $NZ 175, but it includes a massive breakfast, wonderful host and hostess, fabulous views and privacy. The B&B is Precipice Creek Station. If you stay there, please give our regards to Vladka and Richard.

Should you decide on Glenorchy, as far as itinerary order, I'd just switch Glenorchy with Arrowtown. Yes, it will make your drive to Oamaru longer, but it still makes sense in the scheme of things. Franz Josef to Wanaka is a long enough day as it is.
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