Sept South Island trip
Jun 30th, 2007, 07:04 AM
#1
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Sept South Island trip
My brain is boggled with all the options but we only have 6 days on the South Island and then fly into Rotorua.
We're a couple and a single thinking of flying into Queenstown and hoping to include time there, Milford Sound, the TranzAlpine train, Christchurch and (would it be too much to hope)the Blenheim area. We'd arrive in Qtown on the 13th of Sept and must be in Rotorua on the 19th. Absolutely any help you could give me with this would be greatly appreciated. There are just so many choices.
We're trying to see if it's more reasonable for us to rent a car or take bus tours....one of us is a Brit who doesn't mind the left side drive. Are the mountain roads too difficult at that time of year?
Thanks!
We're a couple and a single thinking of flying into Queenstown and hoping to include time there, Milford Sound, the TranzAlpine train, Christchurch and (would it be too much to hope)the Blenheim area. We'd arrive in Qtown on the 13th of Sept and must be in Rotorua on the 19th. Absolutely any help you could give me with this would be greatly appreciated. There are just so many choices.
We're trying to see if it's more reasonable for us to rent a car or take bus tours....one of us is a Brit who doesn't mind the left side drive. Are the mountain roads too difficult at that time of year?
Thanks!
Jun 30th, 2007, 09:43 AM
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13 - QT
15 - QT
14 - Milford, back to QT
16 - drive over Haast Pass to Fox or FJ glacier
17 - ?
18 - TranzAlpine to CHC
19 - to ROT
Options -
add day in Te Anau
another day at the glaciers
another day in CHC
forget blenheim
15 - QT
14 - Milford, back to QT
16 - drive over Haast Pass to Fox or FJ glacier
17 - ?
18 - TranzAlpine to CHC
19 - to ROT
Options -
add day in Te Anau
another day at the glaciers
another day in CHC
forget blenheim
Jun 30th, 2007, 01:25 PM
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With only 6 days, you should hire a car, as it will save you time you would have wasted waiting for the next bus. If you can fly into QTown and out of CChurch, you could do this quite well (Provided you can get a one-way car hire from QTown to CChurch).
Visit the Glaciers, Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anau, and Milford; then go up to Mt. Cook and over to CChurch. Return your car could then spend the better part of a day taking the TranzAlpine from CChurch up to Arthurs Pass, walking about, then catching the return train back down. The most scenic part of the train route is between CChurch & Arthurs Pass (Much of the route west of AP is in tunnels).
Visit the Glaciers, Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anau, and Milford; then go up to Mt. Cook and over to CChurch. Return your car could then spend the better part of a day taking the TranzAlpine from CChurch up to Arthurs Pass, walking about, then catching the return train back down. The most scenic part of the train route is between CChurch & Arthurs Pass (Much of the route west of AP is in tunnels).
Jun 30th, 2007, 05:30 PM
#4
Agree with Alf, that's PLENTY for such a short trip. Trying to fit in Blenheim is not practical as it's too far from the other areas. Assume you're interested in Blenheim for the wine? There are many, many wineries in the Queenstown and Wanaka areas, and you'll pass many others on your return drive to CH if you take Alf's suggestion.
Jun 30th, 2007, 05:40 PM
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thank you all for your great suggestions...I'm trying to process all the info now. I'm willing to give up Blenheim but am happy to see that there are still wineries we can discover on our travels. I'll look into arriving in Q'town and out of Christchurch or vice versa.
Any special restaurants or sleeping accomodations we should look out for? I've already logged Little India on my list.
Any special restaurants or sleeping accomodations we should look out for? I've already logged Little India on my list.
Jun 30th, 2007, 06:17 PM
#6
Definitely try to fit in Little India -my absolute favorite! You'll find them in QT and Christchurch. There's also an Indian and Kashimiri restaurant in Wanaka you might be interested in - Ashraf's.
You might want to check out these wineries:
Amisfield (near QT) - love their Pinot Noir - www.amisfield.co.nz/
Mt Difficulty Winery (Bannockburn near Cromwell) - www.mtdifficulty.co.nz/
In addition to good wine, there are some very nice views from up there.
Olssen's Winery - www.olssens.co.nz/
This map of wineries by area might be helpful (Cromwell has some good ones):
http://www.tourism.net.nz/attraction...es/region.html
As far as where to stay, we like Villa Del Lago in QT, but it's about a 25 minute walk to town, so that might be a consideration for you. If you do a search here, you'll pull up quite a range of recommendations from Fodorites.
You might want to check out these wineries:
Amisfield (near QT) - love their Pinot Noir - www.amisfield.co.nz/
Mt Difficulty Winery (Bannockburn near Cromwell) - www.mtdifficulty.co.nz/
In addition to good wine, there are some very nice views from up there.
Olssen's Winery - www.olssens.co.nz/
This map of wineries by area might be helpful (Cromwell has some good ones):
http://www.tourism.net.nz/attraction...es/region.html
As far as where to stay, we like Villa Del Lago in QT, but it's about a 25 minute walk to town, so that might be a consideration for you. If you do a search here, you'll pull up quite a range of recommendations from Fodorites.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 11:33 AM
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Ok We've been working hard trying to put together an itinerary of sorts for this September South Island trip. I'm so grateful for all the input from this forum. Here's what we have so far....any suggestions would be appreciated!
Fly into Q'town Wed(hopefully do gondola that evening), Thurs Qtown(maybe do jet boat trip),Friday Te Anau & Milford Sound tour, Saturday pick up car see Wanaka and vicinity or find some wineries & return for last night in Qtown, Sunday head to Fox Glacier with walking stops along the way, Monday walk Glacier return car to Greymouth and take TranzAlpine to Christchurch. Tuesday in Christchurch, Wed fly to Rotorua.
I don't have fixed plans for the Queenstown area but there are so many things to see and do. It felt less like hotel hopping if we could base ourselves there. I'll use some of the info from this forum to make plans for activities. Anyone know where the nearest jetboat experience is....or suggest something not too far away? Any ideas on what the drives will be like in September?
Thanks all!
Fly into Q'town Wed(hopefully do gondola that evening), Thurs Qtown(maybe do jet boat trip),Friday Te Anau & Milford Sound tour, Saturday pick up car see Wanaka and vicinity or find some wineries & return for last night in Qtown, Sunday head to Fox Glacier with walking stops along the way, Monday walk Glacier return car to Greymouth and take TranzAlpine to Christchurch. Tuesday in Christchurch, Wed fly to Rotorua.
I don't have fixed plans for the Queenstown area but there are so many things to see and do. It felt less like hotel hopping if we could base ourselves there. I'll use some of the info from this forum to make plans for activities. Anyone know where the nearest jetboat experience is....or suggest something not too far away? Any ideas on what the drives will be like in September?
Thanks all!
Jul 3rd, 2007, 01:34 PM
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Hi Marie - I'm glad to see that you have essentially decided on the itinerery that I suggested.
May I comment further - When you leave QT, the drive to Wanaka is about 1.5 hr. It would be unappealing to me to drive back to QT, only to do the same drive the next AM. Would you consider staying in Wanaka, Haast, or going on to Fox?
On Monday, when you intend to walk on the glacier, I am not sure you are leaving enough time to drive to Greymouth the catch the TA which leaves at 1:45 PM.
We enjoyed the Dart River jet boat, but that is far away.
May I comment further - When you leave QT, the drive to Wanaka is about 1.5 hr. It would be unappealing to me to drive back to QT, only to do the same drive the next AM. Would you consider staying in Wanaka, Haast, or going on to Fox?
On Monday, when you intend to walk on the glacier, I am not sure you are leaving enough time to drive to Greymouth the catch the TA which leaves at 1:45 PM.
We enjoyed the Dart River jet boat, but that is far away.
Jul 3rd, 2007, 04:06 PM
#9
I think you've got the right idea using QT as a base.
As Jed mentioned, the Dart River Jet Boat Safari is a good option. It leaves from Glenorchy, which is about a 40 minute drive from QT. You can arrange a pick-up from QT, or drive yourself to Glenorchy, but the safari lasts a half day. The Shotover Jet is right in QT and those trips are very short. The Shotover Jet is a thrill ride, whereas the Dart River Safari is more of a scenic ride (spectacular views by the way) with commentary and a few spins thrown in. There's also a short walk through the forest.
If you plan to see multiple wineries, you might consider taking a wine trail tour instead of a self-drive winery tour so you can imbibe at will. Then you can collect your car the following day for your drive to the glaciers.
If you choose to drive yourself that day, spending the night in Wanaka as Jed suggested is a good option and will save you having to backtrack to QT.
The drive to the glaciers will take you around six hours from QT (longer with hiking stops), about 4.5 hours from Wanaka, so get an early start.
We visit often in September and have never had any road problems. The road to Milford closes once in awhile so they can blast for avalanches and sometimes closes due to heavy snow, but your tour operator will be aware of any road issues before you set out. It's a popular place, so they do their best to keep the road open.
One September when we were there, the Milford Cruises were cancelled due to high wind, but that was very unusual.
Have a great trip. NZ is a beautiful place!
As Jed mentioned, the Dart River Jet Boat Safari is a good option. It leaves from Glenorchy, which is about a 40 minute drive from QT. You can arrange a pick-up from QT, or drive yourself to Glenorchy, but the safari lasts a half day. The Shotover Jet is right in QT and those trips are very short. The Shotover Jet is a thrill ride, whereas the Dart River Safari is more of a scenic ride (spectacular views by the way) with commentary and a few spins thrown in. There's also a short walk through the forest.
If you plan to see multiple wineries, you might consider taking a wine trail tour instead of a self-drive winery tour so you can imbibe at will. Then you can collect your car the following day for your drive to the glaciers.
If you choose to drive yourself that day, spending the night in Wanaka as Jed suggested is a good option and will save you having to backtrack to QT.
The drive to the glaciers will take you around six hours from QT (longer with hiking stops), about 4.5 hours from Wanaka, so get an early start.
We visit often in September and have never had any road problems. The road to Milford closes once in awhile so they can blast for avalanches and sometimes closes due to heavy snow, but your tour operator will be aware of any road issues before you set out. It's a popular place, so they do their best to keep the road open.
One September when we were there, the Milford Cruises were cancelled due to high wind, but that was very unusual.
Have a great trip. NZ is a beautiful place!
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