oinkoink

DAY 1
Fly to CHC – 9th Jan 00.40
Accomodation:

DAY 2
10th Jan – CHC - Hammer Spring 1hr 30 min – 135 km
Hammer Spring – CHC – Akaroa, Banks Peninsula
CHC via Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth (3 hrs 15 mins – 258 km)
Greymouth to Punakaiki (40 minutes)
Accomodation:

DAY 3 & 4
Greymouth to Hokitika
Hokitika to Franz Josef Glacier 2 hrs 15 minutes – 177 km (stops Lake Mapourika)
Fox Glacier
Day 1 Helihike
Day 2
Accomodation

DAY 5,6
Franz Josef to Wanaka
Walk tracks

DAY 7,8,9
Wanaka to Queenstown
Routeburn Track – 1/2 day track
Arrowtown
Glenorchy
Lake Wakatipu
Jetboat

DAY 10,11
Queenstown to Te Anau
Milford Sound Cruise – ½ day tour

DAY 11
Te Anau to Dunedin
Elm Wildlife Tour

DAY12
Dunedin to Mt Cook
Mt Cook to Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo to Christchurch

DAY 13
Christchurch to Sydney

Do u think this will be too hetic..what should I take out or include in the trip? Looks like we don't have enough time to see everything. Actually thinking of not going to Dunedin so it won't be so rush. Actually planning and timing it is more challenging than I first thought. Any suggestion?? Tks...

PS: Melnq8 thanks for taking a look at this interim itinery

Melnq8

DAY 2 - There's no way you can do all this in a day and I'm not sure why you'd want to. Not only will you be driving back and forth in different directions, you'll not have time to do a single thing.

Ask yourself why you're going to these places? Certainly not to turn right back around and go somewhere else.

Hanmer to CH is 90 minutes, then it's 90 minutes back. CH to Akaroa is about 90 minutes, then it's 90 minutes back. That's six hours of driving and you've not seen anything but the view from your car window. Then you want to drive to Greymouth with a side trip to Punakaiki? No way.

Suggest you have nice leisurely breakfast in CH, maybe walk around town a bit, then head for Greymouth via Arthur's Pass - lots of places to stop and gawk along the way, believe me. Then make the side trip to Punakaiki, go back to Greymouth and have a nice dinner somewhere. That should be plenty to keep you busy for your first day, especially after a long flight (where are you coming from by the way?)

I'll take a look at the rest and get back to you shortly.

Melnq8

Day 3 - no problem here except I've never heard of Lake Mapourika. I hope you're not thinking of Lake Manapouri, as that's over by Te Anau and no where near the glaciers. Lake Matheson is located near Fox Glacer, which is about 45 minutes south of Franz Josef.

Day 4 - no problem here - if the weather cooperates you can arrange a helihike in the morning and walk around Lake Matheson in the afternoon or vice versa. You can probably squeeze in a walk to the terminal face of Fox as well. You should have time the previous day to make a stop in Franz and check out the glacier there, maybe take a walk.

Days 5 & 6 - no problems here

oinkoink

I thought we are doing too much but my husband is so keen...he thinks we can cover it all. Tks for Melnq8. I am taking your suggestion and will axe Hammer Spring and Akarao. Had a closer look at my itinery just now and actually I have added a day more than we actually have so it is an even tigher schedule now. We are coming in from Australia, Syd.

Melnq8

Days 7, 8 & 9 - no problems here, but keep in mind you've only got two full days to explore and there's a lot to do in the area.

Days 10 & 11 - are you planning to drive to Milford from QT and overnight in Te Anau or QT?

oinkoink

Problem is we are running out of days...our actual touring days is 11 days only. If we can we will stay 4 days in Q'town but this will probably mean cutting out Dunedin completely. Is it better to stay in Q'town to go to Milford Sound or do u think it is better to break journey and stay at Te Anau?

oinkoink

Will you recommend going to Mt Cook when we are based in Wanaka? Trying to see how we can "squeeze" Mt Cook into our itinery...if not, what would you suggest?

Melnq8

Oink -

I can certainly understand the temptation to do it all, but there's just no way. You'll be exhausted and NZ will just be a blur. Do you live in Australia, or are you just visiting Sydney first? I ask because if you're coming from the US, you'll be very tired and there's jet lag to consider. Also, if you're not accustomed to driving on the left, you'll want to be especially fresh and alert before you tackle those narrow, winding NZ roads.

Before I continue with your itinerary let me make a suggestion - sit down with a calendar and count the NIGHTS you'll be in NZ.

Then consider each day you're on the road as a travel day - either a half day or full day. Then look at the completely open days, and consider these as the time you'll have to explore a given area.

I hope this makes sense - this is how I plan our trips no matter where we go.

We have a three night rule - no less than three nights in a given location, unless we're in transit (there are exceptions of course). This allows us two full days to explore a given area at a civilized pace. And in the case of NZ, even that never seems to be enough time. This may not work for you, but it's worked like a charm for us on our many trips to NZ and it's something to consider.

NZ is small, yes, but it's long, and travel distances are much longer than they appear on a map. In NZ the journey is part of the fun and you'll want to allow yourself plenty of time to stop along the way.


Suggest you narrow your list to places you absolutely don't want to miss, and then put it to a calender, add the travel times/distances and go from there.

Good luck - let me know how it goes.

oinkoink

OK...will have another go at this. No, we are staying in Syd, Aust (permanently). Perhaps, somewhere in the future, we'll have to make another trip by ourselves, without the two teenagers. Because it is our first trip out of Aust (besides our home of origin), we thought we'll do as much as we can.

Thanks for your suggestion.

Melnq8

QT to Milford is a long day - about four hours each way just in drive time. People do it all the time, but I prefer to spend a night or two (or three in my case) in Te Anau. You just don't have that kind of time though, so the long day from QT could very well work out better for you.

Frankly, I'm not sure why so many first time visitors are determined to squeeze in Dunedin. Your limited time could best be spent elsewhere, but I'm sure many people would disagree with me. Is there something there you absolutely don't want to miss?

Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo can be fit in if you're driving back to CH for your departure - assuming there's time - is this the plan? Would not suggest visiting Mt Cook as a side trip from Wanaka though - what would be the point of staying in Wanaka?

oinkoink

I have revised my itinery after taking your advice but still have to be fine tune it. No, there isn't anything in Dunedin that we particularly must see except that we heard it is a nice town and there is a wildlife tour which is really nice. Thinking of now going from Wanaka to Te Anau direct (3 1/2 hr drive) instead of staying in Q'town first. From Te Anau take the tour to Milford Sound etc... than we'll head back to Q'town and stay two nights there and as you have suggested, that will be a good starting point to head to Mt Cook and back to Christchurch. Phew!!! Planning can be quite stressful and looking at the driving times and amount of daylight left, as you suggested is giving me a headache!! Will let you know when I fine tune it better. Tks...you have been very helpful and I appreciate the time you take to explain and suggest alternatives to us. Cheers

Melnq8

Oink -

Looks like you're making progress. Just think of this as your first trip to NZ, not your only trip!

wannabakiwi

OinkOink~ I have to agree with Mlnq on several points. Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland are very nice gateway cities and there are lots of neat things to see, but NZ is defined by powerful and awesome nature. I guess I should ask if you are more nature travelers or more city and museum type travelers before I give my two cents. Assuming that you are nature travelers, I think you may be disappointed with only allowing a day trip to Fiordland. We stay 3 days in Te Anau like Melnq and three days in Queenstown and have never been bored or wish we had stayed less. I also agree with Melnq that you should only consider this your first trip to NZ

oinkoink

Tks Wannabakiwi...well, this is our first trip with the girls and that adds the cost to the trip, that's why we are trying to do and see the best parts of South Island. Because NZ is so scenic, we want to enjoy her natural beauty...my younger daughter (16 yrs) however was disappointed when I told her we won't be visiting art galleries and museums because of time limitation. Nevertheless, we'll still prefer to see the best parts of the island. If we stay three nights in Te Anau, what do we do there besides going out to Milford Sound on a cruise? I am not particularly clear looking at the NZ map, what we can do at the Fiorland...

Melnq8

wannabeakiwi will probably come back with some great Te Anau suggestions, but in the meantime...

Glowworm cave
Kepler Track (a NZ Great Walk)
Wildlife Center
Quad tours
Kayaking
Cruises on Lake Manapouri
Lots of walking opportunities off the road to Milford
Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound

Te Anau is not big, but there's plenty to keep one (or four) busy.

oinkoink

thanks for the suggestions...what about Wanaka...what can we do there...I am able to finish my interim itinerary...will post it soon. Cheers

oinkoink

sorry....you have already told me what we can do at Wanaka....lots of tracks to do....

oinkoink

DAY 1
Sydney to CHC – 9th January arrive 00.40
Overnight stay

DAY 1 – 9th January
Leave CHC 10 am via Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth (3 hrs 15 mins – 258 km) arrive 2 pm
Greymouth to Punakaiki (40 minutes) – 3 pm to 4 pm
Punakaiki to Hokitika (1 hr 10 minutes) – 4 pm to 5 pm
Overnight stay

DAY 2 – 10th January
Leave Hokitika 7 am to Franz Josef Glacier 2 hrs 15 minutes – 9.30 am
Helihike - Franz Josef at 12 noon – 3 pm
Stay overnight
DAY 3 - 11th January
Leave 8 am Franz Josef to Fox Glacier – 30 minutes
Walk around Lake Matheson morning. Terminal face of Fox
Stay overnight

DAY 4 – 12th January
Leave 8 am Fox Glacier to Wanaka 3 hours – arrive 11 am
Tracks, Mt Iron Track, Bridle Track, Rod Roy Track, etc…
Stay overnight

DAY 5, 6, 7 – 13th, 14th and 15th Jan
Leave 8 am Wanaka to Te Anau (3 ½ hours) - 12 noon
Glowworm cave
Kepler Track (a NZ Great Walk)
Kayaking
Cruises on Lake Manapouri
Lots of walking opportunities off the road to Milford
Milford Sound - cruise Doubtful Sound

DAY 8,9,10 – 15th ,16th, 17th Jan
Leave 8 am Te Anau to Queenstown (2 hours) – 10 am
Routeburn Track – 3 hours
Arrowtown
Glenorchy
Lake Wakatipu
Jetboat

DAY 11 – 18th January
Leave 8 am Queenstown to Mt Cook (3 hrs 30 minutes) – 12 noon
Mt Cook to Lake Tekapo (1 hour 15 minutes) – 2 pm
Lake Tekapo to Christchurch (2 hours 45 minutes) - 6 pm
Overnight stay

DAY 12 – 19th January
CHC – Hammer Spring, Banks Peninsula, town etc…
Overnight stay

DAY 13 – 20th January
Christchurch to Sydney – 7 am

Would you know how to get to the Routeburn track...where it actually starts. Looking at the map, it is impossible to tell.

oinkoink

DAY 11 – 18TH January
Leave 8 am Queenstown to Dunedin (3 hours 30 minutes) – 12 noon
Elm Wildlife Tour
Drive Otago Peninsula
Overnight stay

DAY 12th – 19th January
Leave 8 am Dunedin to Christchurch (5 hours)
Overnight

DAY 13th – 20th January
Christchurch to Sydney – 7 am

My husband suggested that instead of driving to Mt Cook and make our way back to Christchurch, we should do the Elm Wildlife tour in Dunedin so the above is an alternative we will consider.

Melnq8

Well, you're still trying to pack in way more than I'd suggest, but if that's what works for you...

I'd suggest two nights in Fox instead of one in Franz and one in Fox - why change hotels for a 40 minute drive? Besides, the helihike is weather dependent and the trips are often cancelled - if you stay in one place for two nights you'll have a "make-up" day if the helihike is cancelled. Both Franz and Fox offer helihikes.

Day 12 just doesn't make sense to me. Hanmer Springs is a small town - the main attraction is the thermal reserve - if you go there, you'll want at least an afternoon to soak in the pools. I don't recommend going there just to turn around and head to Banks Peninsula, which is in the opposite direction.

As for Banks/Akaroa - you can easily fill an afternoon or several days there (I have). Plenty to do. What is it that you want to do in Akaroa that justifies the drive just to spend a few hours?

Highly recommend you pick either Hanmer or Akaroa - not both.

Still recommend you skip Dunedin this trip - too much driving for too little time in the area.