The tips I've read so far have been excellent, but I too, still would like a little more help. There will be 4 of us traveling together, with me being a frequent wheelchair user. I've been to NZ in the past, but my travel mates have not. So, I am okay with not doing some of the more inaccessible "touristy" things, but I'd like my friends to do at least a couple of them (i.e. glow worms, hangi dance/meal, undersea aquarium), unless any of you really think those would be a true waste of time. We do want to spend a few days on NI (BoI, mainly--possibly Rotorua..?), but plan to spend most of the time on SI (11-12 days). We were going to rent a car in AUK, or spend the 1st potentially jet-lag day on a city tour (for my fiends) before checking in to a nearby hotel. We arrive in AUK at 7am, so we are worried about renting a car right away & thought perhaps an airport pick-up via tour company might be the way to go. But, would we be better off getting back on a plane first thing that arrival morning to fly to either BoI or SI to start that leg of the trip first?

We plan to fly to SI from AUK (and back again for our trip home), and rent a car. Is it best to fly in/out of Christchurch or Dunedin? With 11-12 days available for SI, does anyone have ideal driving routes for us? We will not be kayaking or scuba diving, and hiking may be fairly limited (not just because of me). So, we're mainy going to focus on a scenic-focused vacation, and hope to limit our driving hours per day (relax & enjoy).

My main request for advice is for: 1. arrival at AUK at 7am: what best to do that first day?
2. NI/BoI route: fly or drive? What is best way to spend 3+ days on NI?
3. SI: where to fly in/out; how/where best to spend 11-12 days on the road?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Terri

Terri - firstly forgive my ignorance but what is Bol? I can understand the other abbreviations.
If you fly into Auckland at 7am, I wouldn't rent a car, just get the shuttle bus to your hotel, relax or sleep off any jet lag. With only a few days in the north island I would concentrate only on Lake Taupo/Rotorua region, then drive back to Auckland, fly to Dunedin (which will put you further south, and closer striking distance to Milford & Catlins). The road between Christchurch & Dunedin is long & boring so why waste your time doing it.
From Dunedin drive south to the Catlins, Invercargill, (possibly Stewart Island) then across to Te Anau & Milford Sound, then north to Queenstown, Mt.Cook, Lake Tekapo, Lewis Pass, (not in that order of course), back to the little village Geraldine, then take scenic highway SH 72, to come around the back of Christchurch, then a quick run back into Christchurch Airport. If you check out some of the NZ official websites, you will find a section of Themed Highways or special drives
Look for the one on Scenic Highway 72.
The "best part of the south island" in my opinion is the bottom half of the island, for lakes, alps, fishing, less people, fiords, etc.

Terri, in regard to those driving routes I mentioned, check out this website -
www.newzealand.com/travel/getting-to-around nz/driving
when you get that screen up, click on "View all driving routes"
Happy motoring.

Tropo, BoI is Bay of Islands, I think.

Amorx2, if I remember correctly, the Mai Ora concert and hangi at Te Puia is wheelchair-accessible. You could call or email them to check.

You could also check at Waitomo to see if the regular cave tours are accessible for you.

Lee Ann

Lee Ann - sorry your right, I'm just not used to all this abbreviation, I guess I'm still a bit old fashion, I like to type the name of the town or city in full.

Our flight from US was coming into AKL at 5 AM, and I had the same problem. I decided it was best to go to CHC right away, so as to get to our B&B in CHC at a reasonable time, since starting too early in AKL might be dicey. Also, we would wind up in AKL, so as to be near our flight home. It worked out very well.

Do you want to do the West Coast? We started from CHC, took the train to Greymouth, then a car down the coast to QT (ZQN), then Doubtful sound, then Catlins to DUD, flight to NI.

Jed,

Did you incur extra fees for returning your rental car to a different location than where you rented it, and flying in/out of different cities?


Besides spending 3 or so days on the N.I., we're (so far) planning to fly to either Christchurch or Dunedin, renting a car, then spending the next 2-3 days on that coast & the next 8-9 days on the other side--the Sounds (using Te Anau as the base), Fiordland, then up to Franz Joseph, etc. The problem is getting us & the rental back to the East coast. Perhaps we should instead fly in/out of Queenstown. Then I hear how beautiful Haast Pass is....there's just so much that sounds tempting, it's hard to decide what to pass up. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to make another trip over, so I want to make the right choices this time. Tough decisions, but not bad ones to have to make, really!

Thanks.....

We rented a car from National, which gave the best price from Greymouth to DUD. Most car rentals cos did not have this route. I don't remember if there was a drop-off fee, but I got a better price from emailing them and asking if there were any special rates, such as AAA.

We had the same experience with a rental from ROT to AKL.

We had 2 internal flight, AKL-CHC, and DUD-ROT. I made these separately, one with Quantas, and 1 with ANZ. ANZ has 'smart saver fares', and Qantas has Red e-deals.

Continued - We took ANZ because Qantas does not go to DUD.

I booked internals separately because to do all with the primary carrier would be too difficult, and with the special fares, it was much cheaper to do it that way.

About the car, I suggest that you do not consider returning the car to your starting point. Even if it a few more dollars, it is not worth the worry or effort.

Take out a map. You could start in CHC, drive or train to Greymouth, then drive down the west coast, to TA, then fly back from QT or DUD. By that time, you will not want to drive DUD- CHC. Or you could do the reverse itinerary.

Amorx2 - not sure if you know this or not, but Pacific Blue airlines now operates internally in NZ, and offers some cheap airfares, if booked in advance, eg. Auckland to Dunedin....$79 AUD p.p one way.
I think you will find Pacific Blue's airfares cheaper than Air New Zealand.

Jed, Tropo..and all, thanks so much for your advice. You're right...we need to focus on making the most of our time, and be willing to spend a bit extra to ensure that.

A few more questions: as mentioned earlier, we do plan to spend a few days on NI, since our int'l flt is in/out of AKL. Would it be best to choose between Bay of Islands OR Rotura/Lake Taupo & fly to one or the other areas & not try to see both? Things I've read say BoI is only 3 hours N of AKL, but it looks & sounds farther than that. I remember the beauty of BoI on my last visit, but I also truly enjoyed the cultural aspects in/around Rotorua. I want to do what's best for my travel mates, who have never been.

I need to look over the other postings again, but if anyone has personal lodging perferences for N.I., Te Anau, Dunedin area, Christchurch area, Haast or near Franz Joseph, I'd love to hear about them.

And Jed, how was the train experience between Christchurch and Greymouth?

Thanks again, all!!

I find the Bay of Islands too touristy for my liking. I would go further north to places like Manganou, base myself in a self contained cottage on the water's edge. But then we are both water people, need to swim most days, and we love the the quiet bay/beaches, like Coopers Beach, Taipa, etc.
However, in your case I would opt for Rot/Taupo.
Did you know that Lake Taupo is the remains of an old Volcano crater that filled with water. Imagine the explosion when it blew its top.

<Jed, how was the train experience between Christchurch and Greymouth?>

I would give it a 8/10*. Not having (or wanting) the experience of driving between CHC and Greymouth, it was a good choice for us.

This is from my report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34602230

"The ride and scenery were very pleasant. There was a small food service area which had a good selection of apparently good food. The small open observation car in front was crowded."

This has been a question before, and other people feel that driving is the way to go. .