21 Nights - New Zealand
 

Hi everybody,

Me and my wife (mid 30’s) will make a trip to New Zealand, on february/march 2011 (21 nights and 22 days).

We will arrive at Auckland. We are considerind driving down a campervan until we reach Queenstown, dropping the car there and getting a plane back to Auckland.

I can see the comments here are very sincere, which I appreciate.

I have a tentative itinerary (below) and some questions (for which the books I bought don’t have the answer):

a) Is it really worth doing the Milford Track (4 nights and 5 days and very expensive)?

b) Is it worth doing the Tongariro Crossing?

c) Is it too difficult driving on the left side of the road?

d) I know the itinerary may be irrealistic in many points, but… in which points? (we don’t wanna drive all the time…)

e) What should we not miss? (taking in consideration that it is always good to see different and new things and that we are from a country where we have beautiful beaches, but we don’t get snow or cold places or high mountains).

f) What is the medium driving pace: should I consider 50 km/h?

If you can help me, I would be very glad.

Day 1 – Auckland – arrival early in the morning
Day 2 – Auckland – Bay of Islands (Paihia) – Cape Brett – Cathedral Cave – sleep somewhere Bay Islands
Day 3 – Bay of Islands back to Auckland – Auckland – Coromandel Peninsula – Bay of Plenty - Thames – Hot Water Beach – sleeps Thames
Day 4 – Thames – Waitomo – Rotorua – sleeps Rotorua
Day 5 – Rotorua – Waiotapu – Taupo – sleeps Taupo
Day 6 – Tongariro Crossing – then Taupo – Napier – sleeps Napier
Day 7 – Te Mata Peak – Hastings – Havelock North - sleeps Napier
Day 8 – Napier – Martinborough – Wellington – sleeps Wellington
Day 9 – Wellington – sleeps Wellington
Day 10 – ferry – boat on Marlborough Sounds - sleeps Picton
Day 11 – choose between Queen Charlotte Trail and kayaking – sleeps Picton
Day 12 – Blenheim – Hanmer Springs – Kaikoura – sleeps Kaikoura
Day 13 – Kaikoura – Christchurch – sleeps Christchurch
Day 14 – Christchurch – Franz Joseph – hike there – sleeps Franz Joseph surroundigs
Day 15 – Franz Joseph – Wanaka and, later, Wanaka – Kawarau (for bungee jumping) - Queenstown – sleeps Queenstown
Day 16 – Milford Sound (1st day and overnight)
Day 17 – Milford Sound (2nd day and overnight)
Day 18 – Milford Sound (3th day and overnight)
Day 19 – Milford Sound (4th day and overnight)
Day 20 – Milford Sound (5th and last day) – sleeps Queenstown
Day 21 – Drop campervan – flight Queenstown – Auckland – sleeps Auckland
Day 22 – Auckland – departure in the afternoon

Thank you!

Hi Cruzeirense -

I'll try to help with some of your questions.

<c) Is it too difficult driving on the left side of the road?>

If I can do it, anyone can. It's weird at first and it takes a bit of getting used to, but no it's not difficult. I strongly suggest you don't drive very far on your day of arrival - chances are you'll be shattered from the flights and the last thing you'll want to do is pop into a car and drive on the opposite side of the road. You'd do well to spend a few minutes reviewing the road rules in NZ before you set out.

<f) What is the medium driving pace: should I consider 50 km/h?>

The maximum speed limit in NZ is 100 km per hour. The roads can be narrow and winding, but you can certainly drive more than 50 km/hr unless that's the limit. Traffic can be sparse in some areas, curves are often banked and the roads are generally in excellent condition. Speed cameras are common. You may not see them, but they're there.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/ro...ed-limits.html

I'm not as familiar with the NI as the SI, so I'll just comment on your SI itinerary.

<Day 12 – Blenheim – Hanmer Springs – Kaikoura – sleeps Kaikoura

You're backtracking on Day 12 - Blenheim-Kaikoura-Hanmer makes more sense. Why backtrack to Kaikoura just to spend the night, when you could more easily stay in Hanmer Springs?

This is about four hours of driving, so if you plan to take a whale watching trip in Kaikoura, you'll need to allow sufficient time.

Just a word about Hanmer Springs - this isn't on the usual tourist route. The main attraction to Hanmer Springs is the thermal pools. Not much else there.

<Day 14 – Christchurch – Franz Joseph – hike there – sleeps Franz Joseph surroundigs>

Christchurch to Franz Josef is 395 km, close to 5:45 hours of driving. This won't leave you much time to hike. I usually suggest at least two nights at the glaciers, particularly if you hope to do a helihike or guided glacier hike. There's plenty to keep one busy for two nights (or longer if you're there to walk/hike).

<Day 15 – Franz Joseph – Wanaka and, later, Wanaka – Kawarau (for bungee jumping) - Queenstown – sleeps Queenstown>

This is a long day. The drive from Franz Josef to Wanaka is 287 km, about four hours. Wanaka to QT is another 117 km, about 90 minutes. There are lots of reasons to stop enroute, so allow yourself plenty of time - the scenery is gorgeous.

If you haven't already booked the Milford Track, you're probably out of luck - it books out months in advance, so this may very well be the deciding factor. You must have a booking to walk the Milford Track during the summer season.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...milford-track/

Thank you Melng8!

- driving in N. Zealand, speed limits: OK.

- Hanmer Springs: I dropped it.

- Christchurch – Franz Joseph – Queenstown: I dropped two days on N. Island (Bay of Islands and Coromandel Peninsula) in favor of 2 days exploring Franz Joseph area and the road between F. Joseph and Queenstown.

- About Milford Track - you are right: booking is already full for independent hiking on february/march. “Ultimate Hikes” (guided tours, seems to be very organized, though very expensive) still has spots available. Has anyone tramped in Milford Track? Is it worth? Is it really the finest walk in N. Zealand?

Do other participants of the forum have any other hints about the N. Island and the S. Island?

Thank you again!

New version (after Melng8's help):

Day 1 – Auckland – arrival early in the morning

Day 2 – Auckland – Waitomo – Rotorua – sleeps Rotorua

Day 3 – Rotorua – Waiotapu – Taupo – sleeps Taupo

Day 4 – Tongariro Crossing – sleeps Taupo

Day 5 – Taupo – Napier – Te Mata Peak – Hastings – Havelock North – back to Napier – sleeps Napier

Day 6 – Napier – Martinborough – Wellington – sleeps Wellington

Day 7 – Wellington – sleeps Wellington

Day 8 – ferry – boat on Marlborough Sounds - sleeps Picton

Day 9 – choose between Queen Charlotte Trail and kayaking – sleeps Picton

Day 10 – Blenheim – Kaikoura – sleeps Kaikoura

Day 11 – Kaikoura – Christchurch – sleeps Christchurch

Day 12 – Christchurch – Franz Joseph – hike there – sleeps Franz Joseph surroundigs

Day 13 – Explore the glaciers – sleeps Franz Joseph surroundigs

Day 14 – Explore the glaciers – head to Wanaka

Day 15 – Wanaka – Kawarau (for bungee jumping) - Queenstown – sleeps Queenstown

Day 16 – Milford Sound (1st day and overnight)

Day 17 – Milford Sound (2nd day and overnight)

Day 18 – Milford Sound (3th day and overnight)

Day 19 – Milford Sound (4th day and overnight)

Day 20 – Milford Sound (5th and last day) – sleeps Queenstown

Day 21 – Drop campervan – flight Queenstown – Auckland – sleeps Auckland

Day 22 – Auckland – departure in the afternoon

a) Milford..No. I did the Ultimate Hikes organized walk to Milford Sound. I would suggest looking into taking the Milford Sound Cruise, and then hiking the Routeburn or Kepler instead, especially if you can still book into the huts to fit your schedule. You might look into staying in Glenorchy or especially Kinloch, as an alternative to Queenstown.

The Milford is more famous and has stricter capacity controls.
But either of those other two are worthwhile, and some people prefer them.

b) Tongariro..Yes! Allow two nights and you'll need to arrange a shuttle back to your car.

c) The hardest part is the turns, you want to have the driver's body near the centerline of the road after the turn! Also you will switch up the turn signals and windshield wipers, my solution was just to use both!

f) While the speed limit is 100km per hour, I found that you can never go that fast for more than a few 100 meters at a time, because you have to slow down for one lane bridges and curves. Then there is the slow moving camper van, truck, roadworks, or farm equipment. I found that 50 to 60km per hour is a good average for trip planning, especially in the mountains and especially if you will stop for photos.

Re your itinerary.

There are campground much closer to the Tongariro track than Taupo. I have never gone the camper route, so no personal experience, but try Whakapapa Holiday Park.

Day 12 will be a long day. You might not have much hiking time, but I think it is okay since you have all day on the 13th. Be sure if the weather is clear in the morning to see Lake Matheson with the reflection.

There are lots of short hikes between the glaciers and Wanaka.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...s-short-walks/
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...aast-township/

Dear mlgb,

Thank you for the comments. I'll try do adjust my itinerary to what you and Melnq8 wrote, and then I'll post the new plans (still waiting for another suggestions, if participants of the forum have them!

Dear mlgb,

Thank you for the comments. I'll try do adjust my itinerary to what you and Melnq8 wrote, and then I'll post the new plans (still waiting for another suggestions, if participants of the forum have them!

<Day 11 – Kaikoura – Christchurch – sleeps Christchurch>

Are you taking a whale watching trip in the morning, before departing Kaikoura?

If not, you should have plenty of time to fit in a side trip to Hanmer Springs on your way to Christchurch from Kaikoura if you're interested in spending a few hours in the thermal pools. My previous comment was meant to point out that you were backtracking by returning to Kaikoura for the night, I didn't mean to put you off Hanmer altogether.

It really comes down to whether you'd prefer to spend those hours in Christchurch when you arrive or take your time getting to Christchurch from Kaikoura.

Thank you Melnq8,

OK, I got that. I guess we prefer going to Kaikoura for the whale watching trip. If, for any reason, the trip is not possible, then we would switch to Hanmer Springs.

I rewrote my itinerary, following your many advices.

What do you think? Is it reasonable? Does it allow having a fair and nice portrait of New Zealand?

Day 1 – Auckland – arrival before dawn - stay in Auckland - overnight in Auckland

Day 2 – Get car (a regular one, not a campervan) - Auckland/Waitomo (caves - Glowworm, Black Water Rafting) – Waitomo/Rotorua (geisers) – overnight in Rotorua

Day 3 – Rotorua/Wai-o-tapu (geisers)– Wai-o-tapu/Taupo – overnight in Taupo

Day 4 – Taupo/Whakapapa - Tongariro Crossing – overnight in Whakapapa

Day 5 – Whakapapa/Kapiti Coast/Kapiti Island/Wellington - overnight in Wellington

Day 6 – Wellington – overnight in Wellington

Day 7 – N. Island/S. Island - ferry (we stay with the same car) – boat ride on Marlborough Sounds - overnight in Picton

Day 8 – Picton/Queen Charlotte Drive - walk a small portion of Queen Charlotte Trail - kayaking? – overnight in Picton

Day 9 – Picton/Blenheim (wineries) – Blenheim/Kaikoura – overnight in Kaikoura

Day 10 – Kaikoura (whales) - Kaikoura/Hanmer Springs (hot pools) - Hanmer Springs/Christchurch – overnight in Christchurch

Day 11 - Christhchurch (balloon and others) - overnight in Christchurch

Day 12 – Christchurch/Arthur's Pass (short hikes)/Franz Joseph – overnight in Franz Joseph

Day 13 – Explore the glaciers (helihike or all day hike) – overnight in Franz Joseph surroundigs

Day 14 – Franz Joseph/Lake Matheson/Wanaka - overnight in Wanaka

Day 15 – Wanaka/Kawarau (for bungee jumping)/Queenstown – overnight in Queenstown

Day 16 – Queenstown (return the car here) - overnight in Queenstown

Day 17 - Queenstown/Te Anau/Milford Sound - Night Cruise on Milford Sound

Day 18 – Milford Sound/The Divide Shelter (beginning of Routeburn Track) - First day of R. Track - overnight at the Mackenzie Hut

Day 19 – Second day of R. Track - overnight at the Routeburn Falls Lodge

Day 20 – Third (and last) day of R. Track, ending at the Routeburn Shelter - Glenorchy/Queenstown - overnight in Queenstown

Day 21 – Queenstown - in the evening, fly to Auckland - overnight in Auckland

Day 22 – Auckland – departure in the afternoon

Thank you and a Happy 2011 (which in New Zealand has begun several hours ago...)!

I think you may feel this is too fast paced.

EG for the Kapiti Island, I think it is worthwhile to overnight. Even if you don't, you really should catch the morning ferry and you can't realistically reach Kapiti from Whakapapa in the morning. Especially after the hike!

If you can catch a flight on the day you arrive to the south island, I find that is a good way to make some use of your jetlag day, rather than wasting it in Auckland. Fly to Queenstown, take an easy day maybe the bungee thing, or another of your excursions, do your Milford thing, then Routeburn, THEN pickup your car and proceed to do your itinerary in reverse. I think you will find that you won't want that many days in Queenstown and can add in some extra leeway on the rest of the trip.

Again, it makes no sense to sleep in Taupo prior to the Tongariro crossing. Proceed to Whakapapa and spend both nights on either side of the hike there, with a return shuttle to the lodging.

As far as Kapiti I would recommend sleeping either in Wellington or Paraparaumu and reserving the morning transport so you have a full day there (an overnight is even better!) You do need to book this in advance as well as get a permit.

I haven't been to all the places you plan to visit -- so I don't know what to suggest you eliminate -- but I do suggest finding a way to include Abel Tasman Park. It was exceptionally beautiful to explore on foot and by water taxi.

FYI, NZ is so beautiful you can't lose. I especially loved Te Mata. But why drive back to Napier?

I might consider skipping Christchurch. It's a pleasant city but not a highlight IMO.

Alot of moving around.

Day 8 - Unless you take a water taxi into the sounds, you'll only be able to walk the track from Anakiwi, which is accessible via car. Perhaps move your boat ride in the sounds from Day 7 to here, and kill two birds with one stone. Perhaps move the Queen Charlotte drive to Day 7.

Thank you again, everybody. I promise posting a report after the journey!

Everyone I know who has done the Tongariro Crossing loves it, but be prepared: the weather can be fickle (at all times of the year) and if it's considered too risky to cross, the shuttles won't run.)Ditto for things like balloon rides, heli-hikes, etc. I don't say don't try to do them, just have a backup, if my friends' experience with weather is anything to go by.

Have a great time!

Have you deceided to get a camper van for the south island?

No, we decided to get a medium-size car (with Apex), for both islands, especially due to the campervan rental prices and to the extra difficulty of driving on the left side AND driving a huge car at the same time...

Cruzeirense - I have been reading your planned trip with great interest. We are a couple in our mid sixties and have tried motorhome travel in England and this year in Canada.
We thought we may like to do the same in New Zealand in December this year but I see you have given up the Campervan/motorhome route due to the cost.
Please give me some details of Hirers and their prices -
I don't fancy packing and unpacking a suitcase every two or three days, which we would do if staying in hotels.
I am really so undecided about what direction our trip should take. I even fancy train travel and maybe combining car/motorhome/train/bus and experience all of it!!

Hi, Tod,

The rates I found were about NZ$3.500,00 (Apex and others) for a campervan with toilette and shower, picking it up in Auckland and returning it in Queenstown (17 days).

That was not the only reason - neither the main one, because the savings in renting a small car will partly disappear, as we have now to book hotels - for giving up.

I chose a regular car because we got to the conclusion we would be more comfortable driving a smaller vehicle, especially because there is the "driving on the left-side factor".

But I still want do travel, in the future, using a campervan. It looks like a lot of fun.

Thanks for your reply! It would be NZ$3,500 for the motorhome and then fuel on top of that, and also the camp fees. It does work out a lot. We are also super fussy about the motorhomes we hire! In the UK we hired through Motorholmes UK which put you in touch with private people hiring out their own vehicle.
In Ireland we had a brand new vehicle and in Canada also the latest very smart diesel vehicle. You must go for diesel it is half the price in fuel consumption!
Thanks again for your reply.