6 full days in New Zealand
 

Hello World Travelers.

My wife, daughter and I just purchased tickets to be in New Zealand towards the end of June, following a 2-week stay in Australia. (we live in Florida).

So I read some of the posts and replies in this wonderful forum and realize that there is not enough time (I guess there's never enough time) to explore the country decently so with that in mind, I would appreciate if you could comment on a few doubts that we have. Please keep in mind that we are in our early stages of planning and we can definitely accommodate changes.

We arrive around noon on a Saturday and have to catch a flight the following Saturday.

As far as things to do and places to go, we have listed a few:
-Glacier
-Kiwi Farm
-Marlborough Vineyards
-Cathedral Cove

In cases like ours with very limited time the common suggestion is to concentrate in one of the islands, most of them pointing to the South Island, as it seems to be more "scenic".

Q1) So we saw these pictures from Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel Peninsula and were attracted to visit it. Is it worth the detour? It seems to be about 180km SE of Auckland. How long would it take to get there? Could it be a day trip from Auckland?

Q2) We are most definitely interested in visiting one of the glaciers. Again, from what I read, it seems Fox and Franz Josef are comparable (please correct me if you think we should favor one of them). But we are mostly concerned about the amount of time it will take to get there. If we go straight from Auckland (our port of entry) to Queenstown on Saturday we will pretty much be done for the day. Then, it looks like it would take about 6-8 hours to get to Fox and Franz Josef, so there goes our Sunday. We would spend the a half day hiking. Question: Can we drive straight back to Queenstown after the hike? I am not experienced in driving in icy/snowy conditions. Are there any tours that fly straight from Queenstown to the glacier area? We are cost conscious and cannot afford these expensive tours that promise 4 helicopter landings around the area.

Q3) I know the Kiwi Farm tour idea might sound cheesy but we figure we should accept that we are tourists and should do things the regular Joe would do. We still haven't found one that we can go to...

Q4) My wife is definitely into wine so Marlborough is a must do. Any suggestions? Can we

So far we have:
Day 1 (Sa): arrive in Auckland and fly straight to Queenstown
Day 2 (Su): Drive to glacier
Day 3 (M): Tour the glacier / drive back to Queenstown
Day 4 (Tu): Fly to Nelson: (suggestion of half day tours nearby Nelson?)
Day 5 (W): Drive to Marlborough/visit vineyards/return to Nelson
Day 6 (Th): Fly to Auckland (suggestion of half day tours nearby Auckland?)
Day 7 (F): Cathedral Cove
Day 8 (S): Fly back home

Additional questions:
Can we go straight from Nelson to Cathedral cove on day 4? Is lodging good in that area?
Similarly, is it doable to go straight from Auckland to Cathedral Cove on Day 6?

I know it is a lot of questions, but please chime in on those ones about which you have an opinion/suggestion.

Thanks in advance for your great contributions.

Regards,
Roberto

Nelson is on the South Island. Cathedral Cove is on the North Island. It's on the Coromandel peninsula and is about 3 1/2 hours drive from Auckland Airport. Closest large town would be Whitianga, closest small town is Haihei.

Marlborough is not the only wine region in NZ. I think if you are in Queenstown it makes more sense to see the wine region nearby (mostly known for Pinot Noir). They have some nice tasting room/restaurants that cater to tourism in the Gibbston Valley.

I would drop the flight to Nelson. Your time is very short.

As far as glaciers, I assume you planning to walk onto a glacier even if you don't helihike? I think you are totally underestimating how tired you will be from flying from the EAST COAST to NZ..Isnt' it like 20 hours or something?

If you continue on to Queenstown I would book something very light the first day, perhaps the kiwi tour and a winery visit (have someone else drive).
www.kiwibird.co.nz

As far as the glaciers, are you going to be doing a glacier hike? You're probably not going to feel much like driving back afterwards. Perhaps book a second night. There's a nice walk to Lake Matheson that is worthwhile if the weather is right (calm, clear).

I'm a bit surprised you aren't going to see Milford Sound. That is usually a highlight. It can be done in a long day from Queenstown, or you could overnight in Te Anau.

I would not look for half day tours near Auckland, just drive to Coromandel and fill your time along the way. Two days with an overnight is fine.

Hi mlgb, thanks for the comments.

So, let me clarify. we will be touring in Australia first (will ask for suggestions there in a different thread) and then on to NZ. So, on the first day in NZ, we will “only” have to worry about the jet lag from flying from Sydney to Auckland.

About the wineries: I will have to defer that to my wife. She is the sommelier-at-large but I did like the idea of concentrating activities in Queenstown. Will check if she is into it. The flight to Nelson was to get closer to Marlborough.

Yes, we plan to hike the glaciers or do the helihike. I am quite fit (just ran a half marathon and plan to train for a full marathon) but understand that the hike can be quite draining. So here is a question: If we chose the heli-hike, I would assume it is more of a lighter activity, isn’t it?

We also considered Milford Sound. It is just so complicated to decide what to drop to make room for it. But definitely we will give it a careful second look.

Will take your word about going straight to Coromandel and spending the night over there.

Hopefully more travelers will provide additional comments.

Thanks a lot!

With just 6 days, I would forego the North Island and head straight for Queenstown on the South Island. I can guarantee you'll be wishing you had more time on the South Island, so make the most of the time you have! Think I'd pick Milford over the glaciers. For one, the drive there from Te Anau is just magnificent. Or you can do the a scenic flight to Milford from Q[town. Distances are deceiving, think I'd leave Nelson for another trip.

Satrijoe, yes Marlborough is a well-known wine area, but there are wonderful wineries in the Nelson area also. If you want to visit the Marlborough wineries then fly to Blenheim, (the main town in Marlborough) a smaller airport admittedly but it is pointless flying to Nelson to visit Marlborough.

Nelson is a great place to visit, as well as wineries, there is wonderful scenery, sea canoeing, bush walks etc in the Abel Tasman National Park, great restaurants, Golden Bay over the Takaka hill is another scenic wonderland. I agree though with 6 days only you have to make some choices.

Central Otago is well-known for it's wines and is a lot closer to Queenstown.

You are going to love it, include as much as possible but concentrate on the South Island. We are also Floridians and were there in late October. Your going in June so conditions will be very different, it will be cold, but it is wonderful. When we were in Queenstown (one of the most beautiful spots in the world) the trees were in bloom but when it rained it was cold. It poured when we went to Milford Sound, which we were told it does most often, but it was fantastic. We went to Milford sound on a day trip, it was long but very interesting, just dress very warm. It snowed in the mountains on the way to Frans Joseph and poured after we arrived. I would not discourage you from going to the glaciers, but I must be honest, compared with the ones in Alaska and Canada they are not that impressive. We had great wine everywhere we went and fabulous food but, the best thing about New Zealand is the people.

Yes if you don't have to hike up the face of the glacier (steps are cut into it for you) it will be a lighter activity. haven't been there recently so I don't know if they now have an easier way of getting up there?! Have you seen other glaciers? If so stpeterb has a point. Also keep in mind that weather can throw a wrench into plans.

Wineries near to Queenstown include Amisfield which has a fine restaurant as well as tasting. Farther east near Cromwell/Bannockburn is where the top end Pinot Noirs are grown eg Mt. Difficulty. In fact in 6 or so trips (have lost count) I have never detoured to Marlborough since the scenery is a bit dull and there are plenty of other choices.

If you aren't tired on arrival then perhaps you could get going but I think instead I might do the wine lunch, Kiwi Farm and then head over to Te Anau in order to see Milford early the next day.

stpetereb/mlgb/RalphR/nelsonian,

thx for the comments!

Have not been to any glacier. With the threat of global warming and all, we want to visit one ASAP! I've seen a documentary about one in Argentina that is half of its original size now. So shocking.

I was wondering if there is anything that you do if you take the heli-hike that you wouldn't if you chose the regular 1/2 day hike instead? Of course, the views will be different but I wonder if you get to go to caves, passages or other places that are just not accessible or too far to reach from the base. Would appreciate comments on these.

Wine lunch is always a great idea! Now I need to convince my wife that setting camp in Queenstown and doing the wineries over there will give us more quality time for sightseeing in the region. She insists Marlborough is the "well-known" NZ wine region.

Talking about sightseeing: Do you recommend doing it on your own vs. taking a commercial tour? We usually prefer doing it on our own so that we can set our own pace and change our schedule as we see appropriate but sometimes miss a good explanation about things and places. (don't worry, we will take the tour to the glacier! Not crazy to try that by ourselves).

Thanks,
Roberto

this might sound dopey but...

once oyu are in new zealand you don;t have to go to the wine regions to get great new zealand wine. it's everywhere. I realize it's like coming to the bay area and not going to sonoma or napa, but truth is NZ wine can be had everywhere in NZ.

How tru mztery

Buy your Savvy everywhere.

mztery/mlgb,

true but my wife enjoys the experience of visiting the actual winery itself. So, we gotta see some of them otherwise it will not feel like the real thing...

We were in New Zealand a couple of years ago with our 3 kids aged 14, 12 and 10, which could be a reference for you with your daughter (I don't know her age).
New Zealand is a fantastic destination as you obviously know and 6 days would never be enough on either island, but to try both does mean spending a lot of time getting from place to place. My preference would be to concentrate on 1 island only; if you want to see Coromandel (the area in which Cathedral Cove is) you want the North Island; if you want the glaciers, you want the South Island. Bear in mind it's winter, so Cathedral Cove will look beautiful, but you won't want to swim. IF you do do the glaciers, i can tell you we did the day hike at Franz Josef, and were not remotely tired after that. We drove from there that afternoon to Wanaka - it was quite long and I wouldn't have wanted to drive all the way to Queenstown in the dark - there are a number of mountain passes. If you were to only do the North Island, you could still go to the Nelson area, as it is at the most Northerly tip of the South Island; that way you could also see the gorgeous Abel Tasman National Park. But ultimately you'll probably want to spend all your time in the North, or immediately fly to Queenstown or Christchurch and see some of the South Island instead.

I should add, don't worry about 'doing the glacier on your own' - you can't, you have to take a tour. But in general, it's very easy to get around on one's own, and I would do self drive ahead of tour in NZ anyday.

Thanks travellingdad.
My daughter will be 11 when we get to New Zealand so right around your kids' ages.
I am definintely thinking about concentrating on one island, at this point, South island sounds more like it.
Right now I am inclined to set camp in Queenstown and maybe spend a night near Franz Josef or Fox glacier before we head back.

Quick question: Would Cathedral Cove/Coromandel Peninsula be a day trip from Auckland?

Thanks!

Ok, complete change of plans. Based on the feedback received, research made this is what we are leaning towards now:

Day 1 (Sa): arrive in Auckland and fly straight to Queenstown
Day 2 (Su): Drive to glacier
Day 3 (M): Tour the glacier / Drive to Wanaka
Day 4 (Tu): Winery Tours / Drive to Queenstown or Te Anau
Day 5 (W): Milford Sound Tour / back to Te Anau or Queenstown
Day 6 (Th): Tour Queenstown (?)
Day 7 (F): Fly to Auckland / Visit Cathedral Cove
Day 8 (S): Fly back home

So, now I have a new set of questions:

1) About day 3: Is it feasible to drive to Wanaka after finishing the glacier hike? I take it from travelingdad comments that it is OK (Google maps says 262km).
2) Day 4: After visiting a few wineries in Central Ontago, we could either go to Queenstown or try to push all the way to Te Anau. What do you recommend?
3) Day 6: Kind of undecided. Are there other tours that we could do while in Te Anau?
4) Day 7: Remaining question from previous post: Is Cathedral Cove a day trip from Auckland?

Overall, it feels like we will make better use of our time. Opinions?

Thanks a lot!!!

by the way, other than Virgin Blue, Qantas and Air New Zealand, is there any other airline that flies Auckland/New Zealand? The tickets that I found are kind of expensive!

Jet Star is the budget version of Qantas. Virgin Blue is called Pacific Blue in NZ. The cheapest fares are normally to and from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Thanks nelsonian.

I checked all air lines and the fares from Auckland to Queenstown are really not good because of the lack of alternatives as we are flying in from Sydney.

Auckland to Christchurch though is a viable option $$$ wise. So my question 5 is what are the transportation options between Christchurch and the glaciers (either Fox or Franz Josef)? I am more inclined to ride on a bus than driving unless the roads are so gorgeous that deserve several stops along the way. Again, I am not an experienced driver in icy conditions and considering it will be end of June...

Thanks!

Hi satrijoe -

Your latest itinerary isn't very efficient. You'll be wasting time driving to the glaciers and back from Queenstown.

Suggest you fly to Christchurch, rent a car, drive down the west coast via Arthur's Pass, visit the glaciers as you work your way towards Queenstown, visit Te Anau and Milford and then fly out from Queenstown. A much better use of time.

PS - I just noticed that driving seems to be a concern for you, although driving is the absolute best way to see the SI IMO.

We visit the SI often in the winter/spring and haven't had any major issues with the roads, but we're originally from CO, so take that with a grain of salt.

You might consider taking the TranzAlpine to Greymouth and collecting a rental car there for the rest of the drive along the West Coast. You'll avoid driving over Arthur's Pass which can get icy during the winter.

I haven't read this entire thread, so forgive me if this has already been suggested.