Melnq8

PS -

I have a couple of other NZ trip reports where we stayed in both areas - just scroll down on my trip reports page if you want details.

britomart

Good to know. We decided to book the cottage N of Motueka. We will daytrip to Golden Bay.

I was reading your other trip reports and read that you've stayed in Arrowtown and Te Anau... I had been planning to base in QT and take the overnight Milford sound cruise. I didn't know staying in quadshare was so $$$ still! For that price we could take the day cruises to both Milford and Doubtful and a kayak trip to Milford too... Would we be better off staying in Te Anau for 3 nights? My main interested are kayaking Milford and it would be nice to walk one of the tracks on a day hike. It doesn't seem like there's much to do in QT unless you want to bungy jump, skydive, go rafting, etc, etc, none of which interests us.

But, I had also been looking forward to ditching the rental car for this portion of the trip too..........!

Melnq8

For us, Arrowtown is the best of both worlds...quiet, country accommodation, yet only a short drive from QT.

There's loads to do in QT, not just adventure activities. We enjoy the restaurants, the pubs, the hiking opportunities and the odd visit to a casino, but we base ourselves in Arrowtown, because QT has just gotten to busy for our tastes. We've had trouble finding quiet accommodation in QT in the past, so we started moving out of town, first to the Villa Del Lago apartments and then further out to Arrowtown.

I personally prefer Te Anau as a base for Milford because it's small, quiet and convenient and there are some fantastic walking tracks in the area. It also saves having to drive QT-Milford and return, which is a long haul.

Te Anau gets a wee bit busy as the buses from QT to Milford pass through, but once they're gone, it's very peaceful.

If you stay in Te Anau, I'd suggest keeping your rental car. You can certainly get to Milford and the tracks via tour operators and bus transport, but a car will offer you the most flexibility and might save you money in the long run.

Have you considered staying in Manapouri?

britomart

I hadn't even heard of Manapouri... Just looked it up on a map. We are still discussing this portion of our itinerary and hopefully we will decide on something soon. I think the fact that we have had maybe 2 hours together in the same room over the last week shows how much we need a vacation!

Melnq8

Just tossing Manapouri out there as an option, never stayed there myself, but it's close to Te Anau and near the departure point for the Doubtful Sound cruise. Not trying to confuse the matter!

britomart

I have a question that might affect whether we base in QT or Te Anau.... Will we have to book each car rental segment separately? It's a lot more $$$ that way! The price for the Picton->Christchurch (12 days) costs as much as a 3-week rental! Is it possible to do a 3-week rental with multiple drop-offs and pick-ups?

Melnq8

I'm not sure I follow.

Some car rental companies will let you take their vehicles on the ferry from one island to the other, others won't. Some prefer you drop off your car on one island and collect a replacement on the other.

I don't understand how this would affect staying in Te Anau vs Queentown???

Where specifically do you plan to pick up and drop off?

When we've taken the ferry into the Marlborough Sounds or to Stewart Island for a few days, we found it was less expensive and more convenient to keep the car, park at the ferrry terminal and collect it upon our return.

Is this what you mean?

britomart

We need 3 separate rental cars since we are flying from Auck to Well and from CC to QT. Segment 1 will be for the Bay of Islands. Then we fly to Well, take the ferry to Picton, pick up a 2nd car. Then we fly from CC to QT and possibly p/up a 3rd car.

When I price each small segment, the price is high, much higher than if I had a rental for the whole 20 days.

Apex e-mailed me and quoted me $49 NZ per day, which seems reasonable.

We were hoping to save $$ by not getting a car for QT, but I priced the Milford overnight cruise with transportation from QT vs. from Te Anau, and the difference in price would easily pay for our rental car for the entire 3 days, so I think this won't be an issue.

If our flight home leaves QT at 3:30 pm, would we be okay driving back from Te Anau the same day as our flight? Or perhaps when we fly to QT, we should head straight to Te Anau and then spend our last 2 nights in QT? That might work out better, we can sleep in on the day we fly home. I think I just answered that one myself Thanks for all of your help Melnq8!!

britomart

I should have mentioned, Apex is quoting us: - Economy Sedan 2002-2005 Nissan Sunny or similar 1500cc 4 door sedan manual or automatic for $NZ 49.00 per day

This rate will apply to the 3 separate itineraries. Does that sound reasonable?

Melnq8

The APEX rental sounds reasonable to me. Car rentals in NZ aren't exactly cheap, regardless.

<If our flight home leaves QT at 3:30 pm, would we be okay driving back from Te Anau the same day as our flight?>

Yes. It's only a two hour drive from Te Anau to QT, just leave yourself plenty of time. Seems you've already worked out a solution though.

Have a great trip - I hope you consider posting a trip report upon your return.