Hi,
Our holiday is getting closer and we are now starting to think about what to pack... We will be in New Zealand from 7 Dec to 28 Dec (Auckland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Waitomo, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Kaikoura, Abel Tasman, Greymouth, ranz Joseph / Fox Glacier, Wanaka, Oamaru, Otago, Te Anau, Queenstown) What sort of weather are we likely to get? Should we pack lots of warm clothes or will a fleece and light waterproof be enough?
Thanks for your help.

You are going to encounter the equivalent to early summer weatheralong the U.S. Pacific Coast (N. California); some hot days on the N. Island, some cool evenings on the S. Island. You will probably encounter some rain on the west coast of the S. Island, but I would think that a fleece jacket and rainjacket will be plenty warm enough.

Don't bother packing too much for your NZ trip. It will be predominantly warm in Dec so pack your swimsuit for the hot days. Definitely bring a warm fleece jacket and a light raincoat but don't go overboard on the warm clothes, maybe throw in a warm beanie if you are worried about being cold.

Shorts, t-shirt, jeans, long sleeve shirts ... etc should see you through most of your trip comfortably.

Don't forget, you can always buy something cheap here if needed. There are numerous cut price stores with cheap clothes, jackets, shoes etc ( The Warehouse, K-Mart etc) if you require something extra.

It sounds like you have a fantastic trip ahead of you ~ hope you have a great time.

Any idea on the water temperature on the Coromandel and BOP at that time of year.

MietteMeg
Have you got a rental car? who did you go with?

johhj_au
We will have a motorhome (with Maui), we've never done this before and we are really looking forward to it.
I'd be interested to know about the water temperature too as we have booked a 'Swim with the dolphins' trip in the Bay of Plenty.

I hope the "campervan" goes well...we had one on the south island and decided not to do it again.

Where are staying on the Cormandel and BOP?

Water temperatures will be on the cool side, but certainly swimmable. We swam at several locations along the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty.

You have probably heard of Hot Water Beach, near Whenuakite, where you can dig your own 'hot tub' at low tide - hot springs seep into the sand. You also might be lucky enough to witness the annual rite of, "cutting the pass". During the spring, waves deposit a sand bar across the mouth of a small river, creating a dam and a small lake. By early summer, the lake gets so big that it threatens to flood riverside campsites. Usually on or about the Winter Solstice, everyone grabs a shovel and digs a trench through the berm, until finally the dam bursts and the lake floods back into the ocean.

If you like to play in waves, there are lots of fine choices. Opoutere Beach, on the Coromandel, develops some nasty little rollers that can be fun. Our kids really liked Ohope Beach on the Bay of Plenty.

Johnj_au
What happened with the campervan? Why wouldn't you do it again?
We are planning to stay in Hahei (not far from Cathedral Cove) and Mount Maungauni (Papamoa beach).

Miette
We had a campervan for 10 days in jan on the south island.We had a busy schedule and were worried about accommodation...as it turned out accommodation was available and we felt we would have had more flexibilty and covered a greater range with a car.

That being said thousands of ppl have wonderful hols in nz in their vans and grow to love them

Every time I see a Britz or Maui cruising down the pacific highway here in aust. I think of good times in nz...
and particularly the night we spent trapped with 5,000 sand flies in the back of the camper!

We will be in Auckland,Hahei and BOP at similar time to you.
Have you booked at hahei?

Hum... my husband didn't like the sand flies story... Will they really be a problem in December and can anyone recommend something against them?
No, we haven't booked at Hahei but we are planning to stay at http://www.haheiholidays.co.nz/ we emailed them and they said there was no need to book.

Any standard insect repellent should prevent bites. To deter them from coming near your motorhome, you can buy large citronella candles on wooden sticks which can be stuck in the ground and which are very effective at deterring sandflies and mosquitoes. Alternatively there are things called Glade plug-ins which deter them very well too - they're available at all local supermarkets and you can leave them on all night.

I doubt if you will be as stupid as i was...camped by a pond and left the van doors open while we took a walk.

Get yourself some RID repellant at a chemist.

Insects are especially bad on the sounds.However I would still highly recommend the overnight on doubtful.

Funny you mentioned the overnight cruise on Doubtful sound as we are booked on it! We'll now make sure we take some sort of insect repellent!

If I could just clarify my earlier message about plug-in insect repellents, that should have read Raid and not Glade.