Driving to GLACIERS (south island, west coast ) in the spring?
 

Can you help me plan our 2-week trip to New Zealand for late september/early october 2005?

We saw New Zealand for the first time 20 years ago and fell in love with it. At the time we spread ourselves too thin and saw a little of everything but not nearly enough of anything!

would like to spend 2 weeks on the south island if weather permits an enjoyable stay at this time? What do you think?

On the West coast what's it like to drive in the spring (late september/early october) to see the top of the west coast, from WEstport north to Karamea, and also the southwest, from Haast to the glaciers? Average spring-time temps? Rain? T-shirt weather or light jackets? Road conditions?

Are chains needed on the car? We live in San Diego and have never used chains on cars! can the roads get icy at this time of year?

On this 2-week trip I'm trying to find out the weather and driving conditions for many areas. I have posted separate questions for each area:
Nelson & Marlborough and the national parks nearby;
Christchurch & Canterbury;
West Coast & the glaciers;
Queenstown and nearby;
Milford Sound;
Wanaka (for overnight stop between Queenstown and West Coast);
Dunedin, Southland & Stewart Island

Thanks!

Hi Mellisa

The West Coast should not pose any travel hassles in itself for you at any time of the year so long as you don't mind the rain. Parts of the West coast are amongst the wettest spots on earth. 4 to 6 metres of rain per annum.

However as far as snow is concerned I don't remember ever having seen any at sea level on the West Coast. You do get lots in the passes though at times, especially the higher ones Like Arthur's Pass and Haast Pass (though less so on the latter).

You rental company will help with info on chains. You only really need them in snow. They are relatively useless if snow is not on the road. Definately useless on frosty roads.

It a rare day on the top of the West Coast even in winter for the temperature not to make double digits celsius. Dress for cool temps though. Pack layers that you can strip off as it warms (and I use that word advisedly) up. Definately pack a jacket for rain preferably a good quality rain jacket. Definately something warmer than a T shirt should be worn.

By the way the drive from Karamea to Haast is Looong. Try around 8 hours. and there are not that many towns in between.

Ask away if you want any other info.

Steve

For complete authoritative weather info on most every place in NZ, check out <b>weatherbase.com</b> ((R))

Melissajoy - also try this website....www.nzherald.co.nz/weather

Thanks for the info everyone...Steve, I haven't looked closely yet at driving distances since I want to pin this New Zealand trip in either the spring or the fall first. If the road between Haast and Karamea is 8 hours, maybe we wouldn't go all the way up to karamea, maybe just see the glacier near Haast...especially if the west coast is rainy anyway.

If we don't go to New Zealand in the &quot;spring&quot; of September 2005 (we could choose Australia instead) then we will make New Zealand a fall trip instead for the following year...I understand the temps are a little warmer in the early fall...

What do you all think about New Zealand in the fall as opposed to the spring? Let's say a March or April trip as opposed to a September/October trip? Advantages/disadvantages?

Thanks!

Hi once again Melissa

IMHO I think autumn (Fall) is a better time of year weather wise as it can be more settled. Our current spring certainly has been variable, slow to start and only just getting good over the past week. Fall on the other hand is usually a bit more settled and predictable.

Use the weather databases as indicated. They can privide good information on average weather to expect. Thing is in New Zealand we have anything but average weather.

I have been to Barbeques in Dunedin in August (Middle of winter) and worn a T shirt. A week later there was snow on the ground. However we certainly don't get those extremes in the North.

BTW if you are referring to the glaciers at Fox and Franz Josef, they are closer to Greymouth and Hokitika than Haast. Greymouth and Hokitika have more going for them as towns than Haast which is small to say the least. Plus you can get to Hokitika by plane and to Greymouth by train from the East coast. Rental cars available in both places.

There is certainly a lot more on the South Island to see. Queenstown, Wanaka, the Sounds (Both the southern Sounds like Milford and Doubtful as well as the Marlborough sounds at the top of the South Island) Mt Cook and the surrounding glacier fed lakes, Christchurch and my personal favorite, Dunedin and surrounds.

Hope some of this helps

Steve

Kiwi_acct: Steve, thanks for the info. A New Zealander...what a great source! You live in a gorgeous country.

So I gather from your info that the fall will be more predictably warm than the spring on the south island. Can you describe fall and spring in New Zealand? Course I realize that's difficult because the climate varies from place to place in New Zealand. We are mainly interested in 2 weeks in the south island...Nelson &amp; Marlborough; Christchurch; the Glaciers; Queenstown; Milford Sound; Dunedin, Southland, and Stewart Island. Here's the kind of description I mean:

Fall in New Jersey, USA: In September/October I visited my cousin in New Jersey and it was fall. Temps were warm at first, sweatshirt in the morning but you could peal down to your t-shirt by noon. I wore sandals one day. It was still green but definitely the grass was starting to turn...patches of brown- or grey-looking dead grass among the green...some green leaves left but many starting to turn fall colors. Then the weather began to turn. A couple days later there was a definite fall chill and no more sandals. Had to wear the sweatshirt all day. A week into my visit a cold chill settled over the evening and I shivered even indoors; the cold came right through the windows; winter was coming and I wanted to go home to San Diego!

Spring in New Zealand: Okay, I'm not sure I was in New Zealand in the spring, but 20 years ago I was in New Zealand and I THINK it was spring...I remember green hillsides and baby lambs; flowers...some nice sunshine in the early afternoon, some days more cloudy, sweatshirt or light jacket weather...New Zealand was very beatiful and I wanted to stay forever! I am so frustrated I can't find ANY documents from that trip 20 years ago so I can't even date it properly. I really wish I could figure out what month it was because I fell in love with New Zealand then.

Thanks for putting up with my questions, Steve! You've been very helpful.

I don't know which glaciers we want to visit, by the way...since I can't find my old info I don't know which ones we saw last time. Which glaciers do you recommend that we see?

If you have any time to e-mail me my e-mail is [email protected] I only use that one on travel message boards.

Hi Melissa,

Sorry for not having posted a reply sooner to your questions but I have been away.

As far as fall (Autumn) weather is concerned it does not seem to follow a set pattern accross the country. the best place to see it would be Central Otago an surrounds as this area has the trees that change with the seasons. the further North you get the more likely you are to have more native trees which are less likely to be deciduous (sp?).

Temp wise it can be very crisp in the south in both spring and autumn. If the weather is going to be clear in the morning and the wind is from the south you can expect a frost on the ground. The later into autumn/winter you get then these frosts look spectacular in Central otago as the freezing fog clings to trees.

In both Spring and autumn you can get mild days where a T shirt would be OK in the middle of the day.

It has been said on here before and I concur layers are definately the way to go. Dress warmly for the morning and if it warms up peel off a layer.

It is markedly drier on the East Coast than it is on the West, the Southern Alps cause that, Canterbury is dryer than further south.

RTo give you an idea as to what this spring has been like in the South Island. Three weeks ago farmers were having to dig lambs out of late snows. Today it is a racing carnival in Christchurch with expected temperatures in the mid 20's celsius. (With similar temperatures expected for Marlborough, Canterbury and Central Otago.) In a word, changable.

You have asked about the glaciers. On the West coast the only one I have seen is Fox Glacier just south of Franz Josef. Very easily accessable from the main highway. Fox township though is not that big and services are a little rustic shal we say. Franz Josef is slightly more developed (Though by no means big) again I understand the Glacier is easily accessable from the main road. There is a larger selection of accomodation here as well, should you choose to stay. Given your limited time frame I would not commit too much time to the West Coast as there is plenty to see elsewhere as well, as mentioned earlier.

If you have not had a quick squiz at this site I would recommend you do. It has some great links on it that will assist enormously with you planning. the Pure NZ website

http://www.newzealand.com/travel/

Hope this helps some more.

Cheers

Steve

Hi Melissa,

I just re read my last post. Seriously, I should make a better effort to proof read what I write before I post. I hope it makes sense to you anyway.

Cheers

Steve