Help with 16 day NZ itinerary
Jun 16th, 2009, 10:44 PM
#21
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Melnq8, thanks for your continued suggestions. I don't think you realize how helpful these comments have been ! Please keep them flowing.
I didn't realize how far Doubtful Sound was. I guess we have to rule it out. What would you say about day cruises on Milford versus an overnight cruise ?
I didn't realize how far Doubtful Sound was. I guess we have to rule it out. What would you say about day cruises on Milford versus an overnight cruise ?
Jun 16th, 2009, 10:54 PM
#22
Once again, I can't compare, as I've not taken a Milford overnight, but....it's the same cruise, the same Sound, so personally, I wouldn't shell out the $$$ for an overnight. Sure, you get dinner and breakfast and the opportunity to kayak, but you're stuck on a boat overnight with 60 of your closest friends. Not my idea of a good time, but that's strictly a personal observation.
Jun 17th, 2009, 02:31 AM
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Thanks, Mel. The penny has dropped -- Omarama, not Oamaru! I couldn't figure out why you were thinking of going to Oamaru, indiancouple. Generally, Omarama is a place that you pass through on the way to somewhere else, too. Ok for a quick lunch and fuel stop, though.
All of the accommodation at Mt Cook is in the general area of Mt Cook Village. It's all fairly compact. Top of the line is The Hermitage, but there are several other options available. One night there should suffice.
Milford is more spectacular than Doubtful. You are there to see the scenery, so I can't see the point of doing and overnight cruise unless the "romance" of a night on-board appeals to you. I think that you would be better to get in there for a day cruise and then get back out to Te Anau on the same day so that you are better positioned to start the next day.
All of the accommodation at Mt Cook is in the general area of Mt Cook Village. It's all fairly compact. Top of the line is The Hermitage, but there are several other options available. One night there should suffice.
Milford is more spectacular than Doubtful. You are there to see the scenery, so I can't see the point of doing and overnight cruise unless the "romance" of a night on-board appeals to you. I think that you would be better to get in there for a day cruise and then get back out to Te Anau on the same day so that you are better positioned to start the next day.
Jun 17th, 2009, 08:40 AM
#25
HI indiancouple, I topped Melissa5's trip report for you, even though it is a few years old I though she did a great report, also she had found a new lodge inside Mt. Cook that competes with the Hermitage operations. Hermitage has the luxury hotel, a motel and chalets (although I'm not sure the latter are open at the moment).
http://www.aorakialpinelodge.co.nz/
My latest trip I stayed at the YHA inside Mt. Cook village, it was quite nice if you don't mind hostels (you can get a private room). yha.co.nz
Twizel would be a second choice. It has lots of lodging if you can't find anything suitable in Mt Cook Village (or you want to stay flexible). I have stayed in Twizel twice when traveling without reservations. It has not much charm but the location is convenient.
I think the best place to gain a day is Day 1...skip Auckland if you have a full day! I don't know what time you arrive though.
You might want to run a "reverse loop" direction of travel, check your travel times. I don't care for the Day 8 drive either.
Nelson to Christchurch,
Day Christchurch
East side of S.Alps to Mt. Cook
Mt. Cook/glacial lakes
onward to Arrowtown/Queenstown
across the west coast to Glaciers
Day at Glaciers
Day to Punakaiki and overnight somewhere on the west coast(personally I am kind of underwhelmed by Punakaiki and don't recommend going out of the way or rearranging the schedule to see it)
Back to Kumara Junction and take Rte 73 to Arthur's Pass (I have a special fondness for staying at Mountain House inside Arthur's Pass).
Back to Christchurch the following day.
I would also suggest checking twilight times, I don't like to drive on the west coast after dark...too many possums on the road!
http://www.aorakialpinelodge.co.nz/
My latest trip I stayed at the YHA inside Mt. Cook village, it was quite nice if you don't mind hostels (you can get a private room). yha.co.nz
Twizel would be a second choice. It has lots of lodging if you can't find anything suitable in Mt Cook Village (or you want to stay flexible). I have stayed in Twizel twice when traveling without reservations. It has not much charm but the location is convenient.
I think the best place to gain a day is Day 1...skip Auckland if you have a full day! I don't know what time you arrive though.
You might want to run a "reverse loop" direction of travel, check your travel times. I don't care for the Day 8 drive either.
Nelson to Christchurch,
Day Christchurch
East side of S.Alps to Mt. Cook
Mt. Cook/glacial lakes
onward to Arrowtown/Queenstown
across the west coast to Glaciers
Day at Glaciers
Day to Punakaiki and overnight somewhere on the west coast(personally I am kind of underwhelmed by Punakaiki and don't recommend going out of the way or rearranging the schedule to see it)
Back to Kumara Junction and take Rte 73 to Arthur's Pass (I have a special fondness for staying at Mountain House inside Arthur's Pass).
Back to Christchurch the following day.
I would also suggest checking twilight times, I don't like to drive on the west coast after dark...too many possums on the road!
Jun 17th, 2009, 08:45 AM
#26
I know people do like to spend an overnight in one of the Sounds because the early mornings in particular are peaceful before the tours arrive. I'm sure the boat will have "quiet times", they do that even on the day cruises when they shut all the motors off and cruise.
Since you are sort of "speed traveling" it might be nice to slow down for a night!
October should not be that busy, I wonder if you can wait to book your overnight and see how you're doing on time. It's quite expensive and probably has a noncancel clause.
Since you are sort of "speed traveling" it might be nice to slow down for a night!
October should not be that busy, I wonder if you can wait to book your overnight and see how you're doing on time. It's quite expensive and probably has a noncancel clause.
Jun 17th, 2009, 06:08 PM
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kiwi_rob, mlgb, thanks for your thoughtful advice. Based on what everyone is saying, it appears that we should forget about an overnight Sound cruise, atleast on this "rushed" trip. Maybe if we manage to re-visit after a few years...perhaps a more leisurely trip will be possible, when such activities can be indulged in.
mlgb, thanks for topping Melissa's trip report. Just read it and bookmarked it.
I guess we will just let our revised itinerary stand for the time being, and start researching interesting things to do on each of the days. Advice is most welcome on nice walks on any of the days on our itinerary (these are things that are most poorly covered in guidebooks). We can take gentle hikes, of upto 2-3 hour durations. More arduous ones are ruled out in our group.
mlgb, thanks for topping Melissa's trip report. Just read it and bookmarked it.
I guess we will just let our revised itinerary stand for the time being, and start researching interesting things to do on each of the days. Advice is most welcome on nice walks on any of the days on our itinerary (these are things that are most poorly covered in guidebooks). We can take gentle hikes, of upto 2-3 hour durations. More arduous ones are ruled out in our group.
Jun 17th, 2009, 07:05 PM
#28
A few walk suggestions:
Note: These are all excerpts from some of my trip reports.
All of these walks are pretty easy:
Te Anau:
"So, we settled for the walk to Rainbow Reach (Kepler Track), a tame section of the track that follows the Waiau River through beech forest. We figured we’d walk as far as the Rainbow Reach car park, and then return via shuttle to the Control Gates. We arrived with time to spare before the 2:30 shuttle ($8 each), so we continued walking towards Swallow Bay Hut.
Just past the swingbridge, the track began to climb and we were rewarded with some great views over the Waiau River. We then backtracked to Rainbow Reach...a 3.5 hour stroll, 8.5 miles (you can certainly turn back sooner though)
Punakaiki -
"After checking track conditions with the DOC, we decided to take the Cave Creek Track. The turnoff was 2 km from the DOC office and then another 6 km along a very rough road with a few muddy spots. We walked to the Cave Creek Resurgence, which was marked with a touching memorial of rocks and leaf ribbons. This was a very sobering 2.5 mile walk (90 minutes return)."
Punakaiki:
"We drove 1 km north of the DOC office and walked the Pororari River Track. This is a very scenic, easy path along the river and through a limestone gorge – beautiful – 7 km return (about 4.5 miles) – took us just under two hours."
Franz Josef Glacier:
"we couldn’t resist driving the 4 km to Franz Josef Glacier. Here we walked to Peter’s Pool, a 1.1 km, 25 minute return walk that offers nice views of the glacier reflected in a crystal clear pool. We also took the Glacier View path, a 30 minute return walk to the viewing area...
Between Fox Glacier and Wanaka:
"We left Fox Glacier and continued our drive south, passing glacial blue Bruce Bay, beautiful Lake Paringa and Lake Moeraki. We stopped at Ship Creek and took the Forest Swamp walk (20 minutes return) and the Dune Lake and Viewpoint walk (30 minutes return). Both were easy and scenic, although I found the swamp a wee bit creepy."
Arrowtown (near Queenstown):
"We took Speargrass Flat Road to the Arrowtown/Lake Hayes road where we embarked on the Lake Hayes Walkway, just minutes from the cottage. It was a gorgeous morning and we really enjoyed walking this circuit around Lake Hayes. The walk is marked at 2-3 hours, but we finished in 90 minutes (5 mile loop)."
Loads of choices really, just pop into the visitors center of each place you visit and pick up a walking map.
Note: These are all excerpts from some of my trip reports.
All of these walks are pretty easy:
Te Anau:
"So, we settled for the walk to Rainbow Reach (Kepler Track), a tame section of the track that follows the Waiau River through beech forest. We figured we’d walk as far as the Rainbow Reach car park, and then return via shuttle to the Control Gates. We arrived with time to spare before the 2:30 shuttle ($8 each), so we continued walking towards Swallow Bay Hut.
Just past the swingbridge, the track began to climb and we were rewarded with some great views over the Waiau River. We then backtracked to Rainbow Reach...a 3.5 hour stroll, 8.5 miles (you can certainly turn back sooner though)
Punakaiki -
"After checking track conditions with the DOC, we decided to take the Cave Creek Track. The turnoff was 2 km from the DOC office and then another 6 km along a very rough road with a few muddy spots. We walked to the Cave Creek Resurgence, which was marked with a touching memorial of rocks and leaf ribbons. This was a very sobering 2.5 mile walk (90 minutes return)."
Punakaiki:
"We drove 1 km north of the DOC office and walked the Pororari River Track. This is a very scenic, easy path along the river and through a limestone gorge – beautiful – 7 km return (about 4.5 miles) – took us just under two hours."
Franz Josef Glacier:
"we couldn’t resist driving the 4 km to Franz Josef Glacier. Here we walked to Peter’s Pool, a 1.1 km, 25 minute return walk that offers nice views of the glacier reflected in a crystal clear pool. We also took the Glacier View path, a 30 minute return walk to the viewing area...
Between Fox Glacier and Wanaka:
"We left Fox Glacier and continued our drive south, passing glacial blue Bruce Bay, beautiful Lake Paringa and Lake Moeraki. We stopped at Ship Creek and took the Forest Swamp walk (20 minutes return) and the Dune Lake and Viewpoint walk (30 minutes return). Both were easy and scenic, although I found the swamp a wee bit creepy."
Arrowtown (near Queenstown):
"We took Speargrass Flat Road to the Arrowtown/Lake Hayes road where we embarked on the Lake Hayes Walkway, just minutes from the cottage. It was a gorgeous morning and we really enjoyed walking this circuit around Lake Hayes. The walk is marked at 2-3 hours, but we finished in 90 minutes (5 mile loop)."
Loads of choices really, just pop into the visitors center of each place you visit and pick up a walking map.
Jun 21st, 2009, 11:03 PM
#30
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Hi Indiancouple - I was remiss in not posting a trip report here of our two months in NZ in a campervan. Here is a link to our4 blog with lots of photos and deatils of our trip. You may pick up a few tips but happy to answer any questions.
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...tml#ENTRY_LIST
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...tml#ENTRY_LIST
Jun 25th, 2009, 02:17 PM
#32
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After reading the above I thought I should run my itinerary by all of you that respond in this column as this is my first and maybe the only visit to NZ.I am not into hiking and has seen enough glaciers hence the following.Am I trying to do too much and is it workable comfortably?
Day 1-2 Auckland
Day 3 Bay of Islands
Day 4-5 Coramandel
Day 6-7 Rotarua
Day 8-9 Wellington
Day 10-11 Marahau
Day 12 Arthurs Pass
Day 13-14 Akaroa
Day 15 Mt.Cook
Day 16-17 Duneidin
Day 18 Invercargill
Day 19-20 Te Anau
Day 21-24 Queenstown
Hoping to get some useful feedback-planning to be there next March.frankj
Day 1-2 Auckland
Day 3 Bay of Islands
Day 4-5 Coramandel
Day 6-7 Rotarua
Day 8-9 Wellington
Day 10-11 Marahau
Day 12 Arthurs Pass
Day 13-14 Akaroa
Day 15 Mt.Cook
Day 16-17 Duneidin
Day 18 Invercargill
Day 19-20 Te Anau
Day 21-24 Queenstown
Hoping to get some useful feedback-planning to be there next March.frankj
Jun 25th, 2009, 04:07 PM
#33
Hi frankj -
Are you planning to drive from Marahau to Westport, down to Greymouth and over the pass to Christchurch and on to Akaroa? (long drive by the way). Are you planning to spend a night in Arthur's Pass?
I find it helps to think in terms of nights, instead of days. For example, Day 12 - where will you be spending the night?
Are you planning to drive from Marahau to Westport, down to Greymouth and over the pass to Christchurch and on to Akaroa? (long drive by the way). Are you planning to spend a night in Arthur's Pass?
I find it helps to think in terms of nights, instead of days. For example, Day 12 - where will you be spending the night?
Jun 26th, 2009, 04:27 PM
#35
Okay frankj. You're looking at a 445 km, 6.5 hour drive from Marahau to Arthur's Pass driving from Marahau to Westport, then on to Greymouth and Arthur's Pass. This is the shortest route and the prettiest IMO.
An alternative route would be Marahau-Blenheim-Kaikoura-Christchurch-Arthur's Pass, but it's about 560 km.
Arthur's Pass to Akaroa is about 251 km (3:35), Akaroa to Mt Cook is 415 km (about six hours), Mt Cook to Dunedin is 331 km (4:45), Dunedin to Invercargill is 217 km (about three hours), Invercargill to Te Anau is 152 km (about two hours) and Te Anau to QT is 170 km (about 2:15).
Your itinerary is certainly doable, but is there a reason you're stopping over in Invercargill? It's basically a flat, agricultural town, with not much of interest IMO. You might consider just driving from Dunedin to Te Anau (290 km about four hours) and spend that extra day somewhere more interesting.
An alternative route would be Marahau-Blenheim-Kaikoura-Christchurch-Arthur's Pass, but it's about 560 km.
Arthur's Pass to Akaroa is about 251 km (3:35), Akaroa to Mt Cook is 415 km (about six hours), Mt Cook to Dunedin is 331 km (4:45), Dunedin to Invercargill is 217 km (about three hours), Invercargill to Te Anau is 152 km (about two hours) and Te Anau to QT is 170 km (about 2:15).
Your itinerary is certainly doable, but is there a reason you're stopping over in Invercargill? It's basically a flat, agricultural town, with not much of interest IMO. You might consider just driving from Dunedin to Te Anau (290 km about four hours) and spend that extra day somewhere more interesting.
Jun 27th, 2009, 07:05 AM
#37
There is in fact a reason to stop in Invercargill, and that is if you take a full day going from Dunedin along the Catlins Coast, including going to the lookout points.
I like Invercargill as a stopover. It has some excellent restaurants and good antique shopping, as well as the. It's a good place to try whitebait (fresh in season) or Bluff Oysters. There is an excellent museum (the Southland Museum) with Henry the most ancient tuatara. Also very friendly (and nosy) inhabitants..don't forget it's the home of Burt Monro..World's Fastest Indian, Deep South ice cream, and Knight of New Zealand! I still use the fabulous baby lamb jacket that I bought at their factory store..probably my best travel purchase of all time. I can't say for sure if they are still have the factory store, but if you are in town on a weekday during working hours, it is well worth checking into. Website (http://www.knightofnz.co.nz)
In fact I enjoy Invercargill precisely because it is not overpopulated with tourists.
I like Invercargill as a stopover. It has some excellent restaurants and good antique shopping, as well as the. It's a good place to try whitebait (fresh in season) or Bluff Oysters. There is an excellent museum (the Southland Museum) with Henry the most ancient tuatara. Also very friendly (and nosy) inhabitants..don't forget it's the home of Burt Monro..World's Fastest Indian, Deep South ice cream, and Knight of New Zealand! I still use the fabulous baby lamb jacket that I bought at their factory store..probably my best travel purchase of all time. I can't say for sure if they are still have the factory store, but if you are in town on a weekday during working hours, it is well worth checking into. Website (http://www.knightofnz.co.nz)
In fact I enjoy Invercargill precisely because it is not overpopulated with tourists.
Jun 27th, 2009, 12:57 PM
#38
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Our first trip ever to New Zealand was 30 days and we drove 7800km. I would do it again in a heart beat as it gave us a great feeling for the enormity of the country, the hearts of the people and the diversity of the landscapes. That being said, we always return to New Zealand for months....and still wish we could be there longer. Our first whirlwind trip had us move almost daily - like you - so our hiking was limited. From your plan I would keep almost all of it and be prepared (travel lightly) but ask you why Dunedin (a college city) and why Mt Cook (vs. Ruaphu - the Grand Chateux and that amazing land)? Plymouth is diverse for sure but maybe too far to your west for this trip. I think the ferry is very needed to get a total feel...most tourists just fly into a S Island city and don't get the full feel. Nelson/Blenheim is fun (wineries) as is Marlborough. You won't go wrong with moving all around! Cheers
Jun 27th, 2009, 02:35 PM
#39
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Thanks for the comments.Reason for Duneidin was to see the Otago peninsula and the wildlife.Did not want to do a days drive across the south from Duneidin to Te Anau and after reading about the Southern scenic route thougt it may be a better drive-this also gave me a chance to break up the drive at Invercargill and get to Te anau by lunch to be able to do Real Jouneys afternoon tour to the gloworm caves as I will not be doing it in the North island. Also I thought there may be scenic spots on the way to photograph instead of just a drive thru.Mt.Cook can be dropped but thought a AM boat tour on the lake may be picturesque as I am not doing the glaciers.
Jun 27th, 2009, 04:29 PM
#40
Well in that case, Invercargill makes sense. The Catlins is a beautiful area. You'll want to get an early start so you can take full advantage of that day. There's loads to do in the Catlins, most of which isn't immediately obvious. With the three hour drive from Dunedin to Invercargill, you won't have much time to work with, but you can certainly get a sense of the area and visit some of the most popular viewpoints.
