mlgb

Please note indiancouple had 15-16 days, not 10, and very good weather luck.

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...ew-zealand.cfm

apnc

Hi Melnq8 & mlgb,

As per your advices, we have decided to fly from Tauranga to Christchurch.

Our revised itinerary now is:

Day 1 - Auckland
Day 2 - Hahei Beach and Cathedral cove and halt at Tauranga.
Day 3 - Rotorua, Wai-o-tapu.
Day 4 - Early morning (7 a.m.) flight from Tauranga to Christchurch. Drive via Arthur's Pass Franz Joseph.
Day 5 - Half day hike Franz Joseph.
Day 6 - Half day hike Fox. Halt at Wanaka.
Day 7 - Explore Wanaka. Either stay at Queenstown/Wanaka itself.
Day 8 - Milford Sound. Halt at Te Anau (Don't want to drive too much at night)
Day 9 - Head to Queenstown.
Day 10 - Half day more at Q'town. Fly out of Queenstown back to Akl.
Day 11 - Half day at Akl and fly back home.

Does this look better?

I also wanted to know if we need to book all the hotels in advance or if walk in will be possible.

mlgb

Looks better. I would book those flights asap to be sure you can get one of the grab a seat fares. If they are gone you may also be able to get a Grab A Seat fare from Rotorua instead of Tauranga.

Since you are talking about May, be sure you have a backup plan for the west coast in case of bad weather.

Grab a seat fares are at www.airnewzealand.co.nz

apnc

mlgb we booked our flight tickets using houseoftravel. We weren't too happy with their booking charges but the same fare is just non-existent if we try booking directly on Air NZ site.

Also can you tell me if we need to book the hotel accommodation in advance? As you said, we want to keep the west coast plans flexible as per the weather.

Dora_Flesher

Hello Melnq8, (sorry to interrupt)

I've been following some of your posts and looked at your other postings. You obviously know a lot about the South Island. I will be traveling alone to NZ-South Island. I am very active and would like a multi sport group trip. I posted a question last week. On my forum the company "Active New Zealand" was recommended and it looks perfect for me. Before I book I am interested if you have known anyone who has taken one of their 2 week trips of the SI?
It was suggested that I reach out to you. You're quite the expert.

Again I can tell you are not into group trips but thought maybe you'd run across those who have taken them and had a good experience.

Melnq8

Hi Dora -

I know a couple who took a tour with Active NZ several years ago...they specifically wanted an activity driven tour before they started a family. They're both quite sporty and they really seemed to enjoy themselves. At one point I had their itinerary because I was trying to build a database for some fellow expats, but I've searched and can't locate it, so unfortunately I don't know which particular tour they took, or how long it was.

Enjoy NZ, it's a special place.

Dora_Flesher

Thanks Melnq8. I'm signing up now. The south island trip looks amazing.
Dora

Sue_xx_yy

apnc

I just got back from NZ where we spent 8 nights, even fewer than you have planned. We managed it by using intra-island flights and being very selective in what we did.

We spent 3 nights in Queenstown (did a day trip by bus to Milford from Queenstown - and we opted to splurge and fly back from Milford to Queenstown. This made for a day that began at 7:30 a.m and ended at 5:30 p.m, whereas by bus both ways would have meant a day that ended at 8 p.m. or even later. As it was the day was still very long and I didn't have time to do the short walks I would have liked to do.)

Much better had I the time would have been to spend 2 nights in Te Anau (in addition to time in Queenstown) and done a self-drive to Milford as a day trip from Te Anau, not Queenstown. As for your 8 May itinerary, I don't advise trying to drive from Wanaka to Milford and then back to Te Anau as you have planned on 8 May. This is a very long day - almost as long as a bus tour day trip in both directions from Queenstown. And the daytrip bus tour drivers are much more familiar with the road and thus are more efficient than an individual driver.

Therefore one option would be to forget about doing Milford Sound this trip, add the Te Anau night to Queenstown, and instead drive out to Glenorchy during your time in Queenstown; Glenorchy is fabulously scenic but doesn't involve anywhere near as much driving as the Milford Sound pilgrimage.

OR:
I believe there is a glacier, Rob Roy I think it is called, in Mount Aspiring park which is near Wanaka. Perhaps melnq8 has some ideas about your seeing this glacier instead of Fox/Franz Joseph, since if feasible it would allow you to fly onward to Queenstown and consolidate more of your time in the Queenstown-Wanaka-Te Anau region. Doing a bit of both islands in 8 nights is possible (I know because I just did it) but as I said, one must be quite selective.

apnc

Thanks for your suggestion Sue_xx_yy. Our Milford Sound trip is not finalized. We are planning to think about it dependant on weather. As you suggested, we may alter it and visit Glenorchy.

How was the weather during your trip? We are excited as our trip dates are almost near

Sue_xx_yy

That's what we did - waited to see about the weather before making a decision about Milford. I feel your pain - it is so hard to choose in NZ - so many lovely places, so little time! But try to assume you'll be back, it will keep you more relaxed. I am myself already dreaming about another trip.

Weather required layers of clothing as we had anything from tee shirt weather to times when two cotton sweaters, a windbreaker, and a hat and gloves were necessary (the latter I wore when hiking around the Whakapapa ski fields, which were not yet open for skiing but had patches of snow around from an early storm). We were lucky with the sun, only one drizzly day, I wish you likewise.

Enjoy your trip, and report back how it went!

apnc

Thanks Sue. Fingers crossed for good weather. Will report back after our trip.

Melnq8

Further to Sue's post, Rob Roy Glacier is accessed from Mt. Aspiring Road, west of Wanaka. The road is unsealed past the Treble Cone turnoff. Here you enter the West Matukituki Valley; the road can be rough and the fords are often full following rain. Beware if you're driving a low clearance vehicle!

The Rob Roy Valley Track is accessed via the Raspberry Flat carpark. It crosses the West Matukituki River via a swing bridge and then climbs through a gorge to the top of the valley, which offers views of the Rob Roy Glacier. It's a beautiful challenging hike. Allow 3-4 hours, 10 km, 6.5 miles.

It's no substitute for Fox or Franz, but may be an option if you're looking for a nice hike with glacier views.

apnc

We had an awesome trip. Thanks a lot to everyone for your valuable ideas and suggestions. A special thanks to melnq8 and mlgb. Highlights from our trip (in the order seen) - The boiling water at Hot Water Beach, Cathedral cove views, hiking on Franz Joseph, kayaking on lake Wanaka, cruise on Milford Sound.

It was raining at times but mostly cleared when we headed out for sightseeing. Only thing we missed out was the heli hike. It was too cloudy for the helicopters. But Fox Glacier slowly revealed her majestic self when we reached the view point. The fog suddenly vanished for a few minutes.

Already missing NZ and thinking of planning the next trip More detailed report to follow soon.

Melnq8

Waiting with bated breath apnc. Details please.

mlgb

Glad you had a nice trip. At least you did get a peek at the glaciers it can be a gamble. Not everyone has success with the Hot Water Beach, so well done with that.