New Zealand self-drive trip
 

My wife and I are just starting our planning for our trip to New Zealand. We land in Auckland on Sunday October 28 at 7:20 AM. Our return flight leaves Auckland on Tuesday November 22 at 7:30 PM. October 28 will be a recovery day. Beyond that we have not made any plans.

We our both in our 70’s. Adventure sports, hiking, fishing, resorts, wine tastings are definitely not items on our agenda. Our vacations are self-drive staying either one night or two in on location. Our normal plan is reserve a room for the first night and last night. In between we make the reservations as we travel along.

We plan on renting a car and I will do all the driving. I have driven on the “wrong” side of the road in Australia and Ireland (twice) so that should not be a problem.

Our main interest while traveling is photography. That makes our travel times much longer than what shows up in the GPS or Google Maps.

We have looked at the following route.
Auckland
Rotorua
Wellington
Ferry to Blenheim
Blenheim
Greymouth
Franz Josef Glacier
Queenstown
Christchurch

Google Maps has this as 26 hours (2078 KM) plus the ferry ride. Is this too much driving in 22 days? If so where do were cut off some miles based on what I have stated above?

Your route looks sensible.
Queenstown is very scenic and you might like a few more days there. Are you going to Milford Sound?
The ferry goes to Picton not Blenheim (about 1/2 hour apart).
Google maps really underestimate the driving times here. Add in stopping for photos and it will take twice as long!
Driving here is not like Australia as they have the room for wide freeways everywhere and no mountains. We have narrow winding roads over hills and mountains (well especially in the South)and add in slow traffic because you are stuck behind a truck, bad weather, roadworks and it all takes time to get somewhere.
AA maps give better distance times.
As for cutting off some kms - work out your priority destinations. You could drive down the east coast road to Christchurch but then you will not have time for the West Coast. Or fly from Queenstown to Christchurch and then back to Auckland but you would miss Mt Cook.

Sounds like a good plan. Did you mean you'll arrive on October 28, 2016 or 2017? If this year, the Auckland Marathon takes place on Sunday, October 30, 2016.

If you're flying in from North America, you'll arrive two days later due to the International Dateline. But I'm sure you know this.

If you're planning to visit this year--unless you enjoy watching marathons--then I would suggest you connect to a flight to the South Island after you arrive and start your trip on the South Island, beginning in Christchurch and then making a kind-of loop, through the center (Tekapo-Mt. Cook village), then visiting Queenstown-Te Anau-Milford Road and Sound, before heading to Wanaka and the West Coast (glaciers, Hokitika, Punakaiki). You could then choose between continuing north to Abel Tasman-Golden Bay-Nelson or backtracking a bit to Greymouth, and then cutting over the Southern Alps-Arthur's Pt. to Christchurch and then making your way up the East Coast past Kaikoura before you board your ferry in Picton for the North Island portion of your trip. This is just one suggestion. There are variations on this route.

You will have to make reservations for smaller places like Mt. Cook Village or Fox Glacier village (though Franz Josef village, which is only a twisty 30-minutes away, has more accommodation).

When you arrive, you could easily spend two days getting over jetlag in CC, before you start on your road trip. The roads are curvier on the South Island, but you'll find far less traffic, especially once you depart CC's city center.

For minimal drive times, check:
http://www.aa.co.nz/travel/time-and-...ce-calculator/

Forgot to add, with respect to your wish-list of places to visit, if you're not interested in wine tastings, why are you interested in visiting Blenheim? As tasmangirl noted, Picton is where you catch Interislander and Bluebridge ferries over Cook Strait to Wellington. It's a lovely little town, which is also a handy base for visiting Queen Charlotte Sound.
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Forgot about the Auckland Marathon which is a big event and may impact your travel around the city. Roads are blocked off for the runners so staying at the airport would be a solution or flying straight to the SI.
Assumed you were coming this year?

As a fellow photographer, let me start by staying you are in for a real treat.

You might consider spending a few days around Picton and the Marlborough Sounds, which are spectacular subjects for photography - particularly if you're blessed with good light.

I'd normally suggest a walk along the Queen Charlotte Track - which has spectacular views - but as you're not interested in walking, I suggest driving Queen Charlotte Drive as an alternative.

http://www.newzealand.com/int/featur...arlotte-drive/

There are some spectacular photo opportunities near Queenstown as well - the drive to Glenorchy is one of them. And then there's the views of Lake Wanaka from Mt Iron (which involves a climb and Diamond Lake (which also involves a climb, but s short one). You are spoiled for choice.

I thought I had posted this last night. But I guess I did not hit "submit". Sorry for not replying to you sooner.

Thanks tasmangirl and Diamantina,

We are flying in to Auckland from Los Angeles on October 30, 2016. So we will land in Auckland on the day of the Auckland Marathon. What is the concern? Traffic or lack of lodging? We were thinking about flying to the South Island but that would add to an already long trip.

I have looked at Milford Sound but that is another 8 hours driving and sounds like at least 2 days more like 3 days. If we are short on time is it worth it? If so what else do we cut out?

I knew the ferry goes to Picton. I had used Blenheim as a spot when I was trying to get some feel for distances and time. I could have used either Picton or Nelson. We did not have any plans for Blenheim.

Thanks for reminding me the roads are mountain roads. I have driven a lot of narrow curvy roads in Ireland but they are not mountain roads.

If we have to choose one, which should be do? Arthur’s Pass or Abel Tasman?

Thanks to both of you for mentioning aa maps. I have bookmarked that site. I have used it for some of our travels in Europe for past trips. Speaking of maps what is a good hard copy map? I like my GPS and on line maps but I still like to have an old fashioned paper map along.

Diamantina, you mentioned the 2 ferry companies. What are the pro and cons between the 2?

Hello Melnq8,

Thanks for the tips on places to take photos. Also thanks for the link at newzealand.com. It is a website that I had not found when doing some searches. A lot of good info there.

Lack of hotels is probably the biggest problem but if you book your first night it should be fine.
The Marathon course runs right through the city and along the waterfront to Mission Bay and they close off the harbour bridge until lunchtime. The CBD is blocked off for most of the day.
An airport hotel would be a good idea and drive/bus into the city later in the day for a look around.
If you can't get to Milford no problem. It is a beautiful place and there are day trips from Queenstown. However weatherwise Oct/Nov are uncertain so in bad weather it wouldn't be so much fun. We are having large late dumps of snow in NZ right now.
In the middle of summer I would pick Abel Tasman over Arthur's Pass because I like the beach but in early Nov either would be fine.
Interislander and Bluebridge are the 2 ferry companies across Cook Strait. Bluebridge are more for freight and have smaller passenger facilities but I think they offer an overnight sailing which would save time.

You won't have trouble finding lodging for October 30, 2016, especially if booking in advance. The city will be busy with something like 12,000 runners and walkers, streets blocked off, diversions in place until afternoon, I expect. If you're planning on doing some sightseeing, this might affect your plans. If you just want to rest and get over your jetlag, no problem. Personally, I'd prefer to sightsee under more normal conditions.

Here is a link to road closures for the 2015 Auckland Marathon to give you an idea:
https://rb-cms.s3.amazonaws.com/iron...+-+Website.pdf

The last time I had to get from an Auckland hotel in the CBD to the airport, the Santa Parade was on, and not even the I-Site (tourism office) could tell me where I needed to catch the Sky Bus, so I caught a shuttle to the airport instead. But the shuttle driver had trouble getting to my hotel as the streets were blocked off, so he was late.

Another thing to consider, you might not be able to check in to your hotel until 1 or 2 p.m. (sometimes even later), though they'll probably accommodate you if they have an available room. If you can't check-in, they'll store your luggage, while you wait or go for a wander. My guess would be airport hotels might have greater availability for early check-in as many guests will have already departed for early morning flights.

I hate not being able to check in after a long transpacific flight.

Is your plan to rent a car the next day (Monday) and begin your drive to Rotorua?

You can get free basic "Jasons" maps for the different regions from the I-Site office at the airport. You'll also find these maps in brochure racks in the airport arrival halls as you make your way to customs and immigration. They will have major roads and major tourist destinations on them. If you want something more extensive, a road atlas would be better, something like this:
https://www.paperplus.co.nz/book/gre...-9780731917167
HEMA atlases are also good. But I really don't think you'll need an atlas. Unless you're planning on taking some gravel roads off the beaten track, I think the free "Jasons" maps will suit and they're easier to use.

Regarding Cook Strait ferries, I've only taken the Interislander, so I don't have an opinion. They're big solid boats that can handle this rough, windy crossing. Read this Trip Advisor post for more opinions:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/ShowTo...th_Island.html
In especially windy or rough conditions, the ferry crossings are cancelled. Also, sometimes the ferries break down.
This is what the Cook Strait crossing is like when it's rough:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/822045...raitsman-ferry

I just checked Hotels.com for Auckland on October 30, 2016 and they have plenty of availability. For now at least. I would think many runners will return home or to other places after the race.

HEMA makes a great NZ drive map - you can pick one up at any bookstore in NZ

We were in Corsica last fall when there was a road rally. I guess we need to check local events prior to booking. If we stay in Auckland when we land we should miss the traffic mess caused by the marathon. When we make up our mind as to what we are doing the check in time will be a definite consideration. I know my wife will need to hit the bed.

I looked at the Jason’s website. It looks like their maps will do what I need. Off the beaten track and gravel roads are not is our vocabulary.

The ferry ride looks like it could be rough. Not like our ferry ride to Corsica which was like riding on glass.

We are still looking at travel times and have not decided where to cut some driving. Many decisions to make. 80 days to take off.

The ferry is not always rough - but do you get seasick? I have done a lot of ferry trips as I grew up in Nelson and we went over to Wellington often. 2 trips stand out in my memory as being really rough (ie unable to stand upright)which is not too bad over about a 20 year time period. The Cook Strait is open sea and that's the rough bit as once in the Marlborough Sounds it's much more sheltered.
Don't let it put you off if you would like to do it.
I am concerned for the amount of driving you will be doing. It's quite a lot and can get tiring very quickly as driving here takes concentration and effort (not that I doubt your driving ability at all). If you stayed 2 nights in each place then you could have a easier day with walking somewhere or driving a short distance only.
Bring many SD cards for all those photos! New Zealand is very beautiful.

tasmangirl is absolutely correct in saying the Cook Strait crossing is not always rough. I've only crossed it three times (much easier to fly to Wellington from Dunedin), and it was fine. When sunny, the calmer passage through Marlborough Sounds is exquisite.

Cook Strait is considered one of the most unpredictable bodies of water in the world. It's in the Roaring Forties. You can read about it on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_Strait
And Te Ara:
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/cook-strait/page-4

October is statistically Wellington's windiest month, but this doesn't mean that you won't have fine, windless days, too, nor does it mean that Cook Strait will necessarily be rough. November is also windy. This article is from November 2015, ferries were not cancelled, but access to the outside decks was closed.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel...lam-Wellington
Windy Wellington:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post...lington-really

If you have issues with seasickness, take precautions.

Melnq8 offered great suggestions for photo-ops. On the South Island, many drives are destinations in and of themselves. I agree the drive to Glenorchy is one of these. I'd also add Milford Road (from Te Anau to Milford Sound), the road to Mount Cook Village, Makarora to Wanaka (SH6 past Lakes Hawea and Wanaka), and Westport to Greymouth (with geological marvel Punakaiki enroute) to this list. Crown Range Road (Wanaka to Queenstown) and Lindis Pass are other favorites among many visitors.

You mentioned you're not interested in hiking. May I please ask how much walking are you comfortable with? Are you okay walking on rough surfaces, perhaps with loose rocks or gravel? Hills? There are many easy short walks that reward with excellent photo ops, such as Mirror Lakes on Milford Road, Lake Matheson in Fox Glacier village, Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki, to name a few. Mt. Cook Village's Hooker Valley Track is also stunning and not difficult, especially if you just go as far as the first swing bridge (30 minutes return).

With all due respect to Melnq8, who's far more familiar with the South Island's walking tracks than me and probably more fit, I'd hesitate recommending Wanaka's Mount Iron (gradual 250 metre ascent) and Diamond Lake lookout tracks—though they're both rated as "easy" and, as Melnq8 described, have tremendous views from the top. If you're not hikers and/or not used to climbing hills, you might find these challenging. The Diamond Lake Track starts off easy, then climbs the hill and includes steps. In November the track could be wet and slippery. If you're in Wanaka anyhow, you can check it out for yourselves and turn around if you choose to. Furthermore, the drive on Wanaka-Mt. Aspiring Road to Diamond Lake is worth doing. You'll pass Rippon Winery (fabulous views, no need to try the wine) and Glendhu Bay. View from Rippon Winery: http://rippon.co.nz/
Diamond Lake:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...#activitypanel

If you continue along the Wanaka-Mt. Aspiring road you'll reach the Matukituki Valley (need to check if your car contract allows for driving beyond the Treble Cone turn-off). This partially unpaved road goes along the Mutukituki River and there are points where you'll have to ford streams—but you needn't drive this far to see some "wow" scenery. Check with the I-Site or DOC (Dept. of Conservation) before driving out to Matukituki Valley as the road can be subject to washouts in November.

It's also nice to just walk along Wanaka's lakefront from the center of town. The Roy's Bay willow tree is a star photo subject. I think everyone who's been to Wanaka must have a photo of this tree:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destin...in-new-zealand
You're sure to enjoy your time in Wanaka, whatever you do.

Try to include Aoraki Mt. Cook Village in your itinerary. The village is at a mere 760 metres (2,500 ft.) elevation. 29 mountains in the area rise above 3,000 metres (approx 10,000 ft.), with Aoraki/Mount Cook being the highest at 3,724 metres (12,217 ft.). So the valley's like a bowl whose sides are high glaciated mountains. Kiwi Sir Edmund Hillary practiced for his historic Mt. Everest climb on these relatively small peaks. The Ngāi Tahu (or Kāi Tahu), the South Island's principal Maori iwi (tribe), view Aoraki as the most sacred of their ancestors. Aoraki's apex is often engulfed by clouds, but lovely when, and if, its cap of clouds clears. Nearby lakes Pukaki and Tekapo are a distinctive milky blue due to the fine mineral sediment deposited from the glaciers (known as glacial flour). This view is from Peter's Lookout on the road to Mt. Cook:
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...6ME/s/700/500/

In November, camera-ready Russell lupins (arguably NZ's most beautiful introduced weed) bloom in Mackenzie Basin.
http://www.sisson.co.nz/blog/new-zea...-lupin-flowers

Being an International Dark Sky Reserve, the Mackenzie Basin has become a destination for astrophotographers, though November probably won't be the best time. You might enjoy the works of this NZ-based astrophotographer: http://theartofnight.com/2015/03/new...-in-the-world/

The South Island is also a top spot for viewing the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights). If interested, check "aurora alert" while you're here: http://www.aurora-service.net/aurora-alerts/
Some aurora photos:
http://www.aurora-service.net/aurora-gallery/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/tr...w-zealand.html

I'd also recommend visiting Kaikoura for its stunning setting betweeen mountains and sea, and wildlife.

tasmangirl. Dramamine will be with us. The amount of driving is also a concern of mine. Some of the driving will have to be cut out. Don't know yet what to not see.

Our SD cards are 32 Giga. Our all time record was over 3000 shots when we were at Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, France.

Diamantina - wow. Thanks for the tips on photo spots. I was able to find them all on a map.

It is interesting that lupine is a weed in New Zealand. When were lived in Alaska we took many photos of lupine. Thanks for mentioning Aurora Australis. I enjoyed seeing many Aurora Borealis in Alaska. One of the things I miss living in Southern California.

If you give yourself a break from driving by taking a tour to Milford Road and Sound consider opting for a smaller group tour that allows more time for photos. This company has a good reputation:
http://tripsandtramps.com/

You might feel rushed on a larger coach tour, as they have to get many more people on and off at scenic stops.

You must have seen heaps of amazing scenery and wildlife while living in Alaska! It's long been on my wish list. Considered going this past May, but my husband insists September is best. So maybe next year.

I understand the Aurora Borealis is generally quite visible to the naked eye. This might not be the case with the Aurora Australis. I viewed it last year from Dunedin along with many others, some with cameras. I couldn't see much, yet when I looked at videos and long exposure shots of the photographers around me, their LCD screens were glowing with vivid colors! The Milky Way also looks different from down here.