New Zealand visit February 2010
 

I am planning a trip for Feb. 3 - Mar. 3. DH may come for the first two weeks of the trip - not sure. I was thinking of flying into Queenstown & out of Auckland to avoid back tracking. Not sure about DH departure city as I don't have an idea of where we might be two weeks into the visit.

I would like some feedback about the dates I've chosen. From what I understand, school is in & there's no major local holidays going on - right? I don't want to have to compete with locals on holiday for rooms.

I also understand it is the most desirable month to come in regards to weather - right?

Do I need to tweak the days forward or back in order to be there for any local festival that's not to be missed??

Best rate today for those dates is $1597.60 ATL - ZQN & Auckland to ATL.
$1620.00 ATL - ZQN round trip.

How do these rates seem on the value scale - about right? Or, should I 'wait & see'?
The best rates I've been able to find for November is 1250-1350 so I assume the rates above may be the best that will come for February? We are in the Southeast.

I really don't have an itinerary as yet. Just hoping to get booked & then fill in the pages, so to speak. DS2 has been living in Queenstown since October. We will begin our visit there. I would like to see SI fairly thoroughly & parts of the NI - thus the exit strategy.

I expect DS2 will join us on our tour at least a few days if not the entire trip. We are in our 50's. Both I & DS2 like a good walk & new experiences. DH does, but on a lesser scale.

I do appreciate the great advice that is rendered here.
Thanks!
OSB

You might want to see if you can get a cheap flight to LAX, then check Air New Zealand's rates from LAX to ZQN.

I'm envious!

Lee Ann

Thanks for your response, ElendilPickle. I have compared flights ATL to LAX & ATL to SFO, but I see no advantage thus far. Also, I believe I'd fret if the flight times were changed & possibly prevented my connection.

I will shelve this again for a couple weeks. I just received an email from DS2 saying to wait until he knows for sure his visa is going to be extended. Thanks!

I am probably going to regret asking, but what is a DS2 (or DH for that matter)?

Ole,

Coming from ATL, your best bet it to come in the day before, stay at an inexpensive hotel/motel near the LAX airport (there are a number of them and they have a free shuttle to/from the airport) then head out for Auckland the next day.

Re: flying into Queenstown and out of Auckland -- not possible - there's no way to avoid "backtracking" - you'll be going in/out of Auckland..

Crellston -- I'm going to guess and say maybe it's Dear Son 2?

Hope this is helpful!

Melodie
Certified Kiwi Specialist

Yes, crellston, it is 'dear husband' & 'dear son #2 - the common way to refer to family without stating their names here on Fodor's. DD= dear daughter, MIl= mother in law, etc.

Funny, though, when I learned the abbreviations, I was ready-ing for a trip to Hawaii & noting some of their language habits. So, I actually visualize 'Da husband - as in 'the husband'. :)

wlz: I understand that all flights to/from the US go through Auckland. What I mean is I plan to continue on by air to Queenstown & return to Auckland by car. This is doable, from what I understand, no? DS2's ticket was from New Orleans to Queenstown - so he actually got off the final flight at ZQN.

Thus far, I've actually not found any savings by doing what you ( & others here ) have suggested about flying into LAX or SFO, spending the night & on to Auckland the next day.

However, would you mind sharing those inexpensive motel/hotel options ( safe area & easy access very important as I may be alone ).

My actual preference is to fly out of MGM (Montgomery, AL or Panama City, FL - but I don't want to be routed to ATL from those airports - I'd just as soon drive to ATL to save the $$).

OSB, we have travelled to Australia several times from the U.S. East Coast. On one of those trips, we decided to overnight near the airport in LA. It really wasn't worth the extra time and expense. Now, we always just fly straight from IAD to LAX to SYD. It makes for a loooong day, but by staying overnight in LA, you are just prolonging the travel time. I agree with you that you should just fly to Auckland as directly as you can.
If you and DS2 enjoy hiking, I would recommend that you look into doing one of the hiking trails on the SI. You can do them either guided or un-guided. A few years ago, our family did the guided Hollyford Track. It was an excellent experience and we found it to be reasonably priced and good value-for-money. This hike can be done unguided as well, but we really appreciated having a comfortable bed, hot shower, and hot meal every evening. The scenery along the Hollyford Track (from the mountains to the sea) was simply spectacular!

Yes it is a good idea just to continue on to the South Island on the day you arrive in Auckland. You are tired anyways from the long long flight so day 1 can be a rest up day.

Queenstown is a safe tourist town, no worries about that. It tends to be a bit on the $$ side and I haven't found a good budget lodging option.

In Christchurch I have enjoyed staying at the Windsor Hotel B&B (sort of like an old fashioned boarding house. Great location, clean and friendly. You might think about flying into Chch instead of Queenstown depending on flight timings and costs. Sometimes you can get an open jaw into Chch and out of Auckland for the same as the US=Auckland fare.

Atomic Shuttle runs minibus transfers from Christchurch all over the South Island, a good way to for single travel (they go to Kaikoura timed with the whale watch). And Christchurch has a nice weekend market and Arts Center (shopping!) which sometimes is better done alone. So you could do Christchurch by yourself and then meet up in Queenstown or Dunedin.

www.atomictravel.com
www.windsorhotel.co.nz

<wlz: I understand that all flights to/from the US go through Auckland. What I mean is I plan to continue on by air to Queenstown & return to Auckland by car. This is doable, from what I understand, no?>

I assume you realize you can't get from Queenstown to Auckland by car as they're on separate islands. You'll have to fly or take the ferry.

longhorn55: Thank you for your advice. I'm of the same reasoning as yourself as to "getting there". I'll look into the hike - & yes, what you describe sounds like the sort of 'roughing it' that appeals to me - hot food & comfy beds! :)

migb: The B&B looks lovely - the sort of place I might enjoy. The atomictravel link would not open for me though. I'm afraid the bus would dawdle with too many stops at various uninteresting places for pick ups/drop offs. Is this the case?

I've heard Christchurch suggested before as a point of entry ( after Auckland )and, if DS2 wan't in QT, I could understand doing it. The weekend market sounds very tempting, but I'm not sure I'd be ready for a day of shopping on day one of arriving. I'll have to think about that one. I just thought I'd make a bee-line for my DS2, not having seen him in over a year (by that time). But, hey, what's a few days more?...

Melnq8: Yes, I know about the ferry/ flight requirement to go from one island to the other. Surely there's no problem taking the rental car (or DS2's car - not sure which) from one island to another - or is there something I'm overlooking here?
If we fly, that will mean changing rental cars. I would think that wouldn't be the desirable thing to do?

Some car rental companies allow you to take your rental car on the ferry, others require you to drop it off, then collect a new one on the other side.

No such issues with a private vehicle.

So, then, Melnq8, if we must drop it off, is it preferable to fly? Surely it's quicker but more $$? I thought I read somewhere here the ferry was the way to go for the scenic value?

Sorry about the bad info on Atomic Travel, the ending was wrong. There are timetables on the website. They are pretty efficient, there will be a "tea & wee" break on a longer journey. EG Leave Christchurch 7:30 am and arrive Queenstown 2:30 pm, with a break at Omarama. The busses are comfortable.

http://www.atomictravel.co.nz/

I can't speak to the scenic value of the ferry as I've never taken it. I've been in the Marlborough Sounds many times though, and I assume it looks similiar - scenic to a point, then just alot of open water.

The ferry leaves the SI from Picton and arrives on the NI in Wellington. It takes about three hours, longer to load and unload cars. Changing cars really isn't an issue, as the car rental company has one waiting for you when you arrive. Dropping off the car is easy too, as you drive right to the ferry port in Picton, and leave it there.

The issue with taking the ferry is that you may end up somewhere you don't want to be, Wellington, and then you must drive to Auckland for your departure. And you must leave from Picton, which is quite a drive from Christchurch, so unless you happen to be up there anyway...

If you fly, you can leave from Christchurch and land in Auckland. I believe there are direct flights from Queenstown to Auckland too, but can't swear to it.

So, it really comes down to time. The way I see it, the ferry adds quite a bit of time.

The current price for crossing the ferry with a car and two adults is about $265. I have no idea how that compares to the flight.

Note that I've seen some car rental companies include a ferry crossing in their rates. You might want to look into this too.

Hmmm, maybe I've been unclear. I hope to fly into QT. After a few days there, I plan to take DS@ & begin a tour ( specifics undetermined as yet ) of both the SI & to a lesser extent, the NI.
So, I thought we'd drive from Wellington to Auckland, seeing sights as we went. I realize this will take a few days - not sure how many as yet. That is why I said fly into QT & out of Auckland. How DS2 will get back to QT is also undetermined as yet - probably a flight, if he plans to travel far with me/us.

Thanks for the time info on the ferry. So, how long has the flight Picton to Wellington ( and arranging/waiting for it )taken you?

olesouthernbelle if you have the time then driving back to Auckland will be a great trip. The scenery on the ferry is gorgeous in my opinion, yes it takes just over three hours, and if you are taking a car across you have to be there an hour earlier than departure time. Sometimes it can be rough depending on the weather, on a calm day it's a lovely trip.

However to get a proper look at the South Island you need two or three weeks, a similar time for the North Island, I'm not sure how many weeks you are planning on being here.

Nelson and the Top of the South Island is a great place to visit also;-)

Oops my smiley face went a bit strange. I have just re-read your original post. I see you are planning on being here a month so should have time to do a lot of sight-seeing.

February is a great time to visit, normally the most settled weather, school is in, there is a national holiday on Saturday February 6th- Waitangi day which is marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the Maori people and the British Crown. If it had been on a week day everyone would have the day off and banks, offices etc would be closed. However as it's on a Saturday next year nothing much will change. There will be celebrations in different parts of New Zealand.

Thank you, nelsonian. Yes, I googled & read about Feb 6th being Waitangi Day (is that pronounced Y-tang-i?). Similar to our July 4th, I take it.

I definitely want to check out the north end of the SI. It takes 2-3 days on a rather direct path there, and a couple to return, so it ends up being less than a month actual visiting time. I'm in SE Alabama.

I have printed & am now re-reading some TR's with my highlighter. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a handle on an itinerary soon. I expect maybe a 7-8 days on the NI, the rest on SI. But, it's too soon to know for sure at this point.

An update: This trip is on hold for a very long time. DS2 is returning home tomorrow night. He would like to return some day. We'll see........

Thanks for all the suggestions/assistance with the pre-planning. Maybe I can make use of it one day in the future.