Hi, we are due to take a trip to NZ's north and south islands from mid-October to mid-November and are struggling with the last part of our itinerary.
Currently, it is as follows:

Oct 17 - Arrive in Auckland, Hotel stay booked
Oct 18 - Drive to Hobbiton for tour, stay nearby
Oct 19 - Explore Rotorua
Oct 20 - Drive to Tongariro
Oct 21 - Drive to Wellington - Visit the Weta workshop in the afternoon
Oct 22 - Explore Wellington
Oct 23 - Ferry to Picton in the morning, Visit Marlborough Vineyards PM
Oct 24 - Drive to Kaiteriteri
Oct 25 - Explore Abel Tasman National Park
Oct 26 - Drive to Punakaiki
Oct 27 - Drive to Fox Galcier
Oct 28 - Explore Fox Glacier - Helicopter tour if weather permits
Oct 29 - Drive to Wanaka
Oct 30 - Explore Wanaka
Oct 31 - Drive to Te Anau
Nov 1 - Drive to Milford Sound
Nov 2 - Drive to Queenstown and drop off the camper - stay in hotel for last 3 nights.
Nov 3 - LOTR tour from Queenstown to Glenorchy
Nov 4 - Explore Queenstown
Nov 5 - Flight Home

This trip takes the west coast route for ease and unfortunately misses out on Aoraki Mt Cook but I am currently toying with three alternatives as everything I have read about the area makes it seem like it is not to be missed if possible though we have very limited time

1 - Drop the extra day in Wanaka, on the 30th Drive from Wanaka to Mt Cook for the day then stay somewhere near Cromwell / Wanaka before driving to Te Anau on the 31st.
2 - Look for a helicopter tour from the glacier that includes a scenic flight of Mt Cook and leave the itinerary as is
3 - Book a tour to Mt Cook from Queenstown on Nov 4, this would be a very long day but might be worth the views.

For context, we are not big hikers but will enjoy some casual walks and stops to take on the views on the way.

The sad fact is that you just can't see everything in 20 days, so something has to give. Your itinerary is flat out as it is, too much IMO and IME. I see a lot of one and two night stays, which means you're constantly on the go (it helps if you plan in nights not days - two nights allows one full day in a given area, one night allows less than a day, especially with drives on either side). You're trying to see two islands, and both the far north and far south of the SI in a pretty short trip. I'm afraid you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

Trust me, I understand the temptation to do it all, but it's just not possible in such a short trip...and yes, 20 days on two islands in NZ is a short trip. I've been to NZ many times, usually spending a month on just the SI and still have trouble narrowing things down.

Assuming you're unwilling to cut back on your current itinerary, I'd opt for option #2. Anything else is just too much.

FWIW - weather in NZ can be all over the place, so it's quite likely that some of your planned activities (specifically heilcopter tours) may not happen due to weather.

Don't underestimate the time to get from Point A to Point B - for instance Kaiteriteri to Punakaiki will take close to four hours without stops as will Fox Glacier to Wanaka - and there are many reasons to stop enroute, which will make the drive much longer. Roads in NZ are long and winding, and often one lane in each direction. It can be very slow going.

You need to be aware that West Coast drives do not always go as planned due to weather. September/October (austral spring) is particularly "unsettled".

Bear in mind that at the last minute you may need to completely redo the itinerary, dropping all or part of the West Coast.

Thanks for the advice!
Yes fair to say adding MT Cook in will definitely be us trying to do it all, so we appreciate the feedback and will take it on board.
That being said we are willing to cut back in some places. Though spending +2 nights in Rotorua(area), Wellington, Kaiteriteri, Fox Glacier, Wanaka and Queenstown seemed to be the best balance of places seen / time available when we first drafted and decided to skip Mt Cook.

It has also been suggested that we could drop the trip to Te Anua / Milford sounds and instead drive to Mt Cook on the 31st, stay on the 1st then drive to Queenstown on the 2nd as planned and instead take a day tour to Milford sounds on the 4th instead, not sure if this will also feel pretty cramped given the distance from Queenstown.

Thanks, When you say "unsettled" do you mean wind & rain?
What would be your limit weather-wise to drop this route in favour of an inland one?

I assume if that is required we could do something more like:
Oct 26 - Drive to Punakaiki
Oct 27 - Arthurs pass to Mt Cook
Oct 28 - Explore Mt Cook
Oct 29 - Drive to Wanaka
(I haven't researched these drive times yet but just a guess if we needed to quickly change our plans)

I personally would never choose the inland route over the West Coast, but that's just me.

It has also been suggested that we could drop the trip to Te Anua / Milford sounds and instead drive to Mt Cook on the 31st, stay on the 1st then drive to Queenstown on the 2nd as planned and instead take a day tour to Milford sounds on the 4th instead, not sure if this will also feel pretty cramped given the distance from Queenstown.

The bus tour to Milford from Queenstown and return is a slog, a very, very long day, some eight hours on the bus alone - with very few stops. As I recall, there's a coffee stop in Te Anau and a stop at a handful of sites along Milford Road, but having taken the bus twice myself (once from Te Anau) and driven 8-10 times, I will always choose the drive. Milford Road is an experience unto itself with many brilliant treking options along the way. You mention you're not hikers though, so perhaps this doesn't matter to you. Keep in mind the road does occassionally close for various weather issues, but this shouldn't be a big concern in Oct/Nov.

Personally, I don't find Mt Cook so stunning as to try to squeeze it in, especially as it's often socked in by clouds, but you may feel differently.

Unsettled could mean anything - gale force winds, rain, rock slides and even snow. The roads often get frosty, meaning black ice, which can sometimes limit an early start.

I have several detailed trip reports on NZ posted here - some going back many moons - should you want to get an idea of actual drive times with various stops (although none in a camper van).

I haven't followed weather trends in NZ for a while and you never know with climate change or if El Niño will change regular patterns but it used to be that Fiordland and Westland would get extreme rainfall from fronts coming in from the Tasman Sea at that time of year. That's why knowing how to track weather systems (Metservice.com/warnings) and change your itinerary at the last minute is key. If you get that rain then landslides ('slips') can close the road down the west coast. Plus you won't see anything and any activities will be cancelled.

Being flexible is more problematic now that tourism is back up to historic levels. Hopefully the campervan helps with that.

2022 was some very strange weather . We went a bit later than you (more into supposed summer) and it rained most of the time although Haast was clear (almost unheard of). And then Auckland Airport flooded a few weeks after we left! So you never know.

Milford Road is an experience unto itself with many brilliant treking options along the way
Amazing, are any of these in your trip reports I will check them out?

You mention you're not hikers though, so perhaps this doesn't matter to you.
I would happily hike but my husband prefers short easy walks so there will probably be plenty we can do together but nothing overly challenging.

Personally, I don't find Mt Cook so stunning as to try to squeeze it in, especially as it's often socked in by clouds, but you may feel differently.
We love mountains and mountain landscapes (which I'm sure we will get plenty of) but looks like it'll be best to skip it. Unfortunately, I can't get more than a month off of work but hay ho.

Unsettled could mean anything - gale force winds, rain, rock slides and even snow. The roads often get frosty, meaning black ice, which can sometimes limit an early start.
Good to know thank you, We are very used to this kind of weather but will keep a sharp watch on the reports and plan around it.

Great thanks for the heads up! We knew travelling in the shoulders seasons would be a risk but budget really didn't give us a choice.
I'll keep a good eye on forecasts etc. when we get there and if we need to re-route it wont be the end of the world with the camper, worst case scenario I guess is we have to drive around to find somewhere with spaces to sleep

Amazing, are any of these in your trip reports I will check them out?

Yes, but to save you time plowing though them, take a look here instead:

https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re.../?tab-id=50578

You might enjoy the short ones - Lake Gunn, Lake Marian, Lake Mistletoe.

My favorite is the hike to Key Summit, but it's been quite a few years since we last hiked it.

Note to self: Time to get back to New Zealand

An unconventional recent tour but maybe some ideas for lodging, restaurants and walks (for both the OP and Melnq8). Also shows the surprising blue sky on the West Coast.

Semi live from New Zealand

My wife and I have done three long (2 month) trips to New Zealand always in a camper van and always in winter/spring or autumn winter. You have had some great advice so far about the weather, packing to much in etc. and whilst I agree with much of it I do think that travelling in a camper van is slightly different to touring by car and using hotels etc. so mine is a slight different perspective.

I strongly believe that using a camper van affords a much greater degree of flexibility enabling you to pack in much more than would be the case with a "normal" tour. No packing and unpacking, checking in and out of hotels saves a huge amount of time. No searching for restaurants as you can be pretty much self sufficient in a van.

At that time of year there should be no need to book campsites in advance. We used a combination of commercial sites (Kiwi and Top10), Department of Conservation sites https://www.doc.govt.nz/campsites plus approved "Freedom Camping" sites. All have something to offer. The commercial sites enable you to recharge the van batteries, empty the tanks, use laundries and have great cooking facilities and usually amazing showers. DOC sites are invariably in stunning locations often with basic toilet facilities , sometimes with showers. Freedom Camping is apparently more restrictive these days abut there are still places where you can park up overhang for free.

What we enjoyed the most was the flexibility of being able to change our minds on a whim. If we liked a place we would stay longer, not so keen we would move on. You can cover far more ground in a camper than with other forms of touring. NZ is littered with fantastic hiking trails, usually close to roads. All are clearly marked and well maintained.The trail head even have maps and timing for the hikes so you can easily determined whether you have the time. We would often park up , take a hike, return to the van and have lunch before moving on.

The most difficult part of a trip to NZ has always been planning the route even though we go for long periods, there never seems to be a clear , logical route to follow. We have been to all of the places you mention, some more than once. For me, the beauty of NZ is the scenery and for that reason we tend to spend little time in the cities. Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch I could (and do) easily skip. Of the other places you mention, Abel Tasman NP is amazing. Mt Cook? I do find it stunningly beautiful but as Melnq pointed out above , it is hit and miss whether the weather plays ball. One way of getting around this is to head to Lake Tekapo which is a great spot in its own right and from there it is a an hour or so drive to MT Cook. Milford Sound is fine but a very long drive. We have been twice once we had torrential rain and saw little (we were the only people on the boat ) another we had better weather and great views but I have to say it wouldn't make my top 5 places to see in NZ!

Tongariro is another place where the weather can be problematic. We once drove all the way up to the trailhead only to be snowed in for the night. Since then we have tended to base ourselves in Taupo and head out from there to Tongariro /Rotarua/the Geothermal area.

I did blog about some of our time in NZ here https://accidentalnomads.com/category/new-zealand/ - if nothing else there are lots of photos. I also probably wrote a trip report here . You can click on my screen name o find it but it may have been a while ago.

Re the comments about packing too much in. With that amount of time I would proabably stick with one island and that would definitely be the South Island. As I said earlier, travelling in a camper van is different. It would make sense to sit down with google maps or NZ AA routeplanner and work out how much time it takes to get from A to B the DOC and Newzealand.com websites are terrific resources. It clearly makes sense to have an overall plan but allow some flexibility along the way.

One final thought. You mentioned wanting to do a helicopter trip> That was one thing that eluded us due mainly to the weather. We never seem to be in the right place at the right time. The Glaciers are the obvious place but dont forget you can aisles fly from Queenstown or Glenorchy. on our last trip we booked a flight from Glenorchy out the Mt Cookin the morning only to have it cancelled that afternoon!

At that time of year there should be no need to book campsites in advance. We used a combination of commercial sites (Kiwi and Top10), Department of Conservation sitesplus approved "Freedom Camping" sites.

Thanks, we have been warned that because we are travelling over the labour weekend holiday we should at least book up these, which we have and the ones at Fox Galcier. Hoping to be a bit more flexible for the rest of the trip but we may look to book a few more just in case.

Mt Cook? I do find it stunningly beautiful but as Melnq pointed out above , it is hit and miss whether the weather plays ball. One way of getting around this is to head to Lake Tekapo which is a great spot in its own right and from there it is a an hour or so drive to MT Cook. Milford Sound is fine but a very long drive. We have been twice once we had torrential rain and saw little (we were the only people on the boat ) another we had better weather and great views but I have to say it wouldn't make my top 5 places to see in NZ!

It is looking like there is a choice between Mt Cook and Milford Sounds but trying to do both might be too much. If you had to pick which one would you rather visit in late October or early November?

One final thought. You mentioned wanting to do a helicopter trip> That was one thing that eluded us due mainly to the weather. We never seem to be in the right place at the right time. The Glaciers are the obvious place but dont forget you can aisles fly from Queenstown or Glenorchy. on our last trip we booked a flight from Glenorchy out the Mt Cookin the morning only to have it cancelled that afternoon!

agree this would be a bit of a gamble, but I don't know anywhere that taking a heli flight over mountains doesn't come with the risk of being cancelled so we won't be too disappointed if it doesn't happen. It'll just have to be the luck of the draw on the day if we book it.

If you are travelling over a public holiday then yes, it is wise to book. Your mention of Fox Glacier reminded me of the place nearby where we have stayed in preference to Fox itself. It is a DOC site on Lake Paringa , around 45 mins drive. Possibly our favourite site in NZ - some photos







If I had to choose between Milford and Mt Cook. Mt Cook would win. Both are very weather dependent for me the mountain scenery at Aorangi wins as do the hikes along the valley and up to the Red Tarn lookout. If the weather doesn’t play ball , you have options. We loved Lake Tekapo and that is not too far away to do Cook as a day trip. Teleport lake is stunning as are the views from the observatory hike. Also nice to chil out in the hot springs afterwards.

You are right the helicopter flight is a gamble. The operators appreciate this and are very good at quick refunds if it doesn’t work out.

FWIW - it took us three trips to the SI before we managed a helihike - the weather just never cooperated. We booked several flights across several days to hedge our bets - and it finally paid off.

Lovely photos crellston. I think my happy place is the campground at Kinloch (although I stayed in the lodge there).

Re the glacier flight, it is so worthwhile. I had my good weather fairy with me and did it on my first visit (1988) but that was pre-Lord of the Rings. It was from Mt. Cook Airport. Like crellston and Melnq8 I've been multiple times and it took a while before I had covered most ot the South Island (and hadn't made it to Stewart Island until the recent visit last Nov/Dec.)

It's a toss up for me Mt Cook vs Milford Sound. Better chance of seeing the Aoraki first thing in the morning, so an overnight stay increases your chances. I nearly always have seen it.

One of my favorite driving loops on the (usually) dry side of the Southern Alps is SR 8 via Burke's Pass down to Clyde then 85 tthrough the Maniototo and on to Dunedin. Tangling with the sandflies in Fiordland once was enough for me on the west Coast. Do pack your DEET, antihistamine pills and salve if you plan to spend much time there. I was handing my Benadryl out like candy when I hiked the Humpridge track.

Thanks mlgb. It is difficult not to take good photos in NZ when there is so much material to work with!

I think we may have stayed at that campsite in Kinloch it is very nice. We were heading for Taupo via the "Forgotten World Highway" (a fantastic drive if you have the time!) but got delayed because of storms, fallen trees etc. So we decided to stop there for the night. Magiacally, the next day the weather cleared and we awoke to amazing views of the lake. We have used Taupo as a base on a number of our trips as it is a good location for driving out to all sorts of places and they have freedom camping sites right in town and outside of the town with great views of the lake.

There are so many great campsites in NZ that when travelling in a van it is most definitely worth spending a lot of time checking out the DOC andNZ.com websites as well as the camping site apps like Campermate and similar for reviews. We often ended up staying at places we had never heard of and were not in the guidebooks.

We rented our last camper van from Wilderness and they supplied us with the excellent NZ Frenzy book. see https://nzfrenzysouth.wordpress.com - anyone interested can download from Amazon. It is an excellent resource for ideas and ono touristy options from sights to see and places to stay.

There is apparently more than one Kinloch in New Zealand. The one I liked is on the South Island at the mouth of the Dart River, at the head of L. Wakatipu, across from Glenorchy.

I was wondering about that....

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/desti...ed-piece-of-nz

Who knew that there was a new one on the North Island? They should have called it Kinloch North.