NZ in July
 

1.How is NZ during the snowy winter ?
@ Are there any roads which may be blocked (e.g. mountain passes) on South Island ?

2. What attractions can we find going from Queenstown to Christchurch ?

3. Actually driving from Te Anau through Queenstown to CHC. where do u suggest to sleep a night on the road?
Is Aoraki/Mt. Cook worth the diversion ?
r there scenic flights during winter?

thanks in advance

aby

I haven't been to New Zealand yet, but we will be there the beginning of July. I was told it would be a good idea to request chains for our rental car (we will be picking it up in Greymouth and driving down to Te Anau then across to Christchurch). I think it really depends on the year. Right now the weather there seems to be in the 40's and 50's and in the 30's at night. So there could be some snow, but I'm hoping it won't close any roads. As for driving from Te Anau to Christchurch, the woman who owns the B&B we are staying at in Te Anau said that it can be driven in about 8 hours or so. Of course if you stop it will take longer and then you might want to stop. I think we are just going to play it by ear and if we get all the way to Christchurch that's great and if we don't we'll find a place to stay. I'll be curious to see if you get any other replies that could help us both.

Hi aby -

The Te Anau-Milford Road is sometimes closed in winter due to snow and avalanche danger. We visited one year in September and the road had been closed 5 days prior to our arrival and closed for a total of 15 days in the month of September, which was apparently unusual. I believe you are required to carry chains on this road during the winter, and it sometimes closes around 4 pm as road crews intentionally set off avalanches when the snow accumulates.

We also ran into some snow on Haast Pass, but it didn't present any problems for us (we're from Colorado).

Be prepared for some winter driving and possible closures, but don't let it ruin your holiday. NZ is a wonderful place year round.

Mt. Cook is worth the diversion on a clear day, but not so much if the weather is foul and you can't see a thing (which is often the case).

I'd suggest not driving from Te Anau to CH in one day, but rather stopping for a night along the way - remember the days will be shorter in the winter and you'll miss alot of the awesome NZ scenery if you're driving in the dark.

Having travelled in this area in July (two years ago) I have a few insights. The road from Te Anau to Milford was closed for 5 consecutive days prior to our trip to Milford. We took the Real Journeys tour to Doubtful Sound our 1st full day in Te Anau, and on the last opportunity the road opened. We opted for another Real Journey tour instead of driving, since we had a campervan, and I was told we needed tire chains to legally drive the Milford road. I do not regret that choice -- the drive is much more scenic for the normal driver (me) if you are looking out the window of a coach rather than driving through challenging terrain (avalanche zones, etc.) The road had been blocked because of avalanche danger and washouts on previous days, and to me, it was not worth the worry of driving myself. I am used to driving in snowy conditions, since we live in one of the snowier areas of Canada.
We chose to drive from Te Anau to Wanaka, then two days later from Wanaka to Oamaru, then to Christchurch the next day. Wanaka was unseasonably cold (high of 2 degrees Celsius) one day. The pass (Linzer?) between Wanaka and Oamaru featured some ice and slippery conditions, but was fine at moderate speeds. We really enjoyed the blue penguin shore arrival in Oamaru (similar to the penguin parade in Melbourne AU). Don't try to drive from Queenstown to Christchurch in one winter day, in my opinion.

Thanx craiginowensound, Melnq8. jcasale

does anybody know where (phone or wwww link) one can get the info about snow-blocked roads ?

aby

Hi Aby

If you were in NZ today you would most certainly need to get updated information on travel conditions. We have had a couple of very cold winter storms accross the country and a fair few roads on both main islands have been affected.

This link has the phone number you can call as well as the link to the online site that provides the latest raod conditions.

http://www.transit.govt.nz/road/infoline.jsp

I would try the link to AAroadwatch first as it is cheaper than an 0900 call.

In saying that, the site is currently overloaded (Due to enquiries no doubt as a a result of the current weather) so you may wish to lewave it a couple of days.