NZ South Island in September; activity/itinerary help
 

Hi,

A couple of my friends here in California are planning a trip to the South Island next month (first half of Sept). While I have been there several times, I have not been in September. A few questions:
1) Will there be any problems with road closures due to snow (e.g., if one were to drive from CHC to Queenstown via Arthurs Pass and the West Coast)?
2) What activities will one be able or not be able to do in Queenstown, e.g.: shot over jets, boat rides on the lake, skiing (will the ski fields still be open? will there be snow in Queenstown itself)?
3) Will the Doubtful and Milford Sounds be open for overnight cruises? ill there be any problems driving from Queenstown to Milford?
4) Will the Rootburn and/or Milford Treks be open?
5) What glacier activies at Fox or Franz Joseph would be open or closed?
6) Are there any special festivals or activities/events in any of these places (CHC, Queenstown especially) in the first half of September?

My friends are real outdoors-types, so any suggestions appreciated. They will be in the South Island for 10-12 days, are are planning to fly into CHC and out of Queenstown, or vica versa. Any thoughts on how you would split up a 12-day itinerary would be great.

Any help appreciated in terms of September-specific advice.

Thanks.

John H.

Forgot to ask in general about the weather in these places (temperature, rain/snowfall).

Thanks.

John H

Hi John -

We've visited the SI in Sept a few times and are heading back later this week. With the exceptiion of the road to Milford, we've not encountered any road closures on our trips. The road to Milford closes once in a while due to snow accumulation and avalanche blasting, but they do their best to re-open it as quickly as possible. The day cruises operate year round - I'm not sure about the overnights. Suggest you check with the tour operator - Real Journeys is one.

We've run into a bit of snow on Haast Pass, but it wasn't an issue. We've never had a problem on Arthur's Pass.

Ski season was still on during our visits - of course it will depend on snow conditions - suggest you check directly with the ski areas for specifics.

Regarding tracks - we've walked a portion of several tracks during Sept and plan to so again this trip. Bridges are often removed and I believe huts are closed. Tracks are monitored by the DOC year round and track damage is reported, so just check before you head out. For details, take a look at the DOC site:

www.doc.govt.nz/

The jetboats operate year round, as does bungy jumping, etc.

Glacier hikes and helihikes are year round activites, but weather dependent. We visited the west coast several times before we were able to take a helihike, but weather issues certainly aren't limited to the winter/spring months. You just never know what the weather will do in NZ.

Suggest your friends dress in layers and be prepared for rain.

John -

Regarding itinerary -

Flying into CH and out of QT is a good choice - we do it often to save time driving back to CH.

Your friends might want to consider something like this:

CH-Greymouth (via Tranzalpine Train or car via Arthur's Pass) Side trip to Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks), overnight Greymouth or continue on to Hokitika.

Greymouth/Hokitika to West Coast/Franz Josef or Fox Glacier - suggest they stay at least two nights - lots of nice hikes and having an extra day comes in handy if the weather is uncooperative

Franz Josef/Fox Glacier to Wanaka - suggest at least two nights here also -hiking, skiing, lake activities, etc

Wanaka to Te Anau - many hikes, two hour drive to Milford Sound from here

Te Anau to Queenstown - bungy jumping, jet boats, skiing, lake cruise, skiing, 40 minute drive to Glenorchy for some great walks (such as Routeburn, Dart-Rees, etc)

This site gives an idea of drive times/distances:

http://www.accommodationz.co.nz/distances2.html

Thanks so much .. . very helpful.

Meant to post this weather site as well:

http://www.metservice.co.nz/default/index.php