Please help! NZ trip planning
 

I can't believe my solo trip to NZ and Aust is just a couple weeks away! I have not planned my itinerary out yet. I have tours set for AUST but for NZ I am flying into Auckland (frequent flier miles so have to) and am wondering the most affordable way to travel to Wellington and Christ Church? I want to spend 5 days on the South Island. But I see you need to take a train/bus and a ferry?
Does anybody know of a bus or rail pass that is a good deal for 6 days travel throughout NZ? On a tight budget for the NZ portion of the trip.

Thanks for any help that you can offer. I'm so confused!! (what a trip I picked to go on solo! :)

Alexa

Hi Alexa,
Instead of Christchurch, I would spend your time in the Queenstown area of the South Island. You can fly there from Auckland and perhaps Wellington. The flights were very reasonable when we were there.
Good luck to you!
Liz

Alexa, you can check the Tranzscenic (rail) website for pricing, but the service from Auckland is now running only on F-S-Sunday.

http://www.tranzscenic.co.nz/

It would be better to fly to the SI, as suggested, mainly because it will probably take the better part of two days to do it over land. Even if you fly only to Christchurch, which is usually cheaper and with more flight times, you can then catch a relatively inexpensive shuttle to Queenstown or where-ever you want to go.

I suppose it depends on what you like but I thought Christchurch was a great city whereas Queenstown, way to the south had nothing special to visit it for if you are on a tight schedule and tight budget.


Get the ferry across from Wellington to Picton, and then a $10 - $62 bus ride (depending on who you use) from there to Christchurch. Queenstown can cost you another $175 from CC.

We originally booked the Overlander (train) from Auckland to Wellington, but the trip was cancelled. We are flying to Wellington on Nov 20 instead, and taking the ferry to Picton and then the Tranzscenic to Christchurch on Nov 24. Qantas was a little bit cheaper than Air NZ. I wonder if you might want to do a couple of days in Wellington and a couple at Christchurch. You could take the Tranzalpine out of Christchurch for a day trip...we were going to take it to Arthur's Pass and return. You will have a 4 hour layover there I think.

SWR