Seeking feedback on NZ itinerary
 

Hi, all,

Friends are leaving for NZ next month and I wanted to see if you had any thoghts on their planned itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive at Queenstown in the afternoon. Drive to Te Anu and stay overnight

Day 2: Depart Te Anu to Milford. Overnight on the water.

Day 3: Arrive back to Te Anu at 12:45pm. Drive to Queenstown

Day 4: Bunjee jump? Hike? Stay in Wanaka?

Day 5: Drive to Fox/Franz Josef Glacier. Short hike? Overnight at Fox Glacier or Franz Josef Glacier

Day 6: Hike. Overnight at Fox Glacier or Franz Josef Glacier

Day 7: Drive to Arthur's Pass. Short Hike? Stay at Arthur's Pass

Day 8: Drive up to Kaikoura. Stay overnight at Kaikoura.

Day 9: Drive up to Abel Tasman/Marborough Sounds. Stay in Abel Tasman.

Day 10: Sea Kayak/Wineries. Stay in Abel Tasman (or surrounding area)

Day 11: Drive through Lewis Pass. Stay in Lewis Pass or Hanmer Springs

Day 12: Hike in Lewis Pass? Overnight in Christchurch

Day 13: Leave Christchurch early morning for return to US


Thanks so much.

John H.

Also, any lodging suggestions up to USD120 range would be appreciated. (If you have a suggestion that might be slightly higher (say up to USD150), please feel free to suggest that, as the $120 is a target for average per night lodging costs across the entire trip.

Thanks.

John H

That's a <i>lot</i> of driving. It makes me shudder. Are they aware of it?

For ideas of rates on lodging, check out wotif.com USD120 should be easy to get. ((*))

The first week isn't really that bad. The second week I woud pick EITHER Abel Tasman or Kaikoura, and I wouldn't make any detours to pick up Lewis Pass or Hanmer Springs (although it might work out that they are convenient rest stops).

Here's a suggestion -- a more circular route with less driving and better scenery:

Days 7: carry on up the west coast, visiting Pancake Rocks and other scenic coastal spots and continue to Westport.

Day 8: Drive the Buller Gorge (more scenic than Arthur's Pass in my opinion) to Motueka.

Days 9 to whenever: Abel Tasman, Golden Bay etc. then back to ChCh via Picton/Marlborough Sounds, Kaikoura at whatever pace suits you.

Westport is a small town with several motels. There are more rustic places to stop along the road to Buller Gorge.

Thanks so much for your helpful thoughts. I have not visited the area north of Greymouth/Arthur's Pass/Christchurch, so your input on that part of the itinerary is especially helpful.

John H.

A few accommodation/activity suggestions:

We stayed 4 nights at the Lakeside Motel in Te Anau - really nice motel accommodations (all with kitchens, I think). There are two other motels next door to Lakeside - Campbells and Radfords - that looked very nice as well and had wi-fi if that's important to you. We paid approx $120NZ in February so good for your budget.

There's an Italian restaurant on the main street in Te Anau called La Toscana - really good pasta and pizza. Also on the main street are several cafes/bakery cafes/etc - very good looking sandwiches/pastries/etc.

If you go to Wanaka the Mexican Restaurant called Amigos is really good! Also Cafe Gusto at 1 Lakeside serves a terrific breakfast and great coffee.

I highly recommend Kaikoura and the Swimming with Dolphins tour. We stayed at a lovely B&amp;B above Kaikoura (2 minutes drive to &quot;town&quot;) with a magnificent view - the prices range from $160NZ - $200NZ so within your $120US -$200US range

http://www.endeavourheights.co.nz/

Note - one of the 2 rooms has a &quot;private&quot; bathroom which we learned is different from &quot;ensuite&quot; - the bathroom is next to the room and you're on your own floor so it is private. At first that bothered me but it truly was private. The other room is ensuite and very separate from the main house - it's more expensive but still within your budget.

Swimming with Dolphins was a highlight of our trip - here's a link to the company th at organizes it

http://www.dolphin.co.nz/kaikoura/

Other lodging ideas - there is a free guide called &quot;Jasons&quot; (also a website - http://www.jasons.com/) we didn't have many reservations and I used this guide religiously. Our budget was $100CDN/night which was a little light but we were able to stick pretty close to it at very nice motels.

Hope this helps.

I really should proofread my posts!

Should have read &quot;within your budget of $120US - $150US.

Arthur's Pass lodging: Mountain House (the cottages) you can rent the entire self-contained cottage for $120 NZ thru October, more from November onward. These are in the town of Arthur's Pass set back from the main road. One of my favorite finds. Comes with a wood stove in the living room and radiators in the bedrooms.

Oscar Haus (Wobbly Kea) in town was great for dining.

Their website: www.trampers.co.nz
My review: http://www.hostelz.com/hostel/25903-...n-House-Hostel

Hi John -

Just returned from three wonderful weeks on the SI - just a few comments about your friend's itinerary -

Day 4 - suggest staying in QT - loads to do and they'll no doubt find that one day isn't nearly enough. Wanaka is a 90 minute drive from QT and is also a good option - if they decide to stay there instead, their drive to the glaciers the following day will be shorter.

Days 7-10 are really rushed and there's lot of driving involved. Suggest they give Kaikoura a miss and spend all that time near Abel Tasman and/or Marlborough Sounds.

Abel Tasman and Marlborough Sounds are both wonderful spots with lots to do - I could easily fill a week in each. If they like to hike, they'll want to allow time to do so. If they plan to take water taxis to walk a portion of the Abel Tasman Track, they might want to check the taxi schedules in advance - this will save time fiddling about once they're there.

Hanmer Springs is not that exciting - I've stayed there on three visits, more out of convenience than anything, and personally, I wouldn't suggest it for a first time visitor short on time as there are so many better options IMO.

I second Elizabeth's vote for Amigos in Wanaka - very good. Also, if they like Indian food, they can't pass up Little India with locations in CH, Nelson and QT. I've eaten at all of them numerous times and they're wonderful! Their sister property, Mantra, is also fabulous with locations in CH, Arrowtown and a third spot that escapes me at the moment.