Hi Melnq8,

You are a wealth of info. WOW! My husband and I are going to NZ in Feb from CA. We'll have 21 days there, starting in Auckland. Thought about going to Bay of Islands first then head to SI. Or, instead of driving to BoI, does Nelson replace BoI?
We are considering renting a campervan instead of a car & planning every night accommo's. We're looking into the freedon camping, but will probably end up in campgrounds or similar. Any comments from anyone will really help us. We're aware of DOC, Rankers & NZ.com, etc.

Where in Switzerland are you going? Been there a few times - check out the Abbey in Einsiedeln if it fits in your schedule. Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Murren are so beautiful - only been there in summer though.

Hi travelinow -

I can't help much with the NI; we visited once years ago and never returned, yet the SI has called us back again and again and again...

I've been to the Bay of Islands, but it was so long ago that I'm unable to make a comparison with Nelson. Keep in mind that Nelson is just a town, the best of the area is in the surrounding areas - Abel Tasman, Upper Moutere, Mapua, Tasman, Kaiteriteri, Little Kaiteriteri, Marahau, etc.

We've been to Switzerland almost as many times as we've been to NZ. Our favorite bits are the Berner Oberland and Kandersteg. This particular trip centers around the Engadine, both upper and lower (as of yet unexplored by us), plus a four night stay in Lauterbrunnen and a bit of Germany for a taste of Christmas.

Always happy to help with SI itineraries!

Thank you!
Yes, Abel Tasman was the area instead of BoI.
I need to review my plans a little more. Surely, I'll have some more questions then!

Melnq8---I am just starting to read; want to savor and take notes. But Imwant tomthankmyoumfor writing such a detailed trip,report. Me are just starting to plan a month on the South Island For February, 2015. I feel like I have discovered a treasure trove of insider's tips in your trip report!

Thank you enzian - here are a few more of my SI trip reports if you're so inclined.

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...e-si-of-nz.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...rip-report.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...land-of-nz.cfm

Thank you! I look forward to reading them all. I get my best trip ideas from Fodors trip reports.

Hi Melnq8,

Thanks for posting more of your trip reports. I'll be reading more of them soon! In the meantime, I've put together a 21 day trip of NI and SI. We are thinking about starting in AUCK with a car, nts in cottages/cabins through day 8/9. Day 9/10 get a campervan in Christchurch (CHCH) for our remaining time on SI. At the end of the trip fly from CHCH back to AUCK.

Do you prefer car/accommodations instead of campervan? Why?

We will mainly do short serveral hr hikes, sightsee, kayak, possibly fish a little, boat cruise on MS, enjoy the coast, see the architecture in towns as we drive through and stop as we like. We not much for indoors and museums.

Sorry for all the detail, but I needed to know driving time and distance for the day - especially if I need to revise once I include activities. I see the columns aren't as I've indicated them to be. The 1st number after the area is hr, then miles, then kms. AHHH!

If you get a chance, would you mind looking at my itinerary and advise...thank you so much.

Have you been to Oeschinensee by Kandersteg? It's so beautiful. From what I see of NZ, the lakes & mts remind me of SZ. http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/p...oeschinen.html


(hr) miles km

Day 1 Car -- Auckland > Paihia 3.5 136 219
Day 2 Paihia / Bay of Islands

Day 3 Paihia > Auckland
Auckland > Hamilton 1.5 79 126
Hamilton > Waitomo Caves 1 44 78

Day 4 Waitomo Caves > Taupo 2 102 170
Taupo > Turangi .75 30 49

Day 5 Turangi > Palmerston N 2.5 122 199
Palmerston N > Wellington 1.75 87 143

Day 6 Wellington

Day 7 Wellington > Picton 3 (on ferry)

Day 8 Picton > Blenhein 0.5 18 28
Blenheim > Kaikoura 1.75 81 128
Kaikoura > Christchurch 2.75 117 188

Day 9 C-van or day 10 - CHCH
Day 10 CHCH > Ashburton 1.25 56 90
Ashburton > Timaru 1 48 77
Timaru > Oamaru 1 50 80
Oamaru > Dunedin 1.5 74 119

Day 11 Dunedin > Balclutha 1.5 71 114
Balclutha > Invercargil 2 99 159

Day 12 Invercargil > Te Anau 2.25 99 159

Day 13 Te Anau > Milford Sound 1.75 73 117

Day 14 Te Anau/M Sound > Queenstwn 2.25 108 174
Day 15 (add time/miles if in Milford Snd) 1.75 73 117

Day 16 Queenstown - Wanaka 1.25 64 103
Day 17 Same area as above

Day 18 Wanaka > Mt Cook 3 128 206
Mt Cook > Lake Takapo 1.5 63 101


Day 19 Lake Takapo > CHCH 3.5 143 230


Day 20 Rt'n C-van fly CHCH to Auck
or early tomorrow morning

Day 21 in Auck - midnight Int'l flight

Hi travelinow -

<Do you prefer car/accommodations instead of campervan? Why?>

Yes. Personal preference, never been interested in the campervan bit.

<Have you been to Oeschinensee by Kandersteg?>

Yes. We hiked to it, as we visited in April when the gondola was closed. Haven't seen it in the summer, but hope to sometime.

Regarding your itinerary, I'll stick to what I know, the SI.

Day 8 - Picton to Christchurch is a full driving day. Very little time to do much along the way. What are your intentions for this leg?

Day 9 - assume you're spending the day in Christchurch?

Day 10 - Christchurch to Dunedin is about 5.5 hours w/o stops, but then you leave the next day for Invercargill? Why? What's the point? What do you hope to see in less than a half day? FYI - this route, the east coast of the SI is the least scenic drive on the entire SI.

Day 11 - Dunedin to Invercargill is about three hours, certainly doable, but why? Invercargill is an agricultural town with little on offer for tourists.

Day 12 Invercargill to Te Anau about 2.5 hours. No worries, but again, why Invercargill? Why not just push on to Te Anau on Day 11 and a free up a day to spend somewhere else?

Day 13 Te Anau - Milford Sound - you've allowed a full day to explore here, which is a good plan.

Day 14 - Te Anau - Queenstown - about two hours. Milford to Queenstown, four hours.

Day 15 - I don't follow this bit

Day 16 Queenstown - Wanaka - no problem

Day 17 - you lost me again, is it QT or Wanaka?

Day 18 Wanaka - Mt Cook, then on to Lake Tekapo, no worries, BUT, suggest staying overnight in Mt Cook instead and visiting Lake Tekapo on the way to Christchurch the nest day instead, unless there's a reason you want to stay in Tekapo? The observatory perhaps?

Day 19 Lake Takapo - Christchurch, no worries

Day 20 - CHC to AKL - no worries

Okay, I count 10 one night stays (SI), and only one day that you're not driving. Where do you plan to take your several hour hikes, kayak and fish?

The problem - trying to fit in the far north and the far south of the SI in too few days. The SI of NZ looks small on a map, but it's long and there are only so many roads. Roads are narrow and winding, and can be very slow going, even slower than the mileage charts indicate.

This is a driving itinerary. In order to hike, fish, kayak, etc, it makes more sense to allow a minimum of two nights in a given area, which will give you a least one full day to actually explore the places you've spent so much time driving to.

thank you. I'm regrouping my thoughts based on your suggestions. Still looking at pros and cons of car vs campervan. I'm still all over the page - maybe fly AUK to CHCH, do a loop, have more activity time and travel north to NI.... ahhhh!

travelinnow,

just an update on the car v camper debate following our return from our trip.

Having experienced the friendliness and convenience of the NZ BnB, and spoken to several people who were travelling in campers, I am so thankful that we didn't go down that route. most of the camper van people seemed to be quite isolated and were, generally speaking, not having much contact with kiwis, whereas we had lots of social interaction with the locals and were having a great time.

of course this is both a generalisation AND anecdotal, but it was our experience, during one trip.

as for cost, our APEX car cost us $NZ919 for 17 days, including the ferry crossing, and our accommodation in the SI never cost more than the equivalent of per night, and usually quite a lot less. Most camper/camp sites charge to stay, we were told as much as $25 per night. ignoring the cost of fuel [which you need for both options] .

overall, I think that particularly in high season, using a camper is not a particularly cheap option.

Melnq8 this report is really valuable to us. Especially given that if we ever get there it will be at the same time of year as this trip of yours.

Glad it helps cold - we often visit the SI in the off season, so I have several other reports posted here as well. Let me know if questions come up, happy to help, although we're not nearly as adventurous as you and your clan when it comes to hiking (we're old:).

Melnq8 - Thank you so much for sharing your SI travels with us. Lots of valuable details. Having seen your itinerary, I'm thinking about incorporating Greymouth and maybe Kaikoura into the latter part of my itinerary...

No worries Piccolina. Do keep in mind that the second part of this itinerary was designed specifically for my brother - we only stayed in Greymouth so he could take the Monteith's tour and it broke up the drive to Kaikoura (which was still a very long drive from Greymouth).

Hi Melnq8,

Sitting here having coffee, and greatly enjoying re-living our trip to NZ through your TR. It's a welcome break from our detail planning of our upcoming trip to the Alps. Interesting to read about your stop at the "Wrinkly Rams" (best seafood chowder! en route to Mt. Cook), or the "Homer Tunnel" en route to Milford Sound. We went through in early morning, before the signal lights were on. It was pitch black. Quite an experience! So many shared experiences. We feel lucky to have had some good weather around Mt. Cook, Punakaki, and Milford Sound. Of course, how can you describe the beauty of Glenorchy? We, too, had rain and chilly weather around Hokitika and the glaciers, even though we were there in February. Your input to our trip was so helpful. Obviously your love for the SI comes through in your reports.

Now we'll be referring more to your TR of Switzerland. It sounds like you're planning to return to Switzerland and Germany in December? We're hoping to avoid the cold by going in August and early September. We only do cold if there's skiing involved, and, at that, prefer spring skiing! Thanks again for your detailed and enjoyable reports!

<<Obviously your love for the SI comes through in your reports.>>

That's music to my ears tomarkot, it truly is.

We are indeed considering a return trip to Switzerland, but the work assignment here is winding down, so not sure where we might be in December. I have yet to finish the German portion of my trip report, I seem to have lost my trip report writing mojo mid-stream.

I'm also in talks with my brother regarding a possible return visit to NZ in the southern hemisphere spring. If it materializes, we'll concentrate on the north of the SI this time around.

Best of luck planning your upcoming holiday tomarkot. I've been following your threads on the Europe forum. I'll be interested to hear what you decide upon.

It must be a little disconcerting to be uncertain about where you might be living in December. Hope all gets settled soon. . .and favorably for you.

I know what you mean about getting the mojo to write your TR from your travels in Germany. Just debating whether or not we should do one for our recent trip to NYC. A couple of other Fodorites whom we follow have recently expressed some questions about posting a TR. Think most of us who post do so, not because we need them, as we have our journals, but to share with others. Sometimes there is a sense that either not many people read them, and/or do not post responses.