LaraLyn

Hello! I have been browsing the threads here with great interest, but as my situation is a touch unusual, I’d be reassured by some feedback from those who’ve been there.

I am a telecommuting writer planning my first trip to NZ for December-ish. My job allows me the freedom to work from anywhere, but I do have to work specific hours of the day – in New Zealand, it’ll be from @ 9 am until @ 3pm daily. I know Dec. is holiday time for Kiwis and high travel season, and am anxious to start making bookings (for the Milford track especially). I would prefer to select cheaper accommodations to maximize my time in NZ –say, by camping. However, I will also need internet access to write on my working days – though I MAY be able to scrape by with ‘net access for just the first and last hour of each work day.

I ideally hope to go to NZ for the entire period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. I am hoarding my vacation time, and plan to take one day off per week (i.e., work 4 days, off 3) and then allocate one entire week off to hike the Milford track, including transit to and from Te Anau/the trailhead (probably during the week between Xmas and NYE).
I was thinking to fly in and out of Auckland, rent a small campervan, and tour both islands slowly – say, 1.5 to 2 weeks for North, 2.5 to 3.5 weeks in South. I’d plan the trips that will take me to more out-of-the-way areas for my non-working days, so I needn’t worry about internet access. On work days, I would try to get ‘net access through… well, I’m a bit vague on this. Cell phone as mobile wi-fi hot spot? (I am happy to buy a device/service plan that will enable me to have web access when I travel internationally). I have also seen online lists of WiFi spots in NZ, but as they list the actual shop names, I am uncertain if they’re Starbucks-type establishments where the locals won’t raise an eyebrow at my lurking for several hours while nursing a coffee.

Does anyone see any major red flags with my plan? Any words of advice, feedback on the availability of internet, etc.? Thank you so much in advance!

dotty

Your time frames seem to be about right although you haven't said what you are particularly interested in seeing.
I don't know about internet access other than in hotels / motels and designated cafes, although I do know there are WiFi spots around the country.
Just be aware that from about 23 December to about 3 January is the main holiday time so your plan to book for the Milford track soon is imperative. Most schools finish between 13 and 20 December this year.

LaraLyn

Thank you so much, Dotty! I am definitely forewarned about the holiday timing - I hope to book both plane tix and Milford in the next few days. However, if I MUST stay at hotels/motels to be sure I can gain internet access, I will have to severely reduce my overall trip span... thus I was attempting to find out about that aspect first so I can book my flights accordingly.

As far as what I am interested in seeing: I envision mostly trekking and absorbing the lovely landscapes! I intend to focus on enjoying the outdoors and the people as much I can, with a slightly less "over-scheduled" trip plan than I tend to have. Aside from Milford, I am totally flexible on where I go and what I see, although of course I will make a more detailed itinerary and route plan once I have my total time span established.

Melnq8

When we travel in NZ, we use the Internet at libraries, cafes, visitor's centers and motels/hotels, as well as the odd Internet cafe. We've never had trouble finding computer/Internet acces, but we don't travel with our own laptop.

I did a search and found this list of Wifi spots in NZ:

http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com/browse/intl/2000036/

Melnq8

Previous link was mostly Wellington and Auckland, here's a listing for the South Island.

http://totalhotspots.com/directory/n...i-south-island