Vacation to New Zealand during deep Winter

Old May 28th, 2017, 02:57 AM
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Vacation to New Zealand during deep Winter

Hi All,

We will spend our family vacation in New Zealand during Aug 2017, which is during deep Winter of this lovely country.

Planning a trip, want to see if it is reasonable or not...we have 4 adults + 1 10-yr-old kid.

Jul 29 : Arriving Auckland from Singapore nearly midnight, stay one night in hotel near airport
Jul 30 : 8:00am get rental car, drive to Matamata ( 2hrs drive) and spend some time there. Leave around 3pm for Rotorua(1hr drive). Check in hotel there and then spend that evening with Tamaki Maori Village.
Jul 31: 8:30am drive to Hellgate Geothermal Park(25min), spend 2 hrs there, then drive back to hotel and spend the PM fishing in Lake Rotorua. Evening enjoying our catch in hotel (or eat supermarket food if not able to catch one....)
Aug 1 : check out hotel and at 8:30am, then drive to Wai-O-Tapu Hot Sprints(30min), spend about 2 hrs there, leaving at noon time and then drive to Taupo (1 hr drive + 1 hr lunch). After checking in hotel, spend the afternoon time biking at Lions Walk and/or driving around.
Aug 2: morning time: Kayaking at Lake Taupo, PM, driving/walking around Taupo
Aug 3: Check out hotel and at 9:00am drive to Aratiatia Rapids/Huka Falls+walks, leaving at 11:30am for Waitomo Cave (arriving around 2:30pm, including lunch). Spend 2 hrs in Waitomo Cave and leaving at 4:30pm, then drive back to Auckland (2.5 hrs, night drive)
Aug 4: morning time, rest and relax in Auckland, PM, fly from Auckland to Queenstown. Relax in Queenstown and hotel
Aug 5: bus tour to Milford sound (full day)
Aug 6: AM cruise tour, PM Helicopter flight (Queenstown Milford Sound and back)
Aug 7: 8:00am Get rental car, then drive to Arrowtown(30mn drive), leave there at noon time and relax back to hotel (Queenstown walks or driving around nearby)
Aug 8: Skiing...whole day
Aug 9: Not planned yet (we are still debating....)
Aug 10: AM: Queenstown Luge, may also Try the ZipLine there, PM (not planned yet)
Aug 11: AM : not planned yet, PM Fly back to Auckland
Aug 12-14: Spend time around Auckland (SkyTower, Mission Bay...not really planned yet)
Aug 14 late night: Fly back to Singapore.

Sorry for long and messy description above and the many questions below. I really want to make this family vacation trip a superb experience :=)

Questions:
1. Is the above plan OK and reasonable?
2. Is it safe to do night driving between Waitomo Cave to Auckland during deep Winter time? I supposed there will be no lights during that 2.5 hours drive mostly. Am I correct? Will there be snow in that Highway 39 during the deep winter night usually?
3. Quite a number of driving planned starting early. I read some posts saying that I should avoid driving before 10am due to chance of black-ice, is it true? and must I re-plan the whole trip due to this reason?
4. I indeed want to drive to Milford Sound if road is open, but my wife is very concerned of the road safety so I plan for a bus tour instead. If a road is marked Open by the NZ road authority, will it then mean my rented 7-seater MUV will be able to drive through the roads? Understand that I will need to carry snow-chain in the car, what is the chance of using it?(never use it before....)
5. Excluding road from Queenstown to Milford sound, will I need to use snow-chain for other roads nearby Queenstown? or Taupo? or Rotorua? (no snow at Auckland I supposed)
6. Any suggestions for the empty slots that I can spend time in Queenstown and Auckland?

Many many thanks in advance for your advice and comments!
HappyChu is offline  
Old May 28th, 2017, 02:49 PM
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1. Overall it looks good.
2. Stay the night in Waitomo then and leave for Auckland in the morning. Sunset is at 5.30 pm so it's only 1 hour of daylight left. From Hamilton to Auckland it's freeway and motorway and well lit but you have some rural roads before Hamilton. Snow on the road is not normal for the NI apart from the Desert Road.
3. Black ice is a safety issue. If it's rained the night before then maybe delay starting out for the day.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/8201...-ice-explained
Better to be a bit late than in an accident!
4. Listen to your wife - DO NOT DRIVE YOURSELF TO MILFORD SOUND IN THE WINTER! You will be responsible for all the costs of getting the rental car out should there be an avalanche.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/proje...re-Milford.pdf
I'm not being negative about the risks but we have many tragic accidents in NZ because people take silly risks.
5. Depends on the weather if you will need to use the chains. Queenstown possibly, Taupo and Rotorua no. Check the weather forecast everyday (watch TV news at about 6.55 pm)or online to see what's happening.
6. A lake boat ride would be lovely - try the Earnslaw (Southern Hemisphere's only working steamship)across to Walter Peak Farm or the catamaran trip to Mt Nicholas sheep station. in Auckland there is lots to do - Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World is a good place to see penguins up close, Auckland Zoo if it's a nice day, Waiwera hot pools, Piha Beach.
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Old May 28th, 2017, 10:56 PM
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Thanks a lot for your advice Tasmangirl,

Yes the planned cruise trip is exactly the Earnslaw Steamboat to Walter Peak Farm :=)

Based on your comments, I would still keep the early driving in NI but modify to drive to ArrowTown a few hours later.

Definitely taking buses to Milford Sound too.

If the road from Hamilton onward is well lit, I think I will still keep the night driving from Waitomo Cave to Auckland on, so that we can spend more daylight time in Auckland. Hope not too much rain in Aug in NI.....

Very appreciate!!!
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Old May 29th, 2017, 10:46 AM
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Aug 3 - if the weather is not much you can spend less time in Taupo and get to Waitomo a bit earlier. Huka Falls can be seen/walked/photographed in about 1/2 hour. Aratiatia is best when they open the gates at 10 am 12 pm and 2 pm in the winter.
Night driving is not that bad - just don't speed! Put your headlights on high beam but dip for any oncoming cars.
Enjoy your winter holiday. I love Queenstown in the winter.
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Old May 29th, 2017, 04:53 PM
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Just adding to tasmangirl's suggestions of possible things to do in or around Queenstown.

The Skippers Canyon Jet Boat Tour. This starts with a drive into Skippers Canyon. This road was used during the Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s, to reach gold mining sites along the Shotover River (then described as the "richest river in the world"). The drive is gorgeous and a bit of a thrill ride in itself (not a great idea for those uncomfortable with scary roads). I did it in winter and was nervous beforehand about icy patches and snow on the narrow gravel road, but the drivers know what they're doing, drive carefully, and don't go out if the road is hazardous. Then you'll take a jet boat ride on the Shotover River, which is lot of fun. The entire trip takes about 3 hours.
https://www.skipperscanyonjet.co.nz/...jet-boat-tour/

The Shotover Canyon Jet is one of the most popular attractions in Queenstown, and only consists of the jet boat ride, which you may prefer:
http://www.shotoverjet.com/shotover-river/
FAQs:
http://www.shotoverjet.com/the-experience/faqs/

The drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy is said to be one of NZ's most scenic. If you don't feel up to driving it yourself in winter, then there are tours to the area that'll pick you up from Queenstown, such as the Dart River Wilderness Jet Excursion, which also includes a 30 minute guided walk through the forest. You can read about it here:
http://www.dartriver.co.nz/activities/wilderness-jet/

If you would just like to see the road from Queenstown to Glenorchy, but aren't interested in activities such as a jet boat tour or walk in the forest or horseback riding, then you can just take the shuttle from Queenstown to Glenorchy and then back again.
http://www.glenorchyjourneys.co.nz/track-transport/
Diamantina is offline  
Old Jun 3rd, 2017, 12:18 AM
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Many thanks to Tasmangirl and Diamantina!

Yes, wanting to see Aratiatia and plan to see the dam gate opening. Quite fun from YouTube watching. if walks to Huka Falls takes only 1/2 hours, then I can leave earlier for Waitomoko Cave giving me more buffer time driving back to Auckland.

We did not plan to do JetBoat ride, because two of the family members are not interested at all in this. But your suggestion triggers us for more discussions :=). Still debating though :=). the trip planning part is also part of the fun, as usual :=).

Same same for the Quad Bike. I very much want to try but seems all Quad Bike in Rotorua/Taupo/Queenstown are highlighting the funs with dirts and waters all over the driver's body...which is exactly not wanted by my wife. Anyhow, NZ is full of fun and possibilities.

Many thanks again!
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Old Jun 3rd, 2017, 04:57 PM
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HappyChu, here's a link to a You Tube video of the Skippers Canyon Jet Boat (but it doesn't show the drive into Skippers Canyon):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klLS7rVzshg

If you think a couple of the adults would enjoy doing a wine tasting, Amisfield winery is on the way to Arrowtown (which you will be visiting, so it won't be out of your way). They also have a beautiful bistro. I'm assuming one of the adults would be willing to be a non-wine-drinking designated driver.
https://amisfield.co.nz/bistro/
Diamantina is offline  
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