Road Trip in New Zealand

sriki

Level 2 Member
I am planning a end of the year trip to the Pacific Islands. After spending the new years's eve in Sydney, I (along with my wife) will be heading to NZ on Jan 1st. Tentative plan is to spend 10 days there (the first and last day would involve flying in and out). So, with only 8 full days in NZ, I am looking at everything that's available right now. Soon, I will have to tailor that list to the things we want to do. Just looking at our options in a hour created a big list with more to go through. We haven't decided whether we will fly into AKL and spend a couple of days in the North Island or not. The places/things I bookmarked to come visit to finalize are below but it's just a start. I am hoping that people who are more knowledgeable with NZ would chime in with their likes and advice. Any suggestions are most welcome.

NORTH (If flying into AKL):
Hamilton (base)
Waitomo
Rotorua
Taupo

SOUTH(if not coming from the North Island, we would probably fly into Queenstown. Will have to look at options for Christchurch too)
Lake Tekapo/Pukaki; Franz Josef/Fox glacier areas & Mt. Cook
Mt. Aspiring
Milford Sound
Continue driving along the south coast

I also came across this site for planning road trips but there is a lot of info to process and will take a while for me to go through it.

Code:
http://www.newzealand.com/us/trips-and-driving-itineraries/
Meanwhile, any thoughts are welcome.

EDIT: I went through some road tripping options and put together an initial itinerary. What do you think?

Code:
https://roadtrippers.com/map?utm_campaign=trip&utm_medium=share&utm_source=email&lat=-44.40632&lng=170.26062&z=7&a2=p!18,s!4,t!10016972
 
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KennyBSAT

Moderator
Staff member
We went to the South Island Thanksgiving week. Far too short a time, but amazing drives nonetheless. I'd take an inland route from Dunedin across the South Island toward Queenstown or Te Anu unless you really want to go to Invercargill for some reason.

There are several awesome short drives in/near Dunedin, and it's a lot less touristy than Queenstown. Take Highcliff Road from Dunedin to Portobello in one direction, and the harborside Portobello Road the other. Highcliff Road was closed for repairs when we were there, but totally worth it to drive as far as we could.

On the other side of the harbor, Mount Cargill Road is another great drive. You can drive up from Dunedin, or simply detour at Waitati to drive it on your way into Dunedin. You won't get a better view of the city of Dunedin than Mt Cargill Road gives.


If you like this kind of thing,

drive to the Coronet Peak Ski area, half an hour or so from Queenstown. Simply spectacular panorama, this picture doesn't begin to do it justice.

There aren't nearly enough stopping areas to photograph views from the South Island's beautiful drives - you simply have to go experience it for yourself!
 
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sriki

Level 2 Member
Thanks @KennyBSAT

Invercargill is nothing special for me. It is conveniently located along the coast from Milford to Dunedin. We do want to go see the Nugget point lighthouse which puts us on a coastal route. But, I could still be able to do inland route even with the lighhouse detour. But, I am thinking coastal route would rewards with better views of the ocean and the geography.
 

redbirdsj

Level 2 Member
I have done the inland drive from Christchurch to Te Anau (we went back via the west coast) and it is spectacular if the weather cooperates. You seem to have a good handle on the stopping points, so my only advice would be to budget plenty of time to make other stops and enjoy the scenery. Same goes for the drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound. Lots of great spurs and side trails to explore on the way.
 

sriki

Level 2 Member
I have done the inland drive from Christchurch to Te Anau (we went back via the west coast) and it is spectacular if the weather cooperates. You seem to have a good handle on the stopping points, so my only advice would be to budget plenty of time to make other stops and enjoy the scenery. Same goes for the drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound. Lots of great spurs and side trails to explore on the way.
Thanks. I just started planning this road trip. But, I do love some road trips and esp. off the beaten track stuff. I will keep my eyes open on the Te Anau to Milford. Right now, I haven't factored in a lot of time for detours but have an additional day to play with. I might rework the plan a bit considering I need to be a bit mindful driving on the other side of the road. I just watched a few videos on road safety in New Zealand and I found myself looking on the wrong side for vehicles and wondering how roundabouts works. :)
 

Confectioneer

San Francisco Bay Area
Hi @sriki, my wife and I have been to both North and South islands and for us the South is the winner. But with 10 days you could easily fill the time in just one island.

If you're keen on Maori culture, it's easier to experience that on the North island. The South island has a bit more "wild" landscape, though really the landscape is gorgeous on both islands.

There are some things I highly recommend you look into, to see if they'd be of interest.

In the North, there's caving around Waitomo. Glow worms, and gorgeous formations...


Near Taupo is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a stunning all-day hike across volcanic terrain...



In the South there's Te Anau, which gets you access to Milford and Doubtful Sounds.


We did an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound, which was gorgeous. (I keep using adjective likes that. It's easy, because the country is just...yeah.)

If you like star-lit skies, Mt. John observatory outside Tekapo (on the way to/from Queenstown) is worth a stop. They have a beautiful lake there.


I'll stop here, but feel free to write back with any questions.

Oh, and for reviews of activities/providers, we got good use out of Rankers.
Code:
https://www.rankers.co.nz
 

Voyaging Doc

Level 2 Member
i may have to replicate this itinerary @sriki.

What did you pack in terms of outdoors gear? I'm trying to minimize what I bring so I'm wondering if a jacket + hiking boots is sufficient in addition to regular clothes.
 

Confectioneer

San Francisco Bay Area
We just travelled with our normal clothing -- there are local companies that will rent you just about anything you need. I don't recall the exact cost, but remember it didn't feel excessive.
 

sriki

Level 2 Member
i may have to replicate this itinerary @sriki.

What did you pack in terms of outdoors gear? I'm trying to minimize what I bring so I'm wondering if a jacket + hiking boots is sufficient in addition to regular clothes.
I haven't picked any gear yet. Last year when we went to Iceland, we bough some gear which could be reused.

1. My company gave me a custom Cabela's jacket a few years ago that was rock solid as an outer layer. I go with some form of sweater on the inside depending on the weather
2. White Sierra Men's Insulated Snow Pant () and thermals.
3. Kamik Men's Nationplus Boot ()
4. Carhartt Men's Pipeline Gloves ()
5. A tripod whose link I won't provide because it sucks. Well, it's cheap. So, you get what you pay for. I had my camera mounted to it and a gust tipped it over and broke. The camera survived though. I recommend getting a nice Benfro or Manfrotto. We use it at work and I like them. But, the nice ones are also pricey.
 

NEPIC

Level 2 Member
Hey @sriki

I'm more partial to the South Island and would probably recommend you spend the majority of your time there, unless you had some compelling reasons to visit a particular place. I know there's a certain LOTR attraction there, but honestly I would never deliberately plan to spend any time in Hamilton whatsoever! Ugh, just thinking about it.

In the North Island I would put the area around Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach up the top of my scenic list. There are beaches around Auckland though that are still stunning, and don't take the same time to get to. The only issue at that time of year is that it can be chaos with traffic. Unless you wanted to hike the Tongarairo Crossing, I'd also skip all the middle of the North Island. Wellington is a neat city, and the Museum there has a really impressive summary of NZ history.

Of all the drives, I'd second that from Christchurch down to Queenstown or Wanaka. If the weather cooperates it really is an amazing 6 hours of scenery - equally you can stop over in the Mt Cook area to get a closer look at the mountains. Dunedin is a neat place (where I grew up) and as @KennyBSAT mentioned, there's plenty to do there for a couple of days (penguins/albatrosses/boulders). The road down through the Catlins area is no doubting it very scenic - the coast is rugged/wild and impressive. If it rains, it's horrid. If it's fine, it's beautiful. Also, last time I drove it, a good portion of it is dirt roads (just an FYI - will check on this). If you haven't otherwise got your fill of rugged coast line, it could be worthwhile. If you have seen enough already, I might recommend just heading into Central Otago as efficiently as possible. Invercargill, much like Hamilton, is a place to be avoided.

Queenstown/Wanaka/Milford will be pretty busy that time of year, so it's well worth getting bookings sorted out fairly early if you can. For 8 days in NZ, I would personally give myself as much time as I could in this area. There are many activities that are weather impacted, so it's nice to have a bit of a buffer there. And even for those that aren't, it's nice to have the luxury of picking a fine day of weather to stop by the vineyards for lunch etc. Don't know if you have any time/inclination for an actual overnight hike, but it's a fantastic part of the world for this.

All in all, I might suggest skipping the North Island (though could overnight in AKL/WLG if flights worked out) and getting yourself to Christchurch. Drive down one way or the other to Central Otago, and fly back out of DUD or ZQN. The latter has the benefit of flights to SYD daily, and while DUD has 3/4x weekly to BNE on VA, it's not quite as convenient for getting back to Australia if that's where you are flying out of. 8 days will fly buy and my personal recommendation would be to give yourself a little more time down south.

Nick
 

sriki

Level 2 Member
I'd also skip all the middle of the North Island.
I am ready to give up on North island and after reading your suggestions, I think I will do that. The only thing I had on the North Iasland is the Rotorua area but I can save a lot of time by just sticking to the South.

Of all the drives, I'd second that from Christchurch down to Queenstown or Wanaka
We are flying into Christchurch (from AUS) and will be starting the road trip from there. My initially plan was to start driving west towards lake Takepo and get to Wanaka/Queensland. The return would be through the southern coast. I am also entertaining the thought of just starting from Christchurch but go down south along the coast until Queensland area and finish off the trip as a one-way. That involves the type of vehicle and costs associated too. I like to do the whole "circle" (like in my map above) but I wouldn't mind taking it easy and having more backup days for weather.

If you haven't otherwise got your fill of rugged coast line, it could be worthwhile
I would win a staring contest with the ocean. So, I need that coastal drive for sure.

Invercargill, much like Hamilton, is a place to be avoided.
Why is Invercargill undesirable? I have no special plans for it but it just is on my way and I may have to spend a night somewhere in its vicinity. Are there better places nearby?

Queenstown/Wanaka/Milford will be pretty busy that time of year, so it's well worth getting bookings sorted out fairly early if you can.
This is next on my list of things to tackle. I need to identify what we want to do in that area. It's a bit unclear right now and need some more research.

Drive down one way or the other to Central Otago, and fly back out of DUD or ZQN. The latter has the benefit of flights to SYD daily, and while DUD has 3/4x weekly to BNE on VA, it's not quite as convenient for getting back to Australia if that's where you are flying out of.
We are flying into NZ from AUS and flying out to Pappette. So, we will have to connect in AKL anyway (flying TN). So, that opens up the possibility of a one way southern coastal drive or a round trip from CHC/QZN/CHC.

Thanks for your advice.
 

NEPIC

Level 2 Member
Those are just my personal musing so as always if you really want to do something yourself, just ignore my thoughts! :)

I have looked at the Hobitton experience out of Hamilton, and it seems a little underwhelming really. Plus there are LOTR experiences around ZQN - and probably inland Canterbury too if I remember correctly (though they may be more self-guided views/lookouts).

Invercargill is just a very rural, small city with not a lot of stuff to see or do, and a climate that is also not conducive to any much other than hanging out in a bar.

OK, if coastal views are your thing, then go for the drive down around Nugget Point. My mom just informed me that the roads are mostly paved now, so driving should be fairly straight forward.

I honestly can't recall one way rental car prices in NZ - but have definitely paid reasonable rates for a 2-3 day one way rental before. You could look at doing a couple of one ways with a multi-day rental from ZQN for example. Will pull out a couple of codes for you to try.

Just to add an option to your list given you are flying into CHC: there's a train (TranzAlpine) that runs from Christchurch to the West Coast. It looks like a fun ride with some great views, and not considering costs, you could pick up a rental car from Hokitika and drive down to Queenstown along the West Coast. It is stunning, though that side of the island has the potential to be wet and rainy. It also makes the drive a little longer. I was booked on the train a couple of years ago but alas after some heavy rain in the week before our date, a river washed away part of the track and so we had to cancel. Would still love to take it.

As long as you get accommodation in Queenstown sorted out relatively early, I don't think there's a great rush to get anything else set. But for example, if you wanted to book a restaurant you might want to do so a couple of months out.

Nick
 

sriki

Level 2 Member
@sriki where will you stay at in Sydney? IC? PH?
Was planning on PH. But, they played shenanigans with award availability during the last week of Dec. I have a couple of days at PH but another couple is between Sheraton and Raddison Blu. I cancelled IC because I needed those points for Bora Bora. I am still pissed at PH though.
 

Voyaging Doc

Level 2 Member
Was planning on PH. But, they played shenanigans with award availability during the last week of Dec. I have a couple of days at PH but another couple is between Sheraton and Raddison Blu. I cancelled IC because I needed those points for Bora Bora. I am still pissed at PH though.
Did you try calling the diamond line to see if they can open up PH for P/P+C?
 

sriki

Level 2 Member
I have looked at the Hobitton experience out of Hamilton, and it seems a little underwhelming really. Plus there are LOTR experiences around ZQN
I like LOTR but not a die-hard fan. So, I do not care for that experience.

Invercargill is just a very rural, small city with not a lot of stuff to see or do, and a climate that is also not conducive to any much other than hanging out in a bar.
Goof Info. Thanks.

OK, if coastal views are your thing, then go for the drive down around Nugget Point.
The nugget point lighthouse is one of the things I really want to see.

I honestly can't recall one way rental car prices in NZ - but have definitely paid reasonable rates for a 2-3 day one way rental before. You could look at doing a couple of one ways with a multi-day rental from ZQN for example. Will pull out a couple of codes for you to try.
A while back, I looked up rentals (campers/cards) that can be had for very low cost or even free if we can drive them back to their destinations, aka picking up someone else's one way rental and getting it back to the rental company. I need to dig this info up.

Just to add an option to your list given you are flying into CHC: there's a train (TranzAlpine) that runs from Christchurch to the West Coast. It looks like a fun ride with some great views, and not considering costs, you could pick up a rental car from Hokitika and drive down to Queenstown along the West Coast.
I looked at TranzAlpine express. The pictures on the website did not convince me but I planned a lot of my trip based on the advice on that site. here it's is.

http://www.newzealand.com/us/trips-and-driving-itineraries/

As long as you get accommodation in Queenstown sorted out relatively early, I don't think there's a great rush to get anything else set.
I have the Hilton booked for 5 days (I think. My wife booked it). Depending on the final plan, I might end up using few or all of them.

But for example, if you wanted to book a restaurant you might want to do so a couple of months out.
A couple of months? wth? Guess, I am going to pack noodles again.
 

sriki

Level 2 Member
Did you try calling the diamond line to see if they can open up PH for P/P+C?
Wife did. They said they nights might be sold out. We told them nope, because we were booking in under a minute of the calender being open for the past two days and suddenly new year's eve did not even show up.. Then, they pretty much said you are SOL.
 

NEPIC

Level 2 Member
A couple of months? wth? Guess, I am going to pack noodles again.
For places like Amisfield - I've always been far too late around the holiday period and never managed to get a table!

It's more that there's a good chance that if you leave it to when your arrive in the area that some things (restaurants/cruises) may be booked solid for when you want to go. Never the end of the world - there's always stuff to do - but when you travel to practically the end of the world, it's nice to be at the front of the queue!
 

TheBOSman

Moderator
Staff member
South Island: Christchurch-Arthurs Pass-Hokitika-Franz Josef Glacier-Haast-Wanaka-Cardrona-Queenstown-Glenorchy-Queenstown-Lumsden-Gore-Catlins-Nugget Point-Dunedin-Otago Peninsula-Oamaru-Aoraki-Mount Hutt-Akaroa-Christchurch.

Just the route, the stops are up to you (and I wouldn't stop at many of those places, but the routing is damn near perfect IMO). Can include Milford Sound before or after Queenstown if desired. Of course, you can also start or end from Queenstown or Dunedin. If you do, skip Christchurch, although the drive to Akaroa is worth it even so.

If you had more time I would definitely drive up to Picton via Kaikoura from Christchurch.

Wife did. They said they nights might be sold out. We told them nope, because we were booking in under a minute of the calender being open for the past two days and suddenly new year's eve did not even show up.. Then, they pretty much said you are SOL.
There's no award nights available for NYE at PH Sydney, they block them. I don't want to sound cynical but you had no chance at them, they were never loaded. You also can't book them paid online, you would have to call the hotel to book. Four night minimum on paid stays at $1100 night for a basic (admittedly PH level quality "basic") room with no view. Honestly IMO, not worth it, even as an award stay, especially if they are shooting fireworks from the Opera House. You'd be between the bridge and the Opera house, likely without a good view of at least one of them and probably both. Also, the points rooms are going to have nearly zero view, and definitely none of the Harbour Bridge. It's literally not worth it in my mind, save those Hyatt points for something else. The rooftop would have a couple hundred dollar charge and honestly has a poor location for viewing the fireworks.

Better idea: book a cruise out on the harbour for NYE fireworks and stay somewhere quieter. I spent 6 nights at the Radisson Blu, perfectly serviceable and well located. I booked a harbour cruise through Captain Cook (whom I can easily recommend), I booked a no frills, bring your own food cruise when I went for 2013-2014. There are other cruises with champagne bars. high end food, and higher end dress codes (and higher prices) if you desire as well. Picture is from my cell phone so quality isn't the best, but this is the fantastic view you can get:

749.JPG
 

Mountain Trader

Level 2 Member
Just to add an option to your list given you are flying into CHC: there's a train (TranzAlpine) that runs from Christchurch to the West Coast. It looks like a fun ride with some great views, and not considering costs, you could pick up a rental car from Hokitika and drive down to Queenstown along the West Coast. It is stunning, though that side of the island has the potential to be wet and rainy. It also makes the drive a little longer. I was booked on the train a couple of years ago but alas after some heavy rain in the week before our date, a river washed away part of the track and so we had to cancel. Would still love to take it.


Nick
We did that trip last year in February. The TranzAlpine train is very scenic and a first-class ride with modern seats, good audio guides and clean, floor-to-ceiling windows for great viewing. See details on the train and tickets at the Man in Seat 61 website.

The drive down the West Coast is spectacular, and varies a lot from one area to the next.
 
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