Advice needed for New Zealand road trip

[Lala81]

scary man, i took the helicopter up at fox glacier when i was there in 2011.

 

RIP

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11549101

[Volvobrick]

Just got into New Zealand and picked up a Toyota Highlander from Avis with 1500 km on the odo. Not a bad car - 4WD, 7 seats (Avis advertises as 5 seater), V6, USB, reverse cam and very practical with big boot space. Anyone coming here can consider this model.

 

Don't expect steering feel though (compared to Ford SUV).

[SuPerBoRed]

Virgin trip to NZ (only south island)..  

 

asking for kind recommendations of places of interests, food..  and of cus great scenery shots 

 

itinerary as follows 

 

touch down 

 

first nite  @ oamaru 

2nd nite  @ invercargill 

3rd nite   @ te anau

4~6th      @ queenstown

7 nite      @ franz josef 

8~9th      @ christchurch  

 

tks vm in advance bros  

[serenade]

  On 9/8/2016 at 6:46 AM, SuPerBoRed said:

Virgin trip to NZ (only south island)..  

 

asking for kind recommendations of places of interests, food..  and of cus great scenery shots 

 

itinerary as follows 

 

touch down 

 

first nite  @ oamaru 

2nd nite  @ invercargill 

3rd nite   @ te anau

4~6th      @ queenstown

7 nite      @ franz josef 

8~9th      @ christchurch  

 

tks vm in advance bros

 

Lakes Tekapo, Pukaki and Wanaka highly recommended for 2 nights stay. Plenty to see and do in Wanaka area. Less commercial feel compared to Queenstown, which is over-priced and over run with tourists. Wanaka is a full day's drive from Christchurch. 

 

Near Queenstown, on way from Wanaka  there are pretty Arrowtown and Cromwell villages worth a stop and see. Cromwell is a place for petrol heads to get ardrenalin rush on a track. 

 

Have  a flexible schedule as weather is unpredictable. Follow the sun. Dunedin is a pretty city and can also penguin watch/albatross watch there from Otago Peninsula instead of at Oamaru. Dunedin is also a bigger more cosmopolitan city than Invercargill

 

Not much to see at Te Anau unless you intend to do a mini Milford Track walk at the Glade House conservation area across the Te Anau lake.

 

Alternative to Franz Josef if weather is bad is Kaikoura on east coast. Good place to get up close and personal with seal colonies. If you do get to Kaikura, then go upwards to lovely Havelock on the Marlborough Sounds. I had my best ever green mussels in Havelock, right by the sea where the mussels are cultivated.   

[SuPerBoRed]

@fcw75

 

bro.. think i answer you here more apt 

 

Jus returned from NZ (south only).. sharing some tips

 

be prepared to walk.. go in comfortable walking shoes. Many places with great views have to take walks to reach the insta worthy sites. check out each sites return walk timing very advisable.

 

make sure have liquids in the car.. the next place u can grab a drink may well be another 1hr drive away.

 

air there is drier then sgp.. ie.. there will be static when you step out of the car.. google how to get rid of it 

 

Plan your routes properly... google maps timings are NOT that accurate (they expect u can still drive 100km/h on a gravel road)... cater large time buffers for photo taking time etc... not advisable to drive past 7pm as they dont have much street lights... 
 

Personal must visit places

Lake tekapo

Fox or franz joseph glacier

Milford sound

Wanaka > Queenstown -- some wineries near wanaka very nice

Oamaru -- have a blue penguin nesting site.. quite interesting 

Hanmer springs

 

If you are interested to see a kiwi(animal not fruit  )... juz rem they are nocturnal... i paid for a conservation park walk to see them.. before realizing after i asked the staff.. sigh

 

Food

Jus remember like auzzie.. the serving is damn big... so usu.. me and wifey will share one main + one soup OR one main + one salad

 

Cheers

ps.. feel free to ask any qns if u need 

[Still2016]

www.roundaboutnz.co.nz

 

 

Anybody tried this company before? Apparently they help arrange everything and anything for you.

 

Any feedback.

 

Thinking of going to NZ on our own this time.

[SuPerBoRed]

  On 10/13/2016 at 12:48 AM, Still2016 said:

www.roundaboutnz.co.nz

 

 

Anybody tried this company before? Apparently they help arrange everything and anything for you.

 

Any feedback.

 

Thinking of going to NZ on our own this time.

 

personally.. even tho i had a hiccup... i think NZ is still pretty easy to plan.. with very nice AirBnb places to rent.. 

 

No need to pay another middle man to do it for u la.... the self-planning process prior to the trip is quite fun! 

[Volvobrick]

Agreed NZ is easy to self plan.  Just keep the driving distance to about 4 hours of actual driving a day leaving enough time to spend at the destination and also stops along the drive.

 

Done 2 trips both self planned.

 

[therock]

  On 9/8/2016 at 6:46 AM, SuPerBoRed said:

Virgin trip to NZ (only south island)..  

 

asking for kind recommendations of places of interests, food..  and of cus great scenery shots 

 

itinerary as follows 

 

touch down 

 

first nite  @ oamaru 

2nd nite  @ invercargill 

3rd nite   @ te anau

4~6th      @ queenstown

7 nite      @ franz josef 

8~9th      @ christchurch  

 

tks vm in advance bros

Edit:

Oops, looks like you have returned... hope you had fun, cheers.

Edited October 17, 2016 by therock

[Wt_know]

  On 10/13/2016 at 12:48 AM, Still2016 said:

www.roundaboutnz.co.nz

 

 

Anybody tried this company before? Apparently they help arrange everything and anything for you.

 

Any feedback.

 

Thinking of going to NZ on our own this time.

no point ... what's the fun without planning

can also take the ready package "fly and drive holiday" from local tour company like UOB Travel ...

air tix, accomodation, car rental, everything fully tested for sporean taste already ... hehe

Edited October 17, 2016 by Wt_know

[SuPerBoRed]

  On 10/17/2016 at 5:04 AM, therock said:

Edit:

Oops, looks like you have returned... hope you had fun, cheers.

 

haha bro .. its ok.. juz leave your recommendations mah..  i enjoyed the road trip greatly! 

 

even not useful for me.. others can always read up!  who knows... another 5yrs it may be damn useful!! 

[SuPerBoRed]

  On 10/17/2016 at 5:04 AM, therock said:

Edit:

Oops, looks like you have returned... hope you had fun, cheers.

*dbl posted sry 

Edited October 17, 2016 by SuPerBoRed

[zipping]

Did a self drive in NZ years ago. Its really quite fun and easy to navi there.

 

I oni book return air-tixs and a car. thats all.....e rest is all impromptu, normally will look for a 2-3 star lodgings around 4/5pm on nxt stop. Lunch on-the road and self-cook dinner.

 

Landed in Christchurch, went Authur's pass direction to Hokitika, Fox Glacier, Queenstown then Milford sound and bck to Christchurch via Invercargill, Dunedin and Oamaru. Then drove up to Kaikoura again wanting to see whales/dolphins

 

For self plan/drive trip veri easi, just grab a brochure/map of NZ with all e routes mapped out and voila. Nowadays w GPS is a breeze, i did my trip w/o gps and drive w map and direction signs oni (gps not available during those days).

 

Plus point on my trip was the drive up to Milford sound, 1st time experience ice on road, hairy experience. The drive in e Forest park and along Pacific coast was breathtaking, even took a coffee stop along e pacific coast drive up on a stretch of beach w a van set-up selling coffee.

Edited October 17, 2016 by zipping

[Rncw]

i did a 19 days self driven trip in NZ during April this year and it was fun.

 

Landed in Auckland, spent 3 nights, then flew to Christchurch, picked up a Highlander, and drove from CHC to Tekapo, Mt Cook, Dunedin, Oamaru, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Te Anau, Wanaka, Fox Glaciers, Greymouth, and through Aurthur's Pass back to CHC. Visited many scenic sites...wonderful autumn colours....would like to do it again soon

[Darryn]

  On 10/13/2016 at 12:42 AM, SuPerBoRed said:

@fcw75

 

bro.. think i answer you here more apt 

 

Jus returned from NZ (south only).. sharing some tips

 

be prepared to walk.. go in comfortable walking shoes. Many places with great views have to take walks to reach the insta worthy sites. check out each sites return walk timing very advisable.

 

make sure have liquids in the car.. the next place u can grab a drink may well be another 1hr drive away.

 

air there is drier then sgp.. ie.. there will be static when you step out of the car.. google how to get rid of it 

 

Plan your routes properly... google maps timings are NOT that accurate (they expect u can still drive 100km/h on a gravel road)... cater large time buffers for photo taking time etc... not advisable to drive past 7pm as they dont have much street lights... 

 

Personal must visit places

Lake tekapo

Fox or franz joseph glacier

Milford sound

Wanaka > Queenstown -- some wineries near wanaka very nice

Oamaru -- have a blue penguin nesting site.. quite interesting 

Hanmer springs

 

If you are interested to see a kiwi(animal not fruit  )... juz rem they are nocturnal... i paid for a conservation park walk to see them.. before realizing after i asked the staff.. sigh

 

Food

Jus remember like auzzie.. the serving is damn big... so usu.. me and wifey will share one main + one soup OR one main + one salad

 

Cheers

ps.. feel free to ask any qns if u need 

For travel times - this is the map to use

 

Allows time for road conditions and photo stops

[therock]

  On 10/17/2016 at 5:26 AM, SuPerBoRed said:

haha bro .. its ok.. juz leave your recommendations mah..  i enjoyed the road trip greatly! 

 

even not useful for me.. others can always read up!  who knows... another 5yrs it may be damn useful!! 

I have done a few road trips there, both North and South Island so yeah, if some need specific info please ask...

 

Some basic concepts:

 

It's a pretty large country, so plan ahead. There's so much to see, so make sure to leave enough time to smell the roses.

Singaporeans in general like the "refugee or Chan Bros style" travel - where we try to squeeze ten place into a single day. Each day we also sleep in different hotels and never really take time to have a cuppa, sit down and chill. Hardly relaxing.

 

There are many off the beaten track places to see, and it's worth your while to take a detour or two.

 

Food is fresh, and easily available.

 

But opening hours are limited, and there isn't much to do at night, so bring some card games.

 

Distances are far, so make sure your car has enough petrol. 

 

A 4x4 is best or at least a SUV. 

 

But beware of crosswinds - they will have warning signs, so take heed.

 

Bargaining isn't really par unlike places like China where one can start at 20% of the asking price.

 

Many drive once they land, it's very dangerous especially if one hasn't slept enough. It's a holiday, not a race, so take your time!

 

Cheers

[auhouhz]

not sure if anyone still using this thread, anyone got itinenary for NZ south island for 9 days?   TIA

[therock]

  On 1/11/2018 at 6:52 AM, auhouhz said:

not sure if anyone still using this thread, anyone got itinenary for NZ south island for 9 days?   TIA

Any place that interests you in particular?