Walph64

26 Day Road trip

Hi, we are two couples early 50's embarking on a 26 day road trip through the South & North islands in Nov. Any advise,Places of interest,etc. would be greatly appreciated. Here is what I have come up with so far.
We will have 4 drivers & we aren't interested in wineries or hicking. More looking for scenery,Viewing Wildlife, etc.

Day 1. Fly in to Christchurch.
Day 2. Pick up Motorhome. Drive straight to Hamner Springs.
Day 3. Go to Kaikoura.
Day 4. Sightseeing at Christchurch/Lyttelton
Day 5. Drive to Akaroa. Then stay overnight at Geraldine.
Day 6. Drive around Lake Tekapo/Mt Cook. Stay at Mt Cook
Day 7. Drive via Oamaru to Dunedin.
Day 8. Go to Portobello and surrounds. Then onto Owaka.(Caitlins)
Day 9. From Owaka to Invercargill. (which direction is best.???) Then continuing onto Te Anau.
Day 10. Milford Sound cruise. Back to Te Anau or Queenstown. Time permitting.
Day 11. Explore Queenstown.
Day 12. Arrowtown-Cromwell -Wanaka.
Day 13. Drive to Franz Josef. Helicopter flight. Any preferences,best flight for money???
Day 14. Onto Murchison.
Day 15. Drive to Picton, ready for early ferry.
Day 16. Ferry and explore Wellington. Stay at Palmerston North or Masterton. Which way.??
Day 17. Onto Napier
Day 18. Taupo - Rotorua
Day 19. Stay at Rotorua. Moari culture etc.
Day 20. Head up around Coromandel staying at Miranda. Is it worth going all the way around???
Day 21. From Miranda to Paihia/Bay of Islands.
Day 22. Cruise the Bay of islands/Russell.
Day 23. Maybe day trip to Cape Rainga.
Day 24. Relax
Day 25. Head down west coast to Auckland.
Day 26. More of Auckland. Drop off Motorhome and fly Home.
Have we bitten off too much. Or is this do-able???
Regards,

annhig

Have we bitten off too much. >>

IMHO - yes. I've counted only 3 days out of 26 when you are not on the road. [I might have missed one or two, but not many]. you will find this extremely tiring, and you have allowed little or no time for stopping and looking at the wonderful things that you will only glimpse as you go past. You can't make very good time on any of NZ's roads, and on some [especially in the NI we found] it can take an extremely long time to get to where you want to go.

for example, Wellington to Napier is a good 5 hour drive [the section just north of Wellington is particularly hard work] so when are you going to explore Napier? there are activities enough to fill at least 2 full days there, - a city tour looking at the Art Deco architecture, a trip to see the gannets, a wine tour by car or bike - but you've got less than 1/2 a day.

another example - on Day 13, you're planning to drive from Wanaka to Franz Joseph AND to do a helicopter tour, but the drive itself, without and stops for exploring the many walks along the way, or to eat, takes between 5-6 hours. When are you going to see the glacier?

i'm sorry to be so negative, but despite the excellent advice we received here, we still underestimated the driving times and had to re-jig our trip as we went round. Have you checked driving distances and times on a website like the AA's?

BTW we loved NZ, but driving there can be quite hard work!

Walph64

Thanks annhig for you honest opinion. I do appreciate you taking the time to respond.I really have no idea. I suppose I'm trying to fit a little of everything into this trip. Another 4-5 days would be ideal. PS: I don't see you as being negative, I see it as helpful. so thanks.

Thelittlestkiwi

Normally I think most itineraries are possible (and that sometimes fast road trip suits)...but even I read the first 5 days of this and made myself feel carsick at the thought of it all that time on windy roads in a motorhome!

As always, depends on your style and all that, but here's some things for you to mull over...

- The roads are windy..(scenic but windy)
- Motorways/Highways are few and far between
- Depending where you are from, it's likely that you'll find fuel here expensive - currently $2.14 a Litre for petrol.

Personally, I'd rent a car and stay at motels...but that's not helpful advice if you really want to use a motorhome. So...if the motorhome is the way to go, I'd start culling the places you want to visit.

I've had a bit of a go at a slightly scaled back itinerary below...but it's still a whirlwind tour. I've taken out Akaroa, The Catlins, Dunedin, Napier, Coromandel and Cape Reinga, and these are based only on nothing other than my own preferences, so I'm not saying that my way is best...it's just where I'd start if I had limited time.

It's good advice to check out travel times, and I'd seriously think about what you hope to gain by being in a motorhome - ie. if you're going to be staying mostly in towns and plan to park at caravan parks, then I think the economics would start to sway towards a rental car and motels. It would be sooo much more comfortable as well (driving, as well as sleeping, eating and doing laundry)...

Day 1. Fly in to Christchurch.
Day 2. Pick up Motorhome. Drive straight to Hamner Springs. Stay Hanmer.
Day 3. Go to Kaikoura. Stay Kaikoura
Day 4. Drive back to Chch. Sightseeing at Christchurch/Lyttelton. Stay Chch
Day 5. Drive Chch to Geraldine. Stay Geraldine
Day 6. Drive around Lake Tekapo/Mt Cook. Stay at Mt Cook
Day 7. Drive to Qtown. Stay Qtown.
Day 8. Drive to Te Anau. Stay Te Anau.
Day 9. Milford Sound cruise. Stay Te Anau
Day 10. Explore Queenstown. Stay Qtown
Day 11. Arrowtown-Cromwell -Wanaka.
Day 12. Stay Wanaka
Day 13. Drive to Franz Josef. Helicopter flight. Stay Franz.
Day 14. Onto Murchison.
Day 15. Drive to Picton, ferry to wellington.
Day 16. Ferry and explore Wellington. Stay Wellington.
Day 17. Drive to Taupo. Stay Taupo.
Day 18. Taupo - Rotorua. Stay Rotorua.
Day 19. Stay at Rotorua. Moari culture etc.
Day 20. Drive to Auckland. Stay Auckland
Day 21. Drive to Paihia/Bay of Islands. Stay Paihia.
Day 22. Cruise the Bay of islands/Russell. stay Paihia.
Day 23. Stay Paihia. (or add this day to top of the South Island)
Day 24. Relax
Day 25. Head down west coast to Auckland.
Day 26. More of Auckland. Drop off Motorhome and fly Home.

Good luck!

Walph64

Hi Thelittlestkiwi,
Thanks for taking the time to assist us. I will take on board your suggestions. We have already booked our motorhome. It is something we wanted to do at least once. (may hate it)But..
Being from a country area in NSW. We are not really interested in major cities. (Hate going to Sydney.) Notice you have removed Napier? I was thinking of doing the same. Extra day around Paihia sounds better. So thanks again.

annhig

walph - thanks for taking my "helpful hints" on the chin, as you say, I'm only trying to assist.

we really liked Napier [would have liked it even more had it not rained most of the time] but mainly because the sun shone on the morning we went to see the Gannets which were a real highlight of our trip. if you aren't that keen on birds/wild-life and art deco, then dropping Napier's a good idea.

Shame to drop the Coromandel, though the Bay of Islands may compensate.

But taking the littlest Kiwi's itinerary, it looks pretty good, though I think that you could avoid splitting up your stay in Queenstown like this:


Day 7. Drive to Qtown. Stay Qtown.
Day 8. Stay Q-town -explore Arrowtown etc.
Day 9. Drive to Te Anau. Stay Te Anau
Day 10. Milford Sound cruise. Stay Te Anau.
Day 11. Drive to Wanaka.
Day 12. Stay Wanaka
Day 13. Drive to Franz Josef. Helicopter flight. Stay Franz.

it's only about 90 mins from Queenstown to Wanaka, so it increases the journey from Te Anau from 2 1/2 hours to 4, which isn't too bad, and still leaves you with most of the day for exploring, and as I say, gives you all your time in QT in one block, which seems to me to be a better idea. I am getting these times from the wonderful New Zealand travellers' road Atlas pub by Pathfinder/Kiwi Maps. As well as detailed road maps, places of interest, large-scale plans for cities etc it has a map of each island showing distances and driving times. We found these to be pretty accurate, and certainly not too long!

you still have a lot to do on Day 13 - my trusty map tells me that it's a 6 hour drive from Wanaka to Franz Joseph, so i think that I would try to find another day for here, somehow as that doesn't leave you much time to do the heli-tour. if you cut out your stay at Murchison, you could drive straight from F Joseph to Nelson [this was the longest drive we did on the SI, the map says it's about 7 hours, but we did it and still had time to spend in Greymouth and Hokatika]. It's just an hour or so from Nelson to Picton so easily done on the day you're catching the ferry. That would give you this:

Day 13. Drive to Franz Josef. Stay Franz.
Day 14. Helicopter flight. Stay Franz
Day 15. Drive to Nelson, stay Nelson.
Day 16: Drive to Picton - ferry to wellington. stay Wellington.

This gives you less time in Wellington but you say you're not that interested in cities so that may not be a problem.

Walph64

Sorry have been a bit busy the last few weeks.
I notice you have both removed Dunedin??? Is that to save time or there is not much value going there??
Once again thank you, Your comments have been very helpful.

annhig

Walph - we never got to Dunedin, though there were things in that area we'd have liked to see we just ran out of time but it got omitted as I was essentially amending the littlest kiwi's itinerary which had left it out.

however much time you've got, you may still struggle to see everything on your list.

Thelittlestkiwi

You could leave Dunedin in, as per your original itinerary. Dunedin is all kinds of awesome.
But, I didn't see it as a must see on your first visit to NZ, and I just kept imagining if I was doing this trip, how sick (mentally and physically!) I would be in a motorhome on the hilly, windy roads between Dunedin/Owaka/Invercargill. So, I am absolutely projecting my own experiences on the advice I'm giving!
I also thought that there were other places that I would rather have an extra night or 2, and they needed to come from somewhere!
As you'll be in a motorhome, you have the flexibility...I would be very, very, very surprised if you needed to book anywhere.
So, maybe start with your original itinerary and play it by ear. You might love Hanmer Springs and want to spend 4 days there, and the weather might be terrible for glaciers and you decide not to travel that direction...
I'm sure you'll have a great trip, whatever way you decide to go

osteorach

Hi there,

Where in country nsw are you? Do you have access to / like the coast? I'm living in Wollongong at the moment but grew up in NZ - the South coast is much more similar to the North Island but I haven't seen anything similar to NZ South Island / west coast / southern lakes yet.

If you're not interested in cities I would simply skip them all as they are just cities... My two cents and it's going to be a bit different but I feel it gives you adequate time in each of the place

Pick up motor home - drive to hanmer / stay (1)
Drive Lewis pass to punakaiki - pancake rocks / breakfast.
Drive South following sh6 via grey mouth to hokitika - stay (2)
Drive South to franz / fox glacier and stay two to three nights (3/4/5). One day you can visit the glaciers by foot, next day you can drive to lake Matheson car park, park up and have your breakfast looking at the southern alps (done this before then do heli tour of the glaciers. Rather than staying a three nights here you could spend the last one in Haast (simply to stay the night / nothing else here - we parked in the Haast motor camp) a also went down to jacksons bay to look around but could easily skip this
Drive from glaciers / Haast to wanaka - stay (6). Stop on the side of the road for lunch as you go over the crest of a hill and lake wanaka opens up in front of you with the cliffs in the back ground - you'll know when you get there.
Drive from wanaka to queenstown - stay up to five nights (7/8/9/10/11) - one day drive to glenorchy / dart river kayaking / walk something... Another you can go and explore arrow town, another take a trip on the earnslaw... Explore queenstown, hire bikes and ride around the lake...lots to do and queenstown is worth the time as the scenery is stunning...jet boat shot over / Bungy jump...
Drive to te anua - stay two nights (12/13). Do Milford sound trip on middle day with no extra driving (just enjoy taking your time this day). Book boat trip with real journeys. One night do glow worms
Drive from te anua to lake tekapo (long day but nothing really between) - stay (14).
Drive lake tekapo to kaikoura (or Akaroa if you still want to go here) - stay (15).
Drive to picton and catch interislander ferry - stay somewhere possibly levin or Wellington. (16)
Drive to taupo - stay (17)
Drive to rotorua and stay two nights (18/19) do Maori stuff / geothermal activities
Skip coromandel (you just can't do it justice and nsw coast has similar landscape)
Drive rotorua to workworth/matakana (1hr north of Auckland) - stay (18).
Drive to paihia stay (19/20/21/22) - one day Russell / waitangi, another Cape Reinga day tour.
Drive back to Auckland and leave.
You still have 23/24/25 to add in. Could do Akaroa, stay longer in queenstown or wanaka, stay in te anua an extra night and do doubtful sound too...

Hope this doesn't confuse you too much,

Walph64

To all above, I really appreciate your comments.
I got the types of responses & assistance I was hoping for.
So now its up to me to process all this information.
Hope I haven't planned to much. But we may never get back again so want to make the most of it & see as much as possible. Have already found two extra lazy days,to give us a rest from driving.

So thanks again, Can't wait to visit these two lovely islands.

Diamantina

Dunedin is an excellent place for viewing wildlfe. Yellow Eyed Penguins, Blue Penguins, endangered Hookers Sea Lions, Fur Seals are a common sight along the Otago Coast (from Oamaru down though Dunedin down to the Catlins). It's also a fantastic place for birdwatching year-round. Dunedin has the Southern Hemisphere's only mainland albatross colony at Taiaroa Head, and the only mainland fairy prion colony. Rare Stewart Island Shags also have a large colony at Taiaroa Head. While you can easily see wildlife on your own, I think the best bang for your buck and especially if you're short on time is a Elm Wildlife Tour as they have private access to a beach with Yellow Eyed Penguins, Blue Penguins, Sea Lions, and an enormous Fur Seal colony. They also take you to the albatross colony and to Hoopers Inlet, which is full of wading birds. The Monarch Cruise, Penguin Place and Royal Albatross Centre are also top Otago Peninsula tour operators and offer excellent experiences.

In November, there might be Yellow Eyed Penguins and Blue Penguins in their nests, so if you visit this area on your own take great care to not get close to the penguins. Try and stay about 10 metres back as they are easily disturbed and frightened. If they walk toward you, please back away because you are probably in the path to their nests, as they take the same path every day. The hungry chicks will be waiting for their parents to return from the sea, but if the adults see you, they might decide to stay in the water longer, getting tired out. Most of this year's Yellow Eyed Penguin chicks starved to death, this coming season might be a tough one as well because of El Nino. Late afternoon is best for seeing Yellow Eyed Penguins.

November weather for the Otago Coast is unpredictable to put it mildly. It can be wet, foggy and grey with strong southerly and northerly winds. Autumn and winter are more settled, less windy, sunnier, clearer, though with shorter days. When it's sunny, as it was this weekend, it's lovely here. If it's grey and wet, you'll wish you were elsewhere.

Even though you don't want to spend much time in cities, Dunedin is fairly interesting because it was founded in 1848 by Scottish settlers and before that it home to Maori settlements, so lots of history, great old architecture and interesting attractions (many of which are free). Though you can easily avoid the city center by spending all your time on the peninsula. There's also a motor home park at St. Kilda Beach. Dunedin is the city's second largest city area-wise, and most of it is rural.

I agree you should try and travel in a circle, without having to double back to places you've already visited, such as Queenstown and Christchurch (where you also might have to deal with traffic). So if you incorporate the beautiful and interesting West Coast of the South Island into your trip, you can travel from Punakaiki-Hokitika-Fox or FJ Glacier-Wanaka-Queenstown-Te Anau-Milford Sound (day trip from Te Anau)-Catlins (Owaka or Curio Bay)via Southern Scenic Route to Dunedin/Otago Peninsula-Oamaru-Mt. Cook-Christchurch, etc. From Wanaka to Queenstown, you can take either the Crown Range Road (ends nears Arrowtown), or Lindis Pass-Cromwell-Kawarua Gorge-Gibbston Valley. If you are interested in wine tasting, the latter route offers more wineries. Both routes are scenic, curvy, and can get busy.

Diamantina

Here are a couple of links for the Southern Scenic Route:
http://www.southernscenicroute.co.nz/
http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/par...ns-journey.pdf

Here's a link for the city of Dunedin:
http://www.dunedinnz.com/visit/home

Diamantina

I should have added, the best place for viewing penguins is from a hide, so they cannot see you. In this way, you can watch them quite closely without disturbing or frightening them.

Walph64

Thanks Diamantina, Your comments are very helpful.
Can I travel from Te Anau to Dunedin in one day,if I go via the Caitlin's coast line? Or will that be to much travelling?

Diamantina

You'll be more relaxed if you overnight in the Catlins, however, if you don't mind a long drive with leisurely stops, then you can visit Nugget Point Lighthouse enroute to Dunedin. In November, the sun will rise around 6 a.m. and set after 8:30. So you'll have time.
http://www.rasnz.org.nz/SRSStimes.shtml#Nov

Te Anau to Gore will take about 1:40 to 2 hours. Easy drive through the countryside. Gore's a good spot to get out and stretch. They have a lovely little museum, the Eastern Southland Gallery. Nearby is the Moonshine Museum, which I've not visited.
http://www.esgallery.co.nz/

Gore to Balclutha in the Catlins is about an hour. Balclutha is about a half hour from Nugget Point, some of the way on gravel road. From the Nugget Point parking lot, you must walk about 15 minutes to the lighthouse. It's a beautiful walk. Look for Royal Spoonbills in the trees below the track. I've also see schools of dolphins offshore here. At Nugget Point Lighthouse, look for fur seals. After you leave the parking lot, detour to Roaring Bay (a few minutes away) to see if you can spot a Yellow Eyed Penguin from the hide.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...-tokata-walks/
http://www.otagotrails.co.nz/trails/...abalclutha.pdf

From Nugget Point to Dunedin is 90 minutes, following the Southern Scenic Route (turn onto Finlayson Road at Lake Waihola and continue up the coast to Dunedin, otherwise you'll end up on the freeway). The last stop along the SSR is Tunnel Beach Track off Blackhead Road in Dunedin. If the weather is fine, you should stop here. The track is steep, but you need only walk 5 minutes down the track to take in great views of the rocky promontory jutting out over the water.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...l-beach-track/
http://www.southernalpsphotography.c.../Tunnel-Beach/

From Dunedin's city center, it's 30 minutes to Portobello, on the Otago Peninsula. Take Highcliff Road into the peninsula, take Portobello Road out of the peninsula. Both roads are narrow and curvy.

If you decide to stay on the peninsula, I can give you detailed directions on how to get there from the SSR without having to go all the way into Dunedin's city center first! I can suggest a more scenic and serene route.

If you can overnight in the Catlins, which would be best, I suggest Curio Bay/Porpoise Bay. There is a holiday park here for your motorhome, otherwise, baches on Porpoise Bay are simple but cheap.
http://www.holidayparks.co.nz/centra...k-catlins.html
Example of bach rental:
http://www.holidayhouses.co.nz/properties/5571.asp

Curio Bay is home to a Jurassic-age fossil forest of national importance, with petrified stumps and felled trees visible at low tide. It's also home to Yellow Eyed Penguins, that return from sea beginning in the late afternoon, but you may see chicks during the day (please give them lots of space and privacy). The chicks look almost full size but they'll have downy brown feathers. Dress warmly if you plan on watching the penguins come in as you could be standing around for a while. Unlike other penguins, YEPs are solitary and anti-social, so you will rarely see more than two penguins come ashore at once, most of the time it'll be only one at a time. Rare endemic Hectors Dolphins can often be seen in Porpoise Bay during summer; they'll often come close to swimmers, kayakers and surfers. (These beautiful animals can also be seen in Akaroa Harbor, where you can also swim with them).
http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/...dolphin/facts/

If you were to wake up in Curio/Porpoise Bay, you'd be perfectly situated for exploring the southern and central Catlins before heading north to Dunedin. There's much to do and see here. To name a few: walk in the forest, visit waterfalls, drive down to Waipapa Point Lighthouse (where you can often see rare NZ Hookers Sea Lions on the beach below), tour the unique and quirky Lost Gypsy Gallery in Papatowai, visit Cathedral Caves ($5 admission and only accessible within two hours on either side of low tide). If you make it this far south, don't fail to stop at the Florence Hill lookout above Tautuku Bay.
See:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/...land-sea-lion/
http://www.catlins.org.nz/index.php?...nic_highlights
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...erfalls-walks/
http://www.catlins-nz.com/scenery.html
http://www.cathedralcaves.co.nz/

Curio Bay to Dunedin is approximately 2:30 hours.

There are also interesting places to stop from Dunedin to Oamaru. It's not necessary to overnight in Oamaru on the way to Mt. Cook or Tekapo. Oamaru has a large Little Blue Penguin Colony, however, you can also see Little Blue Penguins at Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula. The LBPs come onto shore in groups when it's dark, as the last light is on the horizon, but the viewing platform at Taiaroa Head is well-lit. Both the colony in Oamaru and at Taiaroa Head charge admission. Oamaru's colorful Victorian Fete takes place on Sunday November 16, 2014, when hundreds flood into the Victorian precinct dressed in their
Victorian attire for a street fair with entertainment and stalls.

If the weather gods shine down on you, you should have a wonderful time. If not, you'll still see some interesting things.

Diamantina

I mentioned all those activities in the Catlins, not because I thought you should or could do them all but as available options. I had meant to put an "or" or two in there!

Walph64

Wow.I may hire you as our travel guide. So much information. Thank you.

Diamantina

That's funny. Actually, it looks likes you've gotten a lot of good advice here from many folks. I'm happy to have helped and that you were even interested in coming to Dunedin, though I should feel guilty for confounding you with further options. Luckily, my knowledge is mainly confined to my immediate area of Dunedin and surrounds, which I am still learning about (it's a big area).

But I won't feel bad if you have to nix Dunedin from your schedule. If you're coming from NSW, I think you'll really enjoy the lush foliage of the West Coast of the South Island (don't forget the repellent), as well as the mountainous interior of both islands. The East Coast of the South Island more reflects the deforestation of the early pastoralists, though there are still a few stands of native bush.

Because you're interested in wildlife, I'd recommend the Wellington attraction, Zealandia, an eco-sanctuary in the heart of the city and home to free-roaming, rare native animals, such as tuatara and takahe. Walking through Zealandia, we had to duck our heads because there were so many kaka flying closely overhead. It's best to join a free walking tour as the guides are knowledgeable and amazingly skilled at locating wildlife, which you might otherwise miss. Free shuttles to Zealandia run from both the top of the Cable Car (another must-do, and conveniently next to the Botanical Garden) and from near the I-Site Tourism Office not far from Te Papa (the national museum, an absolute must). If you visit the city on Thursday, Te Papa stays open until 9, which will give you more time to explore. If you happen to be there on a Friday, there's a night market on Cuba St. Wellington is blessed with a stunning harborside location and is very walkable, much more so than Auckland (which can frustrate with traffic). But prepare for Wellington's winds!
http://www.wellington-nightmarket.co.nz/
http://www.visitzealandia.com/
http://www.wellingtoncablecar.co.nz/

As you renting a motorhome, you'll be spending a lot on petrol, which I believe is more expensive in NZ. You can sometimes save by getting a coupon for fuel savings at Countdown and New World Market. For instance, right now if you buy $80 worth of groceries at Countdown you can get 10 cents off per litre at Z stations. Over the weekend, if you spent $200 at New World Market, you'd get a coupon for 40 cents off per litre at Mobil. If there are four of you, you might be spending some money at the grocery store and the fuel savings, if offered, can save you a little at the pump.

annhig

Both the colony in Oamaru and at Taiaroa Head charge admission>>

I can definitely recommend an overnight stay in Oamaru, not least because if you want to see the lbps in any numbers, you'll have to wait til dusk/nightfall to do so. but in Oamaru it's not necessary to go to the penguin information centre to see them - just wander down to the beach and watch them from there. They waddle up the beach next to the harbour; some of them nest right next to the road. We found a very nice BnB in a pub in the Victorian area, and enjoyed a lovely stroll around the town, including an impromptu guided tour around the newly restored opera house [yes, really!] before we had a terrific italian dinner and then the penguin show.