First vacation in New Zealand

BobbieESOL

Will be in New Zealand for a month. Any suggestions about can't miss sights?

rugbug86

lions matches!!!
what part you going to?

Third_Echelon

Queenstown, Queenstown and Queenstown again....

CJhaughey

Lake Taupo and the Thermal Baths are well worth a look.
My missus thought her skin was extra smooth after the swim and the Thermal spring bath. Cool walking around the outside with all the hot springs and stuff too.

davidoco

Spent a month in a campervan in NZ last year (Google "doc holidays"). The scenery can sometimes overwhelm you especially the South Island.

The one place we really liked was the Nelson area. The town itself has a few good pubs and a very laid back feel. It has a great coastal position and nearby are Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotoroa - what I thought were the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen.

We found a month way too short to do the country any justice. You could easily spend a month in the South Island. We made it as far as Queenstown, Queenstown and Queenstown coming down the west coast and turned back up the east coast.

One must do event is to spend a day on a guided trip to climb the Franz Josef Glacier- no special skills required.

phil me up

dont mis ur plane

Easily_Irritated

NZ is fantastic!

I spent 6 months there and willbe going back in a few months.

Rent a car, definatley its dead cheap there. Drive around the islands, the scenery is unreal and the nightlife is really good to. 24hour bars and clubs everywhere. Going out in Auckland is really cool. You'll meet lots of other fellow travelers.

Visit Taupo, Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Rotorua (terrible smell of sulphur but you get used to it) and its got all those thermal spas and really cheap motel with hot tubs in all the rooms

The south island is deadly, very LOTR. We took a helicopter tour over some of the south island mountains, tat was so cool. Pricey tho $200 but thats only about 100euro so well worth it.

There are bungy ropes/seats/bullets, skiing in the south island, hand gliding, parasailing everywhere, so if you're into extreme sports and such. I know you can get all that stuff in a lotta different countries given the rise in popularity but I was surprised at how they're everywhere. They even have permanent bungy jumping on the main st in Auckland!

I could go on for quite some time but the place is deadly!!! (hence the fact Im going back) You'll want to stay for a hell of a lot longer than a month!

BC

Do the glacier walk in the south island (either Fox or Franz Josef). Don't do the half day hike, its useless, do the full day or else the helicopter trip.

Milford Sound is nice, but i did it in a day trip which wasn't great.
Abel Tasman National Park is beautiful - kayak if the weather is good!

In the North Island, Rotorua is definately worth a visit.

therecklessone

You will have an absolute ball. I'm back about five weeks now, spent 20 days in NZ and loved it so much.

Don't know where you're starting you're journey from, but here's my recommendations:

South Island

1. Visit Dunedin, a beautiful town like Galway only hilly. There's a university, so there's a wealth of food and drink options, also a healthy repect for the arts. You'll also be close to the Otago Peninsula which is really picturesque.
2. Give Queenstown a try, its pricy and as touristy as hell, but if you like any sort of adventure activity, you'll get it there. I had a go on the Shotover Jet which is great fun, 70kph in 10cm of water doing 360s. Like a rollercoaster on water. Link
3. Do visit Milford Sound, and if you can try an overnight cruise on the Milford Wanderer Scroll down to 2nd option
4. Visit Wanaka, its a beautiful little town.
5. I didn't get to do the glaciers because I crashed my rental car and had to spend two days sorting that out and trying to get to Christchurh by bus/train, but I'm reliably informed they're well worth it. Day hikes are the way to go.
6. Do the TransAlpine railway from Christchurch to Greymouth and back. Its well worth it
7. Try to spend a weekend in Christchurch, its a great city and you can check out the Farmer's Market on Saturday.
   

therecklessone

North Island

1. Visit Rotorua, but be prepared for a really interesting aroma...
2. Visit Taupo, if its your thing its the cheapest place in NZ to do tandem skydiving, roughly €100 if you jump before 10am. 12,000 feet, with about 30 seconds freefall, you will not regret it.
3. Go to Huka Falls and if you haven't done the Shotover Jet in Queenstown try the Rapids Jet. Same principle,only on Grade 1 rapids. They freely admit to having sank three of their boats in the past, but its totally safe and a good laugh.
4. Visit Raglan on the west coast, about 50 miles south of Auckland. Surfers claim it to have the best left break in the world. If you want to stay out of the water, its a really picturesque part of the country, with feck in the way of development. Relaxing.

In general:

If you're driving, stay safe! NZ roads can be treacherous, especially in hilly or mountainous areas. You're going in winter, so there'll be rain (and lots of it), so if the sign says 15kph, then do 15kph!

Be prepared for very changable weather, it rains quite a bit in NZ, especially on the west coast of the south island.

If you are hostelling, get a BBH card, you'll pay NZ$40 but get $20 phone credit and $2-3 off ech nights accomodation in affiliated hostels. (if you want hostel suggestions let me know)

Think thats all.

daveg

We are going there in January this year. We will have 7 nights in NZ. A friend, from NZ advised this route/agenda (South Island only):

Day 1:
Christchurch to Kaikauro (train) - spend the day whale watching then back to Christchurch.

Day 2:
Transalpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth through Arthurs pass.

Day 3:
Greymouth to Glaciers, then onto Haas, then onto Queenstown.

Day 4:
Queenstown to Milford Sound for the day then back to Queenstown.

Day 5:
Queenstown to lake tekapo. Spend night in Tekapo.

Day 6:
Tekapo to Christchurch.

Any comments/suggestions?

therecklessone

daveg wrote:

Day 3:
Greymouth to Glaciers, then onto Haas, then onto Queenstown.

If you're planning on actually seeing the glaciers instead of driving through the two towns that plan just won't work. IIRC, its at 5 hours on a bus from Greymouth to Hasst, then a good bit further to Queenstown.

You'll need at least half a day at either Franz Joseph or Fox to do a hike, and even if you only do a hlicopter trip you'll have to be flexible with the times you're available.

Are you driving yourself, or bussing it?

daveg wrote:

Day 2:
Transalpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth through Arthurs pass.

Consider trying to get a bus from Greymouth in the afternoon down to the glaciers. Greymouth is a kip, I spent a night there and hated it. The TranzAlpine gets into town at about 12.30pm, check bus schedules to see if you can travel on.

In general, you're trying to fit a hell of a lot into seven days. You will be travelling a lot (NZ road journeys are long and tiring, a lot of travelling around mountains rather than through or over them.) A 500km journey will take you upwards of 9-10 hours.

therecklessone

AtomicShuttles will take you from Greymouth to Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers.

http://www.atomictravel.co.nz/Timetable.pdf

Leaves at 3.15pm, arrives at Franz (6.15pm) and Fox (6.45pm)

That would leave you the following morning to get a helicopter trip over the two glaciers, and back to Franz for a 10.15am departure to Queenstown, not arriving there until 5.30pm.

All very tight.

davidoco

Day 4:
Queenstown to Milford Sound for the day then back to Queenstown.

We had a month in NZ and didn't go to Milford Sound - there are plenty of other beautiful sights - missing Milford Sound is like coming to Ireland and not going to Killarney or the Cliffs of Mohor - you'll get over it - I did.

Spend the day in Queenstown and do a few activities - wine valley nearby, shotover jets, bunjee etc. www.ajhackett.com at Queenstown is a really good spot for the bunjee.

The trip from Queenstown to Lake Tekapo is very scenic - there are reflective lakes and azure rivers along the way. Lake Tekapo at sunset was very special. Tekapo itself is just a couple of shops and pubs.

Third_Echelon

daveg wrote:

Day 4:
Queenstown to Milford Sound for the day then back to Queenstown.

We did this trip on a bus. The scenery on the way down there was spectacular...

Milford sound is one of those things that you have to see. I would make this one of your priorities to be honest.

To get the most out of your time I would advise flying from Christchurch down to queenstown. The flight is fantastic. My face was stuck to the window. Landing into QT is cool. You fly through mountains and stuff...

Its only something like EURO 90 return as well. pretty cheap.

The bus trip to milford sound was around EURO 70 i think...

you get a meal down there on the boat etc. The boat trip around the sound is about an hour or so....

If I get a chance ill post some pics...

In QT I would recommend the following be done:

-> Nevis Highwire bungy jump
-> White water rafting on the shotover
-> Jet boating on the shotover (shotover jet)

There is loads of other stuff as well....

RuggieBear

do the (second) highest bungee jump in the world....i did. Scary ****.

Nevis from AJ Hackett in Queenstown

newgrange

Or a reverse bungee outside Christchurch - bloody scary.

therecklessone

davidoco wrote:

Day 4:
Queenstown to Milford Sound for the day then back to Queenstown.

We had a month in NZ and didn't go to Milford Sound - there are plenty of other beautiful sights - missing Milford Sound is like coming to Ireland and not going to Killarney or the Cliffs of Mohor - you'll get over it - I did.

<snip>

The trip from Queenstown to Lake Tekapo is very scenic - there are reflective lakes and azure rivers along the way. Lake Tekapo at sunset was very special. Tekapo itself is just a couple of shops and pubs.

TBH, if you have to ditch one I'd advise you to ditch Tekapo. You're visiting in the winter, so you'll have to be on the road early for sunset at the Lake. Milford Sound is much better, its got stunning scenary on the drive from Te Anu northwards, and then a really worthwhile cruise on the sound to top it off.

Third_Echelon wrote:

To get the most out of your time I would advise flying from Christchurch down to queenstown. The flight is fantastic. My face was stuck to the window. Landing into QT is cool. You fly through mountains and stuff...

Very good advice. I'd suggest you do one of the following:

1. Fly from Christchurch to Queenstown on the day you arrive. Forget about the TranzAlpine, the glaciers, and the whale watching (possibly fit that in at the end when you return to Christchurch) If you do this, you'll have time for trips to Milford Sound, Tekapo, and Wanaka as well. Consider a scenic flight from Queenstown to Mount Cook and the two glaciers (this will be pricy), if you can try and get one that includes a stop at Milford Sound (the departure from the airstrip looked interesting, you depart towards a series of mountains, so at times you wonder will the plane make it at all...

2. Get a rental car when you arrive, spend day 1 in Christchurch then drive through Arthurs Pass to the glaciers, giving yourself enough time to spend at least half a day at one glacier. Skip Tekapo as well, its not worth the hassle of getting to from Queenstown.

Third_Echelon

RuggieBear wrote:

do the (second) highest bungee jump in the world....i did. Scary ****.

Yes, I also had a brown trouser moment pre-jump

It was fantastic though...

davidoco

comparision using multimap
see attached jpeg with scaled maps of Ireland and NZ South Island.
7 day trip mentioned by daveg. The red lines are approximate distances in Ireland.

Day 1: Christchurch to Kaikauro (train)
Dublin to Belfast

Day 2:
Christchurch to Greymouth through Arthurs pass (2000m compared to highest mountain in Ireland 1040 approx)
Dublin to Sligo

Day 3:
Greymouth to Glaciers, Haas, Queenstown.
Sligo to Galway to Cork

Day 4:
Queenstown to Milford Sound
Cork to Dingle

Day 5:
Queenstown to lake tekapo.
Cork Portlaoise

Day 6:
Tekapo to Christchurch
Portlaoise Dublin

Might give you a better idea of what sort of ground you are looking to cover.

Two pictures attached. Highway means main road. That bridge was on the main road somewhere before the Fox Glacier. Most of the roads around NZ are fairly decent, but watch out for one way bridges and bend after bend after bend after bend.

therecklessone

davidoco wrote:

Day 4:
Queenstown to Milford Sound
Cork to Dingle

Very misleading, as is the map TBH.

The journey is 299km (according to http://discovernz.co.nz/driving/smlcalc.html), and takes between 4 and 5 hours, depending on where you check. There's no direct route by road from Queenstown to Milford Sound, you have to go via Te Anu.

Try the NZ AA for maps, travel distance and times.

Hell, I'll do it for you:

Day 1: Christchurch to Kaikauro (train)
183km, 2hr 35min by road


Day 2:
Christchurch to Greymouth through Arthurs pass
258km, 3hr 40min by road

Day 3:
Greymouth to Glaciers, Haast, Queenstown.
583km, 8hr 20min by road

Day 4:
Queenstown to Milford Sound
See above.

Day 5:
Queenstown to lake tekapo.
258km, 3hr 40min

Day 6:
Tekapo to Christchurch
226km, 3hr 15min

All those times allow for rest stops, road conditions and the like (but are less than the quoted times from the first link I provided.

Bear in mind the speed limit is 100kph (rigorously enforced I was told, but didn't stop the locals speeding all the time), but the windy roads mean you'll go long periods without even breaking 50kph.

daveg

Firstly BobbieESOL apologies for hijacking your thread but I presume all this info is of relevance to you too. Secondly thank you to all those who have posted advice.

Firstly some background on the trip. This is our honeymoon myself, fiancee and son (6) are taking in Dec-Jan this year. Trip is Dublin - London - Hong Kong (3 nights) - Cairns (7 nights) - Sydney (4 nights) - Melbourne (4 nights) - NZ (actually 6 nights) - Hawaii (4 nights) - LA (3 nights) - Dublin.

New Zealand is proving, by far, the hardest to organise as it seems there is so much to do. We arrive day 1 at 17:35 in Christchurch so that day is of course out. Then we have Day 2 - 6 (full days) and leave NZ at 15:35 on day 7. So the question is what can we do in those days. I had put the schedule mentioned together with an Kiwi friend. He reckons he has done that trip, in the time allotted, 3 times. But maybe it's going to be too much. Having read the advice so far I'm tearing up our original itenery so if the good people of boards could help me create a new one bearing in mind the above schedule (5 full days), Here are some thoughts:

1. Kaikoura - Perhaps we could leave Kaikoura and do Whale watching elsewhere on our trip like say Hawaii? Has anyone been to Kaikoura? Is it worth the trip just for the whale watching?
2. Our plan was to take the trains from Christchurch - Kaikorua & Christchurch to Greymouth (via Arthurs pass) and then hire a car from Greymouth to do the rest of the trip.
3. We really want to do the transalpine train through Arthurs pass to Greymouth as my son loves trains and I hear driving it is a bítch (round mountains etc instead of through them as the train does).
4. The Glaciers - A half day/full day trek is out of the question as my son won't be up to it. Helicopter trip would be excellent though. Any tips on companies offering this?
5. Milford Sound - Is it possible to do this in one day from Queenstown? I've been told it's about a 2/3 hour drive each way? Any tips on what we should do there? I hear a boat trip is the best thing to do? Any tips/links to companies doing this?
6. Lake Tekapo - Is this a must do? Has anyone stayed over in this area?
7. Queenstown - I was conscience we were not giving ourselves much time in Queenstown. We have planned on doing the Jet boating (is this suitable for a 6 year old?). Bungee jumps, for me anyway, are a no no due to my fear of heights. Should we try to spend at least 1 full day in Queenstown?
8. The option recommended of flying to Queenstown sounds good but that would mean missing all the other highlights of the trip (transalpine train, Lake Tekapou etc).

davidoco

daveg wrote:

1. Kaikoura - Perhaps we could leave Kaikoura and do Whale watching elsewhere on our trip like say Hawaii? Has anyone been to Kaikoura? Is it worth the trip just for the whale watching?

Right next door to Christchurch (hours drive over winding roads) is the Banks Pensinuala. Very green, hilly and unusual place. We did a fantastic swim with dolphins out in the Bay (25 min trip) with 6 or 7 people on the boat. Compare this to our trip to Kaikoura where the swim with dolphins was like a military operation with three boats and about 60 people. Then a two hour trip out to the open sea and they still couldn't find the dolphins. Swimming with dolphins is not really technically correct. You float around in the water and they generally zoom by and around you. Great experience and the dolphins really react to some people and give them loads of attention.

daveg should check that it is actually whale peak season in Kaikoura. Whale watching isn't great for kids as there is a lot of waiting around and the whales don't really jump out of the water like you see if the pictures, you might be lucky and get a tail splash from 200 metres away, which is fine for adults as they appreciate the situation but kids will be disappointed if that is all they get for watching the sea for two hours.

therecklessone wrote:

Very misleading, as is the map TBH.

You can't be mislead by a scaled map. What the map shows is that the original 6 day plan was a blitzkrieg of that part of NZ and puts the size of the country in perspective.

therecklessone

davidoco wrote:

You can't be mislead by a scaled map. What the map shows is that the original 6 day plan was a blitzkrieg of that part of NZ and puts the size of the country in perspective.

Yeah you can.

Distance means little in NZ without context, i.e. the lack of motorways, the maximum speed limit of 100kph, the many windy mountainous roads/single lane bridges, and the huge number of slow moving camper vans encountered on NZ roads.

Take as an example your suggestion that Queenstown to Milford Sound is the equivalent of Cork to Dingle

AA NZ: Queenstown-Milford Sound, 291km 4hr 10min driving time
AA Ireland: Cork-Dingle, 156.3km 2hr 30min driving time.

the drive to Milford Sound includes the chance of being caught by at the lights in that long tunnel on the way into Milford, with the resulting 15min wait. Get caught behind the line of tour buses and you'll be all day.

Third_Echelon

daveg wrote:

Milford Sound - Is it possible to do this in one day from Queenstown? I've been told it's about a 2/3 hour drive each way? Any tips on what we should do there? I hear a boat trip is the best thing to do? Any tips/links to companies doing this?

Yeah the Queenstown -> Milford Sound route is via Te Anua. On the tour bus its about 3 hours there and 3 hours back, so its an early start. It could be a tiring drive so I would recommend the tour bus to be honest. Very comfy and the seats are angled toward the windows and there is a glass roof for maximum viewing ability... and the driver is a nutjob who tries to run over possoms

The boat trip is organised through the same company. Im not sure if you can book the boat trip seperately... but im sure its a possibility.

You can book this the previous day to the trip you want to go on in any of the booking offices in queenstown. There is 2 or 3 places where you can go to book all the activities.

The AJ Hackett 'Station' is one place. The other is across the road from KFC and beside Pizza hut... cant rememeber the name of the place, but you cant miss it.

daveg wrote:

Queenstown - I was conscience we were not giving ourselves much time in Queenstown. We have planned on doing the Jet boating (is this suitable for a 6 year old?). Bungee jumps, for me anyway, are a no no due to my fear of heights. Should we try to spend at least 1 full day in Queenstown?

The option recommended of flying to Queenstown sounds good but that would mean missing all the other highlights of the trip (transalpine train, Lake Tekapou etc).

I'm not sure about the age limit for the jet boating. They advertise child fare rates, but this could be over 12 yr old for example... Its not that 'stressful' or 'dangerous', so I could imagine it would be fine to do for a 6 yr old, but i would check out their website @ http://www.shotoverjet.co.nz

You could email them as well. They are very helpful and always answer emails.

If you do a bungy your fear of heights will forever be gone..... I'm not the biggest fan of heights, I'm not afraid of them or anything, but the nevis bungy is fantastic... once you get it into your head that you are attached at the feet by a rope you'll be fine... Its more the mental hurdle that is the worst to get over.. and as i was advised on my jump: "The first metre is the worst... after that theres not much to do but ride the buzz"

QT is really about the adrenalin sports. The scenery is stunning around the area. Deer Park Heights is just above QT. This would be a good trip for your kid... its like a farm area with deers and wildlife etc.. A lot of the filming of lord of the rings was done in deer park heights...

I would also recommend the white water rafting on the shotover.. it was great fun...

In the station building and the other booking office you can book combination deals. The one we got was 'The Awesome Foursome', which was a helicopter ride, rafting, jet boat and nevis bungy. You save a good bit of money on the combo deals...

therecklessone

daveg wrote:

Firstly some background on the trip. This is our honeymoon myself, fiancee and son (6) are taking in Dec-Jan this year. Trip is Dublin - London - Hong Kong (3 nights) - Cairns (7 nights) - Sydney (4 nights) - Melbourne (4 nights) - NZ (actually 6 nights) - Hawaii (4 nights) - LA (3 nights) - Dublin.

Just a suggestion...why not chop 2/3 nights off your stop in Cairns and add it on to your time in NZ? I did four days in Cairns, and had plenty of time to get up to Kuranda, the Atherton Tablelands, and the Reef. Its a nice place, but a real party town, i.e. maybe not what you want for a trip with your kid? Just a thought..

daveg wrote:

Kaikoura - Perhaps we could leave Kaikoura and do Whale watching elsewhere on our trip like say Hawaii? Has anyone been to Kaikoura? Is it worth the trip just for the whale watching?

I didn't make it up due to complications caused by a car crash, but TBH I'd ditch it if I were you. It's a full days travel, and you'll have to spend another night in Christchurch before you can catch the TranzAlpine on the morning of day 3.

daveg wrote:

Our plan was to take the trains from Christchurch - Kaikorua & Christchurch to Greymouth (via Arthurs pass) and then hire a car from Greymouth to do the rest of the trip.

We really want to do the transalpine train through Arthurs pass to Greymouth as my son loves trains and I hear driving it is a bítch (round mountains etc instead of through them as the train does).

Then go with the TranzAlpine on the morning of day 2 to arrive in Greymouth around noon, pick up your rental car and get out of the town asap. Drive down as far as either Franz Joseph or Fox glaciers for a night's stopover.

daveg wrote:

The Glaciers - A half day/full day trek is out of the question as my son won't be up to it. Helicopter trip would be excellent though. Any tips on companies offering this?

Having travelled to the relevant glacier on day 2, you'll be ready on the morning of day 3 to take a scenic flight. Options vary, and I have no experience of any of these, but the 2002 Rough Guide lists:

Fox and Franz Joseph Heliservices (fox_heli@xtra.co.nz)
Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters (+64 3 752 0755)
The Helicopter Line (+64 3 752 0767, hinfo@helicopter.co.nz)

I'd recommend you get a flight over both glaciers and Mount Cook (we flew into NZ with Mount Cook on our left side, its pretty remarkable.) There are fixed-wing flights which are longer for the same money, but with the exception of one operator who runs skiplanes, only the choppers land on the glacier.

That should leave you most of the rest of day 3 to travel south as far as Queenstown, and I'd suggest a stop off in Wanaka on the way. Its a lovely little town on SH6 (the road you'll follow from Hasst to Queenstown), with an interesting aviation musuem (charts the history of NZ airmen during the two world wars and beyond, with a number of WW2-era fighters on display). There's also a toy/transport museum, might interest the nipper?

If you have the time, dare I suggest you drive beyond Queenstown to Te Anu? It's on the route you have to follow to Milford Sound, so saves you a bit on the drive the following day.

daveg wrote:

Milford Sound - Is it possible to do this in one day from Queenstown? I've been told it's about a 2/3 hour drive each way? Any tips on what we should do there? I hear a boat trip is the best thing to do? Any tips/links to companies doing this?

The NZ AA website says its a 4 hour drive. The other site I linked to in a previous post puts it at over 5 hours. I'd say in the region of 4. There's only one route into the town, through the mountains where you'll encounter tour buses and campervans a plenty. Remember, you'll be visiting during our winter, so their summer. December-January is their peak season.

As for boat trips, you can't go wrong with the Milford Wanderer nature cruise. It takes 2.5 hours and you'll see stunning waterfalls, dolphins, seals, and all sorts of birds. Very relaxing.



By the end of day 4 you will be back in Queenstown.

daveg wrote:

Lake Tekapo - Is this a must do? Has anyone stayed over in this area?

No idea TBH. I arrived after sunset, and it was a cloudy night (the town is reknowned for its night sky views). Other than scenary, the town has little else going for it.

I'll leave that for someone else to answer

daveg wrote:

Queenstown - I was conscience we were not giving ourselves much time in Queenstown. We have planned on doing the Jet boating (is this suitable for a 6 year old?). Bungee jumps, for me anyway, are a no no due to my fear of heights. Should we try to spend at least 1 full day in Queenstown?

1 day would be enough. I'm not sure what the age limit was on the Shotover Jet, but there was young kids on the Rapids Jet I did on the north island (and IMO that was more "risky" than the Shotover). Try http://www.shotoverjet.co.nz/index.htm for details. At most that will take 2.5 hours, allowing for pickup in the town, the bus journey out, your boat trip then return to the town.

If you do what I suggested you'll end day 5 in Queenstown having done the TranzAlpine, seen the glaciers, visited Wanaka and Milford Sound, and spent a day enjoying the huge amount of activities in Queenstown. Leaves you 2 days to add bits on, or allow for travel back to Christchurch. I suggest you leave the rental car in Queenstown and fly back up to Christchurch early morning on day 6, allowing yourself some time to have a look around the city.

Hope thats of some use.

daveg

davidoco wrote:

Right next door to Christchurch (hours drive over winding roads) is the Banks Pensinuala. Very green, hilly and unusual place. We did a fantastic swim with dolphins out in the Bay (25 min trip) with 6 or 7 people on the boat.

Did you do this with this crowed? http://www.swimmingwithdolphins.co.nz/

Third_Echelon wrote:

I'm not sure about the age limit for the jet boating.

Turns out it's 3+ so that'll be fine.

Third_Echelon wrote:

In the station building and the other booking office you can book combination deals. The one we got was 'The Awesome Foursome', which was a helicopter ride, rafting, jet boat and nevis bungy. You save a good bit of money on the combo deals...

Will check this out but bungee is def out for me. When I say I've a fear of heights I may have slightly understated the fact. Herself may do one though.

therecklessone wrote:

Just a suggestion...why not chop 2/3 nights off your stop in Cairns and add it on to your time in NZ?

No can do as flights are booked as is accomodation. I have a 4 night livaboard dive trip booked from Cairns to Cod hole and ribben reef (GBR) which will be the highlight of the holiday for me (I think).

therecklessone wrote:

I didn't make it up due to complications caused by a car crash, but TBH I'd ditch it if I were you.

Begining to agree. Can do Whale watching in Hawaii and maybe look into Dolphin swimming as per davidoco suggestion. Maybe we will ditch Kaikauro.

As per therecklessons suggestions how does this itenery sound:

Day 1: Arrive Christchurch @ 17:35. Chill at hotel.

Day 2: Transalpine train from Christchurch to Gerymouth. Hire car to the Glaciers. Spend the night somewhere around the Glaciers.

Day 3: Take a flight over Glaciers. Drive to Queenstown via Wanaka. Stay night 3 in Queenstown (or drive on more and stay in Te Anu then swop day 4 and 5 below).

Day 4: Spend in Queenstown. Powershot rode and adventure activities.

Day 5: Drive/bus to Milford Sound. Take Milford Wanderer cruise. Dirive/bus Back to Queenstown. Spend night in Queenstown.

Day 6: Either fly back to Christchurch from Queenstown (maybe after a 1/2 day more in Queenstown) or travel up to Lake Tekapo and spend the night there. then drive to Christchurch early next morning for flight out.

Day 7: Leave NZ @ 15:35.

davidoco, therecklessone & Third_Echelon thanks a million for your advice. Keep it coming.

daveg

Anyone links or recommendations for flights from Queenstown to Christchurch?

Third_Echelon

daveg wrote:

Anyone links or recommendations for flights from Queenstown to Christchurch?

We flew with Qantas. Cheaper than Air New Zealand i think at the time.

http://www.qantas.co.nz

It cost us around 70 Euro Auckland -> Queenstown return.

The defo fly Christchurch-> Queenstown as well, as our flight back was Queenstown->Christchurch->Auckland.

davidoco

info on swimming with dolphins in Akaroa.
Done with http://www.blackcat.co.nz/dolphins.asp
100% satisfied.
Pictures on right of webpage. Picture 3 gives a good idea of the size of the boat and picture 9 (last one) gives a good idea of what it is like. They just swim around you. It's good fun watching also. One parent can jump in for 10 minutes while the other waits with the child and then swaps places.

daveg

Third_Echelon wrote:

We flew with Qantas. Cheaper than Air New Zealand i think at the time.

http://www.qantas.co.nz

It cost us around 70 Euro Auckland -> Queenstown return.

The defo fly Christchurch-> Queenstown as well, as our flight back was Queenstown->Christchurch->Auckland.

Comes up as only E150 one way for 2 adults and 1 child :eek:

therecklessone

daveg wrote:

Comes up as only E150 one way for 2 adults and 1 child :eek:

NZ is such good value for money.

Skydive for €100?

Silvera

I spent 4 months in NZ last year (+ OZ, Cook Islands, L.A.)

Must do things on South Island -

TransAlpine Trip
I loved Arthurs Pass. So much so that I went back to spend a few days there before I left NZ. (I spent one month in ChristChurch - by far the nicest city in NZ).

Glacier Climb/ Fly Over.
If your doing the climb, do the full day (c.10am-4pm) or else do the heli flight. I believe the half day climb is pointless.

Visit the West Coast.
It's so devoid of houses and unspoilt.
I made the trip to a place called Gillespies Beach (near Fox Glacier) and it's a place I will forever remember. Gravel beach as far as the eye can see covered in driftwood - very eerie
I don't think many people make the effort to visit it - about 14kms on a narrow gravel road.

Visit Wanaka.
Lovely lakeside picturesque town with added bonus of NZ Fighter Pilots Museum nearby.

Visit Queenstown
Stunning lakeside town - don't miss it!!
(I very nearly took a job and stayed there!).

Milford Sound.
I didn't get to see it as the road was blocked with snow for 3 days (and this was in the spring!).

Dunedin.
Lovely University town. Visit the local castle if you have time - it's the only one in the southern hemisphere !

I bought a car (in Auckland) to travel around and I agree with earlier comments - be careful as the roads cans be very winding/mountainous.
Oh, and they have LOTS of 'unpaved' (i.e. gravel) roads !

........plus many roads/mountain passes can be closed for days or weeks in the wintertime e.g. Arthurs Pass.


(P.S. - Don't waste much time in Auckland - it's just a sprawling metropolis!)

Have a good trip.

Silvera.

daveg

Silvera wrote:

TransAlpine Trip

On our schedule

Silvera wrote:

Glacier Climb/ Fly Over.

Flyover with landing for snowball flights is on our schedule. May opt to stay at Franz josef alpine lodge as they have their own helicopter on site for tours. Anyone any experience/comments about them?

Silvera wrote:

Visit the West Coast - Gillespies Beach (near Fox Glacier)

Will check this out for sure as will be driving past the Glaciers.

Silvera wrote:

Visit Wanaka.

Maybe difficult to see as we plan on heading to Lake Tekapo once we leave Queenstown. Will bear Wanaka in mind though.

Silvera wrote:

Visit Queenstown

Will be spending 2 nights and 1 full day to do some adventure sports!!

Silvera wrote:

........plus many roads/mountain passes can be closed for days or weeks in the wintertime e.g. Arthurs Pass.

Hopefully we will be ok as we are visiting in January which is summer there (thats right isn't it?).

Silvera wrote:

(P.S. - Don't waste much time in Auckland - it's just a sprawling metropolis!)

Have a good trip.

Silvera.

We are visiting south island only. Thanks Silvera.

Thanks again for all the advice. looks like the schedule is pretty watertight now. So little time to do so much though....

shuushh

do the (second) highest bungee jump in the world....i did. Scary ****.

haha yeh i did that aswell, i needed three countdowns before i could get my arse off that ledge

also in new zealand, go hiking at least once its one thing seeing all the scenery from a car/train etc but to actually get in amongst it is brilliant

theres planned trails all over the country that go from a couple of hours to five days, well worth checking out

beautiful country