10 Day Itinarary South Island
Replies: 7 - Last Post: Aug 14, 2012 2:10 AM Last Post By: neverwinter
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10 Day Itinarary South Island
Apologies that this is similar to previous posts, I just need some extra advice!My partner and I arrive in Christchurch on the 1st September, we are then planning to pick up a campervan (already booked with real value campers $360) and travel around the south island for 9 days until we fly out of christchurch again on the 10th. I have come up with an itinerary that I think will be ok, however I just wanted to check that we have not missed out on anything that is amazing, or grossly miscalculated travel times.
What i have come up with:
1) Arrive Christchurch 7 pm, stay in airport hotel
2) Pick up Camper 8.30 AM, spend day driving to greymouth, visit greymouth and walk around a bit, then park and sleep in a campground inbetween greymouth and franz josef
3) Drive rest of way to Franz Josef, probably just walk to base of glacier, drive to wanaka, stay in wanaka accomodation
4) Ski Cardrona, Stay Wanaka accomodation
5) Drive to Queenstown, Heliskiing in Queenstown, stay in camper around Queenstown
6) Drive to glenorchy and look around area, stay in camper around this area (Rob Roy walk?)
7) Spend day driving to Dunedin, Stay in Dunedin in Camper
8) Visit Cadbury World (this is complusory according to partner), Drive to Mt Tekapo, Stay in Camper
9) Drive back to Christchurch, return van in afternoon, stay in christchurch hotel
10) Fly Home AM
We are quite outdoorsy people and I am into my photography, so are they any places people can recommend that I may have missed out? Not too keen on all the touristy stuff in Qtown, and we are always keen to do day hikes and things.
We understand it is going to be cold in the camper, but hopefully we can handle it! Might decide to spend a night or too at a hotel along the way if is too hard! Not too limited in terms of budget, the only reason we decided on a camper was so that we wouldnt have to follow too tight of a schedule and we can take our time
Looking forward to your recomendations!
1
Day 2 - not a lot to see in Greymouth. Suggest Hokitika instead. This is a long drive and you will probably still be recovering from the flight so take it slowly and stop lots.Day 3 - do you have a day up your sleeve in case the weather is bad? Lots of things to see on that drive. Take you time and stop lots for photos
Day 7-8 long way to go just to see Cadbury World (especially what you could be seeing if you give up this leg of the trip)
You will spend a lot of time driving. In most places you will still need to stay in camping grounds unless your camper is self-contained (which seems unlikely for $360).
You don't see anything around Te Anau/Milford. Even without the sounds, this is one of most scenic drives in the country and would be a shame to miss. If you're not on a tight budget, a flight one way and bus the other to Milford is amazing.
2
Rob Roy glacier is an awesome walk. Not sure what conditions are like at this time of year. Its accessed from Wanaka, not Glenorchy, and is a fairly long shuddering drive to get there. Dont underestimate time with distance in this case. I would suggest you check in with DOC visitor centres during your travels for an update on conditions, as another option may be more suitable - and there are plenty.3
as #2 - Rob Roy glacier walk is at the end of a 55km road from Wanaka, not Glenorchy. The road has 7 fords on it and while it is perfectly ok in an ordinary car in summer after a spell of dry weather, that's not you. The Wanaka DoC will advise.I loved Cadbury World, but I had a lot of time and saw a lot of other things. Tell your partner to see a bit of sense here and cut out that leg of the trip. NZ chocolate isn't the same anyway.
also seems a bit bizarre that you are prepared to freeze in a camper (which at that price will be an ordinary van with a mattress) yet have the cash for heliskiing!
4
Ok so based on your recomendations, the new plan is:1) Arrive Christchurch 7 pm, stay in airport hotel
2) Pick up Camper 8.30 AM, spend day driving to hanakiki, visit hanakiki and walk around a bit, then park and sleep in a campground inbetween hanakiki and franz josef
3) Drive rest of way to Franz Josef, probably just walk to base of glacier, drive to wanaka, stay in wanaka accomodation
4) Ski Cardrona, Stay Wanaka accomodation
5) Wanaka Rob Roy Glacer Walk, Drive to Queenstown, stay in camper
6) Heliskiing in Queenstown, stay in camper around Queenstown
7) Drive to glenorchy and look around area, drive to milford sound/Te Anau, stay in camper
8) Spend day looking around Milford Sound/Hiking/cruise
8) Drive to Mt Tekapo (or somewhere a bit closer), Stay in Camper
9) Drive back to Christchurch, return van in afternoon, stay in christchurch hotel
10) Fly Home AM
Would people recomend doing a cruise at Milford Sound or are there other options such as hiking that might be viable?
The camper is fully self contained (shower/toilet) - there was a special deal
Would people recommend also booking in a specialist walk at Franz Josef, we don't really have time to do a full day walk, and from what I'm reading it is not really worth doing the half day one
Is it worth booking in a christchurch hotel for the CBD for the begining and end of the trip? Has christchurch recovered from the quake yet, e.g. would there be any good pubs or anything to go to?
5
The rebuild of the CBD in Christchurch will takes years. From what I've heard, the pub life has moved out to the suburbs.The best view I had of Milford Sound was the flight in. The cruise is nice and you see quite a bit, but there are other options - kayaking seems quite popular.
Where is hanakiki? Do you mean Hokitika?
Also, it's whitebait season on the West Coast when you are there. Be sure to try whitebait fritters.
6
We spent a night in Greymouth, just to break up a long drive from Blenheim to the glaciers, and I agree, there is nothing worth stopping to see here. Also, from the Arthurs Pass road it involves a bit of driving in the wrong direction, so either head to Hokitika, or keep going to the glaciers. But take your time - roads are slow, and the scenery is stunning and demands frequent stops and diversions.There's little worth seeing right now in Christchurch, so don't hang around here.
Hokitika to Wanaka, with a stop at the glacier is a massive, massive drive. 5 hours, non stop. If you actually want to see the glacier, add an hour. Walk up to it, add 2 hours or more. And then, the road to wanaka is stunning. There are plenty of lookouts, there's a great stop and walk down to Haast Blue pools. This, to mean, is insane.
Milford sound is a 5 hour driuve, each way from Queenstown, and about 2 hours each way from te anau. A cruise is about 2 hours, but the last hour of the drive into and out is just as stunning. Great scenery, waterfalls, places to stop, so again, don't rush this.
7
exactly - rushing down the West Coast means missing lots of wonderful things. Have a look on the doc.govt.nz site for their information about the two halves of the drive Fox to Haast, and Haast to Wanaka, and see how much is there. As you are self-contained you can stop en route, there are several simple DoC campsites which won't cost you much.I found the drive Fox to Wanaka was at least six hours without stops, driving economically and safely, and that was in a car. A camper might well be slower.
BTW no full service towns between Hokitika and Wanaka, so get your fuel and food before leaving Hokitika. These crowded itineraries tend to leave no time for even an hour in the supermarket and everyone needs to eat.
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