Itinerary for 2 month trip in NZ

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antwerp
antwerp

So here we go ...

Please make any suggestions / comments on our 2 Month Itinerary from 6/feb till 1/april

Day 1 : arrive in auckland late flight from Singapore

Day 2, 3 : Get over jetlag, Walking central Auckland, Auckland Art Gallery, sky tower, St-Patrick Cathedral, Devonport, mount eden, eden garden.

Day 5,6 : flight to Christchurch (early morning) botanic gardens, Canterbury Museum, Cathedral square, Arts centre, New regent street, the tannery.
On second day drive in the afternoon to Lyttelton via Cashmere and Mount Cavendish lookout
go to Quail island after drive to akaroa via governors bay

Day 7 : akaroa --> black cat cruise swimming with dolphins, Summit drive, okians bay & le bons bay, giant house, war & akaroa museum

Day 8 : Drive to Mount Cook via Tekapo ( I know long drive ) stop at tekapo : church of the good shepard, Mount john, tekapo cruise (maybe) tekapo bluffs --> mount cook village

Day 9, 10 : Heli hike (Helicopter line), Hike : hooker valley, sealy tarns, Tasman lake
at the end of the second day drive via twizel to Omarama visting clay cliffs, Omarama hot tubs

Day 11 : (long day, get up early) from Omamara to Oamaru via benmore & aviemore dams, Takiroa & Maerewhenua rock painting, elephant rocks.
Oamuru : Victorian precinct, bushy beach
Drive to Moeraki, katiki point, shag point
Onto Royal albatross centre (don't go inside), Blue penguins pukekura tour (half hour before sunset)

Day 12 : sandfly bay hike : one hour, Dunedin : Otago Museum, dunedin botanic gardens, toitu otago settlers museum, railway station --> Nugget point --> Roaring Bay

Day 13 : surat bay, matai falls, Cathedral caves, Mclean falls, curio & porpoise bay, slope point
If there is extra time : bluff hill track
Invercargill

Day 14 : Invercargill to Te anau downs : if there is time Mores reserve
Mc Cracken's rest, clifden bridge, Te anau, Te anau Downs take boat to glade wharf.
start Milford track

Day 15, 16 : Milford track

Day 17 : Milford track, late afternoon cruise Milford sound (Mitre peak cruises)
Drive to Knob's flat on the way : the chasm, pop's view, walk wire

Day 18 : Summit key track, scenic drive from the divide to te anau

Day 19 : Doubtful sound cruise (orange), bird sanctuary

Day 20,21 : Drive te anau to Queenstown : remarkables road --> Trig's view and shadow basin track, Queenstown gardens, skyline gondola, Onsen hot pools, remarkables market
Drive Queenstown to Glenorchy/Paradise : bob's cove, scheelite mining, paradise forest

Day 22 : Drive from Queenstown to wanaka : Via arrowtown, mount aspiring NP rob roy valley track

Day 23 : (long day) Wanaka to Fox Glacier : Tioripatea lookout point, fantaill falls, pleasant flat, thunder creek falls. , nights point, Terminal face walk, lake matheson walk, gillespies beach.

If didn't finish day before we still have some time on day 24 in the morning ...

Day 24,25 : Fox to Frans Josef : Heli-hike (the helicopter line), Robert point track, andris apse gallery

Day 26 : okarito trig walk, okarito beach, ross empire hotel, lake mahinapau, hokitika gorge,
hokitika museum, sunset point, drive to punakaiki rocks.

Day 27 : punakaiki to kaikoura : Cape foulwind, reefton, Kiakoura

Day 28 : Kaikoura : seal swim kaikoura, whale watching via helicopter, point seal colony, Kiakoura peninsula walkway

Day 29 : drive from Kiakoura to motueka : ohau point & waterfall, omaka aviation heritage centre, checking out the wineries (no tasting)

Day 30, 31 Abel tasman : day 1 day anchorage to awaroa hut
day 2 : Awaroa hut to totaranui in the afternoon drive to collingwood
on the way Rawhiti cave, the grove scenic reserve, te waikoropupu springs

If not possible to do all walks / treks we have some time the next day

Day 32 : Farrewell spit --> lighthouse tour, after drive to wharakiki beach, drive to nelson stopping at rabbit island

Day 33 : drive from Nelson to Picton a resting day ... if possible drive to french pass, pelorus bridge, cullen point, Havelock.

Day 33 : Queen charlotte track : cougar line 5 hour cruise & walk ship cove to furneaux lodge.
After taking te ferry.

Day 34 : Wellington : mount victoria lookout, Te papa, parliament house, cable car, botanical gardens after drive on to pararaumu

Day 35 : Kapiti Island nature tour, after drive to Queen elizabeth park.

Day 36 : Drive from Paraparaumu to Whakapapa via whanganui.
Whanganui, at Upokongaro take route via Whanganui river to ohakune --> do ohakune old couch road with bike, drive to whakapapa

Day 37,38,39 : Tongariro Northern circuit.
day 1 : Whakapapa to oturere hut
day 2 : oturere hut to Mangatepopo hut
Day 3 : Mangatepopo hut to whakapapa village
In the afternoon drive to Taupo lake stopping at Tawhai falls, Te porere Redoubt, Taupo Mcdonalds,

Day 40 : haku falls, aratiatia rapids, hot 'n' cold, Waiotapu mud pool, kerosene creek, waterfall spout bath, Waimangu volcanic valley, redwoods Whakarewarewa forest, blue & green lake, polynesian spa

Day 41,42 : Kuira park, ohinemutu, rotorua museum, governement gardens, natural heritage trail board walk, Whakarewrewa thermal village, Te puia.
On day 42 in the afternoon drive to tarawera falls and on to whakantane.

Day 43 : Whakaari island, kohi point, Te manuka tutahi marea

Day 44 : Drive from Whakatane to waitomo : mount maunganui(1 hour), maunganui beach, spellbound, ruakuri walk

Dag 45 : waitomo to Hahei : karangahake gorge, Martha mine pit rim, waihi beach, homunga beach, paku hill lookout, hotwater beach, hahei beach

Day 46 : Cathedral cove on the way snorkel at gemstone bay. after drive via 309 waiau kauri grove & waterfalls, coromandel town, kirita bay, wilson bay, coromandel forest (small hike)
driving to half moon bay

Day 47 : Waiheke island at the end of the day drive to gulf harbour

Day 48 : Tiritiri Matangi island at the end of the day drive to Leigh

Day 49 : Dive of snorkel goat island, waipu cave, whale bay hike (30 min) & matapouri bay / mermaid pool (30 min)

Day 50 : poor knights : snorkel (perfect day ocean cruise) or dive, abbey caves, whangarei falls drive to paihia via kawakawa (hundertwasser)

Day 51, 52 bay of islands : boattrip, haruru falls, ferry to russel, second day still to fill in
day 2 : in the late afternoon drive to Aroha island eco centre.

Day 53 : Akeake point, drive via kerikeri --> rainbow falls, the stone store house, kemp house,
Kawiti caves, opononi, omparere, whaipoua forest, trounson kauri park + do the night kiwi search walk.

Day 54 : The kauri museum in Matakohe, muriwai beach, piha beach (lion rock, tasman lookout track) Kitekite falls track (1 a 1 1/2 h), karekare beach, karekare waterfall (20 min) scenic road via titirangi to Auckland

Day 55 : Auckland : take a rest ...

End

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ianw6705
ianw6705

Well done ... you have certainly done some thorough research, and while there a couple of days that include things I would skip, most days on an individual basis are pretty good. It is just the relentless pressure of doing so much day after day that concerns me most,

My other big concern is that you are underestimating the time some of your listed activities / destinations require or reward ... and also seriously underestimating the transfer / driving times involved, in many places. On a lot of days you include a drive at the end to your accomm place ... this all takes time.

Day 46 : Cathedral cove on the way snorkel at gemstone bay. after drive via 309 waiau kauri grove & waterfalls, coromandel town, kirita bay, wilson bay, coromandel forest (small hike) driving to half moon bay.

This day I picked at random, more or less, just to demonstrate how unrealistically packed some days are. For a start, Cathedral Cove is a difficult place to get to, and to park at, and requires quite a long hike into it, and then back out again. On a warm day it's a beautiful place, and requires a few hours at least, but you have included so much more that day.

I would look at halving the activities on most days, and have a list of where you plan to stay each night, rather than the days ... it shows you the speed and the shape of your trip.

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donizetti
donizetti
In response to #0

Day 29 : drive from Kiakoura to motueka : ohau point & waterfall, omaka aviation heritage centre, checking out the wineries (no tasting)

Day 30, 31 Abel tasman : day 1 day anchorage to awaroa hut
day 2 : Awaroa hut to totaranui in the afternoon drive to collingwood
on the way Rawhiti cave, the grove scenic reserve, te waikoropupu springs

If not possible to do all walks / treks we have some time the next day

Day 32 : Farrewell spit --> lighthouse tour, after drive to wharakiki beach, drive to nelson stopping at rabbit island

Day 33 : drive from Nelson to Picton a resting day ... if possible drive to french pass, pelorus bridge, cullen point

Just a couple of things - are you using the AA time & distance calculator rather than Google Maps ? Google is wildly optimistic for our roads!
How will you get your car to Totaranui for the drive to Collingwood? It seems to have been left at Motueka.
Some of those places you mention are only reached by unsealed roads. Check with your car hire company if you are allowed to take a rental car on them.

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ianw6705
ianw6705

How will you get your car to Totaranui for the drive to Collingwood? It seems to have been left at Motueka.

Totaranui is a research or typo error ... it's way over past Picton, according o my map. Presumably our OP will complete a loop on foot and wind back at Marahau to retrieve their car.

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donizetti
donizetti
In response to #3

Must be more than one, as we have been dropped off at Totaranui by Wilson's Abel Tasman water taxis. Still don't see how they can drive from there to Collingwood:)

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donizetti
donizetti
In response to #4

P.S It's a DOC campground

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westwood
westwood

With a couple of months, do you have to have every day planned out. How about some spontaneity?

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ianw6705
ianw6705

Must be more than one, as we have been dropped off at Totaranui by Wilson's Abel Tasman water taxis. Still don't see how they can drive from there to Collingwood:)

I thought there might be more than one. And yes, there are still some logistics issues for the OP. But this is a tiny detail in an itinerary that really needs to be pared and trimmed and shaped ... and as westwood asks, maybe some flexibility needs to be in there.

Worth noting that New Zealand is a feast that is worth consuming slowly ... it is not suited to racing between spots in the way that Western Europe can be travelled.

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harry_ramsden
harry_ramsden

Extraordinary level of planning and detail. Good to plan I suppose, but just assume you won't do a lot of this, given distances and driving times,and maybe even weather.
To take Ian's example, Cathedral Cove is not a fly by destination. It's a 40 minute walk in from the car park, so, you're looking at around 2-3 hours just to walk in, have a look around, and get back to the car.
You also have two day 33s. On one you drive 2 hours across the top of the south island, and then the next Day 33 you have a 5 hour cruise and walk that leaves at 8am, you get back to Picton at 4.30, your next ferry is at 6.45, and you arrive in Wellington at 10PM. Insane stuff.

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zoobrux
zoobrux

Proficiaat op jullie reisplan! Amazing level of research and detail. Don't be disappointed if you don't accomplish all your goals. Challenges have a way of popping up, some of which will involve the weather. Glad to see that you are spending some time in the Rotorua area. Think about a late afternoon soak in the Waikite thermal pools south of town. Use your second morning in the Bay of Islands to relax a bit and also explore the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Glad to see that you have also included Hokianga Harbor and the Waipoua Forest in your itinerary. This area turned out to be one of the North Island highlights for us on our NZ trip last year.

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