Hello, there. This is my first 'go' at this. We - 2 families, each with a 16 year old child - arrive 23 September in Christchurch and leave 3 October back to Melbourne. So just a short trip. We plan to hire motorhomes - 3/4 berth - to do a basic Christchurch-Queenstown run over 9 days. Some have said that hiring a car and staying in cabins/b & b's - may be more flexible and easier driving. Others say you have to get the motorhome experience! Any advice on driving motorhomes at that time of year - road conditions, ice, wind etc - and suggestion about what sort of motorhome - for 3 adults in each - experience would suggest is the best - with/without shower/on board toilet etc; are all the main companies pretty much the same - or is there one with the best reputation in NZ? What places should we stop off in - given the time available? Where does one prop with a motorhome? Side of the road? camping grounds? Any advice gratefully received. Thanks.
Welcome to the forum.<BR><BR>Have you considered a people-mover (for four adults and two teenagers)? Might be fun - and certainly cheaper. I would do that and book motels, or private rooms in hostels. If you need some flexibility, then two small-medium sedans. Campervans are harder to drive on scenic roads, in general, and then you still have the cost of a powered site in a caravan park / domain / camping ground.<BR><BR>I think campervans are best (a) on a longer trip than yours - given the set-up and overheads involved, and (b) when it might not still be quite chilly, since campervans are a summer thing, to me anyway. For nine days I would look at one/two vehicles and fixed accomm. You could go to Queenstown via Mt Cook, and then return via Wanaka, the glaciers, and Arthur's Pass. Sounds pretty reasonable for nine days - about 1500 km or so. Depending what you're after, both YHA and BBH have nice-looking hostels, with private rooms and en suites in some cases.
from queenstown u can visit glenorchy/dart river area, really stunning, they do a horseriding tour of the dart river.
I agree with ian6705 and suggest you stay at hostels. We've travelled around NZ with teenagers and found that hostelling is a great option for everyone. There is always someone new to talk to, the kids get to have some space from the adults and vice versa, most of the hostels are in fantastic positions, and you have a less insular holiday than if you are staying in a campervan (which from a few friends, who travelled that way, can get smaller and more crowded by the minute!!). Have fun.
Hi Rorkus
NZ's roads are winding and not all that wide in the scenic hilly areas. Driving a car, as suggested by the previous posters, is easier on the nerves and heaps more flexible for sightseeing and parking. Imagine trying to park a bulky motorhome at supermarkets , carparks, reststops, scenic outlooks and especially on the side of narrow roads.
We hired a station wagon (Subaru) for 2 adults and 2 tall teenagers in January 07 to tour South Island, then a larger Ford 4WD for 2 adults and 3 tall teenagers in June/July 06 to explore Queenstown area and go skiing.
Staying at Youth hostels certainly gave our kids (and the extra teenager on the second trip) space away from us and entertainment options that wouldn't be available in a campervan or even a hotel or motel. The self catering kitchen saves money and gets you to meet and mix with travellers of all ages and nationalities while they make their meals. There are common rooms with TV, and DVDs or videos to borrow or hire. Often there are board games and a library of books from which to borrow.
Some YHAs have roaring log fires and heaps of atmosphere others are a bit sterile and boring in design. Look up ther YHA website for an idea of what is on offer.
Remember if the weather is raining, foggy and awful you will spend a lot of time in your motorhome looking at each other! Mind you, you could play lots of card games to while away the hours....
Agree that driving a people mover (or two smaller cars) will be less stressful than motorhomes. Driving along those narrow winding NZ roads in fog and rain can be a bit hairy! And hostels are great value - we found that in most places BBH had the edge over the YHA hostels.
You have enough time to go over to the Glaciers then Wanaka (the maze is fun), Queenstown. Look at some of the itineraries on Pure NZ.
Whilst I don't have any info for you on the motorhome question, here are some ideas of places to stop off:
Peel Forest / Rangitata (if you're into bush walks and/or white water rafting!)
Lake Tekapo (walk or drive up Mt John during the day for spectacular views from the glass cafe; or do a night time tour to see the amazing night sky at the observatory)
Mount Cook (more bush walking, amazing views of Mt Cook. You can float on a glacier lake and touch thousand year old iceberg with Glacier Explorers)
If you like wildlife, Twizel is home to the world's rarest wading bird, the Black Stilt - this won't take more than an hour to visit. Also, if you like salmon, there are some excellent salmon farms around Twizel.
After Queenstown, you can head to Wanaka (as most have mentioned above) for the maze (http://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/) and relaxing by the lake.
Then on through Haast and up to the glaciers (Fox and Franz Josef)
Hokitika is the place to buy some artisitic souvenirs
Greymouth is great if you like greenstone. (For reasonably priced activities in Greymouth check out this article: www.fourcorners.co.nz/new-zealand/cheap-greymouth-story/)
An option from Greymouth is to leave your rental vehicles and take the TranzAlpine train journey back to Christchurch. However, this could end up being pricey what with one-way vehicle rentals and costs of getting back to Chch airport etc. but I hear the train trip's worth it!
If you have any time to spare in Christchurch, a trip around Banks Peninsula to Akaroa would be great.
Have a great trip!!
Hi Whether you campervan or not - NZ Campgrounds in general are pretty good and also offer a good accomodation option even if you aren't camping. They often have self contained units - that have linen provided and given they usually have tennis courts etc - gives everyone some entertainment options and space. I agree that hostels arean option - but also don;t discount BNB's (bnb.co.nz) as a way of meeting locals. My advice - mix up your accomodation options.
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