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Advice needed for New Zealand road trip


Bluepica
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If rent MPV, nothing less than 3L. Otherwise, good luck.

 

Since you are THE only driver, better get yourself fit to drive.

 

Lastly practice long hour driving

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my suggestion is that if u r rushed for time like i was, is to just fly domestic down from CHC to queenstown (thats almost a full one day drive but is only a 45min flight) then work your way backwards.

you can do without the car in queenstown for 1 day if u just chilling (eat Ferg's burgers) and going up the gondola.

 

Get a car in queenstown, drive to te anau/milford sound area then drive past queenstown to wanaka -- Haast pass --> fox/franz josef -- arthurs pass. --> CHC.

 

OK tks for the suggestions...

 

actually i leave all the planning to my wife, and i know v little about the place and the trip so far

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Some comments

Six pax in any car is a bit hard especially since you have luggage. Get the largest one you can.

Unless you intend to go cross country it’s fine. Watch out for wind shear though.

The plans are ok, just a lot to cover in a short time.

If you have time, try going on the doubtful sound cruise instead.

Have fun!

 

On 2 previous trips to Aust, we'd rented Hyundai iMax which was huge and had more than enough rooms even for 6 of us, plus all the luggages (usually 1big, 2 medium, 3 small, plus a couple of backpacks).

 

But that's quite a van leh. I feel like getting the slightly smaller Kia Carnival, which I think is slightly larger than the Estima and Odyssey, and hopefully will have enough luggage space.

Don't forget to eat FergBurger (Queenstown) when you are there!! It HUUGGE.

 

OK, since this comes highly recommended, i will look out for it. My son will surely love it...

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Wah, ok tks, bro.

 

Will bring this back to discuss with my chief planner [laugh]

 

But sounds like the fergburger is very popular? Very scared of long queues leh...

 

Did you drive to any mountaneous area? Easy for a MPV to go on such routes or not?

 

Just came back from South Island in early August for 2.5 weeks trip.

It was really touch n go at a lot of places.

Didn't drive to Franz Josef. What I did was fly in from Queenstown for a semi private tour. Heli hike on the glacier.

Wanaka tree, personally, it's just a tree. Don't see the appeal. Lots of people posing and taking photos there though. I just took photos of those people. Some of the locals walked past and shouted at the tourists "oh look, it's a tree!"

For Milford sound you can consider driving there from te Anau since you're going in spring season. I took the coach and realised that without snow, it's actually driveable. Just be more cautious.

The drive from Wanaka to Queenstown is short by distance, but the lindis pass(if I recall correctly) is has a lot of turns and hardly able to go beyond 70kph. Remember to use low gears. I saw a Subaru outback going too fast and not able to turn in time and crashed into the side of the mountain wall. And also a Suzuki swift that was braking all the way downhill (could smell the burnt smell from behind and saw the brake lights on all the way). The brakes gave way and at one of the turns the swift just went straight into the mountain wall too.

Oh yes fergburger. Went to eat twice. It was really good. But I went outside of normal meal times so my queue was shorter. From start of queue to getting my burger was about 20min only.

Do make a stop at the cardrona bra fence. Cheeky attraction. Maybe even add on your own collection there.

I went to the glowworm caves at te Anau. Best to go during day time as they were also giving a tour of nearby flora and fauna.

Is your gondola ride referring to the Christchurch one? If so the view is supposedly good. But the day I went up half the mountain was covered in clouds with very strong winds.

Mt john observatory at tekapo is good. Got for the star gazing tour. Although highly dependent on weather. I drove up during the day with a toll of 7nzd per car. Great view of tekapo and everything around it. A nice little cafe on top too. The staff there will get everybody to leave before 5pm as there are no lights there. Again, remember low gears. Nobody's allowed to drive up after dark except for their own tours.

I stayed at sudima airport hotel the night before flying out and visited the Antarctic centre. Give yourself at least half a day but the whole exhibits can be done in 2 hours or so.

Have you considered akaroa? lots of winding mountain roads too, but worth the visit.

If you're headed out to the east coast from te anau/Queenstown, an interesting sight will be the Milton kink. The main road through the town of Milton has a link in it due to the 2 separate surveyors starting works from 2 different ends of the road.

There's also Dunedin on the east coast.

 


you need @darryn the kiwi. [:p]

 

Mayb can rent a car from him, last heard he operating a car rental back in kiwi land.  ^_^  [laugh]  [laugh]

 

ha ha... yah, thought of him too, but he's now only here occasionally leh. dunno when he will login again...

 

serious or not, rental company boss huh? Then must look for him confirmed...


No mention of Mount Cook? It is the highest mountain in South Island. The views are nice. 

Ps. Mt. Cook only appears when the weather permits!

 

ok, this Mt Cook even i also heard of it before. Will ask wife...

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Wah, ok tks, bro.

 

Will bring this back to discuss with my chief planner [laugh]

 

But sounds like the fergburger is very popular? Very scared of long queues leh...

 

Did you drive to any mountaneous area? Easy for a MPV to go on such routes or not?

 

 

NZ roads are mountainous.  For MPV, better get 3L and above.

 

I drove Estima 2.4L with 6 adults + luggages.  MPV practically crawling up mountain.

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Wah, ok tks, bro.

 

Will bring this back to discuss with my chief planner [laugh]

 

But sounds like the fergburger is very popular? Very scared of long queues leh...

 

Did you drive to any mountaneous area? Easy for a MPV to go on such routes or not?

The burger is big and the patties and what not is really nice. Next the fergburger got a bakery and ice cream shop also under the Ferg branding. Show the fergburger receipt and can get additional discounts.

 

It's expensive though.

 

I drove through some of the mountain passes. Think mpv should be doable although now that I think back, I don't recall seeing mpv and/or camper vans through the mountain passes.

 

I drove an x1 and most of the cars I saw were either SUV, sedans and hatchbacks. Largest I've seen was the Toyota Prado land cruiser and Audi Q7.

 

But like I said, I think definitely no problem. Just go slow and be careful.

 

Edit: ok I remember seeing Toyota estima and Toyota hiace camper vans from jucy. But they were going really really slowly. Not sure is it because of safety reasons or lack of power.

Edited by RCTP
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If rent MPV, nothing less than 3L. Otherwise, good luck.

 

Since you are THE only driver, better get yourself fit to drive.

 

Lastly practice long hour driving

 

wah serious arrh?

 

i wonder the Kia Carnival is what cc - i better check...

 

but i think it's already the largest cc MPV, prob bigger engine than the van-like Hyundai iMax, which was sluggish but could get us going without any problem during our Aust trips.

 

wife did help to drive one stretch for 1-1.5 hr at that time, when we were going from Perth to the Pinnacles and back, which was a ~3+ hr one-direction trip...

maybe will need her to drive again at some point too, from what is described...

 

i've already planned to buy chewing gum when we land, to chew when driving long distance [sweatdrop]

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wah serious arrh?

 

i wonder the Kia Carnival is what cc - i better check...

 

but i think it's already the largest cc MPV, prob bigger engine than the van-like Hyundai iMax, which was sluggish but could get us going without any problem during our Aust trips.

 

wife did help to drive one stretch for 1-1.5 hr at that time, when we were going from Perth to the Pinnacles and back, which was a ~3+ hr one-direction trip...

maybe will need her to drive again at some point too, from what is described...

 

i've already planned to buy chewing gum when we land, to chew when driving long distance [sweatdrop]

If diesel still ok. Diesel got torque.

 

Certain stretch of roads on South Island is winding like Te Anau to Milford Sound.

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If rent MPV, nothing less than 3L. Otherwise, good luck.

 

Since you are THE only driver, better get yourself fit to drive.

 

Lastly practice long hour driving

 

Nah - a 2.4 Estima is fine  - people do it day in and day out, you're not needing to do 160 km/h on the NSE here...

 

Edit: ok I remember seeing Toyota estima and Toyota hiace camper vans from jucy. But they were going really really slowly. Not sure is it because of safety reasons or lack of power.

 

A combination of both - campervans tend to be high roof and very "tippy" - the drivers tend to be unfamiliar with the roads in cars that handle poorly (due to increased height and weight) and because of the extra weight the cars have poor power to weight

If diesel still ok. Diesel got torque.

 

Certain stretch of roads on South Island is winding like Te Anau to Milford Sound.

 

If you are renting a diesel vehicle bear two things in mind

  1. Diesel is about 60 cents per litre cheaper than petrol (petrol at the moment is $2.40 per litre in Christchurch)
  2. Diesel has road user charges of 6 cents per km - not as bad as it sounds (even if you do a massive 3,000 km, which is really a lot, it's still only $180, which will be more than paid for by fuel savings) but do check if this is included in the rental or if you have to pay extra (the company I work for charges for Road User Charges)

 

ha ha... yah, thought of him too, but he's now only here occasionally leh. dunno when he will login again...

 

serious or not, rental company boss huh? Then must look for him confirmed...

 

I not boss I floor sweeper leh...

You dun anyhow promote me or boss will humtum me

re: 6 pax - question the rental company carefully about the car

I share premises with a chinese company - I have seen them trying to fit their luggage in a car too small and it is to laugh at them

 

Be careful also about Estima - for some, the back row folds flat under floor with split fold - this kind 6 pax with the luggage described can

For others it the back row slides foward with the bench lifting up - this kind you won't fit (as to have luggage space the entire back row gone case)

Be careful also some Estima are 7 seater - middle row is captains seats

 

Also take note - kids under 7 must be in child seat

Wife has been planning for a family vacation to NZ this Dec.

 

Apart from our family of 4, we'll be bringing my parents along too.

 

Will be going to South Island only, for about 12 days. We're planning to rent a MPV to move around. Am looking at renting a Kia Carnival. Is this MPV suitable for the type of terrain typical of NZ?

 

The tentative itinerary that wife has planned (i copy and paste) is:

 

 

Christchurch   

Train ride Christchurch to Greymouth railway station

Franz Josef/Fox Glacier

 

do helicopter

Wanaka tree

puzzling world

Waiorau Snow Farm ??

 

coach cruise coach to milford sound

 

glowworm caves

 

Queenstown

 

gondola ride

 

The Lakes

 

gem alpaca tour

church of the good shepherd

lavender farm

 

Mount John University Observatory

Commodore Hotel Christchurch Airport

 

 

Antartic centre

 

 

Any comments on this, and anyone has any other suggestions? Any must-do things that we've left out?

 

tks....

 

re: Mount John - the other thing you can do is a guided tour of the stars in the Tekapo Springs Hot Pools -

I've heard really great reports about this, it is far more layman than Mnt John - but of course will depend on the guide on the night.  they give you floating pillows and you lie back in hot pools and get told about the stars.

 

re: flying to Queenstown from CHCH - I wouldn't, not with 6 pax, the costs don't stack up.  You can do Q/Town to Christchurch in 5 hours rather easily if you're not stopping.

 

Also - most rental car companies will offer Christchurch pickup and Q/Town dropoff or reverse.  Both are international airports.

 

 

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CHC-Franz josef/fox-wanaka-queenstown all normal roads (except this snow farm u mentioned).

I would prefer not to do a coach trip and just drive to te anau where the glowworm cave is, then drive to milford sound and back by yourself. 

Queenstown - milford sound and back within 1 day is very tiring. Best not to do as one driver. i drove to te anau, did the glow worm cave in afternoon to early evening. Then drove to milford sound in early morning to catch the 10+am cruise. Cos the buses usu reach around lunch or after lunch time and it spoils the place.

 

Queenstown to te anau is about <2 hrs. Te anau to milford sound pier is probably 1.5-2 hrs 1 way but u can stop along the way at mirror lakes and several other places. The view when u are coming back from milford sound is very nice. But u can stop along the road to view back.

The view between queenstown and wanaka is nice as well.

 

Re: Train ride - there are actually two, there's the trans-alpine to greymouth, and the trans-scenic to Picton.

For the transalpine you can do Christchurch to Greymouth and back in one day - this is a LONG day and very tiring, you leave early morning get back at 6+ - I understand you get about 30 min in either Arthur's Pass or Greymouth - what may work here is a NIGHT in either place - there are scenic walks and stuff to do.

 

One place I LOVED (but I'm a boring old fart) was the Wigram Airforce Museum in Christchurch, hearing about the planes and what was done her during and after the war was great.  (but not everybody is like me)

 

If you like machinery and stuff - there are also tours of the Hydro Dams - this is something I want to do

 

Eating in Christchurch - if you are hanging out for Dim Sum there's a yum cha place called Foo San, close to the University that's good.  Skip Daphne's place, the things are all pre-made.

 

For chinese dinner - go to Joyful in Riccarton road - my wife had her graduation dinner there more than 20 years ago and they still going strong, Chef is a honkee, food is really good.

 

For western - we go to Lone Star a lot, servings are HUGE.  For Indian - go to Maharajah in Papanui Road, great ambience, good food and good service.

 

Remember - in Christchurch, nothing is very far, if you're driving, barring rush hour traffic nothing will be more than 20 minutes away

wah serious arrh?

 

i wonder the Kia Carnival is what cc - i better check...

 

but i think it's already the largest cc MPV, prob bigger engine than the van-like Hyundai iMax, which was sluggish but could get us going without any problem during our Aust trips.

 

wife did help to drive one stretch for 1-1.5 hr at that time, when we were going from Perth to the Pinnacles and back, which was a ~3+ hr one-direction trip...

maybe will need her to drive again at some point too, from what is described...

 

i've already planned to buy chewing gum when we land, to chew when driving long distance [sweatdrop]

 

My personal car is a Carnival - 3.5 litre V6.

It's a REAL drinker (think in the likes of 8km / litre if you're lucky)

be careful of the seating configuration, and make sure you understand what you are getting.

MOST rental car companies only offer Estima, there are a few that offer Carnival or Elgrand or iMax

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i went in 2011, only drove into CHC to see the quake damaged areas (i stayed at a motel near the airport as it was an early departure).

 

Re: Train ride - there are actually two, there's the trans-alpine to greymouth, and the trans-scenic to Picton.

For the transalpine you can do Christchurch to Greymouth and back in one day - this is a LONG day and very tiring, you leave early morning get back at 6+ - I understand you get about 30 min in either Arthur's Pass or Greymouth - what may work here is a NIGHT in either place - there are scenic walks and stuff to do.

 

One place I LOVED (but I'm a boring old fart) was the Wigram Airforce Museum in Christchurch, hearing about the planes and what was done her during and after the war was great.  (but not everybody is like me)

 

If you like machinery and stuff - there are also tours of the Hydro Dams - this is something I want to do

 

Eating in Christchurch - if you are hanging out for Dim Sum there's a yum cha place called Foo San, close to the University that's good.  Skip Daphne's place, the things are all pre-made.

 

For chinese dinner - go to Joyful in Riccarton road - my wife had her graduation dinner there more than 20 years ago and they still going strong, Chef is a honkee, food is really good.

 

For western - we go to Lone Star a lot, servings are HUGE.  For Indian - go to Maharajah in Papanui Road, great ambience, good food and good service.

Remember - in Christchurch, nothing is very far, if you're driving, barring rush hour traffic nothing will be more than 20 minutes away


 

My personal car is a Carnival - 3.5 litre V6.

It's a REAL drinker (think in the likes of 8km / litre if you're lucky)

be careful of the seating configuration, and make sure you understand what you are getting.

MOST rental car companies only offer Estima, there are a few that offer Carnival or Elgrand or iMax

 

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Now that I have filled almost the entire page -
Yes I do manage a rental car company, and would say that not all are created equal.

Each has their own strengths and weaknesses and how they do things.

I share my premises with two other companies, and we each do things differently.

One of the big guys that I share with are HITCH car rentals, I have seen people waiting here an hour or more to get cars.
At the same time - their cars are relatively new and mostly pretty cheap.
One thing - when you rent the car make sure of the insurance situation - some companies take a bond for the insurance excess, some don't - check this before you leave (if they ask for a $3k bond unexpectedly you won't be able to spend this money)
Also - if you are booking the car through an agent, take care with their insurance options - sometimes any extra insurance you take is through the agent and not with the rental car company direct.  If this happens - the rental car company will still want the full bond, and if there is an accident they take from you and then you claim from the agent you booked with


i went in 2011, only drove into CHC to see the quake damaged areas (i stayed at a motel near the airport as it was an early departure).

 

In 2011 the City was a MESS - it's getting much better now with much more to do in the central city

Depending on the ages of the kids, one fun place is the Margaret Mahy Playground - my 8 year old loves it

 

Also - the Christchurch Museum can be fun - there's some pretty cool interactive exhibits, and the last time I went they had a competition where the kids had to find eggs in the exhibits (they had fun with this)

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wah serious arrh?

 

i wonder the Kia Carnival is what cc - i better check...

 

but i think it's already the largest cc MPV, prob bigger engine than the van-like Hyundai iMax, which was sluggish but could get us going without any problem during our Aust trips.

 

wife did help to drive one stretch for 1-1.5 hr at that time, when we were going from Perth to the Pinnacles and back, which was a ~3+ hr one-direction trip...

maybe will need her to drive again at some point too, from what is described...

 

i've already planned to buy chewing gum when we land, to chew when driving long distance [sweatdrop]

 

Must also buy L&P,

Pineapple Lumps, Sultana Pasties, Mallowpuffs, oddfellows and curiously strong mints.

If you fly into Christchurch and drive south - stop at the Cookie Time factory for cookies to munch - they are really really nice.

If driving to Tekapo from ChCh - got to Fairlie Pies - they have the best pies in NZ! (just google famous Fairlie Pies)

Be sure to donwload google maps off line.  With this, you won't need GPS.  If you download OFFLINE version - you won't use data and it will still work even if you lose mobile connection (there are deadspots in rural areas).

Most places in NZ - it is "one road" - once you are on the highway (which is actually one lane each direction) you just follow the signs.

 

BTW - here are some NZ driving tips

Edited by Darryn
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careful when driving a campervan around dunedin town. The buildings' roof awnings protrude over some streets. I grazed one unknowingly, a witness called the cops and got into a mini cop chase  :a-noway:

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Now that I have filled almost the entire page -

Yes I do manage a rental car company, and would say that not all are created equal.

Each has their own strengths and weaknesses and how they do things.

I share my premises with two other companies, and we each do things differently.

One of the big guys that I share with are HITCH car rentals, I have seen people waiting here an hour or more to get cars.

At the same time - their cars are relatively new and mostly pretty cheap.

One thing - when you rent the car make sure of the insurance situation - some companies take a bond for the insurance excess, some don't - check this before you leave (if they ask for a $3k bond unexpectedly you won't be able to spend this money)

Also - if you are booking the car through an agent, take care with their insurance options - sometimes any extra insurance you take is through the agent and not with the rental car company direct.  If this happens - the rental car company will still want the full bond, and if there is an accident they take from you and then you claim from the agent you booked with

 

In 2011 the City was a MESS - it's getting much better now with much more to do in the central city

Depending on the ages of the kids, one fun place is the Margaret Mahy Playground - my 8 year old loves it

 

Also - the Christchurch Museum can be fun - there's some pretty cool interactive exhibits, and the last time I went they had a competition where the kids had to find eggs in the exhibits (they had fun with this)

 

Wow, thanks for all the inputs and replies... Will take time to go through all - and to let wife (who's doing the planning) read.

 

must ask this first:

How's the rental car company you're working for? Got suitable vehicle to rent or not? [laugh]

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Stick to the speed limits. The cops there don't give chance, especially near towns. 1 mph over also get pulled over.

 

The bends are marked with recommended speed limits which are not overly cautious. Keep within the posted speed and you will be fine in most vehicles. Unless renting a sports saloon, then can take at a higher speed.

 

For my drive, I rented a big-engined Falcon and Holden before these became extinct in the rental business. Great fun to drive over hills, and around curves. The Falcon was sure footed and so I exceeded the recommended cornering speeds.   

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Wow, thanks for all the inputs and replies... Will take time to go through all - and to let wife (who's doing the planning) read.

 

must ask this first:

How's the rental car company you're working for? Got suitable vehicle to rent or not? [laugh]

 

Some places I like most in South Island - Kaikoura (and nearby Ohau),  Hanmer Springs, besides the usual Milford Sound, Tekapo etc.  Nothing much in the northern parts but the ferry to North Island was interesting.

 

More activities in North Island, but more scenic in the south.

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Wow, thanks for all the inputs and replies... Will take time to go through all - and to let wife (who's doing the planning) read.

 

must ask this first:

How's the rental car company you're working for? Got suitable vehicle to rent or not? [laugh]

Of course got car...

I'd go for estima with split fold rear seats.

Carnival is fine if you can get

Most rental companies that have friendly pricing wont guarantee a specific model

Look at Pegasus ....

I work in the christchurch branch

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