Travel to New Zealand

twoface41face on 06/11/2016 - 09:19
Last edited 09/11/2016 - 21:20

Hello,
My plan is to start planning for a trip to Kiwi land next year in September going into October and it's kind of my first overseas trip in the last 6 years. So needless to say, I'm fairly excited.

I've begun planning my itinerary and I have decided to stick to the south islands. I will post it up at a later stage so the pros can critique it and others may use it.

I'm going with the girlfriend, we want to go sightseeing and we don't really drink.

One thing I need input on is car hire. For those who have done this trip, what is the cheapest or most value inclusive way of hiring a car? Eg. Book it through a travel agency or when i get to the airport or through websites while I'm in Australia etc? I've thought about a van to travell and sleep in but I've decided that I don't want to freeze to death. Also, I am not an investment analyst looking for an expensive SUV/COUPE so if there is anything else that you think I might find helpful, I will definitely be open to it.

Thanks as always for the help.

EDIT: My Itinerary thus far.

Day 1- chill in Queenstown
Day 2-
Milford sound tour and finish in Te anau (https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/AttractionProductDetail?produ…)

Car hire on day 3 in Te Anau
Te Anau caves
Lake te anau

Day 4
Dunedin
Toitu orago settlers museum
Royal albatross centre

Day 5
Drive to Tekapo
Lake Tekapo
Tekapo springs
Drive to Punakaiki

Day 6
Punakaiki
Pancake rocks (punakaiki)

Day 7
Franz Josef glacier
Glacier hotpools

Day 8
Lake Wanaka

Lake Wakatipu via Glenorchy- Queenstown road.

Glenorchy-Queenstown Road

Leaving

Travel

Comments

  • battler on 06/11/2016 - 09:49

    time of year?
    interests? skiing? walking tracks? sighseeing? nightlife?
    your age bracket perhaps?
    travelling solo?

    • twoface41face on 06/11/2016 - 10:43

      I will add it in the description. Cheers

  • altomic on 06/11/2016 - 10:38
    +3

    some important lingo -

    "choice"
    "yeah bro"
    "fush N chups"

    and to diffuse any tension-
    "the All Blacks are choice, bro, ey."

    • twoface41face on 06/11/2016 - 18:05

      Haha I'll have to the practice different combinations of words from now until departure!

  • mangoss on 06/11/2016 - 11:36
    +2

    hopefully this will save you a tonne of cash :)

    http://www.imoova.com/imoova/relocations Well known company that have been promoted on Travelzoo a fair bit - I've not used them yet but will be doing a trip next Feb with them (Well - Auck).

    Basically you pay very little ($5 a day or similar) and have to travel during certain dates, but it's a huge saving. They basically charge almost nothing so they can get the cars or camper vans back from one holiday spot to another for the next paying guests. Campervan's might have heating being so cold over the ditch, but you can ring and check first.

    Enjoy! x

    PS - they add / update availability regularly, so keep checking in.

  • orourke on 06/11/2016 - 11:45
    +1

    Late September and early October is a bit of a lull (comparatively, it'll still be fairly busy, NZ tourism is booming). You'll fly into CHCH, the cheapest car rental option I've encountered there is ACE car rental (budget subsidiary of Hertz). You can book online or call up and click through to the Christchurch branch and try to haggle a discount (5%-10% should be possible). Be aware, this is prior to the great walks season, so lots of the walking tracks (Kepler, Routeburn, Mueller Hut etc), will have snow on them and may not be suitable for walking, but that's okay, lots of things to do in NZ.

    Here are some places that you should consider visiting on your journey:

    Christchurch (1 day), Hanmer Springs, Kaikoura, Nelson, Franz Joseph or Fox Glacier, Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Dunedin (Otago Pensinula), Mount Cook Village, Lake Tekapo, Akaroa

    Obviously, you might not be able to hit all of those as that spans the entire south island, but gives you a starting point on your trip.

    There are hostels in all those places, YHA usually provides free unlimited wifi in most of their hotels, I'd recommend avoiding Base in Queenstown & Wanaka if you don't drink, it's a bit of a party scene. The YHA Lakeside and YHA Purple Cow are better laid back options. You can book a private room in the hostels for you and your girlfriend, you don't have to be in a dorm.

  • inherentchoice on 06/11/2016 - 15:59
    +1

    These threads might have some useful info:

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/267155

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/270653

  • niner on 06/11/2016 - 17:30

    Pro tip: DOn't call it kiwi land.

  • bighead on 08/11/2016 - 07:15
    +1

    I hired with Hertz for a Compact Automatic. Unlimited Km.
    I specifically asked for new tyres to be on the vehicle. IMO, Hatchback are the best for car hire if not planning on going off road. Easy to drive/park and fuel efficient (7L/100km). NZ fuel $$$ > Aus.
    I demanded new tyres, as I was planning on doing 1000+Km and wanted the grip on the windy roads of NZ. (NZ Driving was awesome).
    What Herts gave me was a brand spanking new 2016 Toyota Corolla Hatchback with only 400km. Perfect.

    Sleeping in a small car can be a bit tight, but great way to save cost. Dont recommend sleeping in a hatchback everyday. Yes. it does get cold, but we all seen titanic right ;)

    • twoface41face on 09/11/2016 - 21:22

      Thanks. That's fantastic advice. I did not know that you could request for a car with new wheels. I will definitely be doing that. Did you book it in AU for a cheaper price before heading over? Or did you do it when you arrived?

      Cheers.

      I don't think the missus will be up for sleeping the the car. However, if I put her 'Titanic style,' I may be able to we may be alright ;)

      • bighead on 10/11/2016 - 13:29

        I had Westpac organise my rental booking. Not sure if Westpac booked through Aus or NZ Hertz. Didn't credit my card till after I got back. Worked out to be appx $95 a day inc insurance ect.
        Caught a midnight flight, arrived 5ish AM in the morning. Car was ready for me to head out straight away.
        Always ask for a car upgrade, I once had a semi old Corolla upgrated to a SV6 with Thrifty.

        Make sure to buy the oranges in NZ. Taste so good compared to Melb.

        • twoface41face on 10/11/2016 - 15:10

          True that. I really appreciate the advice. I will definitely eat the oranges. I'm hoping that they have honesty boxes along the way. We usually smash them when we go rural in AU.

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