Hi,
Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a road trip or things to do in New Zealand South Island for a week in July.
I understand it will be snow season but what else would people suggest and what kind of itinerary to follow? I will be flying in and out of Christchurch and will be renting a car.
Thanks in Advance
Hiking in the winter can be quite tough. You should have some experience before doing this.
You haven’t said how many days you will be in NZ. One route you can go is head south via Tekapo to Queenstown, the head back to Christchurch via Wanaka and the glaciers. You need at least two weeks, factoring in some time some days in Queenstown and Milford etc. Also you should factor in road closures in winter, so don’t fit too many things in your itinerary.
If snow is your thing, you can always travel to Methavan for a few days of skiing, then do a few days trip to Tekapo, Dunedin.
Oh thanks. Yes Hiking in Winter can be very hard and that’s what I was thinking, the toad closures might stuff up my plans. Any idea how bad is it there to drive in Winter?
The general rule for driving during Winter if you don't have experience is don't drive before sunrise and don't drive after sunset.
A week is pretty limited time and you will be driving heaps but you could do the following:
Christchurch > Mt Cook/Lake Tepako > Queenstown (Fergburger) > Te Anau/Milford Sound > Wanaka > Christchurch
1 Day Christchurch (max)
0.5 day driving to Mt Cook/Lake Tepako
1.5 day at Mt Cook/Lake Tepako
0.5 day driving to Queenstown
1.5 day at Queenstown
1 day driving to and from Milford Sound
0.5 day driving to Wanaka
1 day at Wanaka
0.5 day driving back to Christchurch
That's 8 days
Thanks for that, would the driving and activities be fine for winter?
We went that route backward. I recommend skipping Milford Sound. 8 hours return drive for a cruise ship isn't worth it.
Don't get me wrong, it's good. But it's not 8 hours driving backand forth and $150 worth of petrol good.
What about Dunedin or Invercargill? Not worth the trip? Or would Milford Sound Be beter?
I was thinking
Christchurch > Lake Tekapo > Queenstown > Invercargill > Dunedin > Christchurch?
Would you recommend going backwards? I would assume it's easier traffic wise
Was thinking of doing something like this
https://www.newzealand.com/int/feature/south-island-discover…
id book a flight to quuenstown and rent car from there and return it to c/c to cut out some time
I just had a look and the flights are $90 each and I'm sure fuel will be cheaper for the 5 of us. Thanks though
Thanks for the help guys, will land at 11am on Monday morning and Fly out Sunday at 8pm. Unfortunately flights are already booked so I do have to come back to Christchurch.
book a flight to q/t from cc btw petrol is a disgrace over there so you save money at the very least
Don't go there. Seems there has been some shooting reported earlier today.
There are mass shootings and thousands of murders every single day in ameridumb, but it hasn't stopped people going there has it?
Just to make it clear, my comment was sarcastic
Thousands of murders per day??? More like less than 50. Average one per state per day. There were 323 "mass shootings" (4+ fatalities) last year (<1 per day).
A total of 17,250 people were reported killed (murdered) in the US in 2016.
The average homicide rate in the U.S. (2013) was 4.9 per 100,000 inhabitants compared to the average rate globally, which was 6.2.
Population ~330 million, + undocumented illegals.
Don't go to Sydney, there was a terrorist incident there.
Just to make it clear the mass shooting today which had more fatalities, also a terrorist act.
Just to make it clear, my comment was sarcastic :P
Thanks for the tip, ozy "smart traveller" boy.
Just to make it clear, my comment was sarcastic
I'm sure the shooting will be over by July. Just a guess.
true, it's not America.
Not even funny to joke about mate, its just shocking, imagine that was Australia
Stay away from mosques.
I did a week in July. My tips would be to make sure windscreens are covered in your hire agreement (heaps of marble sized rocks all over roads from graders).
Try and get a car with temp sensor, if it drops below 2C there could be black ice (especially at night). That being said, roads were fine. But you will see plenty off the side of the road.
Full contained RVs are allowed anywhere, without a toilet n shower they are limited.I did a week with an Rv. Loved it. Was minus 5,no issue at all.
Jucy give you a free lift pass in treble cone. Hired a jucy car so rv didn't need to go up the mountain. On a powder day it is amazing. On an ice day it can be brutal.
Night skiing in Queenstown was also pretty good. Good board n beer vibe up there. wasnt an ice fest.
Thanks for that, will try and get the top cover for insurance to avoid that issue. I have booked a 4X4 just to be a bit more safe on the roads. I was just worried it will be icy everywhere but thanks for confirming that :)
Just an FYI, You don't need a 4x4. Roads are fine. We drove an Rv sitting on 90 most times, an 8 seater Tarago, and a Hyundai L30. Might need to fit snow chains. We never did, but I see places were a blizzard may make it necessary.
Driving up treble cone is a mud Road. But regularly graded. No issues at all. Just a bit of a mud pit if it rains.
Should mention there is an added tax for RVs (charged maybe $6 per 100kms travelled).
Therefor Diesel is way cheaper than petrol (30c per litre in some places). The Hyundai we got was a diesel which was perfect as it was cheap on fuel, plus no Road tax needing to be paid.
I'd definitely recommend Christchurch through to Tekapo, through to Omarama, to Wanaka, to Queenstown then across central Otago to Dunedin and then head back through to Christchurch.
The drive from Christchurch to Wanaka is awesome. Omarama has awesome hot springs which can be seen here
You probably know all of the tourist attractions in Wanaka and Queenstown, it'll be easy to figure how long to spend at each. Central Otago route is Alexandra -> Roxburgh -> Milton -> Dunedin.
Stop off at Roxburgh and get a Jimmy's Pie! Dunedin is really boring, you could waste a day there and be bored. Home to the world's steepest St, some old style English buildings and not much else. The drive from Dunedin to Christchurch is about 4.5 hours.
I'd recommend staying in Christchurch, Wanaka, Queenstown, Dunedin(overnight) and finish your trip in Christchurch. All other places are ones you'll pass by while driving.
Note - In winter some roads out towards Queenstown do get closed for a short while due to ice and snow
Also, shout out if you'd like recommendations on what to do. I've been to most of those places so can give recommendations
Thanks for that and yes please do let me know, I will most likely Be doing the route as suggested.
Christchurch, Wanaka, Queenstown, Dunedin(overnight) and then back to CC.
What activities would you recommend? Any suggestions for hotels? Anything to watch out for?
Drive down to Tekapo, have a nose and look at the views from Lake Tekapo which are very very nice
Drive down to Benmore and visit the Benmore Dam, this is a nice drive. If you do this you'll have to backtrack maybe half an hour
Stop off in Omarama and visit the hot pools if that's your thing. I took my girlfriend there one Valentines Day. It's all open, water heated by a fire, private pool, would be amazing sitting in a hot pool sorrounded by frost. Check out there Facebook page for more info.
I wouldn't know where to stay in Wanaka as I haven't stayed there myself. Lots of things to do there such as outdoor activities like hiking, hike Mt Iron, you could do kayaking, a boat cruise or helicopter ride. All this is budget dependant but you can do pretty much all this in Queenstown too.
Drive down the Crown Range to Queenstown. I'm yet to drive this road but wow, the videos look amazing!
In Queenstown, I've stayed at one of the Oaks hotels. I can't remember which one. It was okay, view was amazing!
As for things to do in Queenstown, the list goes on and on. If you're an adrenaline junkie, you could do the Shotover Jet, bungee jump, helicopter rides, skydiving, hire a kayak. I'd recommend going up the Gondola and coming down on the luge, it's pretty awesome. Check out some of the bungee places, watch people do a jump! Website here
With Queenstown, it's a touristy place, be prepared to pay touristy prices.
The drive from Queenstown to Dunedin has always been just that for me, a drive.
In Dunedin, depending on the day, you may be able to visit the Farmers Market at the railway station. Attractions in Dunedin include Baldwin St, steepest street in the world, Larnachs Castle which is NZ's only castle, walk around town, there's lots of old English styled buildings, visit the botanical gardens or go for a tour at the Speights Brewery. Dunedin doesn't have much to offer but it's an okay place nonetheless. Dunedin's where I live so a lot of this is everyday stuff to me.
The drive to Christchurch is long and boring. You'll go through a few smaller cities like Oamaru and Timaru. Lots and lots of farmland on this drive, green fields. In Christchurch, you could drive the port hills, visit Lyttleton, visit the zoos, they also have an Antarctic centre.
Things to look out for - Not many, really. Down these ways gets quite cold through Winter, it can regularly freeze. Some roads over Queenstown ways will close for a couple days due to snow, these are mainly to the ski fields.
Be wary of other tourists driving those roads, there's often stories of shocking driving around winding roads in popular tourist spots.
Cash and card are both accepted pretty much anywhere, petrol is expensive :(
May be worth watching These guys on Youtube, they recently did a NZ tour
@ThatKiwiFella: As far as food recommendations go:
Everyone says Fergburger in Queenstown. Their burgers are nice, their onion rings are nicer, but I've had equally good if not better burgers in Australia.
Try Cookietime biscuits, they have a shop in Queenstown and one just out of Christchurch.
Good pub style food you can get at Lonestar and Speights Ale House.
Try a Jimmy's pie or some pies from some cafes, I much prefer NZ pies to Australias. Jimmys Pie shop is in Roxburgh.
Try a cheese roll at a cafe in Dunedin, this is a very southern food, you can't buy these anywhere further north than Christchurch I think.
Have some fish n chips with a ton of Watties Tomato sauce - You can't beat it!
Other than that, Tripadvisor or Facebook will be your friend!
What ever you do, keep in mind the following:
Source: just came back from three weeks in South Island.
What was your itinerary out of curiosity?
Fantastic skiing all around the South Island
NZ is cold in Winter. Take warm clothes!
Perhaps try changing your end destination so that you don't have to drive all the way back.
If you enjoy nature and hiking, I recommend you leave Christchurch almost immediately and head towards Lake Tekapo. Its absolutely beautiful!
Then head to Mount Cook and do a couple of hikes. I recommend the hike to Mueller's Hut (you can even stay in the hut overnight).
Then Wanaka, Milford Sound and Queenstown (Fergburger!).
If you're super keen, I recommend Dunedin.