Help with a travel itinerary to NZ
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Just thought I would throw this out there and hope to hear suggestions.
Wife and I decided we don't need to go to Aussie for a couple of years, and may just do NZ holidays .
So at end of April we heading south, booked to fly to Christchurch, have a day there at this stage, then do the Tranzalpine railway trip. We then pick up a rental car, and have at this stage booked a night in Greymouth, then 3 nights Hokitika. Kind of hoping for suggestions what to look at etc, perhaps a few walks (remembering I an old bugger, so not too hard).
After that we will have about 3 days until we fly back out of Chch, so am thinking stopping Arthurs Pass, and maybe Castle Hill, but keen to hear ani ideas etc. -
@Dan54 said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
Just thought I would throw this out there and hope to hear suggestions.
Wife and I decided we don't need to go to Aussie for a couple of years, and may just do NZ holidays .
So at end of April we heading south, booked to fly to Christchurch, have a day there at this stage, then do the Tranzalpine railway trip. We then pick up a rental car, and have at this stage booked a night in Greymouth, then 3 nights Hokitika. Kind of hoping for suggestions what to look at etc, perhaps a few walks (remembering I an old bugger, so not too hard).
After that we will have about 3 days until we fly back out of Chch, so am thinking stopping Arthurs Pass, and maybe Castle Hill, but keen to hear ani ideas etc.I don't think you need 4 nights combined in Greymouth and Hokitika.
Why not do 2 nights in Hokitika, drive up to Westport via the Punakaiki Rocks, stay a night there if you want then head up to Denniston for a look around, through Lewis Pass later that day, taking your time as needed then a night or two in Hanmer?
You've already seen Arthur's Pass in the TranzAlpine, so it feels like a double up to drive back through there if you have time.
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Point Elizabeth walk just north of Greymouth is the most popular that would suit there I think. If that's too long or you want something flatter then plenty of people simply walk along the Northern end of the cycle/wilderness trail which follows the beach near Greymouth.
When in Hokitika the gorge tends to be the popular tourist spot. Hoki in general is quite easy to stroll around as the beach is right alongside the business district, which helps it feel more tourist-friendly than Greymouth.
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Just note the Coast will be quiet this time of year-tourist season essentially just finished. I live in Greymouth so feel free to dm any specifc questions if you have any issues.
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@HugeCarrot2 said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
Just note the Coast will be quiet this time of year-tourist season essentially just finished. I live in Greymouth so feel free to dm any specifc questions if you have any issues.
Cheers HC2 appreciate that.
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@HugeCarrot2 said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
When in Hokitika the gorge tends to be the popular tourist spot. Hoki in general is quite easy to stroll around as the beach is right alongside the business district,
Hokitika is a great spot to base yourself for the Coast. Very cruisy, enough amenities to have fun, right by the beach.
Pro tip: if you're staying on the Coast, don't get accommodation in a multistorey building or (if you can avoid it) a brick building. The Alpine Fault will let go at some point, and you don't want to be inside one of those if you can possibly avoid it. Timber is your friend.
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Been in NZ for a few days now, having arrived Friday in Auckland and just today drove down Highway 1 to Roturua..... Thought Auckland was a lovely city, did a boat tour in the harbour from the NZ maritmne museum.
Love it tbh...... To say its clean is an understatement, every part of NZ we have seen so far is spotless and immaculate, the drivers are all very courteous too even when I am driving a tad too cautious and slow no-one is giving me a hard time and have loved the green rolling hills of Waikato en route to Rotorua.
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@nonpartizan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
Been in NZ for a few days now, having arrived Friday in Auckland and just today drove down Highway 1 to Roturua.....
Love it tbh...... To say its clean is an understatement, every part of NZ we have seen so far is spotless and immaculate, the drivers are all very courteous too even when I am driving a tad too cautious and slow no-one is giving me a hard time and have loved the green rolling hills of Waikato en route to Rotorua.
Welcome mate. I hope the trip is everything you hoped it would be
If you are still there and want a yummy dinner option, this place is great
El Mexicano Zapata Cantina https://share.google/ZVmonRAVC512wnxOL
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@canefan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
@nonpartizan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
Been in NZ for a few days now, having arrived Friday in Auckland and just today drove down Highway 1 to Roturua.....
Love it tbh...... To say its clean is an understatement, every part of NZ we have seen so far is spotless and immaculate, the drivers are all very courteous too even when I am driving a tad too cautious and slow no-one is giving me a hard time and have loved the green rolling hills of Waikato en route to Rotorua.
Welcome mate. I hope the trip is everything you hoped it would be
If you are still there and want a yummy dinner option, this place is great
El Mexicano Zapata Cantina https://share.google/ZVmonRAVC512wnxOL
It is, thanks, tbh it is surpassing all of our expectations which were relatively high to begin with. My sons words were "it is the best maintained place I've ever been".
I think we are around the corner from that restaurant, appreciate the tip.
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@nonpartizan if you’re planning doing the Luge in Rotorua, make sure you hit the dip perfectly straight as you will get airborne…
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@nonpartizan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
@canefan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
@nonpartizan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
Been in NZ for a few days now, having arrived Friday in Auckland and just today drove down Highway 1 to Roturua.....
Love it tbh...... To say its clean is an understatement, every part of NZ we have seen so far is spotless and immaculate, the drivers are all very courteous too even when I am driving a tad too cautious and slow no-one is giving me a hard time and have loved the green rolling hills of Waikato en route to Rotorua.
Welcome mate. I hope the trip is everything you hoped it would be
If you are still there and want a yummy dinner option, this place is great
El Mexicano Zapata Cantina https://share.google/ZVmonRAVC512wnxOL
It is, thanks, tbh it is surpassing all of our expectations which were relatively high to begin with. My sons words were "it is the best maintained place I've ever been".
I think we are around the corner from that restaurant, appreciate the tip.
It's family run, outside the main tourist part, the food is great and the staff were lovely last time I went (a couple of years ago)
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@canefan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
@nonpartizan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
@canefan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
@nonpartizan said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
Been in NZ for a few days now, having arrived Friday in Auckland and just today drove down Highway 1 to Roturua.....
Love it tbh...... To say its clean is an understatement, every part of NZ we have seen so far is spotless and immaculate, the drivers are all very courteous too even when I am driving a tad too cautious and slow no-one is giving me a hard time and have loved the green rolling hills of Waikato en route to Rotorua.
Welcome mate. I hope the trip is everything you hoped it would be
If you are still there and want a yummy dinner option, this place is great
El Mexicano Zapata Cantina https://share.google/ZVmonRAVC512wnxOL
It is, thanks, tbh it is surpassing all of our expectations which were relatively high to begin with. My sons words were "it is the best maintained place I've ever been".
I think we are around the corner from that restaurant, appreciate the tip.
It's family run, outside the main tourist part, the food is great and the staff were lovely last time I went (a couple of years ago)
Canefan, I took you up on that - it was as good as you said. Thanks.
Was able to go to the national kiwi hatchery and saw two kiwi birds, one older who will not be able to survive in the wild and a younger one who is being raised to be released into the wild. Also, had the added bonus of seeing someone training a sheepdog - 3 sheep in a closed pen and the dog being trained on voice command to corral them.
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@voodoo said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
@nonpartizan if you’re planning doing the Luge in Rotorua, make sure you hit the dip perfectly straight as you will get airborne…
We rode the gondola but just because of time constraints did not do any rides...... Probably dodged a bullet there.
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Thanks for your assistance in planning an epic trip.
Some highlights were the drive from Taupo to Waitomo - beautiful countryside, stunning and capped off by coming into Te Kuiti. There was a Colin and Stan Meads exhibition in the tourist office (which we just stumbled upon) with lots of his memorabilia including his first All Blacks jersey. One of the locals took us down to where he farmed and it was a magical experience.
Then on our last day we had time to kill en route to Auckland so.stopped off in Pukekohe and Counties were training right next to the stadium. Watched that for half an hour or so and then asked for directions to Wellesley college - again, pretty magical to see where Jonah went to school and the fields he played on.
Overall, incredible trip, got to see Auckland, Rotorua , Taupo, Waitomo, Raglan, Hamilton, Tauranga and the Coromandel peninsula. Very beautiful country, pristine tbh and can't wait to visit again.
Thanks again.
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@nonpartizan Unfortunately TSF died on the day of the Hamilton test as I was going to post a couple of options to watch either a 1st XV game or club SF game before the AB test. Good to read you had a great time and I hope you got the obligatory photo with the Colin Meads statue in Te Kuiti, and enjoyed your rugby experience at FMG.
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@Bovidae said in Help with a travel itinerary to NZ:
@nonpartizan Unfortunately TSF died on the day of the Hamilton test as I was going to post a couple of options to watch either a 1st XV game or club SF game before the AB test. Good to read you had a great time and I hope you got the obligatory photo with the Colin Meads statue in Te Kuiti, and enjoyed your rugby experience at FMG.
Thanks, yeah no worries, I could not access TSF and I was assuming that it was just problems being overseas on the internet with my cell phone. We ended up going to the Fraser Tech clubhouse to park but the game that was being played just finished as we pulled in.
Te Kuiti was such an unplanned bonus, nothing more than dumb luck - I knew that Colin Meads was from that neck of the woods (King country) but it wasn't till I saw the Waitete ground and the signs that I realized we had stumbled upon his hometown. The drive from Taupo to Te Kuiti was just so wonderful that this experience was the icing on the cake.
Driving in the countryside in New Zealand is so enjoyable. At some points in Waikato we did not see another car for miles upon miles and you are surrounded by this stunning greenery with just some sheep and cattle dotted on the landscape.
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@nonpartizan right! And yet last time I was home, every plonker was moaning about the state of the roads and traffic. I live in south London and the main way out is the M25 or country lanes...
