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Advice on Land Portion for NZ


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Keen to have some input from the friendly knowledgeable people here on the Aus/NZ board.

 

We are cruising AKL to SYD (where we live) Jan 2019 on Radiance [10N] - yes a while away but it comes around fast, and also want to lock-in air [syd to NZ] asap, which will be next month. DW and I love NZ but decided we would spend some time pre-cruise to see parts of the country not really accessible when cruising.

 

We have previously visited on port stops Auckland/BOI/Tauranga/Wellington/Akaroa/Dunedin/Sounds previously & we will again do these same ports on this cruise, plus Napier.

I prefer not to drive when on holiday.

 

So, initial idea is

- fly Syd to ChCh 7-10 days before departure in AKL (24-Jan) & spend a day or two there

- take the Tranz Alpine train to Greymouth & back to ChCh (either as one-day return, or stay o'nite (or longer? in Greymouth)

- take the Coastal Pacific train (should be back running by next summer) ChCh to Picton & spend a day or two there

- take the Inter-islander ferry Picton to Wellington

- pickup rental car in Wellington and make our way via Taupo & Waitomo to be in Auckland day before the cruise & stay downtown AKL that night

 

Am I crazy? Thoughts, ideas, suggestions, comments please.

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If you stayed overnight on Greymouth you could go down to Shantytown for a few hours.It's a recreated gold rush town and quite interesting. https://www.shantytown.co.nz/

 

Unless you particularly want to go to Taupo, I would suggest going from Wellington to Mt Ruapehu and staying the night at the Chateau Tongariro. Then go up through Taumaranui and through to Waitomo. You might like to stay a night in that area as well so you have time to explore the caves.

 

For a completely different suggestion, fly into Christchurch and pick up a rental car. Drive to Mt Cook and stay a night. Then drive down to Queenstown and stay a few nights. There are heaps of things to see in and around Queenstown. Fly direct to Auckland, or to Wellington and proceed as above from there.

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Just another thought - Qantas flies direct into Queenstown so why not start there, drive up to Christchurch via Mt Cook, then do the trains etc as you originally stated. It really is worth seeing the South Island high country, it's spectacular.

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Wow, you are really giving me food for thought now. Never thought of going in thru Queenstown, but that would really provide a good option. Now I'm thinking to do that & look around that area & then travel up the West Coast via Shantytown to Greymouth & then take the Tranz Alpine train to ChCh - I really think that train ride would be great, but doing it one-way may be the best option.

 

I also looked now at your option to do Wellington/Mt Ruapehu/Taumaranui/Waitomo & it looks good also.

 

Thankyou.

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It's a tough call which is best, going up the West Coast or through the middle of the South Island via Mt Cook.

 

If you do decide to go up the West Coast I'd recommend staying a night in Wanaka, and go to Wanaka from Queenstown via the Crown Ranges. The Haast Pass from Wanaka to the West Coast is very scenic so allow time to enjoy the drive. Stay a night in Franz Joseph and (if affordable) do a helicopter trip up onto the glacier. Then spend a night in Hokitika or Greymouth, depending on what time the train leaves - I think it's early afternoon. The TranzAlpine is definitely worth doing, we did it about 10 years ago.

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OK, your input led me to do some research, which has now created a heap more options for us. I had to look at a roadmap to understand about your point about Mt Cook or West Coast. Now i have a dilemma but you have certainly helped me to decide we should start in Queenstown.

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You can have it all .Start in Queenstown , spend a few days, drive via Mt Cook to Christchurch, spend a few days , then do Tranz Alpine one way and pick up another rental in Greymouth . Day on the West Coast then drive via Reefton up through Nelson to Picton.

Cross to Wellington on the InterIslander and pick up another rental for the North Island.:D

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David, just a slight detour off the topic - how are they going with restoring the road and rail links through Kaikoura that were destroyed in the earthquake? I haven't heard much about it recently.

Opens next week.

They have moved mountains . A township of porta homes was set up to house an army of men and machines , and they have really gone for it. The rail link is open and the road will be ready for Christmas.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/10/kaikoura-highway-should-be-open-by-xmas-nzta.html

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Opens next week.

They have moved mountains . A township of porta homes was set up to house an army of men and machines , and they have really gone for it. The rail link is open and the road will be ready for Christmas.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/10/kaikoura-highway-should-be-open-by-xmas-nzta.html

 

That's fantastic! What a job that must have been. :eek:

 

Thanks, David.

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Some of the places like Queenstown were the absolute highlights of our first trip to NZ.

 

If I were you, I would consider a coach trip starting in Christchurch. Many of those will have the Tranz Alpine train trip option available. Our coach trip did & nearly everyone went on it.

You can take a coach trip which only takes you through to Wellington or get one that goes all the way to Auckland.

 

The great thing about a coach trip is there is a guide so you get to know a lot about each area you pass through. You get to see a lot, you travel in comfort, never having to worry about driving, and you never have to carry your luggage.

The other unseen benefit I found was that they get the timing right. They know how long it will take to get places and you arrive with time to see things. I have a friend who organised her own driving trip & pre booked accommodation but she & her husband sometimes arrived as things were shutting & then had to be on the move the next day.

By the time you factor in accommodation, hire car, petrol, Inter islander ferry & entry into tourist attractions as well as all meals etc when you do it yourself, some coach trips are not that much dearer as the price is inclusive.

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If you are booking the Tranzalpine train trip book it in NZ or if you know someone in NZ get them to book it for you. Transrail charge a premium for their train trips if the booking is made outside NZ. For full details go to Trip Advisor NZ forums and at the top right hand corner seek out the Top question regarding transalpine train

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Thanks to all for your added info.

 

'tb4' yes it will be peak season, so we will need to bear that in mind.

 

'sherri3802' - your comments re coach tour are interesting. We have always dodged these types of tours, but it is good to know of your good experience. Something to keep in mind.

 

Does anyone have any knowledge of the 'Kruse' GPS Travel Guide http://www.krusenz.com/index.php

We used something that sounds similar to this on our Canadian Rockies self-drive tour & found it great.

 

One question - is Mt Cook a must-see, taking into account to do so we will need to either drive ChCh to Queenstown or vice versa (as per David's suggestion), or take a day trip from Queentown, or do the coach tour.

 

Thanks

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It's not just Mt Cook per se, but the scenery along the way as well. It's very different to the coastal regions, and there are some incredibly beautiful lakes as well as the high country scenery.

 

The West Coast is also very beautiful but in a very different way, you still see the mountains but from a different perspective. IMHO the best parts of the West Coast are south of Greymouth.

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Thanks again. Yes i am now thinking fly into ChCh & then travel via Mt Cook to Queenstown & then up the west coast to Greymouth & then the Tranz Alpine train to ChCh. It all looks fantastic.

 

I now need to start working backwards from arriving into Auckland on Jan 23 (for cruise on 24th) to calculate arrival date into ChCh :) I think it's going to a little earlier than original thoughts! Ah, well, we only live once.

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  • 1 month later...

UPDATE to our pre-cruise land portion before Radiance OTS Auckland to Sydney (24thJan - 3rdFeb 2019)

 

OK we have worked on this plan, taking into account all your input. I am working with a company who arranges these types of tours (with an overall package deal (accom/car/rail/ferry) & have added their input.

 

Current plan:

12th fly into ChCh - 2 nights

14th drive to Mt Cook - 1 night

15th drive to Queenstown - 2 nights

17th drive to Franz Josef - 1 night

18th drive to Greymouth & take TranzAlpine to ChCh - 1 night

19th Coastal Pacific Train to Picton - 1 night

20th Interislander to Wellington - 1 night

21st drive to Ruapehu - 1 night

22nd drive to Waitomo - 1 night (or in Hamilton)

23rd drive to Auckland - 1 night

24th embark Radiance

 

Would appreciate input please as changes can still be made. All up cost of this package (12N accom, car, 2 x train, ferry) is around $A5K for the 2 of us.

 

Ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

Cheers

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Hi, I booked our Picton to Christchurch and Chr to Grey online here in Australia and even got a pensioner discount,booked it ahead of time for discount,I would spend more time in Picton and pass through Grey Greymouth although I must say the “pancake rocks”were well worth a look.

Do go to Queenstown would be a shame to miss it,,, don’t know if the

Magic Bus is still going, kinda hop on bus long distance lots of fun

Cheers

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