Big Holiday to New Zealand

[PuzzledObserver]

We have both always fancied New Zealand - thinking we might finally get round to it for a big birthday next January. Have got as far as picking up a Trail Finders brochure and been stunned by the difference between the first two suggested itineraries - 19/20 days for around £2.5K pp, and a couple of later luxury/boutique ones, similar length but over £6K!! And that’s without flights….

So, whatever we do we’re into 5 figures, which is a lot to swallow - but we will only do this once. We are (early) retired. One reason for not doing this earlier was the feeling that if you’re going to go so far, you need to go for a good long time - so I’m thinking minimum 3 weeks. More would be amazing, but obviously cost more too.

So - what is your experience of New Zealand? What do you recommend either for or against? What should we absolutely not miss? We have thought about renting a motor home, but neither of us have ever driven one, and I think a car would be more flexible. What is the general cost of living like there compared to the UK - meals out, coffees etc?

Re toilets and services - in the South Island at least the main roads go through small and medium sized towns. No motorways in the UK sense - it’s completely different to driving in the UK. It’s easy to stop off at a cafe if you want lunch. Every town also has a convenience store (called a dairy in NZ) where you can buy snacks, ice cream and often hot food like pies and chips. Every small town also has a public toilet in the main road if you just need the loo.

Another vote for a longer visit and majored on south island but two weeks in north. We went for six weeks. Longer would have been better. If you love wildlife and nature it is absolute heaven with unspoilt beauty and amazing scenery. We went just after retirement, hired a much bigger camper van than needed but liked the extra space. Really recommend as freedom to decide when and where for itinerary and flex to changeable weather eg for boat trips, helicopter rides. Also sometimes it’s the unexpected encounters that are really special and this gives more space for that than coach trips or tight, detailed itinerary.

Hate driving in UK and never driven van. Easy peasy there, way less traffic, quiet easy roads. Best bit was using a wild camping app (council approved) which showed on a map where you could park if van had toilet and own bin and was self sufficient. We stayed in stunning unspoilt spots from tiny to large with rivers, waterfalls,beaches. Amazing sunsets. Outdoor homemade meals in incredible settings. (Cheaper than eating out too) Waking up to peace and sounds of nature. All unspoilt, not a scrap of litter. People seem to really take care of their precious environment there and leave the sites without trace.

There was a great tourist radio station which played music but interrupting with info if attraction nearby eg lake, historical place, cafe. Weather mixed Jan/Feb but loved the outdoor life, feeling healthy walking, swimming, exploring every day.

So many amazing places and experiences as PP say: whale watching, meeting wild dolphins while swimming, penguins, bird watching, hiking, glow worms, Hobbiton, Queenstown rapids, finding hot springs in rivers and lakes, learning about Maori culture plants traditions, Abel Tasman, Christchurch.

Definitely make it happen sooner rather than later when you don’t know what might come up (Covid, illness etc) seize the day!

There was a great tourist radio station which played music but interrupting with info if attraction nearby
That reminds me. Do you know that your National Trust card will get you entry into Heritage New Zealand properties. HNZ doesn't have anything like as many properties as the NT but it's always nice to have a freebie.

Ah, thank you @popawheeelie and @trrk .

Great thread . Am planning on going to NZ November or March 2024 . Lots of great advice. My bestie lives in Auckland direction but am definitely going to get to South Island after reading all this great advice. Thank you

I am reviving this thread as I am looking at planning a trip to New Zealand and firstly wondered what your itinerary is @PuzzledObserver and also if anyone had anything else to add?

Particularly looking for advice and recommendations on accommodation on the road. Any hotel, motel chains to look for or avoid!

@FormerlySpeckledyHen ah….. we don’t have one. When we started looking into the costs, the idea fizzled out. I hope you get on better than I did!

EDITED for fat fingers and autocorrect

I think it depends on how much you want to be on the road. The distances don't seem that far but South Island especially csn take a long time. The main roads can often be gravel tracks in more remote places etc.

We found moving every 3ish days worked better and meant we could explore. We mostly did air bnbs but also some youth hostels as they had private rooms which worked out cheap especially in cities.
We travelled with DS1 as a baby though so wasn't bothered about being on the outskirts somewhere.

I also actually preferred being in some of the smaller towns. South Island if travelling with children then actually they can't do a lot of the glacier stuff depending on age.
We did Christchurch, Kaikora, Hammer Springs then up to Abel Tasmen then Nelson and the wine region before getting the ferry to the North.

That's funny, because when we went, I was very impressed with the roads.
If you suggest a 4 hour journey to me here in the UK, my heart sinks, but in NZ, the roads are so free of traffic they are a genuine pleasure to drive on. They don't really have motorways over there, but the roads between any place we went were all excellent. I mean, predicted times were longer on some day, but that was only because we kept getting out to take photographs ever 10 mins .

It is SUCH an easy place to travel in. Initially of course, if you are from the UK, because they drive on the left, same as us, but mostly because there is so little traffic on any road. We got a taxi in Christchurch and the driver was apologising about the traffic (there was some massive Sailing event on), and honestly, we were both thinking what a quiet, traffic free City it was, noticeably so. Then, as you travel, every tiny place you go through has toilets. Clean, open to the public, well signposted, free. We drove through lots of tiny places that were just a parade of small shops and cafes, with seemingly no 'town' but they all had toilets freely available. Then, navigating is pretty easy, as there aren't that many choices, and again, no pressure from other traffic.