Travel Answers

Hi all!

I know New Zealand/Queenstown is stunning almost any time of year. But my partner and I are looking to head down for a photography trip this autumn so our question is simple but important to us: when is the best time to visit Queenstown in the autumn? We really want to see Q'town in the "true autumn" period (when everything's just a riot of orange, red and yellow). We also recognise that the period is fleeting and the timing may shift from year to year. But we just want to maximise our chances of being there when it does happen.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Specific times (eg. "second half of April") would be most appreciated.

For background, this will be our second trip. The last was this past November - and WHAT a gorgeous country.

Thanks so much in advance!

Has anyone tried Break One Clay Target shooting? I've always wanted to do that and it looks like a great time. Any tips or info much appreciated!

Hello there I would like to travel all over the south island in this november and have no idea to pack how is the weather and would I need any equient or winter coat to visit glacier area? Cheers

Hi, my family of four (2 children aged 10 and 12), will travel to South Island in early Feb 2013. We would like to have a relax holiday without lots of driving in a day. I have made a preliminary schedule below and please comment if it is fine: ++++++ Feb 1 to 4: Stay in Queenstown to explore the Gondola and luge rides, beautiful views over Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, Coronet Peak, The Remarkable and Arrowtown Feb 5: Checkout hotel in Queenstown and drive to Te Anau (2 hours) for old steam train at Kingston and take a short walk into the last part of the Kepler track to the Moturoa Hut. Feb 6: Check out hotel in Te Anau and drive to Milford Sound from 6 a.m. (2 hours) and take Mitre Peak Cruise for the cruise to Milford Sound. Accommodation in Milford Lodge. Joint canoeing through Milford Lodge. Feb 7: Half day mountain tracking in Milford Sound. Feb 8: Check out Milford Lodge, drive to Wanaka (5 hours) for Wanaka Lake and Puzzling World. Accommodation in Wanaka. Feb 9: Check out hotel in Wanaka, drive to Fox Glacier (3 hours) for Lake Matheson and some short walks near Fox Village. Accomodation in Fox Glacier. Feb 10: Join half day tour on Fox Glacier walk, then visit Franz Josef Glacier. Accommodation in Fox Glacier. Feb 11 Check out hotel in Fox Glacier and drive to Wanaka. Accomodation in Wanaka. Feb 12 Check out hotel in Wanaka and drive back to Queenstown for Route 6, Lake Dunstan, Cromwell, Kawarau Gorge, Glenorchy, Gibbstone Valley Wine Caves and tour. Accommodation in Queenstown. Feb 13 Fly back to Auckland. +++++++++++ Thanks a lot! It appears that the accommodation in Fox Glacier is very tight as many people will go there at that time. Once the above schedule is confirmed, I need to book the accommodation in Fox Glacier soonest possible. Thanks again.

Hi, Me and my wife planing to go Queenstown & Chrischurch in early January 2013. We have planned to spent 10days over there. Our main interest on snow,mountain,lakes,falls.We will land Chrischurch first then go to Queenstown.We liked to hire a car but not sure from where it will be suitable in our journey. Could you please advise us what best interesting places we can visit during our tour.If you also please give us some tips on car hire and accommodation. Regards Ramkrishna

We are a family of 9 (4 adults, 1 senior and 4 children between 8-15 years), from INDIA. We shall be arriving in Queenstown on the 12th May 2012, at about 4.00 pm or so, from Rotorua by the Air NZ flight. We are staying the night at Crown Plaza. The next day 13th, we have kept at free, before visiting Milford Sound on the 14th May and proceeding to Franz Josef on 15th May. What is you advise for us to do on our free day? Thanks sandeep garg

Hi All, My daughter and I are travelling to NZ at the beginning of March and have been going crazy trying to plan this trip.We arrive in Queenstown and depart from Christchurch and we have 10 days to fill in. There just seems to me to be too many beautiful places to see but time is limited so can anyone give us any suggestions please of what to see and do. We are planning on hiring a car from Queenstown and driving to Christchurch taking 10 days to do the trip. Any help would be much appreciated.

We're hoping to visit Cairns, Sydney, Queenstown, and Fiji in late April to mid May 2012. I've checked weatherUnderground, and the "what to pack" section of several travel sites but I'm a bit confused. I'm used to dressing in layers but it seems that it rains frequently in OZ all year round. Is April/May really a bad time to travel? Or, would I still be comfortable in layers? Is the weather clear enough to take pictures? I live in Pennsylvania and am used to change of seasons. Are the changes in OZ more severe than here? Is NZ the same? Read more: VT Forum temporarily unavailable

Hello there! My partner and I are skiing/boarding in Queenstown from Monday 25 -Thursday 28 July and I was wondering if there are any recommended packages for ski/board hire and lift passes for Remarkables and Coronet Peak. I've been researching and have found some great rates for ski/board hire at Green Toad, but not having any luck with the actual lift passes... are there any good combo rates for both hire and lift passes? We've hired a car as well, but not sure we should drive to and from the mountains or if it's easier to just pay for the shuttle? Any advice would be very much appreciated!! Thanks from a fellow traveller, Rebecca

Hi, Is it advisable to go Milford Sound and LOTR during winter? Will the place be covered in snow? Will there be visibility issue? Any recommendation which agency shld I go with to these places? Thanks in advance!! Nora

Hi, Is it advisable to book for the day tour on the day I reach Queenstown? I'll be in Queenstown next week and still have not plan what to do on each day yet. Not too sure if I shld book later or book online now. Thanks in adv! Cheers, Nora

Hi, We are coming to Queenstown for a weeks skiing holiday in July and was wondering about ski and clothes hire for grown ups and kids. Cheers Pup018

Myself and my partner have booked our trip to South Island and are planning to drive around. I was wondering if it's safe to drive out of Queenstown during evening and to reach Christchurch early next morning? Our trip date is early-June.

I am doing all that is mentioned in the title. I was wondering if I am best to purchase some hiking shoes for the glacier hike or do most places allow you to hire them? Also am I best to take some surf shoes (shoes made out of wetsuit material) for the rafting? Your opinion would be appreciated. Angie

Is white water rafting on the shotover river in Feb a waste of time? I have read that river levels can be low so there are hardly any rapids. I don't want a calm peacefull ride

Can any one recommend a tour company for a tour to Milford Sound from Queenstown?. I'm interested in the Bus-Boat-Fly option. There seem to be a few different companies... all around550. Are there better tours than others Thanks

I found this combo package that includes: * 4WD into Skippers Canyon * Photo stops + commentary * Skippers Canyon Jet boat Ride * Helicopter Flight from Skippers to Skyline (10 minutes) * 5 x Luge Ride * Gondola ride to town Adult: NZD$289 skipperscanyonjet.co.nz/comb... It is the only one that I have seen that goes to the canyon by 4wd. Is it good value, worth doing, would the helicopter ride allow us to see great views of queenstown?. Is this a reputable company?. Thank you.

I know it's cold at this time of the year. But is the dry cold or wet cold? I'm trying to gauge what toiletries we need to bring. Thanks.

Does anyone know the EXACT LOCATION of markets in Queenstown? I read that there are markets at the Arts Centre in Christchurch, Cathedral Square and others. Do they operate in the week or only on weekends? What do they sell? Market produce or something more? Thanks.

Hi, hope this isn't too vague. But I've been tasked to look for these two venues for our trip. I know one of the things we can do in Queenstown is the gondola. But does anyone know if there's only one location that provides the gondola activity? Because I'm looking for one that also has a restaurant, according to the description. Anyone knows the FAMOUS burger joint in Queenstown? I don't know the name though. Thanks in advance.

My friends and I will be in the South Island next week for a holiday. We'll be passing by Queenstown. Would appreciate comments on what to do there, what to see and what to eat. :) If anyone has a hotel recommendation there, it would be good too! Thanks.

Hi Everyone, I'm after some unique accommodation in queenstown... Whether it be an eco village, straw bale lodge, techno backpackers, historic building or even a farm stay - anything that's different is what I'm after. Unfortunately all I've found so far are ski lodges and regular hotels... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Lauren

Hi! I'm going to be in Queenstown for 2 days in September and on the 14th I'd really like to organise a unique snow experience (day trip) for my bf and I. He's a beginner-intermediate skier and has never snow boarded, I'm an intermediate skier and beginner snow boarder. We'd love to try something unique, special or quirky in some way... snow kiting, or tubing or something that involves a helicopter... We will probably need to be on a tour of some description... Does anyone know where I might be able to organise such a trip? Everything I've googled as been a minimum of 2 days... Advice greatly appreciated!!! Thanks...

Hi all, my friend and I, both students of the fair land of Ausfailia are looking to get out and about in the world on our first backpacking trip. To where elser of course but NZ. We're touring the south island via use of the fantastic naked bus and will be stopping in CHRISTCHURCH, DUNEDIN, QUEENSTOWN, TAKEPO, NELSON and BLENHEIM and possibly making detours to surrounding regions (Milford sound, Te anau, Mount Cook, Akaroa). We've got just about everything worked out, except what to do: we have a basic idea, we're both adrenaline junkies looking for adventure and amazing scenery. Hiking is of particular interest to both of us. So what are some fun, scenic, adventurous or otherwise all around amazing experiences in the south island that you would recommend? We have about 1,500 NZD to spend, so all suggestions are very much welcome :). Also, great hiking routes anyone?

My wife and I are traveling with our daughters and are interested in traveling to the North of OZ with a focus on Nature. So far we have only secured our flight to Sydney and not have to figure out an itinerary that includes flights, places to stay, and some of the other practical considerations. It seems that OZ is a big place and we seek any advice regarding these large issues. We are used to traveling by the seat of our pants regarding bookings but it seems that this isn't the best idea given the "high" season, school holidays, etc… In addition to traveling as a destination we are interested in providing our children with international travel as a means of giving our children a bigger picture of the world. We live in San Francisco and tend to disagree with the Fisherman's wharf type suggestions that are common in many local guide books. We don't want to visit a Fisherman's Wharf - in OZ if that makes any sense. We have just over 3 weeks and don't want to spend it driving so we are looking into flights. We are very flexible but intend to fly to places like Cairns, Darwin and rent a car to explore the area before our nest flight. Thanks you in advance for any suggestions to this vague question.

Today I walked up to the top, I was wondering if anyone knew how far it actually is, must admit it was an extremely hard walk

Hi everyone! I am taking my family off to Queenstown for Easter (early April). My 7 year old son and i have done nothing but talk about all the snowboarding lessons he will do. However. Snow season doesn't start until late June. Does it? I never thought to check this when organising our holiday, and as 12 family members are going, there is no way for me to change it. Do they do fake snow anywhere, or....I guess the question i am asking is, is there anywhere my son could experience snow at this time of year in Queenstown? Thank you to all!

Myself and a mate are travelling to Queenstown from Oz in Feb next year and are trying to find some cheap accom outside of backpacker hostels. We will be hiring a car at Christchurch and driving down. Also we'd like to try and contact a couple of nice Kiwi ladies that may want to give us some company and show us around while we're there.Any ideas on how to find someone IE:websites, chat rooms etc.We are 45 and 50. Any help would be greatly appreciated

We will be in Queenstown in late Nov. We often enjoy visiting weekend markets whenever they are available. Is there any Sunday oe weekend market in Queenstown or Arrowtown that is worth exploring? We will be in Queenstown on the last Sat and Sunday of Nov 2009. We heard there is a nice weekend market in Christchurch at the Art Centre/Cathedral - unfortunately we will not be there on a weekend. Thanks. Low

I want to book an apartment at Hotel The Point but I have been told that there are works around. Is that right ? thank you for your answer Tille in Belgium