Travel Answers

West Coast

6 of us are going to NZ end March and three are taking helicopter ride to top of glacier and three of us would like to do the trek preferably not the all day one because of our time schedule. Any suggestions please?

I am trying to plan my New Zealand itinerary for June 2012. I have the first half of the trip planned which starts in Queenstown, detours to Milford Sound, then continues up to Haast. We spend the night in Haast and then plan to see the glaciers. Any help with the following questions, would be much appreciated. 1. We are on somewhat of a budget but still want to see the glaciers. Is it necessary to pay for a guided trip or can you get a similar idea of them by walking as far as you can without a guide? 2. After seeing the glaciers, we have three more days and and two nights left. Our ending destination will be Christchurch. Can anyone give me some highlights of the upper half of the south island? We have a rental car and don't mind driving so long as it is around two hours a day which is what we have averaged every day of the trip to this point. We are mainly interested in seeing the beauty of the island. Thanks in advance.

We wil be in South Island from 23 Oct - 1st Nov 2011. There will be around 21 -26 adults. We had identified hotels/places to stay in Christchurh, Queenstown, Te Anau and Wanaka. Only one last place remain very elusive, i.e. Fox Glazier.Can someone please recommend us a good view/location but cheap lodging for the above adults preferably staying close together for a night on the 30 Oct? We are budget travellers. What we need is a clean place to sleep as most of the time we will be out of the hotel.As "cheap" is very relative, would appreciate if we can get an overview of the 'cheap' lodging in Fox Glazier or maybe even in FJ Glazier

I would like an honest opinion from someone who have been to the FJ glacier with the FJ Guides. I am definitely going to FJ in March in a small group (all small sized ladies) and we need to decide on full day or half day tour. Which is recommended (although the difference is mentioned on the FAQ of the website)? I am not very fit - I would be able to walk for whole day in shopping malls, but not sure when it comes to glacier what would be the fitness level required. Please give me some opinion. Thanks very much!

Hi, I've came up with a draft itinerary as below. Appreciate some advice / suggestions on things to do along the way, and also any place I've missed out that is worth going along the route I'm traveling. Thanks in advance for your time and advice. :) Day 1 Reach Picton by ferry from Wellington around noon Travel to Punakaiki - probably stop by nelson on the way Stay overnite at Punakaiki Day 2 Visit Pancake rocks and nearby attractions. Any suggestions Then continue on to Fox Glacier/Franz Joseph Glacier - stop by Greymouth along the way. Stay overnite at Greymouth? Day 3 After visiting Glacier for half day trekking, then continue journey to Christchurch via Greymouth, then Arthur's Pass. Stay overnite somewhere between Greymouth and Christchurch? Day 4 Continue to Christchurch. Visit attractions in Christchurch Day 5 Day trip to Hanmer Springs? or some other place worth going? Please suggest. Day 6. Fly back home from Christchurch.

Im in Auckland, and want to book a bus online for 1 adult and 2 kids to bus from westport to christchurch before xmas but cant find a direct bus/shutle service.. can you help!?

Hi all, I am looking for a hike (or combination of few short walks) for a total of about 90 minutes in duration. Can anyone recommend me which one is best for scenery? There are a good selection of tracks here: doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recrea... My initial pick is either Lake Matheson or The Fox Glacier Valley walk. Not sure which one is better, or if there is any better ones... Unfortunately, I don't have time to do them all... Thanks in advance!

Hi all, I am looking for a hike (or combination of few short walks) for a total of about 90 minutes in duration. Can anyone recommend me which one is best for scenery? There are a good selection of tracks here: doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recrea... Unfortunately, I don't have time to do them all... Thanks in advance!

What's the best way to spend the day in or around Greymouth without a car? Thanks, Jeff

Hi, we will be driving from Queenstown to Greymouth and have been advised to stop along the way at one of the glaciers. Does anyone know which one might be best for an overnight stay?

We're considering a heli-hike on the Franz Josef Glacier or a day walk on Fox Glacier. What time of day, in general, would provide the best views? Does the weather (and visibility) deteriorate later in the day, or do you generally find poor weather conditions early in the morning? Sissi made a good point in an earlier forum about time of day not really being applicable for heli-hikes as it's so high up, while early morning would give better photo opportunities with fewer shadows etc. Is this still the reigning opinion? Any other experiences, pearls of wisdom? Thanks.

Greetings, My wife and I will be spending several days at Fox Glacier in late November and would like to hike Gillespies Beach to view and photograph fur seals (we keep a resptful distance). I have heard it is only hikable during certain times of the day due to tides. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated. Also, if there are any other beach hikes in the area that are worthwhile for photography I would appreciate your insight. Thanks, Glen

Do you still belong to Best Western group, or another group or are you independent. I stayed at the Shining Star chalets in 2003.

I am interested in information regarding a Helihike trip on the Fox glacier. One possible date is around December 2nd. Is there a "best" time of day to take a tour? Like morning vs. afternoon. I realize the trips don't go if the weather is bad. I had read where someone stated that the morning trip might be best. Unfortunately, I think an afternoon trip would best fit our schedule, but will change plans as necessary. What do you recommend for this time of year? Thank you. Steve

Hey, Does anyone know where an English traveller could get a HIV test down the west coast of Australia. Cheers for ur help, kc

We just returned from a fabulous month in New Zealand. While in Hokitika I was looking seriously at a piece of flowered greenstone. I did not get it, but now am regreting that decision. Unfortunately, I did not get the name of the store. I believe the store I'm looking for was on the west side of Revell St, south of Weld. It was a very nice store that sold only jade, and had 4 separate rooms. If anyone could provide me with the name of the store, and either an e-mail or phone number, I would greatly appreciate it.

Need someone to climb Mt Aspiring March - April 2007. No Mountineering experience. Rock Climbing and Ski Touring in Australia for years. Cant afford500 a day for a guide any ideas?

I don't have time to visit both Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers. I would like to do a heli-hike of one. Which one would be best for this type of activity?