Queenstown Travel Forum

Hi,
We are travelling to Queenstown in last week of September - just wondering what weather we can expect and also if anyone can advise on best route to take between Christchurch and Queenstown - hiring car in Christchurch.

The weather is anyone's guess, but September can be quite settled - cold, but hope for clear skies.

There are a couple of nice routes you could take:

Maybe head out via Ashburton to Fairlie and visit Lake Tekapo, over the Lindis Pass and on to Queenstown.
OR follow the coast alsmost as far as Dunedin (about 4/5 hours) and head out over Central Otago via Ranfurly and the rail trail settlements. The coast road can be stright and a little dull till you reach Timaru, but after that follows some beautiful coast including Moeraki with it's famous boulders.

Really, however you get to Queenstown the scenery will be superb.

My favourite route from Chch to Queenstown is not along SH1 but via Scenic Drive SH72 via Rakaia Gorge to Geraldine (lovely little town!) and then inland past Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki (detour to Mt. Cook). After Twizel (next town to Mt. Cook) you can visit Lake Ohau (a bit off the beaten path), then carry on via Omarama (Clay Cliffs, gliding) to Lindis Pass - one of NZ's most spectacular pass roads. Next you drive along Lake Dunstan, coffee stop at Tarras, the home of Shrek the Sheep, Cromwell (fruit and wine), from there turn towards Arrowtown and Queenstown, through the Kawarau Gorge, past the Bungee Jump.

Weatherwise, as Alison already said, everything is possible but driving should not be too difficult in September. There will still be snow in/on the mountains but the roads should be clear.

You can check road conditions on the AA website:

http://www.aaroadwatch.co.nz/

Thanks so much - sounds beautiful - we've been told the drive should take about 6 hours, is that right?

I'd say you might be looking at nearer 8 hours. It's not a drive you would want to rush, 6 would be pushing it I think.

Yes, Alison is right. You can do it in 6 hours only if your car has wings ;-) The distance is nearly 500km. I highly recommend to take it slowly and make the trip in 2 or 3 days, so you can enjoy some of the spectacular scenery along the way.

Hi, I'm planning a trip to Christchurch and planned to drive from Christchurch to Queenstown and then back to Christchurch. Any recommended place to stop by for the night? Are there hotels/motels on the route or only campgrounds are available? Roughly how many nights do I need to spend for the whole trip in order to see as much as possible? Thanks alot.

Plenty of accommodation along the way, from luxury hotels to motels, B&B's and yes, also campgrounds. Best places to stay are Lake Tekapo (township), Twizel (or directly in Mt. Cook Village) and Wanaka. Depends on how much time you have for the trip. I have posted plenty of accommodation tips on my Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo, Wanaka and Canterbury pages. Please check there.

You can also find accommodation on Jason's etc. Big list of directories on my NZ page.

I've got 7 nights, arriving and departing via Christchurch. Do you think it is advisable to go around the whole island or is it better to choose few "must-go" and spend more time on those? What's the average temperature like first week of December? Will it be really cold still? Thanks for your answers.

Hi there, under "normal" circumstances the weather should be fine and warm at the start of december - but what is normal referring to weather in these days? ;-) So everything is possible - from a splendid start of summer to far too low temperatures and rain. We have had it all in the past years. But let's be optimistic and hope for a nice december as it should be.

With 7 nights you will not get around the whole island, so you have to make your choice and decide what is important for you. I would take the inland route from Christchurch to Queenstown, as indicated, spend time at Lake Tekapo, Mt. Cook National Park, Wanaka and the Queenstown area, and there should be time for visiting Milford Sound from there.

Of course, it would also be possible to make a completely different trip, for example making a loop and getting back to Christchurch via the West Coast. But I had the impression you wanted to just drive from Chch to Queenstown and then get out from there via airplane.

To really travel around the South Island and see most must-dos you would need 3 to 4 weeks.

Hi Kakapo,
Thank you for information, if i had not searched for it i would have missed out.
Now i seek you advice and i have no time as i have reservations to make ..
Now of all the wonderful places you mentioned I would like to add doubtful sound and Milford sound. I am starting Christchurch during Dec vacation and have 4 nights. Please can you advise me the breakup ..
Example where to do break journey and stay. How much time does it take to see each place..
1. I want to do Bungi Jumping ( if there is better place then this and more thrill i can pass it as i am here to stay for long)
2. I want to visit each of the these lakes and take pictures from professional photographers
3. Cruise is it just passing in water (I have done a lot, any spl while cruising in Milford or Doubtful sound -- frank opinion please so that i can do proper planning and amount of time i have to spend)
4. How much time it takes at Lake Takapo and Lake Pukaki if i am just to enjoy . take pictures and walk around
Time at Rakaia Gorge ??
Time at Omarame (Clay cliffs, Gliding)
Time at Lindi Pass
Time at lake Dunstan
Time at Cromwell
So which place to book my stay at night I have 4 nights and 5 days including travel.

-- I dont plan to take my car, i want to take a bus .. so i wait for your reply
Thank you so much.

Regards
--Anand

Do you want to tell me/us that you have four nights in total? And you want to travel by bus...

This is a difficult task...

What I did not completely understand is if you will stay in Queenstown for longer after your 5 days/4 nights trip. Please specify this - otherwise I would always tell you that you should spend 2 days in the region. If you have no further time in Queenstown I would say your itinerary with both sounds (Milford and Doubtful) is too ambitious.

When you travel by bus you have no chance to get to the Clay Cliffs. You would need a lot of luck and find someone in Twizel or Omarama who goes there and gives you a lift. So you cannot plan this. You would need at least 2 hours from the turn-off on the State Highway.

You drive along Lake Dunstan, no bus would stop there. It is not a very spectacular lake, just great for boating and other water sports. You do not have to stay at Cromwell either, it is just a good place for buying fruit and wine tasting, orchard and vineyard tours. You can also do this in the Queenstown area. Tarras is about five houses, Shrek the sheep cannot be visited. It just has this great café. So no real tourist destination.

There is an Intercity bus connection via Methven but I do not know if they stop at the Rakaia Gorge. You would have to contact Intercity: www.intercity.co.nz
15 to 20 minutes would be sufficient to enjoy the views of the gorge, as a carpark is just a short walk from the bridge from where you have the best views.

Perhaps the bus stops at one of the great lookouts of Lindis Pass... This is really about the views and the atmosphere, and this can be well enjoyed while driving and looking out the window...

Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki are places where you could easily spend a day or more. As you have very limited time you cannot do a lot more than have a look at the Church of the Good Shepherd and have a short walk along the lake. Intercity has a refreshment stop at Lake Tekapo, so there is some time to look around. If you stay for the night you could walk up to Mt. John Observatory, along the long (west) side of the lake, soak in the hot pools, go on a scenic flight.

I suggest you choose the short stay at Lake Tekapo and stay at Mt. Cook Village instead. Intercity (Newmans) is the only big company that services this destination. There are lots and lots of walks you can make. If you choose the short stay version you have 1.5 hours until the departure of the bus. From the village you can walk to the start of the Hooker Valley walk and see Mueller Lake and Glacier, but not much more. You would need transportation to Lake Tasman if you want to see the lots of floating icebergs because it is 8 km to the start of the (short) walk. You could also go on a scenic flight with Air Safaris from Mt. Cook airfield (Glentanner) instead of Lake Tekapo.

So I suggest to stay there for the night. As the bus arrives at about 1pm you would have plenty of time to do things until the departure of the bus the next day at 2.30pm. You would be in Queenstown at 6.10pm.

So: 2nd night in Queenstown

(If you want to do gliding in Omarama you could get there by a smaller shuttle service from Mt. Cook Village, and get on the Intercity there the next day. Please consider that gliding depends very much on perfect weather conditions, so if you are not a gliding fan but just want to see the landscape from the air the Air Safari surely is the safer option...)

Day 3: Now you either do your activities in Queenstown - or carry straight on to Milford Sound, do your Milford Sound Cruise, get off at Te Anau.

3rd night: Te Anau

Day 4: Doubtful Sound - Doubtful Sound Cruise - Te Anau (4th night)

Day 5: Back to Queenstown/Activities

Answers to other questions:

1. The only good Bungy Jumping along your route is in Queenstown, so do it at the original site, the Kawarau Bridge. It has just had its 20th birthday celebrations. If you need more thrill you should consider the bungy jump at Skippers Canyon.

2. I want to visit each of the these lakes and take pictures from professional photographers ---- I do not understand this :-( Do you want to hire a professional photographer to photograph you??????

3. Cruise is it just passing in water (I have done a lot, any spl while cruising in Milford or Doubtful sound -- frank opinion please so that i can do proper planning and amount of time i have to spend) ----- the cruise ships just cruise around in the water... you see waterfalls, mountains, dolphins, seals, etc.