South Island Travel Forum

In September 2008, we are two families consisting of 9 people (4adults,5kids) travelling to Christchurch from Australia, we will be spending a whole day/night in Christchurch, what is there to do there? We will be picking up our motorhomes and travelling around for 11 days. The route we take is so undecided, but we need to lay out some sort of itinerary, as we need to book certain things, such as Milford Sound Day Cruise, Fox Glacier Walk etc. We wanted to take the TranzAlpine train one way, but there are no motorhome depots in Greymouth, and doing the return trip would be too long (8hrs i think) and considering we will be probably travelling a similar route when we cross over with the motorhomes at the start of trip or at the end we didnt think it would be worthwhile. Basically what I am asking can anyone give any advice as to some sort of itinerary, that doesnt include hours upon hours of driving, obviously there will be a fair bit of driving, but we are hoping to do 3 to 5hrs a day at least. What is the weather usually like then? What are the roads like, especially trying to drive these motorhomes around? Any tips, advice, thoughts would be much appreciated.

Hi there. I used to live in Christchurch, so I'll try to answer your query. September can be quite miserable weather wise, however some ski fields might still be operating depending on the snowfall. There are quite a few around Christchurch, and some further south around Queenstown/Wanaka. I've heard the Tranzalpine is highly recommended, but I agree with you that one way would be best. It is a very scenic drive across the range through Arthur's pass, however the train goes a totally different way. Be aware if the weather is bad (and there's a good chance at that time of year in the mountains) visibility can be quite limited due to cloud and mist. The west coast is stunning.
If you only have 11 days and are starting in Christchurch you should really focus on either the top half or the bottom half of the island. You are able to do a 'loop' for either half, ending back at Christchurch. Personally, I prefer the northern half. I would drive over the pass to Greymouth (nice waterfall and glacier remnant in Arthur's Pass village) then pop down the coast to see the glaciers. Then I would drive north again through greymouth and stop at punakaiki and look at the rocks. Keep heading north to Westport and from there head inland toward murchison and northward to nelson. Lots of arts and crafts etc in golden bay west of nelson, worth spending a day or two. Then head over to blenheim through the fantastic marlborough sounds (take the Queen Charlotte scenic drive) and then down the coast through Kaikora (look out for whales!) and back in Christchurch!
Driving a campervan on NZ roads is fine, just remember in NZ you always give way to the right, even if turning left, not like Australia. Also, the roads are quite windy and sometimes steep, so it's courteous to pull over at suitable opportunities to let people past who might be stuck behind you, and it makes for a less stressful drive too!
Enjoy your holiday!

www.broomevideo.com

Joh's suggested itinerary is great but IMHO I dont think you can miss Queenstown/Wanaka/Milford Sound. There are two reasons why:

1. The scenery is stunning, absolutely Lord of the Rings stuff.

2. Queenstown has a lot to offer kids. You don't say how old the children are but my kids who were 15 and 13 at the time loved Queenstown and the surrounding areas. The shotover jet boat rides, Skyline Gondola and Kiwi Wildlife park are all great fun and family friendly. Arrowtown nearby is great for arts and crafts and of course Milford Sound is a must see even though it was very misty and rainy when I went in April. The road may be a bit wet/icy but big tour buses make the trip everyday of the year so no real concerns I don't think.

Just remember when planning your itinerary that saying "Look at the beautiful scenery kids" all day long wears everyone down a little. We did a one way Greymouth-Christchurch Tranz Alpine trip. My husband and I loved it, the kids not so much. The ideal trip is one where the adults and children all have fun so keep that in mind.

In 13 days we did......

Christchurch (1 night)

Christchurch to Kaikoura (approx 3hrs) where we did a whale watching cruise (1 night)

Kaikoura to Hokitika - (we took 9 hours as we stopped for lots of pics) (1 night) Hokitika Gorge....this was the longest drive we did and could be made shorter with a stop at Westport or Greymouth.

Hokitika to Franz Josef (approx 2hours) for Glacier flight (1 night)

Franz Josef to Wanaka (approx 6 hours, again we stopped for lots of pics) (2 nights) - beautiful spot.

Wanaka to Te Anau (approx 6hours)(3 nights) we did Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound.

Te Anau to Queenstown (approx 4.5 hours)(2 nights)

Queenstown to Mt Cook (approx 4.5 hours) (1 night)
Mt Cook to Christchurch (approx 5 hours) (1 night).

With our itinerary we found the driving was not a problem and quite enjoyable. We loved everything we saw and wouldnt change anything. Only wish we had more time.

In September the weather will still be very cold with plenty of snow around which may affect your intended trip to Milford Sound.

Cheers
Col & Sue

In 11 days you can see quite a bit although you have to set priorities and know before the start that you cannot visit all highlights of the South Island.

In September you also have to be flexible and change your plans in case of terrible weather or road closures in the very south.

Although a ride on the TranzAlpine is a fantastic thing to do you should not be too disappointed too much if you cannot do it due to the lack of a motorhome depot in Greymouth. The road trip via Arthurs Pass is fantastic as well, and you can stop at some fabulous places where the train does not even pass, for example the limestone outcrops of Castle Hill. Parts of the road and railway line run parallel, others differ quite a bit, as in this area. The road trip is one of my top favourites in the whole of NZ.

The West Coast is great in winter as in this very rainy region it rains less in winter. It is the perfect season for a glacier walk.

If you want to travel to Milford Sound I do not see much of a chance to travel in the upper third of the South Island (esp. Abel Tasman National Park), and for the eastern part you have to decide if you want to see the wildlife of Otago Peninsula (Dunedin) or the alpine scenery and blue lakes of Mt. Cook/Lake Pukaki/Lake Tekapo (not turquoise blue in winter ;-).

It does not matter if you travel clockwise or anti-clockwise.

1. Greymouth
2. Up to Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks), then back and down to the glaciers
3. Half day glacier walk, carry on to Wanaka
4. Mt. Aspiring National Park/Lake Wanaka/Cardrona (do not miss the hotel!), down to Queenstown
5. Activities in Queenstown
6. Drive to Te Anau/Milford Sound
7. Cruise, back to Wanaka/Cromwell
8. Mt. Cook/walk, Lake Tekapo
9. Back to Christchurch via Rakaia Gorge
10. Activities in Chch
11. Trip to Banks Peninsula/Akaroa, or if weather is not great: to Hanmer Springs, soak in the hot mineral pools

Alternative from Day 7:
7. After cruise drive towards Dunedin, see how far you get
8. Otago Peninsula, visit Albatross Colony, penguins etc.
9. Drive north, Moeraki Boulders, Penguin Hospital in Moeraki, optional visit to Penguin Colony in Oamaru, either stay here or carry on to Christchurch

Those itineraries would include your priorities of glacier walk and Milford Sound, and I think most tourists would prefer those highlights to the beaches of the north - especially in winter.

Sissi

Sorry, forgot some Christchurch info.

Main activities kids would enjoy are:

1. Willowbank (wildlife park where you can see most of NZ's bird you will later see on your round trip, including kiwi in a nighthouse)
2. Antarctic Centre (including ice room with Antarctic storm, a Hägglund ride, little blue penguins - rather expensive though)
3. Gondola ride up Mt. Cavendish, with - hopefully on that day - great views to the Southern Alps, the Canterbury Plains and Lyttelton Harbour
4. Botanic Garden
5. Punting on the Avon (they do have blankets... ;-)
6. Canterbury Museum, with great bird section and Antarctic section, including Sir Edmund Hillary's boots and cap he wore on his climb of Mt. Everest
7. Arts Centre, with lots of shops, artist studios, and food stalls on the weekends
8. Christchurch Cathedral; my tip: St. Michael's and All Angels, the city's oldest and more spectacular church, and: Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament; you can climb up in the cathedral spire; also in the Cath. of the B.S.

You can get to all those places by public transport, for others - like a drive on the Summit Road - you would need a car.

As I had listed a day in Chch in your 11 day itinerary you could replace this by a trip to Kaikoura (for whale watching) or Hanmer Springs (hot pools).

Sissi