Aussie going to NZ in Mar 05

Hi all,

Can anyone see any mistakes or have suggestions here.

My wife, 9 y/o daughter and I are trying to plan this right because this is
the first time we have left Australia.

03Mar 9:50 am Depart Sydney on NZ0182
03Mar 2:50 pm Arrive in Christchurch
Pick up pre booked motorhome with shower & toilet.

3rd Christchurch to Timaru (2 hours)
4th Timaru to Dunedin (2.5 hours)
5th Dunedin to Queenstown (3.5 hours)
6th Day in Queenstown
7th Queenstown to Haast (3 hours)
8th Haast to Franz Jozef Glacier (2 hours)
9th Franz Jozef Glacier to Hokitika (1.45)
10th Hokitika to Christchurch (2.5 hours)

11Mar 3:45 pm Depart Christchurch on NZ0183
11Mar 5:15 pm Arrive in Sydney

TIA
Dave

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 23:59:58 +1100, "David James"
wrote:

Hi all,

Can anyone see any mistakes or have suggestions here.

My wife, 9 y/o daughter and I are trying to plan this right because this is
the first time we have left Australia.

03Mar 9:50 am Depart Sydney on NZ0182
03Mar 2:50 pm Arrive in Christchurch
Pick up pre booked motorhome with shower & toilet.
If you have not already discovered this:
http://www.holidayparks.co.nz/
You should find some ideas about where to park for the night.

3rd Christchurch to Timaru (2 hours)

I would suggest that you go on to Oamaru instead of Timaru.
Oamaru has much more to offer - the best preserved collection of
historic commerical buildings in NZ AND you can walk to yellow-eyed
and little blue penguin collonies from downtown. The information
centre or Automobile Association can provide details. A bonus note:
Dunedin was the hometown of novelist Janet Frame and a walking trail
is worth considering. You might want to check out the following URLs:
http://www.tourismwaitaki.co.nz/
http://www.oamaru.org/
http://www.penguins.co.nz/
4th Timaru to Dunedin (2.5 hours)
5th Dunedin to Queenstown (3.5 hours)
6th Day in Queenstown
7th Queenstown to Haast (3 hours)
8th Haast to Franz Jozef Glacier (2 hours)
9th Franz Jozef Glacier to Hokitika (1.45)

You might want to consider the side trip (3km) to Shantytown, between
Hokitika and Greymouth. I'm sure that your 9 yr. old will enjoy this
re-created 1880s gold rush town with its steam locomotive and you can
give gold panning a try - good family entertainment. Also toward the
mountains about 40km from Greymouth along the shores of Lake Brunner
is the Moana Kiwi House and Conservation Park - worth a stop.
http://www.shantytown.co.nz/
10th Hokitika to Christchurch (2.5 hours)

11Mar 3:45 pm Depart Christchurch on NZ0183
11Mar 5:15 pm Arrive in Sydney

TIA
Dave

I'm sorry that you don't have more time to experience New Zealand.

Charles
nzvideos.org

David James wrote:
Hi all,

Can anyone see any mistakes or have suggestions here.

My wife, 9 y/o daughter and I are trying to plan this right because this is
the first time we have left Australia.

03Mar 9:50 am Depart Sydney on NZ0182
03Mar 2:50 pm Arrive in Christchurch
Pick up pre booked motorhome with shower & toilet.

3rd Christchurch to Timaru (2 hours)
4th Timaru to Dunedin (2.5 hours)
5th Dunedin to Queenstown (3.5 hours)

Is there any particular reason you want to go to Quennstown via Timaru &
Dunedin? If you go inland through the MacKenzie country & Lindis pass, it's
5 hours from CHCH to Queenstown by car, so if you don't want to drive too
much you could break it in two & stop somewhere like Lake Tekapo, and still
have an extra day up your sleeve.

6th Day in Queenstown
7th Queenstown to Haast (3 hours)
8th Haast to Franz Jozef Glacier (2 hours)

Stop at Fox glacier for the walk around Lake Matheson.

9th Franz Jozef Glacier to Hokitika (1.45)
10th Hokitika to Christchurch (2.5 hours)

I think this time is optimistic, it's ~3 hours by car, a camper will be
slower over the mountains.

--
Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.

in article , David James at
wrote on 25/11/04 1:56 PM:

Thanks Matt,

After reading your page I may decide to fly directly to Queenstown although
the driving isn't really a problem for me (it may be for the wife and
daughter though) as I have done a lot of interstate truck driving here in
NSW. I live in Coffs Harbour.


Can you look into flying directly to Dunedin if you want to see Larnach
Castle (only Freedom Airlines flies there)

Two things worry me - one is the number of stops at uninteresting
intermediate places like Timaru, Haast & Hokitika. I'd drive a little
further & stay two nights at Franz Josef. It is quite possible to drive
Franz Josef to Chch in 5 hours.

The other is your times - I don't think they are realistic for a campervan.
For example you allow 3 hours from Queenstown to Haast. It is 262 Km - thus
you are planning to AVERAGE nearly 90 kph when the maximum speed that is
feasible in your camper is probably 80kph. I doubt that you'd average more
than 70 kph and there are so many nice places to stop: top of the Crown
Range, Cardrona Pub, Wanaka township; lots of pools and waterfalls along the
Haast Rd. Similarly I'd allow at least 3 hr for Hokitika to Chch as it
includes the very twisty Otira Gorge.

Vicki

"uninteresting
intermediate places like Timaru, Haast & Hokitika"

In your opinion.
I can't speak for Haast or Timaru but Hokitika is a small town with a lot
of history not to mention sensational sunsets, lakes and whitebait. Among
other things.

Could be I'm biased - born and bred there

Elizabeth
d

"uninteresting
intermediate places like Timaru, Haast & Hokitika"

In your opinion.
I can't speak for Haast or Timaru but Hokitika is a small town with a lot
of history not to mention sensational sunsets, lakes and whitebait. Among
other things.

Could be I'm biased - born and bred there

Elizabeth
d

I think he is just using towns as 'markers'. Hopefully he will stay along
the way and enjoy the freedom a camper allows.

Tip for Dunedin if the camper is a larger one, park at the railway
station - just a short walk up the hill into town.


"Elizabeth" wrote in message
...
"uninteresting
intermediate places like Timaru, Haast & Hokitika"

In your opinion.
I can't speak for Haast or Timaru but Hokitika is a small town with a lot
of history not to mention sensational sunsets, lakes and whitebait. Among
other things.

Could be I'm biased - born and bred there

Elizabeth
d

I think he is just using towns as 'markers'. Hopefully he will stay along
the way and enjoy the freedom a camper allows.

Tip for Dunedin if the camper is a larger one, park at the railway
station - just a short walk up the hill into town.


"Elizabeth" wrote in message
...
"uninteresting
intermediate places like Timaru, Haast & Hokitika"

In your opinion.
I can't speak for Haast or Timaru but Hokitika is a small town with a lot
of history not to mention sensational sunsets, lakes and whitebait. Among
other things.

Could be I'm biased - born and bred there

Elizabeth
d

"Geoff McCaughan" wrote in message
...
David James wrote:
Hi Geoff,

My wife wants to visit Larnach Castle, near Dunedin, and I want to see
the
west coast. Maybe we should fly direct to Queenstown and spend a couple
of
days doing Dunedin, Oamaru and back via Omarama (sorry my map isn't
good).
Then a few days up the west coast to the glaciers etc. and back to
Queenstown.

That's doable, but can't you arrive in Queenstown and leave at
Christchurch?
That would save you having to get back to Queenstown again.

If you're travelling from Dunedin up to Oamaru, stop off at the Moeraki
Boulders on the way.

--
Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.

Quote"My wife wants to visit Larnach Castle, near Dunedin, "

Its not that good to go putting pressure on the rest of your trip. You'll
see just as impressive "castles" in Australia.

I think he is just using towns as 'markers'. Hopefully he will stay along
the way and enjoy the freedom a camper allows.

Correct!