NZ travel passes

NZ travel agents tell me that that Queenstown is usually booked solid
January to March, every one seems to be trying to put me off !

Uggh, my experience is limited only to the more peaceful shoulder
season. But my main mistake was to limit my time in the south island
"tourist traps" - they are genuinely charming. Hope you can fit in
Dunedin, maybe Wanaka (frequent tourist trolley to Queenstown),
Christchurch, somewhere around Nelson/Picton, and above all try Te Anau
as a base. Snoop around http://www.taieri.co.nz/trackntrail.htm for
more train pix.

Just to get from A to B the plane is best apart from Ryanair who take you to
airports far from where you really want to go. They are the only air line
that takes you to a different country from the one you want to get to. eg
Malmo, Sweden for Copenhagen, Denmark. The train from Malmo to Copenhagen
can cost more than the flight.

Origin Pacific off season is almost as cheap and much more convenient
than Ryanair. The checkin process takes about 1 minute, then you are
ready to board the plane with only about 6 other folks. Goes to the
main airports, where there is shuttle service to town. Probably gotta
use a bus south of Christchurch, apart from Taieri - check the 2 long
haul bus company web sites for passes and schedules.

Ryanair small airports can be a blessing. Go to Bergan Norway; you
land hours away by bus, but it is one of the most scenic bus routes
anywhere. Goes island hopping, including boarding a ferry route where
you eat a sit down meal in view of snow capped mountains passing by.
Showing your Ryanair ticket gives quite a discount on bus tix (upset
other passengers when hearing the driver giving me the big discount:-).

Or take Ryan to Verona, Italy which really lands you away to Brescia.
While the cattle plod onward to Verona, those in the know take a back
route bus to the pretty, normally hard to access west side of Lake
Garda (Gardone Riviera, Salo, etc). Researching these new alternative
transpo's can lead to unexpected benefits, even in NZ.

Oh, another crazy idea maybe not workable in peak season. For AKL-CHC,
you may want to take one way by bus or turboprop, but the other way
consider this. Use the new ultra discount airfares to go via Oz.
SYD-CHC is ruthlessly competitive by all sorts of new airlines you
never heard of; some also do AKL-SYD, and SYD may be substitutable by
MEL or Brizzie. Monitor the prices; they drop in half every once in a
while on their own web site, from a low starting point...

"dumbstruck" wrote in message
ups.com...
NZ travel agents tell me that that Queenstown is usually booked solid
January to March, every one seems to be trying to put me off !

Uggh, my experience is limited only to the more peaceful shoulder
season. But my main mistake was to limit my time in the south island
"tourist traps" - they are genuinely charming. Hope you can fit in
Dunedin, maybe Wanaka (frequent tourist trolley to Queenstown),
Christchurch, somewhere around Nelson/Picton, and above all try Te Anau
as a base. Snoop around http://www.taieri.co.nz/trackntrail.htm for
more train pix.

Just to get from A to B the plane is best apart from Ryanair who take you
to
airports far from where you really want to go. They are the only air line
that takes you to a different country from the one you want to get to. eg
Malmo, Sweden for Copenhagen, Denmark. The train from Malmo to Copenhagen
can cost more than the flight.

Origin Pacific off season is almost as cheap and much more convenient
than Ryanair. The checkin process takes about 1 minute, then you are
ready to board the plane with only about 6 other folks. Goes to the
main airports, where there is shuttle service to town. Probably gotta
use a bus south of Christchurch, apart from Taieri - check the 2 long
haul bus company web sites for passes and schedules.

Ryanair small airports can be a blessing. Go to Bergan Norway; you
land hours away by bus, but it is one of the most scenic bus routes
anywhere. Goes island hopping, including boarding a ferry route where
you eat a sit down meal in view of snow capped mountains passing by.
Showing your Ryanair ticket gives quite a discount on bus tix (upset
other passengers when hearing the driver giving me the big discount:-).

Or take Ryan to Verona, Italy which really lands you away to Brescia.
While the cattle plod onward to Verona, those in the know take a back
route bus to the pretty, normally hard to access west side of Lake
Garda (Gardone Riviera, Salo, etc). Researching these new alternative
transpo's can lead to unexpected benefits, even in NZ.

Oh, another crazy idea maybe not workable in peak season. For AKL-CHC,
you may want to take one way by bus or turboprop, but the other way
consider this. Use the new ultra discount airfares to go via Oz.
SYD-CHC is ruthlessly competitive by all sorts of new airlines you
never heard of; some also do AKL-SYD, and SYD may be substitutable by
MEL or Brizzie. Monitor the prices; they drop in half every once in a
while on their own web site, from a low starting point...

Thanks for that and for the advice on the tourist traps :-)
Derek.

In article 43ed102a$0$3683$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-
01.iinet.net.au, David Bennetts writes

"Derek F" wrote in message
...
What is the current situation with Rail/Bus/Ferry paases in NZ ? One guide
book I have said that Tranz Scenic is on the slide and closing routes but
another does not mention problems. One speaks of the Best Of N.Z. Pass
that you buy credited points for the other seems to have a different
version that you pay for a 7 or 22 day pass without restrictions.
Derek.
That's the problem with guide books generally - they're often out of date
before they're printed. Use the internet, and use a search engine such as
google to get the latest info. And get it direct from the operators rather
than through a third party.

The situation is certainly fluid, but last year I used a flexipass to
travel everywhere in NZ. I bought the hour-based pass (you buy so many
hours in advance based on your itinerary). The bus service was generally
good although some drivers did not let you eat even a sandwich inside.
(I suppose it was a ploy to make us all eat at the cafes where we
stopped every now and again.)

http://www.flexipass.co.nz/

I bought my pass locally in Auckland and was able to book every service
at the time I wanted - and changed a few en route.

I also took the train from Picton to Christchurch (Tranzscenic) and then
on to Greymouth (Tranzalpine). Note that the Tranzalpine was pre-booked
on some days a month in advance.

Because the Tranzscenic connects with the ferry from Wellington, the
service is subject to delays - which are not communicated effectively if
you are waiting in Kaikoura like I was. However, the Tranzscenic is one
of the truly wonderful rain journeys you are likely to make in your life
passing from the Canterbury plains to the alpine flora of Arthur's pass
and the rainforest on the West side. I think this train trip is
stunning, and if you find yourself down there, a must.

--
JohnM