6 Day Driving Holiday in NZ

airzone on 21/03/2015 - 01:02

The missus is making noise about our 10th anniversary coming up - something along the lines of beer and pizza aren't good enough this time around.. So I'm thinking of ditching the kids with the grandparents and taking her to NZ for a few days…

We are looking at going the last week of August for various reasons - including our anniversary actually being in that week lol. The most we could probably do is 6 days / 5 nights (including flights). The youngest kid will be just shy of 3, and she will probably be sick of nanny and poppy by then.

She wants to see Milford Sound, and doesn't really have any idea about the rest, and we should hire a car to drive from place to place (and then stay somewhere nice).

Some thoughts I have had are:

  • Fly into Christchurch, Stay a night. Then drive across Arthur Pass to the west coast and down to Franz-Josef. Then to Queenstown. Then to Milford Sound. Then to Dunedin. Then back to Christchurch and fly out that day. Averaging a hardcore 400-500km a day, but ticking off the checklist…

  • A similar route, but from Queenstown to Miford Sound. Then to Te Anau (spend extra time in the sound).. Then back to Queenstown and fly out.. Less driving. Slightly..

  • Fly into Queenstown and spend the night. Take our time to Milford Sound. Spend 2 nights. Back to Queenstown for the remaining 3 nights. Do some skiing lessons over 2 days, maybe a day trip to Wanaka or something. This is probably quite chilled out.

Any thoughts / alternatives? Especially experience with driving to Milford Sound this time of the year…

Travel

Comments

  • Natt on 21/03/2015 - 11:45

    The last one. Unless your wife LOVES long car trips. I can't think of anything worse than ditching the kids, and then being forced to drive, and drive and drive. Can you say instant argument?

    Have a nice relaxed time instead and catch up with your wife. Although try and plan one activity that splits you up in that time, because it may be a little much to be in each others company 24 hours a day, if you are used to sharing it with kidlets.

    • sagrules on 24/03/2015 - 15:54

      I agree with Natt, just do the last one - its the best part

  • aggregate on 21/03/2015 - 12:10

    Your first plan is going to be quite taxing. I did a similar trip two months ago, but we had 8 days. On average we spent around 6 hours driving each day. NZ roads are narrow and winding, so it actually takes a bit longer to get to your destination. You will also need to allow additional time for stoppages for sightseeing and more difficult driving conditions due to winter frost/snow. There is also not much to see around Christchurch… If all you want to do is hard driving, then go for it.

    For a more leisurely trip, I would recommend you to skip Christchurch completely and spend all your time around Queenstown. That is where all the winter activities are concentrated. You can easily spend a week in Queenstown and do something exciting everyday. Most paid activities come with transportation, which means you need to hire a car (saving you around $800-1000). If you want to do a little bit of driving, maybe hire a car for one day only and visit Arrowtown, Wanaka (via Crown Range Road if it isn't closed), then back to Queenstown.

    The trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound is definitely worthwhile going. But the return trip is a hard 12 hours drive and the road can be dangerous in winter. I definitely recommend you go by a tour bus. It will end up costing less and your tour guides will explain to you the history, scenery and the wildlife. You also have the option to fly back.

    • battler on 21/03/2015 - 14:14

      Agree with queenstown to Milford comments…. Do not underestimate the time of this this drive, plus the obligatory boat cruise in Milford, plus anything else you want to do.
      Massive day to do it return to queenstown.

  • tims on 23/03/2015 - 11:29

    Option 3 for me. Two nights in Milford? I wouldn't stay im Milford itself but go on a two/three day Milford Sound cruise where you can stay onboard.
    I've done both and the extended cruise is so much better than the day tour - good food too.

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