NZ trip for 2 weeks: Cruise or Drive around?

• 

  mintysaurus on 01/11/2015 - 01:36

  +1

  Have done the cruise, haven't done the drive.
  Cruising is great because it ends up cheaper and the food is amazeballs. But you don't really see much.
  We hired a car for a day trip to Rotorua, because we had a few people going vs paying a lot to go through the cruise daytrips. It worked out well but feels a bit risky because if you're late to the ship they will either charge you a lot of $$ or leave you.
  The sights were nice and lovely but you don't see as much & a few of the towns get a lot of cruise ships stop at them, and so it's just an array of tourist shops selling the same souveniers.
  Still, the scenery is great and on a cruise ship you'll likely go through the Fjordland (Milford Sound). It's INCREDIBLE. One of the most spectacular things I have seen. I get sea sick and would still consider going again just for those views.

  This is a photo I took of the Milford Sounds. http://imgur.com/lLeFSve

  • 

    Lancerx on 01/11/2015 - 01:44

    Great pic! Which cruise did you go with?

    • 

      mintysaurus on 01/11/2015 - 02:32

      +1

      Princess cruises

  • 

    barbarella on 01/11/2015 - 10:03

    I've done the NZ cruise as well and, although it was great you don't get to see much of the places that the ship stops at.
    Milford Sound IS fantastic but some ships don't get to go in there because the weather gets too rough and so there is a possibility that you would miss out on that all together :(
    I have also done an internal NZ adventure tour of both the north and south islands with Intrepid Tours (great company to tour with as they use local transport, your accommodation is arranged for you, and you see soooooo many things and great places). If you want to 'see' NZ do an internal trip. Have fun :)
    Or, as bigtimmus says (below) hire a campervan…NZ is easy to travel in…just like Oz :) The south island is spectacular!

• 

  try2bhelpful on 01/11/2015 - 09:21

  Does anyone know if there is a cruise where you can be let off to travel on your own and then be picked up by a later cruise. I would think there would be a market for that sort of thing.

• 

  summit on 01/11/2015 - 09:45

  +3

  Absolutely drive. In fact you should hire a campervan. May not be as luxurious as a cruise but I can guarantee it will be more memorable. The country is set up perfectly for campervans with powered sites in every part of the country.

  I just did it for the second time around the South Island in August. You will see the country in a way you couldn't possibly see on a cruise. Most of the beautiful areas are inland, not where a ship would be able to stop.

• 

  dragong87 on 01/11/2015 - 11:26

  +2

  Are you doing the north or south island or both?
  I did the south island with hire car for 2 weeks and it was amazing. Driving km varied per day and we had quite a few stops for activities.. 100km somes days.. 300km for others and a few of the towns we stayed at for a few nights.
  A few things i did
  - milford sound (booked a day trip from queenstown)
  - fox glaciers
  - lake tepako (church of the good sheppard- if you're a photographer.. photos there at night are good and if you're lucky you might see a little aurora australis in your photos)
  - wanaka
  - Glenorchy

  But if you're there to see the Hobbiton Set you will need ot go to the north island.

• 

  Lancerx on 02/11/2015 - 00:37

  Looks like most leaning towards drive, so I guess drive still the way to go. Any idea how I should plan my trip for the 2 weeks trip?

  • 

    summit on 02/11/2015 - 18:00

    If you say you're interested in LOTR stuff and mountains etc (like me) then the South Island is where to go. Some amazing drives are Arthur's Pass, Haast to Wanaka, as is Cromwell to Tekapo (via Lindis Pass, Mt Cook, etc). Hobbiton is in the North but the majority of scenery is all in the South.

    Other things:
    -Milford Sound cruise
    -Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers (bit of a let down now since they are disappearing rapidly)
    -Queenstown for a few days
    -Te Anau glowworm caves
    -Quadbiking

    The one thing I would recommend you do above all is go to Kaikoura and do the Dolphin Encounter. You can swim with hundreds (possibly up to 1000) dolphins in the ocean. If you don't like swimming then do the whale watching. Then you can check out the baby seals playing in their secluded waterfall just north of Kaikoura. Kaikoura is an amazing place.

    • 

      Lancerx on 02/11/2015 - 23:49

      Thanks for the tips! To be honest, I already done heaps of whale watching in Kalbarri, Albany and Freo, so think I'll pass that now. Dolphin & whale too common for us in Aus too. They're not cheap too usually..

• 

  battler on 05/11/2015 - 10:09

  late comment, but just a suggestion if you are hiring a campervan… even though there are 4 adults travelling, get a 6 berth. You will appreciate the extra space. It will also eliminate the need to drop the dining table into a bed every night.

  • 

    Lancerx on 05/11/2015 - 14:03

    Probably not campervan. We got parents with us, so it's probably gonna be SUV or bigger sedan like Camry, and motel or hotel on the go

• 

  voiletmay on 05/11/2015 - 16:15

  +1

  I want to do both at different times. I think they are both great holidays. I talked to someone one who drove (but stayed in hotels, not a campervan) and just copied the route/stops of a long tour bus. I thought that was a good idea.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 06/11/2015 - 15:01

    Re: copying stops on a tour - I also think is a great idea.

• 

  Lancerx on 06/11/2015 - 01:05

  Just thought of something, if I arrive at Auckland, would I be better if I return to Perth via Queenstown or Auckland? Need some feedback on this. Cheers!

  • 

    Lancerx on 09/11/2015 - 02:13

    Any take on this? Should I fly from christchurch or wellingback back to Aus?

    • 

      haydent on 09/11/2015 - 15:19

      Not too sure, but if you were able to link a domestic deal up with this one from Jetstar you might save some money.

      Jetstar international deal - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/218345
      Jetstar domestic deal - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/215371

      Just check it out anyway but it might save you a heap if you go via Melbourne (By my calculation it would be around $200 less per person, with a little more hassle).
      You would need to arrive and depart from the same airport in NZ though for the international deal ($191 return Melb to Auckland for instance).

• 

  haydent on 09/11/2015 - 15:03

  Just note that driving can be surprisingly expensive. We have a large family of 6 and thought we would save money touring around in a campervan. Unfortunately a lot of the holiday parks / campsites - although they have fantastic amenities - charge ridiculous amounts to park, connect the electricity and use the amenities.

  It was often almost as expensive as if we have stayed in hotels the whole way!

  Also beware the ferry between Wellington and Picton (North and South Island) costs over $200 to take a car, although it is still $55 per adult without one.

  I have booked flights back for August and will be hiring a car for parts, flying the long trips (i.e Queenstown to Auckland for $80 with Jetstar) and even looking at manabus ($20 Christchurch to Queenstown). Just some ideas for you.