caitlin206

Thank you Jack, Squirrel, Sarah&Kev - your advice is ivaluable. We have spent lots of time trying to work out an itinary but I relaise now I have been way too ambitious so back to the drawing board. I have done lots of research. We have a blog - it is - cathmartinmovetonz.blogspot.com - you can see we have researched - but not about driving and stuff! Basically I just want to get the best from the visit that I can. I understand about the flight Sarah - and no I am not one whocan remain comatosed inflight so will defo get a resting place when we land. Also I will let you all know in 4 weeks time how we got on (bet we don't even get out of Auckland!!!) anyway thanks - it is like having a bunch of friends looking out for me. I love this site. Cheers to you all.

thebears

Your nuts

Driving is incredibly slower than in the UK average speed 70 to 80km but budget on 60Km if you get behind slower traffic. Rushing causes unwanted stress and then you may make the biggest mistake (either way deciding yes or no).

Suggest you forget driving Auckland to Christchurch - the money you save on the ferry crossing will pay for the hotel and flights. Suggest you visit the area you are looking at relocating too - sounds like you are considering both North and South Island - perhaps Palmerston North?

After the flight 5am in the morning arrival - check in to a hotel and have a rest day - otherwise you will endanger yourself and other road users.

Go Auckland - Rotorua Day 1 (Rest)
Day 2 Rotorua - tourist attractions
Day 3 Visit Tauranga/The Mount
Day 4 Drive to Gisbourne/Hawkes Bay
Day 5 Arrive Gisbourne/Hawkes Bay..........
Do the South Island another trip in my opinion you dont have enough time to do it justice.

Kiwi

mazi

OMG

The drive from AKL to New Plymouth alone takes about a week. There are no motorways you know (of course this may be considered a good thing), except just outside AKL and going into Wellington (and they're only glorified dual carriageways). I'm with the Squirrel on this one (although I like Wellington a bit more than him) - and therefore I am not the best person to give you advice about this being as I am what can only be described as a non-fan of the country. But I was alarmed by your itinerary and had to say something. I don't think you'll get any idea of what the place is like at all if you do this.

If you go ahead though, remember to laugh uproariously at Putaruru and Tokoroa as you go through them on State Highway 1. :scared:

Hope it goes well for you.

mazi

Oh and please please learn about the a*** about face give way rule before you go, and perhaps practise on a mock-up Kiwi road on an aerodrome or something before you go. It will give you several heart attacks while you are there. :scared:

thebears

Forget Mt Maugnawosit go for Mount Manganui

Will you be around Auckland around the 15th of December?

Why not just catch the train down from Auckland to Wellington?

mazi

Or even Mount Maunganui.

caitlin206

I can't really take a train from Auk to welly cos we have hired a camper van from Auck and we would then have no transport in welly.

I am beginning to feel really foolish but I had hoped it was possible to spend some time in both auckland and welly...

what about this....
land auckland 28th
stay 29th and 30th then head down to welly stopping at thru hamilton and stopping over at new plymouth.
then have 2nd 3rd and 4th in welly before heading back staying at napier on 5th rotorua and tauranga on 6th and 7th and back to auckland for 8th and 9th (leave on 9th evening for UK - so no will not be there for 19th)

is that still bonkers?

mazi

Don't feel foolish!!!!!! I'm quite sure you're not. This sounds a better way of going about it though. Just be warned you'll be driving a lot as it can take hours to get from one place to another. But you'll see lots of countryside.

Good luck!

Maz

Hi Caitlin.

I started a thread within the last couple of weeks called "Which direction to travel?" I think. I'd heard it was cheaper to hire in Welly and drop off in Auckland. Apparently this is the case. What we're going to do, whether we go for 2 weeks or 3, is rest in Auckland for a day. Just crash somewhere to get over jetlag, or at least partially over it. Then we're going on the Overlander from Auckland to Welly. It's a 12-hour trip during the daytime. Then we're going to rent a car there, and do some recce-ing (did I just invent a word? ) and stay with a friend who owns a vineyard on our way back, just outside Masterton, and spend 5 days or so making our way back to Auckland from there, doing no more than 100 miles a day.

We've not even booked our flights yet, but if possible, try to figure out where you might want to settle, and do the travelling around after you get there. Just my $0.02.

mazi

I forgot to mention the driving times - it's about a 9 hour drive from AKL to Wellington and just shy of 5 hours Wellington to Napier to give you an idea. The distances may not look too bad but honestly the roads are not always good and include lots of hills and narrow, windy (that's windy AND windy if you're in Wellington!) parts.

caitlin206

Well - only one thing for it....
gonna cancel me flights an stay here in the UK
far too stressful for me!

mazi

I assume you're joking...

caitlin206

we were gonna emigrate to NZ without having seen anywhere. The visit was to look before we leap in order to avoid stress of being in wrong place but the stress in organising where to go and not to go is more stressful than sticking a pin in a map.
Peraps we will stay round Auckland and BOP and hopefully find somewhere we could live.
Then when we live there we can look around the rest of the country if we want to move somewhere else
Sorted!
xxx

caitlin206

yeah mazi - was joking.
Better let everyone know that before there is an ebay type auction for my VERY EXPENSIVE flight tickets.

mazi

That's true - you'll get a much better idea of how the place feels when you're already living there anyway. Your driving plan is do-able but I'd just be worried that is all you'd be doing - driving.