hevs

Hi
Hope you guys don't mind be sticking my pom/skippy neck in here but I am coming to South island for two weeks leaving on the 31st of October.

Very basic plans are: pick up camper van drive to Queenstown, Milford sound and the glaciers then back to Christchurch for a few days.

What should I/ shouldn't I see/ do?

What clothes should we bring?

Will there still be snow on the peaks?

Thanks in advance.

Oh and 11 year old is doing the bridge bungy

howden40

Sorry we live on the North Island. Plenty of snow over the last few days, so it's looking good.

Brave chappie, bungie is not for me.

I'm sure you'll enjoy where ever you go.

Enjoy your hols
Pauline

Wiz'n'Ton

Sounds like you've got the basics sorted already! If you were picking up the camper in Christchurch then I'd say:

Kaikoura for whale watching (sperm whales) and swimming with dolphins. Also some good fishing charters to catch orange roughy / blue cod which are relatively cheap and good fun. Also some beautiful horse-riding trails there too.

Then to Hanmer Springs for hot pools and pampering. There are plenty of caravan/ camper parks there so no worries on that front.

Then across the Southern Alps and down to Queenstown, Fjordland and Milford sound in whatever order you fancy

Then back across to Dunedin, and up from there via the Moeraki Boulders just above Omeru, and carry on up back to ChCh.

In ChCh, before heading home you can do day trips to Akaroa. Lyttelton harbour's a good spot for a morning. Lots of stuff in the city too.

Weather wise it may be fine for some of the time but most likely will still be chilly so bring jumpers and waterproofs etc.

There will deffo still be snow on the mountains, and Kaikoura/ Hamner/ Queenstown look great at that time of year.

Enjoy!

RobClubley

Have a look at our blog (link in my sig) and go back to December 07 - should give you a few ideas

hevs

Thanks guys for that.
I'm gettin reeght excited now!

Buzzy--Bee

Hevs, make sure you see the West Coast. It is stunning, even the local radio is called Scenicland FM! Snow capped mountains, lakes etc. Also the Mackenzie district is gorgeous too.

Buzzy

hevs

OK? Wheres the west coast? I looked on the map and it seems all green national park (beyond Milford?) does it have roads through it as they are not showing ...

RobClubley

This bit:

RobClubley

A few things you might see:

RobClubley

Buzzy--Bee

That map is pretty accurate. What is known as "The West Coast" does not include Milford, that is really considered fiordland. The West Coast stretches from Karamea in the North, through Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika (where my wife grew up) and then on down through the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers all the way down to Haast and Jacksons Bay.

It is a very unique, special part of the world, and if you decide to include it in your itinerary I can tell you some of the lesser-known sights to see on the way.

Buzzy

hevs

Thanks guys. I'm embaressed to say that I thought that was the North side

Basic plan is to pick up the camper in CC then drive to Queenstown, to Milford sound, up to the glaciers (I believe we have to go back through QT to do this) then back down to CC. Then spend 5 or so days in CC doing the things around there.

So please let me know what I "need" to see, what you would recommend and some things for if the weather is very bad. There are 4 of us. Two 39 year olds, a 14 year old and an 11 year old. All of us are pretty much up for anything (my now 11 year old made me stuff toilet roll in his shoes when he was 5 so that he could go on the upside down rollercoasters at universal studios!) and always do our own thing rather than tours...so any help greatfully recieved.

Great pics, thanks so much

Buzzy--Bee

which route do you plan to take from the glaciers to Christchurch?

I recommend going via Hanmer hot springs.

Buzzy

hevs

Yep! Thats on the list. We were looking at doing that from CC but haven't got round to working out how far away it is yet. So we may be better hiring the van for an extra night and doing it en route so to speak? That said one more night with my two in that confined space might just tip us over the edge!

RobClubley

This was the full map from our trip last year. It has estimated driving times on the map itself and they are pretty accurate.