iwannagonow

hi,
in just 7 weeks we are coming to New Zealand!!! I'm soooo excited! We will only be there for 3 weeks but nevertheless I'm over the moon!
The 1st & 3rd week we think we'll be based in Papamoa (& touring the North Island), but the 2nd week we will most likely be hiring a motorhome & 'doing' the South Island.
Could anyone please give us some guidance as to where the best places to visit are in the South Island, for children as well as adults, as our 2 boys (age 5 & 10) will be joining us on our adventure.
Also, where would be the best place to hire a motorhome/campervan from? ie. most reliable & most economical
thanks in advance for your comments
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newzealandplease

We found Backpacker pretty good for the motorhome. We like you had two little ones with us. Backpackers vehicles are slightly older and cheaper per day. With kids was the best move we made as we would have been worried constantly about something newer.

Was comfy, reliable. We did your trip the other way round and did the south island staying at relatives, then ferry to Wellington, picked up motorhome and plodded up to Auckland via umpteen places.

Where are you planning on picking up and dropping off the campervan, this will probably influence who you can rent from. Some (can't remeber name) can be picked up in wellington and taken on ferry, or picked up in Picton (where the ferry lands).

p.s. we booked through selfdrive, I think they search two or three companies

RobClubley

have a look at our blog for our recent South Island photos. Might give you some ideas!
(link in my signature)

Happy Wanderer

Hi There

Our boys were 18 months and almost 7 when we visited South Island, they really enjoyed Hamner Springs and Queenstown. Hamner Springs was very pretty and fairly small but the Campsite there was very clean and peaceful with a play park near by. There was a great outdoor swimming pool in the village/town with large slides and lots of thermal pools. After hours of travelling is was perfect for them to burn off some energy. It was a little out of the way for us though, so with only a week it would depend on your itinerary as to whether or not it would be worth heading to. Maybe a trip to take when you move to NZ and have lots of time

Queenstown was lots of fun and we ended up spending 6 days and most of our money Found our favorite restaurant there (a place called the Fishbone) the staff were great with the children and the menu was child friendly as well as catering for grown ups. (Mmmm baileys and white chocolate cheesecake ) The horse riding at Glenorchy was superb, it was a few years ago so things may have changed, but at the time the stables were very well run. The horses were lovely and very well schooled/safe, and the guides really knew the the local area - and they were very specific about safety and making sure that the hats etc fitted correctly. My son who was a Legolas fan, was chuffed to bits as areas used in LOTR were pointed out, and when we got back he found out the horse he was riding was also used in the film.

There was a gondola ride that took us up to a cafe where we spent at least an hour laughing at screaming people below us doing the canyon swing. It was just a nice place and one of the highlights of our trip.

It's worth saying though, that although it was autumn it didn't rain at all when we were there so we never had to worry about wet weather activities.

Enjoy your trip where ever you decide to go!

newzealandplease

I second Hamner, its worth a overnight there. The springs are brill and the campsite is small but lovely with the mountains behind you.

Our drive was diagonal from ?Nelson down to Chrishchurch, stopping at hamner along the way. We didn't go further down than Christchurch due to time. Chrishtchurch was a bit disapointing, but all the places we went through to get there were lovely. We came back up from Chrishtchurch to Picton using the east coastal road. Some really nice places along the way. Wish I had the piccies over here with me in NZ and I could remember the names of a few of them

iwannagonow

thanks for all your replies!
Hamner Springs definately looks like the place to be! I've just checked out their website!
Also Orana Wildlife Park looks great, especially the lion feeding times!
Both will certainly going on our 'to do list'!
See you in April!!!! xxxxxxx

Persephone

Puzzle World in Wanaka was fun for us two adults [grown up kids!] Lots of optical illusions and a giant outdoor maze.

Especially liked the room where you look like a giant on one side and a dwarf if you walk to the other, they video it as well so you can watch it afterwards. Also the bit where all the angles are wrong and you can't tell what is up, down or flat, beware, can induce mild nausea if you concentrate too much! . Great fun, I'm sure the kids would love it

iwannagonow

Thanks Sue
will definately be checking that out too!
I'm sure me & my 3 boys (hubby & 2 kids) will enjoy that!

happynz

Everbody writes that and says that to boot, but hello everyone, it is Hanmer Springs, not Hamner Springs. I know now as my Kiwi mates hammered me when I mispronounced the name of the place.



Peace and love and all that.

iwannagonow

Soz bout that! I'm afraid I didn't realise!
but now I stand corrected & will pronounce it as Hanmer from now on!
cheers, Cheryl x

happynz

No worries and no apologies necessary. I'm as guilty as anyone else. I was merrily going about saying Hamner Springs until I was told directly about my deficient pronunciation.

So yeah, Hanmer Springs. Hamner Springs sounds better to my ear, but that's not the way it goes, so...