Looking for advice and hints to make the most of my roadtrip this year.
Hi all, I'm planning a 6 week trip to New Zealand, starting in mid June. Would be great to get some tips and advice. I'm planning to hire a campervan and travel from top of North island to the bottom of South island. I've been researching stuff online, but would be great to get first hand advice from people who have been there!! What are some of the best places to go to on each island? What is the weather like? Are there any festivals on around that time, music or food/drink related? Good restaurants?!?! What to pack/buy in the way clothes etc etc etc!! Look forward to your replies.
Donna x
Reply to this Hi Donna,
You're there at the height of winter; not the best time for the mighty motorhomer, but you'll love it none-the-less. You don't say where you are from.
At that time of year, the bigger the motorhome, the better - more space for comfort, keeping clothes and drying wet-wear! Campsites have an overload of facilities, they're inexpensive (compared to the UK) and clean.
The South Island is likely to be colder than the North, (It's like Britain upside down, Scotland at the bottom) but it is FAR more spectacular.
Don't miss Christchurch, Queenstown (and up to Glenorchy) and Wanaka, and if you have never been to Norway, take the long drive to Milford Sound. Kaikura will eat your heart out if it isn't snowing!
There might be some hints worth looking at on our blog: www.travelblog.org/bloggers/grey-haired-nomads (Motorhome News from New Zealand 1-8, a record of our 11 weeks Sept - Dec 08.
Reply to this Hi Donna
Take warm clothes. It is likely to be nice-ish weather in the North Island during winter but it will be cold and wet in the South. We toured in November in a little camper and had a great time doing pretty much as you plan except that we started in Christchurch and ended in Auckland.
You shouldn't miss Milford Sound and we enjoyed the coast around the Catlins. The West coast of the South Island is Ok for a drive and if you make it to Wesport they cook excellent steaks at the Criterion Hotel in the main road. Pelorus Sound on the South Island is worth a day or two. We took a mail boat run.
On the North Island there is a lot to see but nothing beats the Bay of Islands in my opinion.
We put a blog of our trip on www.mytb.org/slowfeet.
Reply to this Hey Slowfeet,
You got that bit wrong, - the North Island is wet in winter and the South Island is dry (generally speaking of course).
Reply to this I agree with Bouk - North Island gets loads of rain in winter (that's why it's so green). South Island is generally dry - of course there is winter rain - but most of it falls as snow on the Southern Alps, or as rain in the West Coast rain forests. When it rains in North Island, it REALLY rains...it can still be warm though.
Reply to this Have a look at www.aa.co.nz..it has a great travel section broken up into regions with most things covered. You will have some fun mid winter..might need to detour sometimes for snow!
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