# New Zealand Road Trip



## Judy (Jul 25, 2012)

We confirmed a timeshare exchange in Wanaka, but when we tried to book frequent flier tickets, the only city we could fly into was Auckland.  We're scheduled to arrive at 2:30 PM the day before our check-in.  googlemaps says it takes 19 hours and 28 minutes to make the trip, including a 3 hour ferry ride.  Obviously we're going to miss the first day of our timeshare week.  

I figure 2 nights on the road without detours.  Would that be right?  Do you all
have suggestions for where we should stay?

Are there any "don't miss" attractions to see along the way?


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## vacationdoc (Jul 25, 2012)

*Domestic flight from Auckland?*

I think Wanaka is on the South Island and Auckland is North Island.  If you fly into Auckland you may want to book another flight from Auckland to Queenstown and pick up your rental car there.  Queenstown is about 80 miles from Wanaka.  Many of the car rental companies will allow you to drop off your car at the ferry building on one island and pick up another car at the other side so you don't have to pay for the car on the ferry. Everywhere in Nzed is a can't miss attraction imho, but the single best night I ever spent in NZ was an overnight Milford Sound cruise. Enjoy.  Judith



Judy said:


> We confirmed a timeshare exchange in Wanaka, but when we tried to book frequent flier tickets, the only city we could fly into was Auckland.  We're scheduled to arrive at 2:30 PM the day before our check-in.  googlemaps says it takes 19 hours and 28 minutes to make the trip, including a 3 hour ferry ride.  Obviously we're going to miss the first day of our timeshare week.
> 
> I figure 2 nights on the road without detours.  Would that be right?  Do you all
> have suggestions for where we should stay?
> ...


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## Judy (Jul 25, 2012)

vacationdoc said:


> I think Wanaka is on the South Island and Auckland is North Island.  If you fly into Auckland you may want to book another flight from Auckland to Queenstown and pick up your rental car there.  Queenstown is about 80 miles from Wanaka.


If the drive is too difficult or too long, we'll have to do that, but never having been to New Zealand before, we'd like to see as much of the country as we can.



> Many of the car rental companies will allow you to drop off your car at the ferry building on one island and pick up another car at the other side so you don't have to pay for the car on the ferry.


I never thought of that.  Great idea!


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## Margariet (Jul 25, 2012)

We have been twice to NZ. I think the last time was about 15 years ago. We hired a car for our whole stay. When we took the ferry from the North island to the South island we had to call the car rental agency a few days in advance and then they arranged the drop off of the car at the ferry on the North Insland and the pick up of a new car on the South Island. We did the same thing when we drove back. It went very smoothly. And I remember we once got an upgrade because the car we booked was not available. We hired the car with Hertz. I can't remember every detail and the world was different from today but NZ was still a quiet country back then, full of sheep. But we sure had a lot of driving to do!

Try to look at Skyscanner to see what possibilities there are for your flights. Enjoy your stay!


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## Jwerking (Aug 3, 2012)

Hello Judy:

We are off to NZ for about 7 weeks in Dec- Jan and have done tons of research.  I would suggest that you just get a flight from Auckland to Queenstown.  I was also planning on doing almost the exact drive you are mentioning - but after posting on Tripadvisor, we opted for the flight - it is very reasonable - about $100 each I think.  

Think about it - all you are going to be doing is DRIVING.  You will NOT have time to do any of the must-see sites along the way.  Also, the Kiwis warn about the narrow, bendy, and twisty roads in NZ - much different than the fast interstate roads that we are accustomed to here in the US.  And remember that you will be driving on the left - which we have had great difficulty with in the UK and Oz - ugh!

I will really miss doing the ferry crossing between the north and south island as it can provide for some beautiful scenery.  However, I found out that it can often be very rough and I get seasick so easily that I am glad that I found out in advance.  

I hope that you are spending some extra time in NZ and not just one week in the Wanaka timeshare.  Many beautiful places to see and so hard to make decisions.  On the south island, we are doing the first week in a Queenstown timeshare and doing a road trip for 20 days.  Booked motels for 1 to 4 day stays along the way.  

Log onto the Tripadvisor forum for NZ for some great info and personal advice.  Their NZ volunteers on the forum are extremely helpful. 

Enjoy your trip. 

Joyce


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## colamedia (Aug 12, 2012)

Iagree with everyone suggestiong fly to Queenstown and drive from there.  It is too far to drive in direct drive - doable with a few days, but not worth doing in 2 days. Once you factor in the cost of gas, the drive becomes very expensive when you are just driving and not taking advantage of actually investigating where you are driving through.  Also, not sure of the time difference of where you are flying in from, but it may not be a good idea to have to do a long drive straight off a long flight.  
Overnight in Auckland and fly to Queenstown with a short drive to Wanaka


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## spencersmama (Aug 14, 2012)

Jwerking - do you mind sharing where you did some of your research?  I haven't looked too much into New Zealand yet.  I'm sure I'll find a ton of stuff I will want to see (when I go), but wonder if it's better to do a cruise or land tour to get a good overview.  I use trip advisor, tug, and cruise critic a lot.  All of these groups have their niche, but I don't know which form of transport be the best for seeing the islands.  This is just a theoretical trip in the future right now!  Thanks!


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## Judy (Aug 21, 2012)

From what so many here have said, driving from Aukland to Queenstown in the time we have available isn't a great idea. So we're investigating flights into Queenstown.  But it isn't as simple as it seems because we're taking a 58 day cruise afterwards and will have a lot of baggage.


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## MrsPants (Oct 12, 2013)

Kia Ora!
We live in Auckland, NZ, so hopefully can offer some help- the first post is old but this may aid others in the future 

Domestic flights in NZ are relatively cheap and frequent, so it often is easier to fly than drive. You can search for very cheap flights with Air NZ at their discount site www.grabaseat.co.nz

If you have loads of time then driving is a great option, but you really would want to give yourselves at least 2-3 weeks to drive from North to South to allow you time to stop off and enjoy the country.

Kind Regards


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## Judy (Oct 16, 2013)

We had a wonderful trip to New Zealand.  We spent one night in Auckland and then took the train to Wellington; the ferry to Picton; the train to Greymouth; and then drove to Wanaka where we stayed for most of a week, making day trips from there.  It was the best itinerary for us, allowing us to see much of the country in a short period of time without driving while jet-lagged.  After our stay in Wanaka, we drove to Queenstown and flew Air New Zealand to Sydney where we boarded our cruise to Rome.


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## LisaH (Oct 16, 2013)

Sounds like a great vacation. I love New Zealand. Such a beautiful country. We were not able to see Milford Sound to due the adverse weather conditions last time we were there. We will have to schedule another one in the next couple of years...


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## MaryH (Nov 8, 2013)

oppps.  Just realized the trip had passed..  

Sound like you had a good trip.


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## lizap (Nov 14, 2013)

Judy, sounds like a phenomenal trip!  We did a trip to Australia and NZ several years ago.  Love love NZ.  


QUOTE=Judy;1542680]We had a wonderful trip to New Zealand.  We spent one night in Auckland and then took the train to Wellington; the ferry to Picton; the train to Greymouth; and then drove to Wanaka where we stayed for most of a week, making day trips from there.  It was the best itinerary for us, allowing us to see much of the country in a short period of time without driving while jet-lagged.  After our stay in Wanaka, we drove to Queenstown and flew Air New Zealand to Sydney where we boarded our cruise to Rome.[/QUOTE]


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