r/newzealand_travel

Hello! I am looking for some advice on doing the Alpine Crossing in May this year and would like to around the end of May. I see the note on the DOC website about a guide but I am curious if that is needed? Our group would be 3 of us, 2 experienced backpackers and 1 noob, all fit 26-29 years old. I can’t say I have “alpine experience” as in frozen summits, but I have backpacked in the Sierras in the states.

Main questions are: Monday-Wednesday is first come first served for the Mangatepopo Hut, will the hut be full/crowded? Will alpine gear be needed in May, like crampons? We have layers, hiking gear, and will have backpacks/sleeping bags, stoves for backpacking etc. Anyone looking to do this adventure next month and want a group of chill friends?! Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

TLDR: Tongariro Alpine Crossing, what gear do I need, and how busy is it in late May? Cheers.

Just want to share the scam I encountered today when returning my budget rental car.

When I rented the car and signed the agreement, I signed that the fuel was at 8/8 when I rented it out and if I returned it below the 8/8 I would pay $5.39 a liter to refuel it. Standard practice for most rentals.

When I returned it they decided to pull the when you rented it the fuel was at 50 gallons (yes gallons) and I returned it at 48.8 gallons. Therefore I would need to pay a charge for the fuel. This was despite the fact that I produced a receipt showing I filled up the car less than 1 kilometer from the airport less than 5 minutes before returning the vehicle. The fuel gauge on the car read full. But they still said oh well and charged my card.

This seems to be common practice and is not legal under NZ consumer law. If you get one of these charges I would urge you to dispute it and not tolerate it.

Hello, I need advice.

In a few days I will be traveling with my SO from the US to the north island of New Zealand for a few days and I will be proposing to her on the trip. I can easily hide the ring in my carry on without her noticing, it's actually been in my bag for months and she has no idea lol. What I am nervous about is the customs in New Zealand. I wouldn't mind declaring it as precaution, but I have no idea if in the line they specifically ask anything about "what did you declare" or anything that would give it away, I am afraid if I make that official she will hear it at some point. I apologize, we have never left the country before so I am ignorant on that topic.

Technically I bought it in the US, it's coming with me, and leaving with us. It's my personal property, and she will be wearing it (hopefully lol) when we head back to the US. Whats the advice on this? Its currently just sitting in a ring box in my bag. I was just going to leave it in the box.

I am sure this has been asked before. I appreciate the help, excited to see the beautiful country!

Planning my honeymoon trip to New Zealand South Island side for 2 weeks starting 18 Jun . Is this a good decision or shall I postpone?

I plan to start from Christchurch following thr south island trip itinerary

Hey all,

Traveling to the South Island in late September to do a road trip through Te Anau, Wanaka, Twizel, Aoraki, Lake Tekapo.

I’m seeing that these roads, specifically the higher altitude ones will require chains or might be closed at these times due to bad weather.

Would it be safe to go at this time, or should we push it back to November/Early December?

We are renting a motorhone during late December to mid January and looking for advice from seasoned pros!

We are starting in Christchurch, sticking to the south island and hitting all the usual tourist hot-spots.

We have a site booked for 29-2 to ensure we have somewhere to park over new years.

But I'm wondering how important it is from 27th Dec till mid Jan to have spots booked?

Obviously I realise there will be many others also on holiday, so is it completely naive to think we might find doc or spaces in designated freedom sites?

As its peak season should we book for every night?

I don't want to be under prepared but it'd be nice to think we could 'save' at least a little money some nights not paying for full sites haha

I’m planning an 11-day South Island road trip in New Zealand (May) and would love some feedback or suggestions 🙏

 Day 1   | Christchurch
recover from jetlag/evening walk/exploration

Day 2 | Christchurch → Tekapo
accommodation: Tekapo 2nights

• Lake Tekapo shoreline
• Church of the Good Shepherd (stargazing)
• Lake Pukaki stop

🟢 Day 3 | Tekapo →Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park →Tekapo

• Hooker Valley Track
• Tasman Glacier Viewpoint

🔴 Day 4 | Tekapo → Queenstown

• Lindis Pass
• Cromwell
• Lake Wakatipu first view

Accommodation : Queenstown 2nights

🔴 Day 5 |  Queenstown →Glenorchy →Queenstown

• Glenorchy Wharf
• Lagoon Walk
• Paradise Valley Road

Accommodation : Queenstown

🟢 Day 6 | Queenstown → Te Anau

Lake Te Anau waterfront (sunset)
 ➡️ Rest day
accommodation : Te Anau 2nights

🟢 Day 7 | Te Anau →Milford Sound

Stops:

• Mirror Lakes
• Eglinton Valley
• Homer Tunnel

 

accommodation: Te Anau

🟡 Day 8 | Te Anau → Wanaka

• Quick Queenstown stop
• Crown Range Road

Accommodation : Wanaka

🟡 Day 9 | Wanaka

• Roy’s Peak (optional sunrise hike)
• Lake Wanaka
• Wanaka Tree

Accommodation : Wanaka

🟡 Day 10 | Wanaka

Options:

• Second sunrise shoot
• Short hikes / lake exploration
• Rest + editing day  ➡️ Buffer day

Accommodation : Wanaka

🔵 Day 11 | Wanaka → Queenstown

• drive back (~1 hr)
• Last Queenstown evening walk / content.

Day 12 ✈️ Departure | Queenstown Airport
return rental car.

 

My wife and I are planning a two week driving trip from Auckland to Queenstown that would include the ferry to south island. We want to mountain bike, visit waitomo caves and Rotorua, in particular. What is the best way to rent a car with a rack and bike for this trip? What are the can't miss places to ride and visit along the way?

Hey everyone! 😃

Wife and I are planning to take our bikes down to the west coast from Nelson for anywhere between 3-9 days in September to visit wife’s parents (so free accom in Greymouth) and just wanted to get ideas on what to do?

Amount of time is just dependant on what there is to do.

Even if it’s just a fun road with nice views to go for a ride on 😃

We are planning shantytown and gold-panning for our anniversary but other than that open to all ideas.

For a general idea of riding distance we are happy with we probably wouldn’t go farther than Franz Josef as we plan to do Queenstown and surrounding area separately.

Thanks for any and all suggestions to check out 😃

Hello as the title intend, im currently at the middle of my trip in NZ where is best place to buy whittakers choclates in smaller portions not like the big ones in Pak n Save and also looking to buy keychains magnets and patches should i buy it in touristy spots or find them cheaper in Christchurch.

Hi. I’m flying with my family to Auckland via a short transit in Singapore.

1. Do I enter my origin flight details or final flight (Singapore-Auckland) details in the form?

2. If I’m filling the form via the NZTD app, do I have to download the app on each travellers phone and fill it or can I fill it on my app and then share/print the declaration when it’s completed?

3. My mother just recovered from surgery a few months ago and has to carry several prescription medication. If I’m carrying the required doctor’s prescription should I still declare it in the form?

4. Lastly, would we easily get larger SUV/Vans on Uber around midnight at the airport or are there any better alternatives?

Thanks in advance!

My daughter and I are coming to NZ in June. We worked with a company to set an itinerary and need to fly from Auckland to Christchurch and then from Queenstown to Hamilton or Auckland.

In your opinion, what are the best domestic airlines for this?

I'm from the west coast of the U.S. and would really like to visit New Zealand. However, I would most likely need to travel solo. Are there any travel groups that cater to solo older (but not elderly!) women in New Zealand? I'm not terribly athletic, so I probably wouldn't do any strenuous hikes, etc. I'm interested in museums, sight-seeing the natural beauty of the country, etc.

Title. I will be traversing Auckland Airport with my wife next Friday. We're scheduled to land at 17:20 at AKL and take-off from the domestic terminal at 19:05.

We have done the walk between the terminals before but under different circumstances, so I know it's a bit of a hike. I'm mainly worried about the time it takes to taxi, deplane, clear customs, gather luggage, and clear biosecurity, and clear security on the other terminal.

Just spelling all that out makes it seem like a lot and probably worth it just to eat the change fees instead of trying to deal with it day of.

Hi all!

My wife and I are planning our first trip to New Zealand for next March, and would love some feedback on our first draft of our itinerary. A little about us: we're in our thirties and in decent shape. Things we tend to gravitate towards on trips include beautiful scenery, wildlife, easy to moderate hikes/walks, live music, zoos/aquariums/museums, and food. We're also big LOTR fans and would like to visit some of the film locations.

Fly Hartford > Auckland

Days 1-2: Auckland (Rest on first day - maybe zoo or aquarium. Second day pick up rental car and explore)
Day 3: Hobbiton, stay in Taupo
Day 4: Tongariro National Park/Taupo (Not doing the crossing, but probably will be hiking!)
Days 5-6: Wellington (Zealandia, WETA, Te Papa)
Day 7: Fly Wellington > Queenstown
Day 8-9: Queenstown (Possible day to trip to Glenorchy or Arrowtown on one day)
Day 10: Te Anau. Glowworms!
Day 11: Milford or Doubtful Sound. Stay in Te Anau
Day 12: Queenstown (This wound up being a bit of a bonus day. Would this be better spent somewhere else?)
Day 13: Fly Queenstown > Hartford

How'd we do? Anything we're missing out on?

Nothing is booked at the moment, so we still have some flexibility to shuffle things around. 2 weeks is about what we can manage, but squeezing in one more day might be possible if the situation really called for it.

One big piece of feedback I'm sure we'll get is that it would be better to focus on one island. That's fair enough, but we wanted to at least try to work something up with a smattering of both islands. This is the biggest trip we've taken and we may not ever get to come back, so it would be amazing to experience at least some of the highlights. Obviously, seeing everything would never be possible in our timeframe.

We really wanted to visit Mt. Sunday and Kaikoura, but couldn't really find a way to make it work. Again, can't see it all!

Be honest and unmerciful. Thanks very much for any and all feedback!

We'll be traveling as a family (2 preteen kids) to New Zealand later this year (June), and I wanted to ask for feedback on our itinerary as well as a few questions about possible alternatives.

This is our planned schedule:

• Day 1: Arrive in Auckland in the afternoon, pick up rental car, drive to Matamata
• Day 2: Hobbiton tour, drive to Waitomo
• Day 3: Waitomo Glowworm Cave + Rotorua
• Day 4: Rotorua + Orakei Korako + Huka Falls
• Day 5: Mount Maunganui
• Day 6: Hahei + Cathedral Cove
• Day 7: Auckland + flight back

I know this is a fairly packed itinerary. We are trying to fit in as much as possible given the limited time we have.

A few questions:

• Day 3: Is it worth also doing Ruakuri Cave, even if that means less time in Rotorua? It seems doable, but it would mean arriving in Rotorua later in the day.
• Day 5: Is Mount Maunganui worth visiting with kids? If not, what would you recommend in the area? My wife would really like to go there, so we'll likely visit anyway, but I'm having trouble seeing the appeal (apologies if I'm missing something).
• Day 6: We've read that access to Hahei/Cathedral Cove can be weather-dependent. What would be a good alternative activity or place to visit in the area, or between there and Auckland?

Thanks in advance!

Hi all, looking to rent just a normal cheaper van for our next trip but so many are saying insurance is void for using on unsealed roads? Seems extremely restrictive in a place like NZ with so many gravel roads

Our travel insurance covers bonds over what the lowest rental van company "risky" bonds require, but if something were to happen would they claim back the bond or would we be up for the cost of the entire van?

Hi everyone

I have a pending nzeta that I applied for last night and still pending. I have a flight to catch tomorrow morning. My wife and my daughter both are Aus citizen so they don’t need an nzeta. However being an permanent resident I got confused with NZ deceleration form. I planned the whole south island trip with my family for my mrs Birthday next week in a motorhome. I am stressed out the max and so does my family. Will I be able to board the flight? Flying with Qantas.

Any experience will be helpful.

Hi everyone, total newbie with stargazing and coming to the south island soon. I was interested in going to one of the star gazing experiences in lake tekapo but have researched and the moon will certainly be lighting up the skies.

Do you still recommend spending the money for the experience? I’ve got a few weeks travelling and should certainly see some better stars earlier in my travels, just wondering opinions on if it’s worthwhile.

Also if anyone has suggestions for twizel stargazing over tekapo please let me know.