Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - NZ So Island Lodging and Rental car plus

Hello out there. Move completed to San Diego. Tickets for CHC starting 1/25/05 for our 30 year anniversary. Will return mid Feb. Thank you in advance for any help or suggestions!

Need rental car for 19 or 20 days. Will likely pick up in CHC, not airport, Taxi to hotel and rest one or two nights before starting out.Anyone have experience with ANZED Rentals? Should I just stick to the biggies? Need a mid size+, automatic, dependable, unlimited milage, maps.

Lodging
Need 1 or 2 nights in CHC. mid priced in town ensuite

For the stays out of CHC, need parking, ensuite, easy to find. Prefer motel to hotel. B&B's okay. Prefer K, Q if possible. Small or large complex okay. Will have car, so a bit out of town okay

Oamaru 1nt
Dunedin 1nt
Te Anau 2nts
Queenstown 1 or 2 nts
Haast 1 nt
Hokitika 2 nts
Punakaiki 1 nt
Nelson 1 nt
Kaikoura 2 nts

Then back in Christchurch for about 5 nights (and returning car before the last night, as flight out is at 7 am...maybe one night near the AP? Suggestions?

Itenery check in general order of above listings, ex CHC

Akarooa Museum, historic sites, Ashburton museums, Timaru historic walk, Aigantighe Art Museum, South Canterbury Mus., Moerake Boulders, Oamaru Penguin Colony, RW Sta., Otago Museum, Olvesten Historic House, Royal Albatross Center, Tairaroa Head Military Mus., Ophir PO., NZ Marine Studies Centre, Moerake Boulder, Monarch Wildlife cruise, Botanic Garden, Lake Manapouri, Fiordland Nat Pk visitor centre and Musuem, Te Anau Wildlife centre, Milfor sound drive, cruise, Tss Earnslaw steamer cruise, Lake Wanaka, Hawea, Thunder Creek Falls, Haast World Heritage Centre, Haast Beach, Hapuku Estuary, Jackson Bay (fish and chips off cart), Smithy's Tavern pasta and seafood, Franz Josef Glacier and walk to terminal, Cape Foulwind Seal Colony, Shantytown recreation, West Coast Historical Mus., Heritage Trail--incl. Clock tower, custom house, signal station lookout, Gibson quay, Westport RW Preservation in Westport, Paparoa Nat PK Dolomite Point, blowholes, pancake rocks, glow worms cave (take flashlight), sculpted rocks, Murchison earthquake mus., MAYBE Takaka-Golden Bay, Labyrith Rocks Pk, TE Waikoropupu Springs, Richmond Gardens of the World, Rai Valley cottage mus., wine in Blenheim, Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve, Canvastown gold fields, Kaikoura eat crayfish, Marine Mammal Sanctuary, Ocean Windgs Albatross Encounters, Whale Watching cruise, Ohau point Seal Colony, Kaikoura Museum, and Fyffe House.

Will add Willowbank Wildlife Reserve when I find it again on the web. Anything that we missed that falls in the general categories of what I have shown?

We know it is high time and must start booking soon, so any help would be appreciated. It takes a long time to research motels, and the data is quite sparce, so e-mails etc.

Hi.

Congrats on your upcoming anniversary. You have picked a good time to visit NZ - should be the best weather (hottest, sunniest) although no guarantees. The first few days here are the end of school holidays so there may be a bit of traffic on the roads.

With 3 week car rental you should be able to negotiate a reasonable rate with any outfit. Havent heard of ANZED but dont take that to mean anything.

Try www.newzealand.com (official NZ Tourism Board site) or www.aa.co.nz (Automobile Association) for researching places to stay, things to do and visit. AA also has useful info like travel times, current road conditions. If you belong to AA at home, then you can get free (detailed) maps from any AA office (there will be at least one in Christchurch). Otherwise, the airport or any tourist information centre has plenty of brochures and maps for free.

Not sure what you mean under lodging "prefer K, Q if possible"?

Your itin looks fine and unlike many visitors you seem to be allowing plenty of time to do it properly. Note some things are slightly out of the order you'd do them - eg Pelorus Bridge and Canvastown are on the way to Blenheim from Nelson. I presume you are looking at doing short walks at some of these places (eg at Cape Foulwind the road is a small walk from the Cape).

Rather than comment on each place I leave it to you to ask questions. I have been to most places but having lived in Canterbury and Nelson know those areas best.

Thanks Kiwi Flyer

K or Q King or queen bed

ANZED Rentals came up on a web search. include everything and a phone and pick up. Rates $55 for Sedan 1.5L and $65 for family sedan based on 14-20 rental. Seem like a fair price (NZ$)

Max hike would be 40 min rtn without some extra pain. A bit more on level or paved ground. I have a bad foot

Unfortunately, the two books (New Zealand--Eyewitness Travel Guides and "The Rough Guide to New Zealand" and my web search still leave me with some ordering of items. Thanks for the heads up on Canvastown and Pelorus. We will have to do some fiine tuning on arrival and some further mapping.

Thanks for clarifying - obvious really! It used to be that many motels will only have double beds rather than K or Q. Think this is improving now but YMMV.

Got it, short walks only. Will take a look at your plans to see if anything there is too big. Many sights are right at roads edge or 10 minutes walk away. However things like waterfalls tend to be further away (30-60 minutes).

Seems okay. Some of these places have optional walking tracks but dont need to do them to see things.

Note blowhole and Pancake rocks (at Punakaiki) is between Greymouth and Westport.

The Westport museum is okay but will repeat much of what you see at Shantytown (except with a focus on coal instead of gold).

I dont think you need to spend 2 nights at Hokitika (although it does break up the driving). Punakaiki isnt that far up the coast.

Is there any particular reason for spending the last 5 nights in Christchurch? I would look to reduce it and add days in Queenstown (some nice wineries nearby), Nelson (you will need 1-2 days if wanting to visit Golden Bay depending on whether you do it as sidetrip from Nelson or take the shorter route on the way from Westport) and maybe Blenheim.

Thanks--now we are getting somewhere

2 nts in Hokitika, mainly to break up the drive and to insure enough time, as we expect to arrive a bit late there. It is also close to laundry time!

I will add a question mark on the Westport Museum and see how the time goes. Have eliminated some others for similar reasons.

Rearranged Punakaiki

Considering an additional night in Nelson, will make further time guesses

Queenstown vs CHC. Queenstown seem to cater to thrill seekers. Fun to watch, but at 60, my wife and I are not too interested. We buy wine early on and participate more than our share! Another winery tour, probably not, especially while driving. At least not until Marbourgh county. We actually have a very long list of things to do in and around CHC. Could actually spend more time. It also allows up to relax a bit before the trek home (taking ANZ to SYD, the UA to LAX, then UA* to SAN (San Diego?). As we attempt to book, who knows what will happen. It may shrink a day or two (ie Nelson suggestion).

Our driving program (when we did the North Island and most of the 5 Australian trips) is on the road early (8 or so), finish up around 16 or 18. Most night we "eat-in" ie takeout with a bottle of wine. If the lodging has food we usually buy there. Only do dining out when we have reason to believe that it will be a good or better experience. That is not easy on the road.

Any suggestions on lodgings? We expect to pay 70- 200 NZ$ nt.

Any suggestions on lodgings? We expect to pay 70- 200 NZ$ nt.

Nothing specific but the two sites I posted links are both reputable and can select type of accom plus price range. If you're staying in motels will be at the bottom of that range (except maybe Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown). NZD$200 goes a long way here - think 3-4 star hotel.

Some places (eg Punakaiki) there arent many accomm options as they are really small towns.

NZ has some excellent B&B's, including many with self-contained accomodation (typically a separate cottage or converted barn). This makes it a bit more private than staying in someone's home, while still giving the charm of having local hosts. I stayed at a combination of B&B's and motels and hotels, with the B&B's being by far the most memorable from the trip. http://www.bnb.co.nz/

Dunedin - Larnach Castle (about an hour's drive from town on the peninsula - half way to the penguin reserve). Quirky, kitschy place (with a good dinner) and cozy, high-end themed rooms in the stable (I got to sleep in a very comfy bed inserted into a giant wagon; and had a beautiful bathroom with a big clawfoot tub). Great views. Tour of the castle included in the price of the accommodation.

Kaikoura - If you decide that you'd like a budget option (to balance out more extravagant nights elsewhere), the Lobster Motor Inn is just fine (and down the street from Mussel Boys, a good restaurant). I stayed at the Lobster for 4 nights in 2003, and was very pleased with the service and value-for-money (but I'm sure there are more romantic and more expensive options).

Thank you.

Booked Oamaru and have Dunedin pending. Now to Te Anau. Finding some good directions along the way. Especially thankful for the Commadore's web site, www.dunedin-motel.co.nz. It has some good links! Decided to book there in thanks! 2nd choice, for us, Alexis.

I have just returned to Australia after spending 2 years working in New Zealand and can offer the following advise.

Car Rental

You will find most of the major rental companies like Avis, etc in NZ. You will also find many local companies. What you need to be careful of with the local companies is that the cars they rent can often be "Japanese Imports". That is, cars that were originally sold in Japan and then after a few years they are sent to New Zealand as second-hand cars. So, sometimes tha car you rent will be several years old with maybe a high milage on the clock. That isn't to say you shouldn't hire one of these cars, just that you should be aware of this. Many of the local companies also rent new cars (often known as "New Zealand New" indicating that they were sold as new cars in NZ). Generally, the cheaper the rental price the older the car. One local rental company I can recommend is Go Rentals (www.gorentals.co.nz). I have used them many times over the past 2 years. They rent the "Japanese Imports" as well as "NZ New" cars. They have an office in Christchurch (and elsewhere). I last rented from them about 2 months ago and at that time they had an airport drop-off facility where you could return the car at one of the airport hotels (Sudima Airport Hotel Grand Chancellor). Maybe you could look at staying there on your last night? I believe that they have a shuttle bus to and from the airport, but you would need to check on this.

CHC Hotels

For accommodation may I suggest you have a look at www.wotif.com as they have a large range of hotels and motels at discounted rates, although you can only book up to two weeks in advance. I have used wotif.com many times for accommodation in both Australia and New Zealand and they are very reliable.

Some suggestions for accommodation in CHC are (and I have stayed at these places):

Hotel Grand Chancellor: centrally located, clean, large hotel. The Grand Chancellor chain have about 7 hotels throughout NZ (and about 14 in Australia). Look at www.ghihotels.com.

For motel-like accommodation try the Bella Vista Hotels (www.bellavistamotels.co.nz). I have stayed at this chain in both Christchurch and Taupo. They have about 20 motels in the group. All of the motels look pretty much the same as they are built to a "standard" plan. Rooms are generally NZD90 to 120 per night, depending on location and type of room.

Also, if you haven't been to NZ before you need to know that most motel rooms include cooking facilities which can range from basic to almost a full kitchen. It's worthwhile asking the motel what cooking facililities thay have as it can be quite a cost saver, even if you only make your own breakfast, or maybe cook a dinner of two. Most hotels don't have cooking facilites.

Hope this helps,

Glenn

Thanks Number_6, have been including B&B's in my search

Thnaks Kate_Canuck, the castle is a bit too high for the choices available. We will check out the Lobster for Kaikoura.

Thanks Glenn, got it, gorentals, junk, but good junk? Will give them a comparison check. Thanks for the explaination. Did not know. The Sudima may be a good choice for the day of arrival (San Diego, LAX, SYD, CHC phew!) and departure (7am). I will check them out, thanks. We don't normally cook on the road, but are know to get sweet rolls for breakfast, and prepared, take out to bring back to the room and add wine to. Also doing some popcorn in the micro.

We have been to No. Island for an extended driving tour, as per this one, although a bit shorter, sadly. Stayed Hyatt for a week then TiKuiti etc. Everyone was exceptional. The driving was my main complaint. Hopefully people have slowed down. Some of the web sites talk about strict speed enforcement.

Driving in south island is much nicer than north island, you won't have any problems with traffic or speeding. Some of the roads are very desolate (1 car per hour kind of traffic); probably a good idea to stock your car with a few supplies in case of breakdown, even though it isn't that desolate (and nowhere is it hostile like the outback). The only road hazard you need to be aware of are flash floods ... some of the rivers get to be 20 times bigger during heavy rain and water levels can rise quickly. The funniest site is a dip in the road with a switchback bridge built along the side, 20 feet up in the air ... until you realize that part of the year the road is under water and the bridge is needed. Makes you appreciate how much rain falls there.

Thanks Glenn, got it, gorentals, junk, but good junk? Will give them a comparison check.

Go Rentals don't have junk, just older cars. They also rent new cars as well, it's just they cost more than the older cars. Some of the other rental companies do have junk, so just be careful.


We have been to No. Island for an extended driving tour, as per this one, although a bit shorter, sadly. Stayed Hyatt for a week then TiKuiti etc. Everyone was exceptional. The driving was my main complaint. Hopefully people have slowed down. Some of the web sites talk about strict speed enforcement.

I can assure you that the driving has not changed! I'm not sure Kiwi drivers know how to use indicators on their cars :)

Glenn

The standard of driving is generally better in the South Island than the North Island.

The funniest site is a dip in the road with a switchback bridge built along the side, 20 feet up in the air ... until you realize that part of the year the road is under water and the bridge is needed. Makes you appreciate how much rain falls there.

I dont know where you're referring to. :confused:

Only the west coast of the South Island (and Mount Taranaki in the North Island) get huge amounts of rain.

Okay, Kiwi Flyer...my next booking research is for Nelson. I reconfigured my stay to 2 nights. Any suggestions on where to stay? I will come back and check and perhaps run what my research comes up with. Also as this stay includes our Anniversary, any suggestions on dining? No asian or spicy foods for my tummy...will Italian is not spicy in my thoughts!

There is a motor camp (called Tahunanui Beach Camp or something similar) that is right on the beach (has cabins as well as caravans to rent) and many motels nearby. Plenty of classier places as well - but more B&Bs rather than big hotels. If beach isnt your scene then there are other places on the fringes of the city centre.

Not sure of your exact date but bear in mind that while school will be back from summer break, there is a public holiday in Nelson 31 January so more traffic and busy for the long weekend.

Will check out some nice restaurants (as with many other busy cities in NZ they tend to come and go, change owners etc).

Kiwi Flier

AA site comes up with 100's of accomodations in the Nelson area!

We are staying 2/8 (anniversary) and out on 2/10 Thursday. Not really looking for a high rise mega hotel. Good parking, ensuite, K bed (or at least queen), not historic (1800's/early 1900's refurbished). More likely a warm motel or B&B. No stand alone houses. Do not know the area, so no idea if in town or out better. Area if out of town. Do NOT want a place where I have to figure out hov to park the car or street parking that is questionable. We will eat at the lodging or a local place. This should be a good steak, seafood or ? something place.

Hopefully this will make it easier? Thank you. I know lodging is especially hard in "your own backyard" because you live in an apt or house, not a lodge, hotel or motel!

Good that you dont want a big hotel - Nelson doesnt have any!

The two areas I mentioned - near the beach (nice for walks, swimming, since it is summer there will probably be some kind of carnival with events but not much else close - easy to drive into the city though its just 4km away) or city fringe (can walk to the historic areas, craft shops, nice river).

Beach area has takeaways and one or two restaurants but really need to go further away. City centre has a lot of cafes and restaurants.

Another option is The Honest Lawyer which is an english-style country pub (its only a few years old) in a residential area on the waters edge (need to drive to get to the beach and city). Will be more expensive than a motel but is supposed to be very good and has a nice restaurant on-site (no worries about drink-driving on your anniversary).

If you need to save $ somewhere, consider staying at the YMCA in Christchurch for all or part of your visit there. In addition to standard hostel rooms (shared), they have private rooms with ensuite showers - somewhere in the range of $50-75 a night, I think. I had difficulty finding a hotel that offered good value for money in Christchurch - the hotels seemed to be very ordinary for the price (and I'm not a big fan of B&Bs). I figured that if I was going to be staying in a characterless box, I might as well stay at the Y - and it was clean, comfortable, friendly and conveniently located. With the money I saved, I splurged on a night at Larnach Castle.

Kiwi Flyer

Having a lot of trouble contacting ghihotels.com. Web site is no problem, just e-mail.
This is especially Sudima Airport Hotel
All e-mails returned undeliverable
The idea of Sudima the night of arrival 1/27 and departure 2/17 makes a lot of sense. We will have treked a long time to get to CHC and leave at 7am on departure.

Most of the rest going fairly smoothly, expect Haast. Jasons is not replying very timely.

Just in case someone else can benefit from our research:

Oamaru 1 nt. BW Colonial Lodge
Dunedin 2 nts. Commodore Motel Apts (BW Alcala Motor Lodge runer-up)
Te Anau 2 nts. BW Amber Ct Hotel
Queenstown 1 nt Blue Peaks Lodge
Haast 2 nts Heritage Park Lodge (pending)
Hokitika 2 nts. Southland Hotel
Punakaiki 1 nt Te Puna Bush Haven (home), rented thru The Rocks Homestay which was full
Nelson 2 nts. The Honest Lawyer
Kaikuoura 2 nts The Lobster Inn

Looked for parking, ensuite, queen or king, easy to find, a couple for laundry and prices under $NZ200. Bedding was in some cases double. Prices were mostly near $100 with some pushing our top. Likely will push it some more in Christchurch. Very few problems with availability. Prices were almost always the top offered (it is high time) for the accomodations requested. Haast, thru Jasons travel has been a bit of a strain. Found the direct (I hope) information. At least I can find out if I am reserved or not.

The cities chosen by us, were based on driving times between locations, numbers of activiites that we wished to do on the drive and the activities at the destination. This is alway a compromise. Some overlapping driving is necessary to see Milford Sound and cruise (the reason we choose 2 nights in Te Anau). More agressive driving could cut some of our lengthened stays. Also, for those with no fear and a quest for the exciting, several nights in Queenstown could be well worth the stay. We also plan on no material treks. If Your plans were to include these or train rides, our schedule would also not work for you. We always drive the speed limit or slightly less while on vacation. We also try to leave the evenings free, so that there is some flex in our time on the road if we find something, not scheduled...usually the case...or some interesting people to share with.

Thank everyone for their input.

Still looking for a night on arrival near the CHC AP, a few nights in CHC at the end and one additional night near the AP. No response from the ghihotels.com, the Hotel Grand Chan. or their CHC AP property!?

Guess I need to do some surfing to find other options, especially near the AP. Found the rental cars about the same price (majors and gorent-new car) on a mid to standard...any one have any coupons that would apply? I have a few UA drink tickets I could part with...or buy you a drink someone along the line during our visit!

Kiwi Flyer

Having a lot of trouble contacting ghihotels.com. Web site is no problem, just e-mail.
This is especially Sudima Airport Hotel
All e-mails returned undeliverable
The idea of Sudima the night of arrival 1/27 and departure 2/17 makes a lot of sense. We will have treked a long time to get to CHC and leave at 7am on departure.

Most of the rest going fairly smoothly, expect Haast. Jasons is not replying very timely.

Try reservations@sudimahotel.co.nz - that should work.

Thank you. I just tried that and it did not bounce back. Have my fingers crossed.

Thank you again woodg, and welcome to flyer talk...although, I thought I remembered your handle from before?

Anyone know about heritageparklodge@xtra.co.nz or www.heritageparklodge.co.nz? I have tried the booking form (that went to Jasons, with my cc number). I have tried e-mailing them. No reply. I have sent an email to jasons, no reply. I would just go on my way and book with someone else (may have no choice) but I could end up paying for lodginig for two nights, twice!?

Feb 3-5th?

Any suggestions? Not sure when to call (0800526252, probably not good in the USA)...time zones. The only thing I can think of is to book with someone else and then "cancel" this one when I get to NZ, if it is booked. Hate to do that to someone!

No an 0800 number wont work from international. Their main ph is +64 3 750 0868, fax +64 3 750 0869

FYI it is now 8:40am if you are wanting to ring.

Other Haast accom AA listing (http://aatravel.co.nz/main/searchresults.jsp?typeId=1&locationId=51337&pageNo=1)

Many of the major rental companies offer rates about one THIRD normal if you drive south to North so check that out.

I needed a rental today for 6 days starting Dec 27. All the majors were talking about $NZ600 as it is peak holiday season. For TINY cars.

I found a place called Rent A Dent which has cars 2 or 3 years old and their price was $294 inc tax, and ins. i.e. HALF the majors. Will suit us perfectly. Also the majors ALL want extra for autos - this place does not.

http://www.rentadent.co.nz/Portal.asp

For NZ hotels you'll find many discounted on

www.wotif.com.au
www.needitnow.com.au
www.lastminute.com.au

Looked for parking, ensuite, queen or king, easy to find, a couple for laundry and prices under $NZ200.

[...]

Still looking for a night on arrival near the CHC AP, a few nights in CHC at the end and one additional night near the AP. No response from the ghihotels.com, the Hotel Grand Chan. or their CHC AP property!? Based on your criteria, I would recommend against the downtown CHC Hotel Grand Chancellor and instead suggest the Christchurch Copthorne Durham Street. The Copthorne Durham has convenient, easy, free self parking, while the downtown Hotel Grand Chanchellor uses a massive pay lot near the hotel and charges you for it unless you book a special that includes parking.

The downtown Hotel Grand Chancellor has its rooms high up in a downtown office tower, but most of its rooms aren't anything special except for maybe the view. The hotel ground floor entrance and lobby however is somewhat hard to find, especially if the first time you look for it is at night. You can see the hotel name on the top of the highrise from much of downtown and then drive around getting frustrated trying to find the entrance. The hotel is smack downtown, but that comes with some hassles if you have a car.

The Copthorne Durham Street is a easier to find and is a block away from the CHC casino and only a few block walk from the square, etc. Overall the Copthorne Durham's rooms are furnished somewhat more nicely than the Grand Chancellor, though there's not much of a view.

As for $NZ200 a night -- that's far more than you really need to spend to get what you are looking for most anywhere in New Zealand. Rooms for at one of the priciest times of the year (New Years Eve) in one of the most expensive cities (Queenstown) at some of the nicest properties (Heritage or Millenium) could be found for around $NZ210 for NYE and the rates dropped significantly after the big day.

Reinforcing what others have posted, wotif.com is your friend.

Thank you all.

Ended up with the Sudima Hotel for ist and last nights (near AP), althought now I find the AP is quite close to town anyway

Booked the Holiday Inn inChristchurch for 5 nights, just on the fringe of town (I believe,nz 175)

And finally, Hasst, for 2 nights at the world heritabge hotel

Was afraid to wait any longer, was getting no availability from some choices

I had not stayed at the Holiday Inn Christchurch by had stayed at Crown Plaza CHC but I see the summer price at $213-300 is much higher than the $135 rate I got when I was there twice.

If you are staying at HI, might want to check at the priority club forum for the double miles or double points promo or the 10K bonus promo(s).

Thank you...too late

With the money I saved, I splurged on a night at Larnach Castle.

This is an old thread, but since it is the one I found referring to Larnach Castle (http://www.larnachcastle.co.nz/index.pasp), I'm posting my question here.

We have booked a room in the lodge, not fancying the shared facilities in the more affordable stables. Is the $55NZD charge worth it for the 3 course dinner served in the castle? Or are there better choices in the area?

We were only able to get into the lodge for 1 night. Where else do you recommend in Dunedin? Has anyone tried Fletcher Lodge (www.fletcherlodge.co.nz/)? Or a more mundane property, Scenic Circle Dunedin City Hotel (www.scenic-circle.co.nz/)?