Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Need rental car info in NZ

We are going to rent a car in Greymouth & returning to Christchurch 5 days later (driving down west coast (Queenstown, Milford Sound, TeAnau, Dunedin then to Christchurch)). The best rate I have been able to get is 78.3nd/day for a compact. I've tried Avis, Hertz. Any other rental companies I could try?
Thanks for your help
Bob

Look a the NZ yellow pages http://yellow.co.nz/index.jsp. Greymouth is a small town. Many people go to Greymouth on the train and take a one way rental out, hence very limited choice & price structure.

You're going a long way in 5 days... I'd suggest cutting out Dunedin at the very least... Best alternative is to lengthen your trip...

What car company should I use Christchurch to Queenstown (two weeks)?

You're going a long way in 5 days... I'd suggest cutting out Dunedin at the very least... Best alternative is to lengthen your trip...

Leamas, We're getting into CC on Sat (flying in from Fiji) and then on Monday catching the TransAlpine to Greymouth, then our drive will get us back to CC on Saturday PM. Only staying in Dunedin one night (Friday). Is that still too long of a trip in 5 days?

Mwenenzi, thanks for the link for yellow listing, I'll try that.

try Apex: http://www.apexrentals.co.nz/

they give you full insurance for a reasonable cost, but the cars could be
a couple of years old. A good company over all.

Sorry, can't give any recommendations for Greymouth since it is such a small town but for Christchurch to Queenstown I've had good luck/pricing with EZY rental (offices in both cities) http://ezy.co.nz/ -- they're not on-airport but about a mile or two towards central CHC.

We got a good rate from Apex while we were there but we also had some troubles. We ended up spending about 4 hours negotiating with them to get our car fixed when we had bad brakes on the initial vehicle they gave us (http://www.wanderingaramean.com/2008/01/one-lane-bridge.html). After they spent 3 hours trying to get brake pads in to fix it they eventually swapped the car out, but it was not easy. Comments like "best effort" and "no guarantee" and the chance of not getting a new car ran rampant during the conversation, though it was ultimately resolved OK.

As for timing of the trip, are you planning on stopping anywhere or just driving to all those locations? From Greymouth headed South you'll pass right through glacier country (http://www.wanderingaramean.com/2007/12/we-climbed-glacier-today.html). Are you planning on visiting/hiking them? I highly recommend it, particularly the full day outing. Of course that means that you are effectively stuck there for that day. The next day driving all the way to Queenstown is a pretty full day, and making it all the way to Te Anau would be probably close to 8 hours in the car. You could stop in Queenstown and then make a day-trip to Milford, but that is a 4 hour drive each way, so figure on another 8 hours in the car if you drive yourself (or on a bus if you do a tour). I like having my own car to stop along the way as there are some beautiful sights at random stop-offs along the road which a bus won't do for you, but that is made much easier by getting to Te Anau the night before and then doing Te Anau - Milford - Queenstown one day. And that is still a long day in the car on the return drive.

You could get to the glaciers pretty easily on Monday night and hike them on Tuesday. You'd drive all day Wednesday to get to Queenstown and then do Milford on Thursday. Friday to Dunedin and then drive all day Saturday to get to the airport hopefully in time for your flight. It just doesn't sound to me like a good way to see the island - too rushed for a visit to a region of the world that is so laid back.

Drive times can be found here (http://www.accommodationz.co.nz/distances2.html), and those times do not take in to account getting stuck behind a slow camper van nor stopping to see things on the side of the road along the way.

I am looking at doing a CHC-NSN rental. Any additional recommendations to those previously mentioned in this thread?

Leamas, We're getting into CC on Sat (flying in from Fiji) and then on Monday catching the TransAlpine to Greymouth, then our drive will get us back to CC on Saturday PM. Only staying in Dunedin one night (Friday). Is that still too long of a trip in 5 days?

The driving times are shown through sbm12's post, so I won't comment much more. As you can see, the drives from Greymouth to Queenstown, Milford Sounds and so forth are long.

With only 5 days, I suspect you'll be spending about a day or two just driving. Here's my suggestion.

Saturday / Sunday
Arrive into Christchurch. Spend the day in Christchurch.

Monday
Say you get to Greymouth in the afternoon, you can spend some time up to Pancakes Rock (can't remember the real name, sorry). Unfortunately, that's north of Greymouth, but you can do the whole thing (including travel time) in 2 hours.

Spend the night in Greymouth.

Tuesday
Drive to Milford Sounds, with stops in between various photo spots.

Spend the night at Milford Sounds.

Wednesday
Drive to Queenstown

Thursday / Friday
Queenstown / Wanaka / Arrowtown. You can try for Te Anau, but that's a long drive.

Saturday
Drive back to Christchurch with photo stops in between.

I would definitely not do this during winter. Roads can be unpredictable due to weather.

The driving times are shown through sbm12's post, so I won't comment much more. As you can see, the drives from Greymouth to Queenstown, Milford Sounds and so forth are long.

With only 5 days, I suspect you'll be spending about a day or two just driving. Here's my suggestion.

Saturday / Sunday
Arrive into Christchurch. Spend the day in Christchurch.

Monday
Say you get to Greymouth in the afternoon, you can spend some time up to Pancakes Rock (can't remember the real name, sorry). Unfortunately, that's north of Greymouth, but you can do the whole thing (including travel time) in 2 hours.

Spend the night in Greymouth.

Tuesday
Drive to Milford Sounds, with stops in between various photo spots.

Spend the night at Milford Sounds.

Wednesday
Drive to Queenstown

Thursday / Friday
Queenstown / Wanaka / Arrowtown. You can try for Te Anau, but that's a long drive.

Saturday
Drive back to Christchurch with photo stops in between.

I would definitely not do this during winter. Roads can be unpredictable due to weather.

This itinerary makes no sense. Spending the night a Milford is not generally viable, and you pass through Te Anau on the way to Milford, so there would be no reason to go back on Thursday after having done it on Wednesday. The Tuesday "drive to Milford" is listed as 10:45 drive time on the chart, and it will be longer when you stop and eat and by petrol and all those other things that you'll actually want to be doing rather than just driving.

I didn't go to pancake rocks, but I'd still vote for the galciers over that; the glaciers are truly amazing. Plus that will put you 2 hours further south on Tuesday.

sbm12/Leumas here is our itinerary. Please tell me your thoughts. Many thanks in advance.
Arriving Christchurch from Fiji (2 nights there) Sat 2-21-09. Two nights in CC. Leave Monday on TransAlpine to Greymouth. Rent car. Sightsee rest of Monday & part of Tuesday am, then drive to Queenstown. Stay in Qsntn Tuesday & Wednesday night. Leave Thursday am for Milford Sound etc. Stay Thursday night in TeAnau. Friday am drive to Dunedin. Stay Friday night in Dunedin. Drive Sat. am/pm to CC. Stay in CC Sat. night. Take train Sunday to Picton. Stay there Sunday & Monday nights. Tuesday take ferry to Wellington, stay there Tuesday/Wednesday nights. Thurdsay am take Overlander to Auckland, stay there Thursday/Friday/Sat. nights. Depart for U.S. Sunday. Are we going to die?

Bob

I didn't go to pancake rocks, but I'd still vote for the galciers over that; the glaciers are truly amazing. Plus that will put you 2 hours further south on Tuesday.
I've been there before... its worth it if you go during the high tide time.
The waves gushing through the rocks is spectacular, but during the low
or receding tide, its not worth much IMO.

If you must do it.. it won't be too out of the way if you were
passing through Greymuth anyway - on your way to the Glaciers.

sbm12/Leumas here is our itinerary. Please tell me your thoughts. Many thanks in advance.
Arriving Christchurch from Fiji (2 nights there) Sat 2-21-09. Two nights in CC. Leave Monday on TransAlpine to Greymouth. Rent car. Sightsee rest of Monday & part of Tuesday am, then drive to Queenstown. Stay in Qsntn Tuesday & Wednesday night. Leave Thursday am for Milford Sound etc. Stay Thursday night in TeAnau. Friday am drive to Dunedin. Stay Friday night in Dunedin. Drive Sat. am/pm to CC. Stay in CC Sat. night. Take train Sunday to Picton. Stay there Sunday & Monday nights. Tuesday take ferry to Wellington, stay there Tuesday/Wednesday nights. Thurdsay am take Overlander to Auckland, stay there Thursday/Friday/Sat. nights. Depart for U.S. Sunday. Are we going to die?

Bob

I don't think you'll die, but you are certinaly pushing the limits of what it reasonable, IMO. I'd skip one of the nights in CC. It is a nice little city, but that's really it. We overnighted there and saw pretty much everything we wanted to see in a couple hours. Skipping a night there would give you a day to hike on the glacier rather than driving up, seeing the face and leaving. I think that Dunedin is rather out of the way for you. You're looking at ~4 hours driving from Te Anau to get there and then 5 hours driving from there to CC. Of course, Te Anau to CC isn't much shorter, so it seems as good a place as any to break things up.

If you can get to Franz Josef on Monday night (2:15 from Greymouth) you'll be in a good position to get to Wanaka/Queenstown on Tuesday (~4 hours). Queenstown-Milford-Te Anau is a full day, but a worthwhile one, and stopping in Te Anau is going to save you that last 2 hours of driving when you're likely pretty tired out. The downside of that is that getting out of Te Anau means passing back through Queenstown. Perhaps Franz Joseph, Wanaka, Te Anau (Milford this day), Queenstown, Dunedin is a better order. You'll pass through Queenstown on the way from Wanaka to Milford, but not stopping that time will let you get to Milford and then back to Te Anau so you can rest a bit before returning to Queenstown. There was nothing that we wanted to do in Queenstown other than get our rental car, so we didn't spend any time there.

No matter how you slice it the South Island is pretty big, so trying to get to so much in such a short time is going to be tiring. You either have to cross things off the list or resign yourself to spending half of every day in a car.

S.

I used standbycars.com.au and got a great rate when I went to NZ!

Monday
Say you get to Greymouth in the afternoon, you can spend some time up to Pancakes Rock (can't remember the real name, sorry). Unfortunately, that's north of Greymouth, but you can do the whole thing (including travel time) in 2 hours.



The Pancake Rocks are in Punakaiki - www.punakaiki.co.nz/

Take train Sunday to Picton. Stay there Sunday & Monday nights......Are we going to die?2 nights in Picton is too long. Not the most exciting place: its a ferry terminal with a few shops & motels.

NZ may be small on a map, but travel times by car are long.

This itinerary makes no sense. Spending the night a Milford is not generally viable, and you pass through Te Anau on the way to Milford, so there would be no reason to go back on Thursday after having done it on Wednesday. The Tuesday "drive to Milford" is listed as 10:45 drive time on the chart, and it will be longer when you stop and eat and by petrol and all those other things that you'll actually want to be doing rather than just driving.

Since the drive to Milford is so long, plus the various photo stops one may want to make, that's why I suggested spending the night at Milford. I was actually thinking driving straight there, then as you 'backtrack' to Queenstown, make the stops you want to at Te Anau and so forth.

Regardless, I'd still suggest cutting out Dunedin, and only spend about 24 hours or so in Christchurch. There're several worthwhile photo stops between the Queenstown region back to Christchurch, which you can easily make a day out of.

The other thing is cut out a day at Picton (only spend one night there). You can even consider minimising the time at Picton altogether. Get off the train and on the ferry as soon as possible. As mentioned, there's very little there. You can get a car and drive around a bit for the good wines on offer there (or join a short tour so you can enjoy the wine). Then you buy yourselves a day to spend in Dunedin or take the rest of the SI in a more leisurely pace.

2 nights in Picton is too long. Not the most exciting place: its a ferry terminal with a few shops & motels.

NZ may be small on a map, but travel times by car are long.

Picton itself sure. But if spend it in the sounds proper (say Portage or one of the lodges in Queen Charlotte Sound) instead 2 nights is perfect. Gives a full day to do a bushwalk or cruise without being too rushed.

Since the drive to Milford is so long, plus the various photo stops one may want to make, that's why I suggested spending the night at Milford. I was actually thinking driving straight there, then as you 'backtrack' to Queenstown, make the stops you want to at Te Anau and so forth.


I think I got confused because you had the drive back to Queenstown on Wednesday and back to Te Anau on Thursday.

Also, IIRC there is maybe one lodging option (if any) in Milford town itself. Is that still accurate?