Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Comments sought on NZ vacation

Aloha and Kia Ora from Hawaii!

I'd like to get some opinions about an upcoming trip to New Zealand that my wife and I are taking.

First off, I've found the master thread and several others to have been very helpful and informative and have planned several of our activities based on what I've read here. So thanks! ^

My wife and I are both competing in Ironman New Zealand (http://www.ironman.co.nz/main.cfm?id=1) in Taupo on March 7th.

We fly direct HNL-AKL arriving early Sunday 1 March.
We will spend Sunday in AKL getting some supplies and relaxing.

We will visit Waiheke Island (thanks to the threads here on the subject :)) either Sunday or Monday and likely start for Taupo Monday afternoon.

We'll rent a car for our first week due to the need to transport bicycle cases and assorted race gear.

Tuesday thru Friday will be race preps (perhaps a side trip to Rotorua and other sights in the Taupo area).

Saturday is the big race and Sunday will be a recovery and pack-up day.

We are looking at heading to Wellington Sunday night or Monday morning (I've been told to prepare for an approximate 5 hour drive :eek: and we'll visit with friends Monday night.
We'll turn our bikes & gear over to an agent in Taupo on Sunday (to travel lighter) and we'll turn our car in at Wellington on Monday.

Tuesday we will cross the Cook Strait over to Picton, and spend Tues, Wed & Thurs in wine country.

Thurs PM we'll fly from Nelson to Christchurch and stay overnight in CHC.

Friday morning we'll take the TranzAlpine train to Greymouth and return to CHC. :cool:
(we looked at buses or cabs to Hokitika or Westport and onward, but it was just as fast to take the TA back to CHC and enjoy the view a second time :))

That evening we fly direct CHC-AKL arriving Friday night at 8:30PM.

Our flight home is 1030AM Saturday, so we'll likely pick somewhere close to the airport to stay.

The tranzalpine train is my #1 thing I want to do, and wine country is my wife's #1. (We have too many wineries to visit thanks to the excellent advice on this forum. ^)
FT has convinced me to hit Waiheke and Rotorua and Huka Falls and the wine countries.

At this point the itinerary is basically set (I'd love to get down to Mt Cook and the glaciers, but not enough time:( ).

Any glaring problems with what I've laid out?
Will it really take 5 hours to drive from Taupo to Wellington on a Sunday afternoon?
Can I get around the Marlborough area without a car?
Any advice on clothing to pack (i.e. I know it's autumn, but will a light jacket do, or should I toss in a heavier coat?)

Mahalo (thanks!) for your insights.
Ted

Sounds like a great trip (not sure about the Ironman event - sounds a little too energetic for my liking :o )

5 hours sounds approximately right for Taupo - Wellington (perhaps a little less) - there are very few miles of freeway in NZ, and while I haven't driven in that part of the country, roads are often windy. It's also 3 to 4 hours Auckland to Taupo.

Unsure how you would go getting around the wineries without a car - town to town may work ok (google should get you some bus services), but for individual wineries, I reckon you'd need to take a paid winery tour (google Marlborugh wine tours and you'll get a few - may be able to tailor to suit).

I've only ever driven or flown in NZ so don't really know about buses etc.

Most of my NZ visits are in autumn and it's usually mild, especially as you are not going too far South. Having said that, no guarantee you're not going to cop a cold spell (I think you'd get away with just a decent pullover/sweater, or similar).

Auckland suffers a dearth of airport hotels that are 'good' - I've stayed a couple of times at an average (but clean) sort of place (Comfort Inn Silver Point). Others have recommended the Ventura Inn. If I need to overnight near the airport again I'll try Ventura, 'cos it's got air-con (CISP hasn't), and Auckland can be mighty humid that time of year (free shuttles available to/from both I think). If you're after higher end accommodation you'll need to go the CBD (maybe 30 mins by cab non-peak).

Overall your trip looks great - enjoy it, and don't exert yourself too much in the Ironman!

I'd rent a car, drive up to Arthur's Pass and skip the train (http://gallery.millerworks.net/keyword/arthurs+pass). Just riding past it on the train is not nearly as fun as actually getting out and walking around and really seeing the pass. There are a couple (very) short hikes in the area as well that are nice, and you'll miss those sitting on the train for 6 hours. I'd much rather be out and about during that time.

You're not missing much in Hokitika at all.

And I'll echo the suggestion of staying in the CBD at AKL on the last night. The down-side is that you'll have to pay 2x for the transit as you'll need to come in that night and then back in the morning, but there isn't much at all out by the airport. Unless all you are going to do is check in to the hotel and pass out you'll be left wanting. For a 10:30 flight you can probably leave the CBD at 7:30 or 8 and be OK for the flight, I think.

Unless all you are going to do is check in to the hotel and pass out you'll be left wanting. For a 10:30 flight you can probably leave the CBD at 7:30 or 8 and be OK for the flight, I think.

Thanks to you both for the comments. :)

We have to be at the airport fairly early (7-ish) to meet our agent and retrieve our bikes and gear prior to checking in, so this was our original thought for an airport hotel. With a 2030 arrival and a 0700 to be back, it made sense at the time.
We'll revisit it, though.

Cheers,
Ted

Sounds like a great trip. March is still mostly warm, perhaps a jumper in case of cool night in Taupo or down in the South Island.

For Blenheim I'd suggest either a wine tour or if have a specific winery in mind just check if they have a shuttle or cab it. The area is quite compact but too much to walk.

Sounds like an awesome trip. Waiheke Island is beautiful - a nice place for lunch is at Mud Brick Vineyard (www.mudbrick.co.nz) - good food & wine and great views.

You can book a wine tour through the ferry company that goes from Wellington to Picton (www.interislander.co.nz). I did their 1/2 day tour and really enjoyed it. If there's time, the driver will also take you to a small chocolate place that makes some good stuff.

Have a great trip!

Thanks to you both for the comments. :)

We have to be at the airport fairly early (7-ish) to meet our agent and retrieve our bikes and gear prior to checking in, so this was our original thought for an airport hotel. With a 2030 arrival and a 0700 to be back, it made sense at the time.
We'll revisit it, though.

Cheers,
Ted

With that schedule you probably only really need to worry about dinner. You can probably eat in the airport. I'm not sure that you'll find much else nearby once you get outside.