New Zealand <The 2 Month Roadtrip Adventure>
- Thread starter skareb
- Start date
love the shots, and it must have been a great adventurejust wondering if you would be willing to share some of the details (eg itinerary, logistics, costs) having this slight itch to get to south island too
Second that. Hahaha.
Hello Mate! Thanks for viewing my pictures
This trip was meant to be a purely photographic adventure, not so much a holiday and i travelled solo 3/4 of the journey.
I landed in Auckland airport, stayed for the night and took a flight the very next day to Christchurch (The rental company gave me NZD$300 discount on the vehicle rental if i started in Christchurch, as they had an excess vans in Christchurch it seems)
Throughout the entire road trip my main mode transport & accommodation was a sleepervan (http://hugorentals.com/), i rented it for 2 months and it cost me NZD$2800, do take caution that this van is really very basic, it was converted 2.0L Toyota HIACE with all its passenger seats stripped and removed and replaced with wooden cabinets and storage compartments, it was big enough to store a foldable mattress and even had a pump sink, but that was basically it.
For the South Island,
Christchurch -> Lake Tekapo -> Mt Cook National Park -> Lake Wanaka -> Queenstown -> Glenorchy -> Lake Te Anau -> Milford Sound (54km Trek) -> Lake Wanaka -> Mt Cook National Park -> Lake Tekapo -> Christchurch -> Kaikoura -> Nelson Lakes National Park -> Nelson (Boulder Bay) -> Picton (Ferry to North Island)
For the North Island,
Wellington -> Paekakariki -> Lake Taupo -> Rotorua -> Lake Okareka -> Coromandel -> Auckand -> Albany (Road trip ends here, stayed last couple of days with a friend)
I spent close to 6 weeks in South Island, and if given a chance to return to NZ, i would really just travel within the South Island, it is in my personal opinion really more scenic compared to the North. Don't get me wrong though, North Island has its beauty too
I skipped the west coast in South Island, because i really loved Mt Cook National Park & Tekapo, so i decided to backtrack
Fuel is expensive in NZ, about $2.10 per litre for 91, in comparison fuel is also more expensive in the south compared to the north.
Accomodation:
To keep the cost low, i cooked my meals whenever possible, stayed in DOC campsites whenever possible, i booked into holiday parks if i needed to do my laundry and wanted slightly better amenities and comfort.
DOC campsites usually cost between $5 - $10 per person per night
Holiday Parks usually cost between $15 - $35 per person per night, cost is higher if its nearer town
In summary my trip in NZ wasn't the smoothest one, my lens fell onto the rocks while in the mountains on day 4 damaging the front element, and on day 5 my entire van was stolen in Christchurch along with a brand new $1800 lens, good thing i have travel insurance.
The weather in New Zealand can also change very dramatically, South Island is relatively chilly, esp so when the wind starts to blow and during the early morning and nights, so its best to pack good quality cold weather attire if you want to enjoy the trip, many mornings i was shooting sunrise in temperatures below zero and when the wind starts to blow hard at the same time, things can get really uncomfortable.
I wasn't very well prepared honestly for this kind of climate, so i learnt the hard way when i was there!
A few tips i would give:
1. Bring a very bright head torch (Most parts in NZ is totally pitch dark in the night)
2. Bring good quality cold weather attire (I was there in spring and it was still damn cold!)
3. Prepare your own meals whenever possible
4. Bulk buy your groceries in the bigger towns (Christchurch, Queenstown, Wanaka) before your roadtrip, prices in mega-supermarkets (Countdown, Pak&Save, Woolsworth) are much cheaper than the smaller marts (4Squares)
5. If you are travelling > 2months, consider buying a car, you can easily get one for <$2000 and sell it off before you leave NZ.
*Check out http://www.trademe.co.nz/
6. Travel in a small group so that you can save and split fuel cost! (I spend a few thousand dollars just on fuel alone!)
7. Buy a good travel insurance
8. Change your NZD in Singapore! (The exchange rate was so much better in Singapore, and the banks in NZ only allowed me to change a maximum of NZD$1000 equivalent per day)
For the entire trip (Minus the accidents and theft), i probably spent between $9000 - $10000 (SGD), could have been much less if i didnt do it solo.
Well i think thats enough for today, i have lots more to write really, perhaps i will write blog entry on this soon.
Anyway drop me a msg if you want more specific information, will be glad to share and help
This trip was meant to be a purely photographic adventure, not so much a holiday and i travelled solo 3/4 of the journey.
I landed in Auckland airport, stayed for the night and took a flight the very next day to Christchurch (The rental company gave me NZD$300 discount on the vehicle rental if i started in Christchurch, as they had an excess vans in Christchurch it seems)
Throughout the entire road trip my main mode transport & accommodation was a sleepervan (http://hugorentals.com/), i rented it for 2 months and it cost me NZD$2800, do take caution that this van is really very basic, it was converted 2.0L Toyota HIACE with all its passenger seats stripped and removed and replaced with wooden cabinets and storage compartments, it was big enough to store a foldable mattress and even had a pump sink, but that was basically it.
For the South Island,
Christchurch -> Lake Tekapo -> Mt Cook National Park -> Lake Wanaka -> Queenstown -> Glenorchy -> Lake Te Anau -> Milford Sound (54km Trek) -> Lake Wanaka -> Mt Cook National Park -> Lake Tekapo -> Christchurch -> Kaikoura -> Nelson Lakes National Park -> Nelson (Boulder Bay) -> Picton (Ferry to North Island)
For the North Island,
Wellington -> Paekakariki -> Lake Taupo -> Rotorua -> Lake Okareka -> Coromandel -> Auckand -> Albany (Road trip ends here, stayed last couple of days with a friend)
I spent close to 6 weeks in South Island, and if given a chance to return to NZ, i would really just travel within the South Island, it is in my personal opinion really more scenic compared to the North. Don't get me wrong though, North Island has its beauty too
I skipped the west coast in South Island, because i really loved Mt Cook National Park & Tekapo, so i decided to backtrack
Fuel is expensive in NZ, about $2.10 per litre for 91, in comparison fuel is also more expensive in the south compared to the north.
Accomodation:
To keep the cost low, i cooked my meals whenever possible, stayed in DOC campsites whenever possible, i booked into holiday parks if i needed to do my laundry and wanted slightly better amenities and comfort.
DOC campsites usually cost between $5 - $10 per person per night
Holiday Parks usually cost between $15 - $35 per person per night, cost is higher if its nearer town
In summary my trip in NZ wasn't the smoothest one, my lens fell onto the rocks while in the mountains on day 4 damaging the front element, and on day 5 my entire van was stolen in Christchurch along with a brand new $1800 lens, good thing i have travel insurance.
The weather in New Zealand can also change very dramatically, South Island is relatively chilly, esp so when the wind starts to blow and during the early morning and nights, so its best to pack good quality cold weather attire if you want to enjoy the trip, many mornings i was shooting sunrise in temperatures below zero and when the wind starts to blow hard at the same time, things can get really uncomfortable.
I wasn't very well prepared honestly for this kind of climate, so i learnt the hard way when i was there!
A few tips i would give:
1. Bring a very bright head torch (Most parts in NZ is totally pitch dark in the night)
2. Bring good quality cold weather attire (I was there in spring and it was still damn cold!)
3. Prepare your own meals whenever possible
4. Bulk buy your groceries in the bigger towns (Christchurch, Queenstown, Wanaka) before your roadtrip, prices in mega-supermarkets (Countdown, Pak&Save, Woolsworth) are much cheaper than the smaller marts (4Squares)
5. If you are travelling > 2months, consider buying a car, you can easily get one for <$2000 and sell it off before you leave NZ.
*Check out http://www.trademe.co.nz/
6. Travel in a small group so that you can save and split fuel cost! (I spend a few thousand dollars just on fuel alone!)
7. Buy a good travel insurance
8. Change your NZD in Singapore! (The exchange rate was so much better in Singapore, and the banks in NZ only allowed me to change a maximum of NZD$1000 equivalent per day)
For the entire trip (Minus the accidents and theft), i probably spent between $9000 - $10000 (SGD), could have been much less if i didnt do it solo.
Well i think thats enough for today, i have lots more to write really, perhaps i will write blog entry on this soon.
Anyway drop me a msg if you want more specific information, will be glad to share and help
love the shots, and it must have been a great adventure
just wondering if you would be willing to share some of the details (eg itinerary, logistics, costs)
having this slight itch to get to south island too
Last edited:
Thanks for the kind words!
You should definitely head back to NZ mate!
You should definitely head back to NZ mate!
Totally missing there now
Hello Mate! Thanks for viewing my pictures
This trip was meant to be a purely photographic adventure, not so much a holiday and i travelled solo 3/4 of the journey.
...
Well i think thats enough for today, i have lots more to write really, perhaps i will write blog entry on this soon.
Anyway drop me a msg if you want more specific information, will be glad to share and help
thanks for this detailed write up, and sorry to hear about the thefts
looking forward to more
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