Travel: New Zealand
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JR:
Yes, admission prices are quite expensive. But what to do, since we are there, have to spend :roll: For us, most of the stuff are already prebooked by our NZ tour planner, and paid upfront, so we don't really feel the pinch. Just show the voucher and we are admitted...Same for the motels and car rental. But the petrol and diesel prices are more expensive than Singapore...Dnls_mum:
[quote=\"JR\"]Thanks Dnls mum for your info too. I am looking forward to your next instalment on your trip info. Sounds interesting for our next visit to NZ, maybe in a few years time.
Most welcome JR!
Just curious, did you find things in NZ expensive? :moneyflies: I find the admission prices quite ex for the things they offer. Fortunately for us we could save by getting family packages whenever these were available.
Your info will serve as a guide when we next think of visiting South Island. Thanks for the details. Are there any place/activity which you had plan to do but didn't get to do?[/quote]We did everything that we planned except watching a movie at cinema paradiso at Wanaka, and that is because we didn't like the movie that they were screening rather than timing issue. The cinema is suppose to be fun with couches and you take your time for dinner during intermission.
Driving time in SI is pretty long due to narrow windy roads and single lane bridges. But we had done our research and were prepared so the trip was leisurely and not rushed. But there are things I may do differently on hindsight. One of the main one is perhaps to stay one night in Mt Cook instead of 2, and drive to Lake Tekapo on day 13 after our Glacier Explorer tour. This will mean a shorter drive on day 14, and we could perhaps arrive at Willowbank earlier for the kids to spend more time feeding animals. Accomodation at Tekapo is also only a fraction of the cost of staying in Hermitage at Mti Cook and there are better and cheaper dining options at Tekapo. In addition, you can take the Earth and Sky tour at night at Tekapo for star gazing. But there will be a risk of not seeing Mt Cook which may be covered un clouds. Staying 2 nights at Mt Cook ensured that we have a better chance of catching Mt Cook in a clear sky. -
Now that you mentioned single-lane bridges. I don’t understand why they can’t just build a wider bridge in the first place since the road before and after the road is already 2 lanes? Can’t figure that out… But anyway, there are many such bridges in NI too. Most of the time, it is clear to cross, just have to be careful of traffic on the other side of the bridge.
Dnls mum,
Just curious, did you use the Kruze system while you are in NZ? If you did, any comments on it? If not, why kind of GPS did you use? Both you and your husband drove? What car did you drive when you were in NZ?
Noticed that your itinerary did not include Te Anau which I heard has nice scenary too. I suppose it is due to lack of time? -
JR:
Hi JRNow that you mentioned single-lane bridges. I don't understand why they can't just build a wider bridge in the first place since the road before and after the road is already 2 lanes? Can't figure that out... But anyway, there are many such bridges in NI too. Most of the time, it is clear to cross, just have to be careful of traffic on the other side of the bridge.
Dnls mum,
Just curious, did you use the Kruze system while you are in NZ? If you did, any comments on it? If not, why kind of GPS did you use? Both you and your husband drove? What car did you drive when you were in NZ?
Noticed that your itinerary did not include Te Anau which I heard has nice scenary too. I suppose it is due to lack of time?
I think the reason for single lane bridges is that they are easier and less technically demanding. Building dual lane bridges will require the bridges o be able to sustain more weight...just my guess.
As for the GPS, we used the one provided by Apex Car Rental. Not sure what brand that is. Only my husband did the driving. That's why we tried to stay 2 days at a place so that he does not need to drive long distances or rush everyday. We rented the Toyota Previa which was great. We used only the first 2 rows of seats and the third row is put down for more luggage space.
We did go to Te Anau. But instead of driving, we took the BBQ bus from Queenstown to Milford driving via Te Anau, and flew back to Queenstown. It is a small town used as stopover for people going to Milford. Nothing much there. Te Anau is 2 hours from Queenstown and the gateway to Milford Sound. People only visit Te Anau because they are going to Milford. From Te Anau, the drive to Milford via the Milford Road is very scenic and takes another 2 hours. This is also the road with one of the most accidents in SI. I wanted DH to be able to enjoy the trip without stress and also to fly back from Milford to Queenstown, so we took the day tour. But it is definitely much much more expensive then if we were to drive our selves. The flight back to Queenstown was beautiful with views of alpine lakes and snow peaks. If we were to drive back, we'd have missed these. If we drive to Milford, ourselves, we'd would be on the road every other day. With this day trip on a coach, we had 4/5 days of relaxing and enjoyable stay in Queenstown. Another point about driving to Milford is that it'll be advisable to stay one night in Te Anau as it is not possible to do it in one day as we won't be familiar with the roads and the drive in and out is too long. Coach drivers are diff as they are familiar with the roads and they rest while we are on the cruise.
I did the entire trip planning on my own and did lots of research and reading up. So if you have any other questions now or when you start your planning, just ask. I'll help if I can
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Hi Dnls mum,
Thanks for the reply.
If yours is the Kruze system, it has commentary and stories about the place you are at when you are tuned to the radio frequency. I would say that some of the stories told about the place is interesting provided you are interested in the culture and history of NZ.
Sorry, missed out reading your earlier email on Te Anau. Thanks for the details. Like I said earlier, I won't be going back to NZ in at least 2 years. So this thread will be in KIV until then... The world is such a big place. So much to explore.
It must have been tough on your dh doing all the driving. :salute:
Same here, if you are interested in visiting NZ, feel free to ask and hopefully I can help. -
JR:
The Apex guy never mentioned anything about commentary so ours must be a diff system. Didn't know there was such a system with commentary. Looks like my research not SP thorough after allHi Dnls mum,
Thanks for the reply.
If yours is the Kruze system, it has commentary and stories about the place you are at when you are tuned to the radio frequency. I would say that some of the stories told about the place is interesting provided you are interested in the culture and history of NZ.
Sorry, missed out reading your earlier email on Te Anau. Thanks for the details. Like I said earlier, I won't be going back to NZ in at least 2 years. So this thread will be in KIV until then... The world is such a big place. So much to explore.
It must have been tough on your dh doing all the driving. :salute:
Same here, if you are interested in visiting NZ, feel free to ask and hopefully I can help.
:slapshead:
Where did you get that system? Included in the package or did you have to specifically ask for it? Which rental co did you use? -
I doubt yours is a Kruze GPS as your rental company would have mentioned it. For more info, check out the website http://www.krusenz.com/
The commentaries are ok, but the GPS, well, not the fastest and it can be frustrating when the system have to reboot while you are driving...
This GPS is part of our tour package with Fine Tours NZ. They have arranged the car rental company (Europcars) and the GPS. I would say that the package helped as all the accomodation and itinerary settled by them. I just decide on some other optional activities. So less hassle as compared to your DIY. I can see that you have really done lots of research on your trip. :salute: -
Nowadays with GPS, it is much easier. I remembered those days (8 years ago) when I had my honeymoon at NZ, we relied on maps. We did the north and south island in 14 days. A bit rush but that was what we can afford then.
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Hi, my husband is thinking of New Zealand for our next family trip. Our child is 6. I heard the place is very scenic but can be quite boring for a 6 year old. Any specific places of interest to recommend? Thanks.
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mrsoh:
Hi, my husband is thinking of New Zealand for our next family trip. Our child is 6. I heard the place is very scenic but can be quite boring for a 6 year old. Any specific places of interest to recommend? Thanks.
http://www.newzealand.com/sg/
there is already another discussion on new zealand
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=24260&hilit=new+zealand&start=150 -
mrsoh:
Hi, my husband is thinking of New Zealand for our next family trip. Our child is 6. I heard the place is very scenic but can be quite boring for a 6 year old. Any specific places of interest to recommend? Thanks.
NZ is not boring for 6 years old,
There are:
- penguin, whales, sea lions, etc to see
- cable car to take
- luge to play
- powerboat to ride
And most important, daddy and mommy by the side for days and nights.
We went there when DS was 6.
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