Planning a recce trip in July.

[josiejo]

Hi

We are planning to make a recce trip over in July. We have 3 weeks to hopefully travel around North Island and hop over to visit a friend in Nelson for a couple of days. I have been looking at a few self-drive tour websites and noting their routes etc. , to give us a rough guide, as we will be organising accomodation ourselves.

I have found a route which appears to tour all around North Island, with 1 or 2 nights stay in each place. However, I am not sure though whether we are biting off more than we can chew. I have looked into travelling time between each area, but was wondering if anyone could advise us as to whether we could stay in one area for longer, whilst travelling out for days to visit other places on the list.

We are hoping to stay in houses/apartments preferably, as we are a family of 5 and I would need to keep up with the washing!!!! We also want to cater for ourselves to compare cost of living etc.

The route is as follows:
Auckland - Coromandel - Rotorua - Napier - Martinborough - Wellington - Nelson(stay with friends) - Wellington - Wangami (we have friends in Palmerston North) - New Plymouth - Hamilton/Cambridge - Auckland.

Apologies in advance if I am being completely naive in this tour!!!

Thanks
Jo

[Kensington]

It is probably not impossible, but if I were you - and I could find one big enough - I'd go for renting a campervan of sorts. The campsites in NZ are excellent and have good facilities (for all that dirty laundry!). Google 'Top 10 Holiday Parks New Zealand' for starters.

A campervan will give you much more flexibility and it really is the best way to see NZ!

[mikeandcaroline]

Personally I think that is a lot of places to get to in 3 weeks, also bearing in mind that in July you are in mid-winter and short days.

When we went over for our first recce trip the first time we looked at emigrating, we focussed on the places where we thought the work was. The other trips since were holidays and were more about finding places that we would like to live and last years trips were about really understanding what the culture of NZ is about and the reality of living there - no rose coloured specs. As I say, this is just our personal view and everyone is different, though I will add that we would have emigrated after that first visit, but INZ had other plans by upping the points to just out of our reach at the time. Hence, why we are on try number two.

A good starting point on your planning is understanding the travel times between places and we have found that pretty much the times they quote are correct -

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/main/td-calculator.php

You've missed Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.

Have fun planning

[josiejo]

Thanks for your replies and advice.

We did have a look at campervans/motorhomes and it is possible to hire a 6 berth. I am a little concerned that it might be quite chilly camping, as it will be mid-winter. What do other people think? Are campsites open during the winter months?

I can't believe that I missed out Tauranga on my list - I could have sworn I had included it. Thanks for spotting that mike and caroline.

[Manks]

Personally I don't think that's too much, but it will be a road trip rather than a recce or a holiday. In three weeks (in a camper) we did Auckland-Waitomo-Rotorua-Taupo-Ohakune-Wellington-Picton-Kaikoura-Hanmer Springs-Greymouth/Hokitika-Queenstown.

However, if this is truly a recce, you have to ask whether visiting this many places will actually achieve your objectives. If you're trying to learn about a place and have a focus on certain areas as potential areas to settle, I'd focus on those. From your list I'm guessing these could be Auckland, Napier, Wellington, Nelson, Palmy, Hamilton. If I were you I'd focus on these places if you want it to be a true recce. Then you'll get more time in each place and a good opportunity to get a feel for them. Then you can leave the tourist visits until you get out here

[kiwihusker]

I think Manks makes a good point. "If you're trying to learn about a place and have a focus on certain areas as potential areas to settle, I'd focus on those." Also you can pick the key areas that you MUST see and then if you have time to add on the others, or are tired of a particular town/dity then you can move on, you have that option. You are going in the middle of winter, it won't be a high tourist season, so you will be fine finding accomodation etc.
Best of luck.

[vixxann]

We did have a look at campervans/motorhomes and it is possible to hire a 6 berth. I am a little concerned that it might be quite chilly camping, as it will be mid-winter. What do other people think? Are campsites open during the winter months?

Rental motorhomes are all fairly new models and should have heaters - if they do they you'll have no probs - in fact you'll be toasty as! Also... yes, campsites are open in winter and will also be substantially cheaper than they are in the more popular tourist months.

We came as a family of five and did a super quick tour of North island in a campervan over ten days. You just learn to stop longer in the places you are more interested whereas you might only stop for lunch in a "tourist" place on your list.

I think your plan is certainly do-able.
One question... are you planning to drive or fly from wellington to Nelson? Might be worth looking at the price of both options.

[Kanga]

It will be freezing and although you could rent a camper with all mod cons to offset that, the cost would be eye wincing.

I think your plan is doable only if you consider it a road trip and treat it as such. I love a good road trip, so that wouldn't put me off but I wouldn't want to do your itinerary for either a once in a lifetime holiday in NZ or a recce, as I think it would be unsatisfying and exhausting as either. If you do decide to do it, prepare the kids for long car journeys by planning all sorts of car games etc, and resign yourself to spending months afterwards asking each other "where was it we saw that ...?". Also try and get luggage to a bare minimum or you'll have a logistical nightmare carting it about as well as lose so much time packing up every day or two.

If it's a real recce you want, why not narrow it down to a couple of areas that you're likely to want to settle in, a trip to your chum's in Nelson and save The Big Explore for when it's all on your back doorstep?

Or, save yourself the bother and accept you'll want to live in Cambridge (we've even got a proper wee French cake shop here now, to compliment the Cornish pasty shop and the cave of Minstrels ) and head straight here.

I fear you could waste the entire three weeks trying to find Wangami

[dharder]

It will be freezing and although you could rent a camper with all mod cons to offset that, the cost would be eye wincing.

We're doing the South Island in April in a campervan, and the first thing I checked was that it has a heater in it! Also will take sleeping bags and hot water bottle. Really want to bring my electric blanket, but was told am not allowed to suck the battery dry with it...

We're doing 10 days, six (6!) people, and I'll let you know if we all survived the trip...

Daniela

[girlwithanewf]

That's definitely doable in 3 weeks (we just went from Wellington to Cape Reinga in 10 days so driving-wise it is fine, we only had the one child in the back though) but just wanted to echo what is being said about it being more a road trip. Motels have all the kit you need generally to make meals and self-cater and I think they probably have washing machines. You should have no problems turning up and booking accommodation in July (unless they are perhaps closed for the winter, I don't know). We have never booked anything in advance (in mid-January) and haven't had problems finding somewhere reasonably-priced.

As for going to Nelson, there can be some reasonable weather days in July but being on the Cook Strait in the middle of winter could be a life time experience you will never want to repeat. Perhaps looking at airfares may be an option. They don't call it the Roaring Forties for no reason.

Exciting plans though! At least if you come in July you see the weather at its worst.