If you are thinking of coming to New Zealand and tossing up how much time to allow, your first thing to work out is whether you can fit in both the North Island and South Island of the country during one trip. Most locals (including us) would advise you not to try and fit both main islands into one trip unless you have 3-4 weeks to make the most of it. And of course we would suggest, that if you only have two weeks, why not focus mainly on the South Island. The scenery is diverse, the people are friendly, the mountains are awesome and we guarantee you will enjoy the experience!
Our recommendation would be to fly directly into Christchurch International Airport and work your way back in a figure 8 to either fly home from there or if you are including the North Island, fly domestically from Christchurch to whichever location you prefer in the North Island.
The most common points to fly to up north would be Wellington (our capital city) and Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. You can also drive to the North Island by catching the Interislander ferry from Picton to Wellington then carry on your New Zealand experience around the North Island. The ferry crosses Cook Strait which is a three hour trip normally and you can drive your vehicle onto the ferries, but you pay more to take a car or motorhome across than just buying passenger tickets.
Of course you might want to do something different than simply a circuit around the outside of the island - the mountains are mostly in the interior so for spectacular alpine views, head through the centre of the South Island via Arthur's Pass or Lewis Pass for example.
Below are just a few of the options for self determined travel. Of course there are also bus options, escorted or chauffeured options, minivans for groups etc, but for the purposes of this blog, we will focus on the most popular options that we see here at the Park.
Definitely one of the easiest and most common options is to simply book yourselves a rental car. The benefits of a car include the flexibility for parking in the cities in particular, and being able to easily get around within each city. They are usually more efficient on the road too, although motorhomes and campervans in New Zealand are likely to run on diesel fuel which is quite a bit cheaper per litre. Make sure you check when you are booking. Most rental cars in NZ will run on petrol however.
Many of the rental companies offer self-contained Motorhomes and Campervans that include their own shower and toilet facilities. This is the ideal option as it opens up a lot more places where you can park up around the country. Many campsites and "freedom camping" locations now prohibit any campervans that are not self-contained thanks to the issues with increasing numbers of tourists who are not taking care of the environment. We highly recommend this option to make the most of your trip. Check out the rules around freedom camping in New Zealand.
The majority of "sleepervans" for hire in New Zealand, particularly the cheaper options are not self contained, so they don't have the facilities onboard you will require. Although the rental cost might be cheaper, this doesn't mean you will necessarily save money on your trip as you will most likely end up paying for campsites with more facilities. Simply parking up in a carpark anywhere in the country and trying to use public toilets is likely to get you either a fine or else a very unhappy reaction from the locals. Make sure if you have a porta potty that you budget for returning it used and break that seal!
If you prefer to do your travelling on two wheels instead of four, there are plenty of options for renting bike - the people powered or motor powered variety. There are also options for electric bikes if you like to have a bit of an assist every now and then, especially travelling over some of our hill roads. To get you started, here are a few of the bike hire site like Natural High (pickup bikes in Christchurch or Auckland) or City Cycle Hire. Motorbikes can be hired through New Zealand Motorcycle rental and tours
Holiday Parks (like our very own of course) are located around New Zealand and throughout the South Island. The TOP 10 Group has 20 parks in the South Island and the Holiday Parks NZ website will point you to the other options available. Holiday Parks within the TOP 10 Group all have a reliable standard of accommodation and all offer a number of options, from fully serviced and self contained motel rooms through to cabins that use shared kitchen and shower facilities, powered campervan or motorhome sites and tent sites (with or without power). Usually they are located either conveniently near a town or city centre, or else at a popular tourist location like a beach or river. Don't forget to check out the loyalty options too if you are going to multiple locations around the South Island.
For example TOP 10 has our members club card that provides a 10% discount up to $40 at each TOP10 you stay at, so long as you book direct, The Club Card also provides discounts the Interislander Ferry and restaurants and activities in whichever location you are staying in, so make sure you find out from each Park what discount deals they have in place before you book.
The benefits of Holiday Parks, apart from the multiple types of accommodation options, include ample free offstreet parking for your vehicle, great facilities for children including playgrounds, swimming pools etc, and a range of shared facilities that are usually free to use including BBQ areas, TV or media rooms, meeting rooms and more.
Motels are probably the most popular form of accommodation used by travellers to New Zealand who are on a driving holiday. They provide free parking, usually outside or very close to your unit, self contained kitchen facilities so you don't have to budget for eating out at every meal - a great benefit if you have children travelling with you and you are able to shop at local supermarkets or farmers markets and enjoy eating at a time that suits you all. New Zealand motels often have a QuaImark rating so you can look out for that to give you an indication of quality, however don't confuse the Qualmark stars with the usual hotel star ratings you might be familiar with. A Qualmark 5 star property will be immaculate, good quality accommodation but it won't be the sort of luxury you would expect from a 5 Star Hotel.
Pricing for motel accommodation would normally range from around NZD$100 per night up to as much as $400 per night, but the average price for most mid range motel rooms would be around the $150 - $200 mark. Pricing will also be seasonal and you can expect cheaper rates outside of the school holiday periods and over the winter months, May through to July/August.
New Zealand has many independently owned and operated hotels, but also has large hotel chains like the Accor Group which includes the Ibis, Novotel, Peppers and Sofitel brands. Other groups to look out for are Scenic Circle hotels which have a number of properties around the South Island in particular. As with anywhere in the world, hotels in New Zealand are generally more expensive than motel or holiday park options, and are usually not fully self catering as they usually have a restaurant and bar onsite. In room facilities would normally include a small fridge with mini-bar, tea and coffee making facilities and in some cases, there may be a microwave.
Paying for your night's accommodation (assuming you are driving in a campervan or motorhome) means you have access to power, ability to empty your tanks, use shared cooking and bathroom facilities and use the wifi in your location. So planning some nights in paid sites is a great way to de-stress and ensure you are in good shape for a few free nights without facilities that might lie ahead on your trip.
The New Zealand Department of Conservation, otherwise known as DoC, has campsites across the country where visitors are welcome. Usually these sites are in National Parks or Reserves, so there is a requirement to follow the rules of the location you are staying in. Generally that means, no littering, taking away your rubbish, ensuring you use the toilet facilities provided or else your own self contained toilet, no lighting fires unless you are given express permission (over the summer months there can be a total fire ban in place, so look out for any signs indicating this and take the time to google for any information about high fire risk. Summer 2019 in New Zealand was very dry so many areas of the country were under water restrictions and total fire bans.)
Find out more about the Doc sites through the Department of Conservation website
Bed and Breakfast options are popular with many visitors who are looking for a slightly more personal experience than staying in a hotel or motel. B & B providers are normally welcoming guests into private homes, although some have built self contained wings onto their existing homes for example. In some cases, the accommodation might be separate from the main house. Of course, the best known B & ·B option currently is AirBnB and there are many of these available in locations around the South Island. Be sure to check if you need to clean your accommodation prior to departure, or if there is an optional cleaning fee you can pay instead.
If you are going the budget route and either travelling by bus or train, or backpacking around the South Island, you might want to check out the hostel options. The best known hostels are run by the Youth Hostel Association (YHA), but there are plenty of other backpacker accommodation options in most locations across the South Island.
There are plenty of websites with information about what parts of the South Island you should make an effort to see - to get you started, check out Tourism NZ and then to delve a little more in the different regions, visit the Regional Tourism sites for each part of the Island. To make it easy for you to navigate, check out this link to the different regions and destinations
The Automobile Association website is a great reference site for information about roads and conditions, especially in the winter months when some roads might be closed due to snow or flooding.
Metservice is the "go-to" site to check short range and long range forecasts. Look out for their social media channels and through their website for warnings of any upcoming weather you should be aware of. New Zealand's weather can change very rapidly and unpredictably, so don't assume just because the skies are clear and blue in the morning that the weather is going to stay that way all day. You can always ask at your Holiday Park reception for an up to date weather report.
Given we are in the Southern Hemisphere, our seasons run the opposite of Northern Hemisphere countries; and we do have clearly defined seasons, unlike Pacific countries closer to the equator. Having said that, there is a significant temperature drop as you head south, so temperatures in Auckland will on average be higher than those in Queenstown or lnvercargill for example. And in the winter, the lower half of the South Island will often have snow, but not to the extent that parts of Europe or North America experience it.
Summer: December to the end of February, Autumn (Fall): March to the end of May, Winter: June to the end of August, Spring: September to the end of November
If you would like any help with planning your South Island trip, or booking activities in the Canterbury region, get in touch with us through the site using our contact form or messaging system.