[sizzlingbadger]

We have an opportunity to travel from Chch to Q'town next April.

At the moment the itinerary is something like this :
Day 1 - 5 Chch to Q'town via Arthurs Pass, Fox Glacier
Day 5 Q'town
Day 3 - 6 Q'town to Te Anau, Milford Sound back to Q'town

Does this sound ok or too rushed ? Would it be better to swap Days 1 - 5 with Day 3 - 6 ? We need to be in Q'town on Day 5 as we have a family get together :D

Does anyone have any recommendations for cheap car hire and cheap accommodation for 5 of us. Just looking at the Q'town accommodation has made me have heart failure, how can they justify $200 + a night ? ? ? Just for reasonable accommodation. With 3 kids we would like to stay some where clean and up to date.

Any help would be greatly appreciated :D

[benandclare]

How about staying in Arrowtown? we stayed one night in Queenstown because i wanted to wake up with "that view" but that was a treat.We then decamped to Arrowtown and had a super Band B at a fraction of the price :D

Think your itinery sounds fine, enjoy the trip :cheers

Ben

[wiki]

how can they justify $200 + a night ? ? ?

Because Queenstown is an international resort with both summer and winter peak because of the range of attractions. April will be lovely there because it's autumn and you may well be too early to clash with the ski crowd.

I'd also recommend Arrowtown - it's not too far a drive and in autumn the colours will take your breath away. Really rich gold and ambers from all of the trees.

Te Anau should also be quietening down at that stage - and you could get a decent motel or B&B deal. I'd be surprised to get really early snows at that time of year, so you shouldn't run the risk of the Milford Road being closed.

Depending on how fussy you are about accommodation - try the Top 10 sites. They have motel rooms and family cabins as well as campsites. The Te Anau one is lovely, very clean and beautiful as it's right on the lakefront and very close to the shops. They've got Matai Lodge which is a motel across the road which has larger family rooms.

I'm from Te Anau and it's a beautiful place - more laid back that Q'town.

Hope you enjoy your holiday

[sizzlingbadger]

Being cheeky about $200+ a night :D Just forgot the smilie on the end, looks like I was miles (or should that be k's ?) away when I wrote it as I've also mucked up the nights :uhoh

We were wondering whether autumn would be in full swing then, Arrowtown is definitely on the list of to do's. It looks a stunning place, not sure we can stay there though as we need to be Queenstown for the family gathering. How far is it ?

We're looking into staying around the Queenstown area now and not do too much traveling, however the OH has said I can look into camper vans. Should be a real laugh and something we've wanted to do since we've got here. Bit more expensive but should be fun for the kids :) Then 2 or 3 nights back in Q'town for the gathering.

Looking forward to getting to Te Anau and Milford Sound, just hoping it doesn't rain when we're down that way :o

[wiki]

Sorry I misunderstood :)

Arrowtown is about a 20 minute drive from Q'town. Certainly an easy "commute"

Milford Sound is magnificant when it rains because the waterfalls become so powerful and spectacular. It's lovely in the sun, but I always secretly hope for a few rain storms when we go.