[David_M]

Hey guys,

I have recieved my ITA and got my medical booked in for the start of next month. Now all going well and assuming i submit my final application by the end of march I want to plan a visit to explore the main areas of interest to me.

So basically Christchurch,Wellington,Bay of Plenty and Auckland come to mind (And of course any other locations en-route). I would be looking at spending about 4 weeks out there.

I have found a website that offers Self drive holidays and can book everything you need for you thus taking the hassle out of pre-booking things etc. (www.RelaxingJourneys.co.nz).

Does anyone who has done something similar previously have any suggestions for me regarding the viability of doing something like this (or any better alternatives i can compare them to). Would it be better for me to organise the trip on the fly possibly so that i arrive in auckland spend some days there then try and figure out where to stay in the next area i visit while I'm there?

This is all in the early stages of planning but I am hoping to take the trip in April so any advice is welcome. I dont want to organise something and then find I've not made the most of the opportunity. I'll be travelling alone just as i will be moving out there alone so i can make sure I'm doing the right thing (I Know i am but it's allways good to make sure). So any thoughts or advice would be gratefully recieved.

[veronica]

consider using the hostels there, particullarly the BBH network. they do have dorms but they also have private rooms, and generally it works our reasonably cheaply. www.bbh.co.nz

You obviously have to have some form of plan but I would be of the opinion to keep it really flexable.

[David_M]

Ok thanks.

I'll spend some time considering this approach =)

As I said my main objective is really to find the place i like best out of Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga and Christchurch.

So i guess it's a start having narrowed down where i want to go and see; and this approach to visiting areas offers me some flexibility.

I'm still trying to secure a position before i enter the country but so far not had any success. Just got to hope my Application is successful (and accepted quickly) without a Job offer I guess. There seems to be a lot of Software development roles at least. So hopefully I will get something sorted.

[victoria24]

we're hiring an RV to cruise around for 2 weeks thus keeping it flexible and are looking at similar areas to you

[hosebergine]

I'd say, save your cash and enjoy planning your own itinerary.

We went with a 3yr old in March / April and did it on the hoof, no problem. Booked three nights in Auckland from the UK so we could recover from jet lag and then chose where to go next and where to stay as we went. That way we could listen to the advice of Kiwis about what to see and we could choose reasonable accommodation but have the occassional splurge on a bit of luxury.

We also didn't want to be tied to a long task list. We wanted to just explore a bit as the mood took us which we thought was critical when you're trying to figure out if it is somewhere you could live.

We had an idea of the things we'd like to see and those that we would be prepared to forget about if something else came up. Then we just decided as we went. We only had one snag with accommodation, in Welly. We found something but we spent a bit more than planned and weren't quite as central but that was looking for family rooms. I think there was a big conference on.

If that doesn't suit you could always try a backpacker bus tour but I've no idea of your age, etc! I loved it in my twenties but that was just bumbling around for a laugh, not planning the rest of my life!!

[David_M]

Thanks for the input =)

I was planning on spending a week in each area (approx). As I'll be travelling alone I guess booking places to stay shouldn't be too hard.

Not sure how to do the travelling though. Guess i could use internal flights to wellington christchurch and Tauranga. But would that then leave me missing the use of a car? Generally speaking as its a reccie i guess I'll be more than happy looknig around the main central locations anyhow so shouldnt be a great issue.

Allthough I definitley would like to do some Deep sea fishing and take a look at some of the tourist attractions too if possible :D

[Jacqi B]

I've been to NZ three times. First time for three months, last two times for about 4/5 weeks. The hostels - mainly used BBH - are good. Some are excellent. I had not met my OH when I went first time and he was reluctant to use a hostel. So I booked us into one and didn't tell him it was a hostel. When he finished telling me how good he thought the accomodation was I revealed that it was a hostel (I think that one was the Stonehurst or similar name, in Christchurch).

Pretty easy to get around - make your own itinerary. If you plan it all in advance you have no leaway for changing and staying somewhere longer if it interestes you or moving on more quickly if you decide that a particular area hold sno interst for you.

I'd say have a rough idea of where you want to go (you seem to have that already) and in what order; make sure you end up make in the vicinity of where you will be flying out from; arrange accomodation for the first night or two, and a hire car if that's how you will be travelling - then play it by ear.
Enjoy!

[Angel2850]

why not go the campervan route - seems to be wildly popular. Simple campers (espec as travelling by yourself) check out Escaperentals.co.nz and Wickedcampers.co.nz. This way your accommodation is sorted, but if you want to splurge on a nice place your budget won't get blown and your transport is sorted too.
arrive and then plan it, get a feel for the place bfore you decide what you want to do.
there are no penalties for late bookings, in fact you'll probably end up getting better deals!

[cani]

There are i-sites (information centres) in all communities; I used them all over NZ not only for info but for booking accommodations, transportation and activities. It made moving around and doing as much as possible very easy.
Kristina

[David_M]

Thanks for all the information guys.

I did consider the camper van option. I'll have to take a look into it further though.

The fact theres Information centres in most places really should help a lot to.

Decisions, Decisions. Still got to sort out my medical need to wait till february 9th for that. Not sure how long after that it will take to get my results; I'm hoping a week or so. Really want my Visa Application submitted by mid february.

[Toonster]

I'd recommend the campervan route - my hubbie and I did that in Sept/Oct for a three week recce (same reason - wanting to scout out where we'd like to live)

We didn't book in advance (it did help that it was the low season at the time, though we did hit half term part way through), and only had one campsite where we couldn't get a space, and that was due to a Seafood festival being held in the town.

I'd really recommend the Top10 network of campsites (which were recommened to me by others on here) - I was sceptical at first, but you buy a Top10 card, and then get discounts not only on your accommodation, but also on things in the local area (varies wildly depending on where you are) such as restaurants, cafes etc. It saved us a fortune!

Another money saving thing is that if you book with certain campervan companies (I did through Maui, but I'm sure that this would not be the only one - worth checking), you get a 'travellers card' which gives you discounts at supermarkets.

Playing the whole trip by ear is great fun, too - you have no pressure to get to a certain place by a certain time (as long as you make the flight back! :-) ) - it made for the best holiday that I have taken since I backpacked round Oz 10 years ago...