I'm thinking about visiting New Zealand in late April/early May. I'm worried that this is too late in the fall.

We're not planning any serious climbing, as my wife will be 6 months pregnant. But we are interested in normal hikes.

Any hints on best times/places to visit on the islands?

Thanks,
Morgan

i was there in april 2004. the day time temp. in christchurch was pleasantly cooling and it got a bit chilly at night. and the trees had not turned into fully red yet. there are just so many places where you can tramp/hike in NZ. i suggest you get yourself a copy of lonely planets' tramping in NZ, which i did before i went there.

places of interest around christchurch includes banks peninsular/akaroa (french heritage area), arthur's pass national park where you can find many good trails. i did one day-trail called avalanche peak where you can see alpine parrot near the summit ridge. mueller hut trail would be interesting, it offers you close view of mt. cook. i guess rick b (the one who "jumped mt. cook) could offer you more update info on this.

besides these, of course there are the great walks like milford track, franz josef glacier etc etc.. there are just so many tramps to do in NZ and so little time... and enjoy your trip

sibu1901 wrote:i was there in april 2004. the day time temp. in christchurch was pleasantly cooling and it got a bit chilly at night. and the trees had not turned into fully red yet. there are just so many places where you can tramp/hike in NZ. i suggest you get yourself a copy of lonely planets' tramping in NZ, which i did before i went there.

places of interest around christchurch includes banks peninsular/akaroa (french heritage area), arthur's pass national park where you can find many good trails. i did one day-trail called avalanche peak where you can see alpine parrot near the summit ridge. mueller hut trail would be interesting, it offers you close view of mt. cook. i guess rick b (the one who "jumped mt. cook) could offer you more update info on this.

besides these, of course there are the great walks like milford track, franz josef glacier etc etc.. there are just so many tramps to do in NZ and so little time... and enjoy your trip

Sibu1901--thanks for the input. I just bought tickets for Christchurch: April 21-May 5. I hope it is not too cold, but we will see. My wife will be 5 months pregnant at that point, so probably no extreme mountaineering, but we're looking to do some nice hikes.

We thought of renting a camper and driving around. I heard that this is a pretty cheap and nice way to see the country. Have any thoughts on this? I'm trying to keep the cost to a minimum, as it is pretty expensive to get down there from the US in the first place!

Recommend the camper idea. Get a diesel. Diesel is about half the price of petrol in NZ so it's just as cheap to drive as a small car. The Sth Island is ideal country for these things. Lots of places where you can just pull up near a nice lake or mountain and camp for free.

There is a nice easy walk called "Diamond Lake track" (or something like that) not far from Wanaka along the road to Mt Aspiring. Has good views. Some of the better known tracks are most likely gunna be XC ski trails at least in parts by April. Mt Iron track is a short one with good views near Wanaka. Roys Peak could be open (See SP page)

Sylvan lake track should be open (at the Nth end of Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown) You could even do at least part of the Rees-Dart Track, also from the head of Wakatipu. There is also a loop that you can make out of part of the Greenstone and Caples tracks bringing you back to the lake shore and doesn't go too high.

The walks into the toe of the Fox and Franz-Josef Glaciers are easy.

You will have a great time. Make sure you visit Speights Ale House in Queenstown and have an "Old Dark" for me.

dadndave wrote:You will have a great time. Make sure you visit Speights Ale House in Queenstown and have an "Old Dark" for me.

Sounds great! Thanks for the info. Will definitely quaff an Old Dark in your honor.

You might be a bit late for autumn in the high country by this time. I was in ChCh the other day, and there was deffinately a chill in the air, with fallen leaves blowing all around cathederal square; quite a nice sight. Here in Wanaka, about half the trees are turning, and some areas are already becoming barren, but a lot of green is still left.

Camper van is a good way to go. When out in the country side, there are many "rest" areas where you can pull over for the night. DOC camp sites are pretty sparse in some areas-none in Golden Bay or Nelson areas, some have showers, but are more expensive ($12 night).

For your time frame, I would say focus on one area, instead of trying to see everything. If you want mountains: head from ChCh past Mt. Cook to Wanaka, then Lake Wakatipu area. If you want relaxation (and no sandflies) head to Golden Bay and do some easy walks-drive the 45km of gravel rd to Paturau and walk along some amazing beaches (at lowtide).

Mackenzie country, March 19th

Hey Morgan, congratulations for your wife's preganancy!

If you are still looking for campers in NZ, here are a couple of places that I checked out for my trip to Australia in August:


http://britz.com

http://backpackercampervans.com

I ended up reserving a 4wd camper with backpackercampervans.com.