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So whens the best time to visit South Island? Toying with the idea of a 3 week trip late next year. Vague plan is a few days in the mountains, hopefully snowboarding, a bit of time at Castle Hill and climbing anywhere else anyone cares to recommend, either trad or sport, or whatever. And maybe throw in a spot of surfing for good measure.
Any advice would be good.
Any advice would be good.
In reply to Chris Fryer:
Snowboarding.... July-Sept best times generally I think, ...my mate in Auckland was still sending me pics from North Island a few weeks ago.
If in South Island, Methven has been recommended as a good, but very quiet place for off piste/backcountry snowboarding, Queenstown if you want to party more than board. There is a NZ FAQ on the adrenalintrip.net Snowboarding forum if you do a search, based on someone's experiences over the last couple of seasons.
Hope to be across there for it next year at some point.
Snowboarding.... July-Sept best times generally I think, ...my mate in Auckland was still sending me pics from North Island a few weeks ago.
If in South Island, Methven has been recommended as a good, but very quiet place for off piste/backcountry snowboarding, Queenstown if you want to party more than board. There is a NZ FAQ on the adrenalintrip.net Snowboarding forum if you do a search, based on someone's experiences over the last couple of seasons.
Hope to be across there for it next year at some point.
In reply to Chris Fryer:
Snowboarding.... July-Sept best times generally I think, ...my mate in Auckland was still sending me pics from North Island a few weeks ago.
If in South Island, Methven has been recommended as a good, but very quiet place for off piste/backcountry snowboarding, Queenstown if you want to party more than board. There is a NZ FAQ on the adrenalintrip.net Snowboarding forum (my pre UKC font of all knowledge!) if you do a search, based on someone's experiences over the last couple of seasons.
Hope to be across there for it next year at some point.
Snowboarding.... July-Sept best times generally I think, ...my mate in Auckland was still sending me pics from North Island a few weeks ago.
If in South Island, Methven has been recommended as a good, but very quiet place for off piste/backcountry snowboarding, Queenstown if you want to party more than board. There is a NZ FAQ on the adrenalintrip.net Snowboarding forum (my pre UKC font of all knowledge!) if you do a search, based on someone's experiences over the last couple of seasons.
Hope to be across there for it next year at some point.
BUUUUMP.
Come on, must be a bit more feedback.
Come on, must be a bit more feedback.
In reply to Chris Fryer:
Go on then...seeing as though no one else has.
Last year the season (in the South Island at least) was still in full swing up until mid October.
As mentioned, Queenstown is good for Coronet Peak and the Remarkables ski areas (from memory) , and has more of a boarder vibe to it .
Another place worth considering is Wanaka - about 30 mins drive from Q'town. Its the base for the Treble Cone ski resort which always rates pretty highly and is about 10 mins drive from the town cente. Wanaka is smaller a lot more laid back , but is still a cool place to be based (and its easier to find a hostel / accomodation).
Failing this, Christchurh in the north of the south island is a bigger town with more life to it is about 2 hours drive from some apparently decent ski areas.
Enjoy.
> BUUUUMP.
>
> Come on, must be a bit more feedback.
>
> Come on, must be a bit more feedback.
Go on then...seeing as though no one else has.
Last year the season (in the South Island at least) was still in full swing up until mid October.
As mentioned, Queenstown is good for Coronet Peak and the Remarkables ski areas (from memory) , and has more of a boarder vibe to it .
Another place worth considering is Wanaka - about 30 mins drive from Q'town. Its the base for the Treble Cone ski resort which always rates pretty highly and is about 10 mins drive from the town cente. Wanaka is smaller a lot more laid back , but is still a cool place to be based (and its easier to find a hostel / accomodation).
Failing this, Christchurh in the north of the south island is a bigger town with more life to it is about 2 hours drive from some apparently decent ski areas.
Enjoy.
In reply to Davidinthemeadow:
I loved Castle Hill.
Wanaka has some pleasant trad and sport routes and Paynes Ford is a nice sport climbing venue.
Neither are world class.
Most of the other places I went to were pretty dire.
Consider doing plenty of other things such as white water rafting at Queenstown or sea kayaking in the Abel Tasman Park.
Save some money for whale watching/swimming with dolphins etc.
I loved Castle Hill.
Wanaka has some pleasant trad and sport routes and Paynes Ford is a nice sport climbing venue.
Neither are world class.
Most of the other places I went to were pretty dire.
Consider doing plenty of other things such as white water rafting at Queenstown or sea kayaking in the Abel Tasman Park.
Save some money for whale watching/swimming with dolphins etc.
In reply to Chris Fryer: Avoid May/June next year, as that's when the Lions are touring...
Me n Vlad will be there early december, doing both bits, including visiting Matt n Cleddy in Auckland.
They still post on here, btw.
TTG
Me n Vlad will be there early december, doing both bits, including visiting Matt n Cleddy in Auckland.
They still post on here, btw.
TTG
In reply to Chris Fryer:
Visited NZ last year for all of November. If you ar e a climber and Snowboarder Wanaka is a good place. There is decent climbing in that area. Be careful, there are at least three Castle Hill I know of. I will try to find more details and place another posting.
Last year the ski season was exceptionally long due to a late arriving spring.
If you do go to Wanaka, there is an awesome thing to do call white water sledging. It is run by Frogz Have More Fun and operate out of Wanaka. You have to be comfortable and confident in the water to enjoy it!!!
Awesome Country.
Visited NZ last year for all of November. If you ar e a climber and Snowboarder Wanaka is a good place. There is decent climbing in that area. Be careful, there are at least three Castle Hill I know of. I will try to find more details and place another posting.
Last year the ski season was exceptionally long due to a late arriving spring.
If you do go to Wanaka, there is an awesome thing to do call white water sledging. It is run by Frogz Have More Fun and operate out of Wanaka. You have to be comfortable and confident in the water to enjoy it!!!
Awesome Country.
In reply to Chris Fryer: i was there late august, crap skiing, dont expect anything special like in Europe, TC was ok, a bit like Aonach Mor, cardrona was my favourite, heli-skiing is probably what New Zealand is all about but expensive unless you befriend influential locals, beautiful country though. Watch out for the ned parrots
wanaka is good, but full of very young students, queenstown is a better night out
wanaka is good, but full of very young students, queenstown is a better night out
In reply to Erik B There is plenty of good skiing in BOTH Islands. No point moaning about students when August is the school holidays!!!
In reply to Rowie B: Sea kayaking... pleasant, low commitment stuff up at Abel Tasmen national park (top of the south island). Plenty of midge ridden stuff in Ffiordland. I don't know the north island that well, but guess that the northern east coast (Bay of Islands, Coromandel) would be pretty good fun.
However, I hate kayaking and only go when dragged away from bits of rock by my partner. So my opinion is probably a load of crap!
However, I hate kayaking and only go when dragged away from bits of rock by my partner. So my opinion is probably a load of crap!
In reply to Chris Fryer: Best time for skiing/boarding in NZ generally late July to early Sept. Best place is Wanaka if you want both snow and rock-climbing. NZ is not rated internationally for either, what is unique to NZ is unspoilt wilderness without dangerous animals so why not contemplate some "tramping" or climbing remote alpine peaks if you are going to travel that far. Best summer weather is usually Feb.
In reply to Rowie B: I have done a few sea-kayak trips in NZ as follows, I'm a novice kayaker. If you are very experienced you would probably want to do your own thing in the wilderness of Fiordland but would need to take everything with you such as full camping gear (can be rented from some kayak companies) & food. Fiordland is also a very wet place (6000mm rain a year).
In the far north Richard Israel runs guided trips from Tauranga Bay (near Kaeo) along the coastline, it stays warm up here longer. We caught plenty of fish for tea and played with dolphins once - great fun.
Abel Tasman, loads of companies doing sea-kayak trips, I hired from Ocean Kayaks. They give you a safety briefing, the guide observes you for 1/2 hour (those who don't cope well are put in to a guided party) then off you go as long as there is atleast 2 in your party (same for most outfits). Loads of official campsites (get pass from DOC, no probs with availability unlike the crowded huts here), great scenery and not difficult, you'll need tent, stove (I think you can rent these) & all your food. Reccomend 3 days. Whether you hire or do a guided trip you can get the kayak picked up by water-taxi and carry on walking along the coast track, they set a territorial limit for non-guided parties.
Auckland (Okahu Bay) & Wellington (city waterfront), casual hire at Ferg's Kayaks.
Milford Sound, Roscoes Kayaks, guided trips. Booked it but strong winds meant we had to cancel & do boat cruise instead, still worth it.
Further south there is Doubtful Sound in the wild heart of Fiordland NP where one company runs 2 to 3 day wild-camping trips and allows hire on Lake Manapouri on the way back. The sandflies (midges) aren't so bad once you are on the water apparently. I haven't been to Doubtful Sound but would really like too. It looks like the ultimate commercial sea-kayak trip in NZ with the exception of some of their other trips such as Dusky Sound, accessed by floatplane, I've walked in there, there is dinghy at Supper Cove hut, free to use for the few who walk in here.
Have fun
In the far north Richard Israel runs guided trips from Tauranga Bay (near Kaeo) along the coastline, it stays warm up here longer. We caught plenty of fish for tea and played with dolphins once - great fun.
Abel Tasman, loads of companies doing sea-kayak trips, I hired from Ocean Kayaks. They give you a safety briefing, the guide observes you for 1/2 hour (those who don't cope well are put in to a guided party) then off you go as long as there is atleast 2 in your party (same for most outfits). Loads of official campsites (get pass from DOC, no probs with availability unlike the crowded huts here), great scenery and not difficult, you'll need tent, stove (I think you can rent these) & all your food. Reccomend 3 days. Whether you hire or do a guided trip you can get the kayak picked up by water-taxi and carry on walking along the coast track, they set a territorial limit for non-guided parties.
Auckland (Okahu Bay) & Wellington (city waterfront), casual hire at Ferg's Kayaks.
Milford Sound, Roscoes Kayaks, guided trips. Booked it but strong winds meant we had to cancel & do boat cruise instead, still worth it.
Further south there is Doubtful Sound in the wild heart of Fiordland NP where one company runs 2 to 3 day wild-camping trips and allows hire on Lake Manapouri on the way back. The sandflies (midges) aren't so bad once you are on the water apparently. I haven't been to Doubtful Sound but would really like too. It looks like the ultimate commercial sea-kayak trip in NZ with the exception of some of their other trips such as Dusky Sound, accessed by floatplane, I've walked in there, there is dinghy at Supper Cove hut, free to use for the few who walk in here.
Have fun
In reply to Garan: I have done a bit of white water rafting, black water tubing and quite a bit of surfing, so I'm pretty happy in the water. The water sledging sounds like great fun, seen them doing it in Cham.
In reply to Chris Fryer:
Hi Chris how yer doin?
Good bouldering at Castle Hill (near Sheffield as you go west out of Christchurch, also Castle ? something on the volcanic lump sticking out to sea at Christchurch, some good climbing there.
I can put you in touch of a good mate who know's all the snow boarding, climbing, windsurfing, clubbing scene in NZ, let me know and I'll connect.
Cheers B.
Hi Chris how yer doin?
Good bouldering at Castle Hill (near Sheffield as you go west out of Christchurch, also Castle ? something on the volcanic lump sticking out to sea at Christchurch, some good climbing there.
I can put you in touch of a good mate who know's all the snow boarding, climbing, windsurfing, clubbing scene in NZ, let me know and I'll connect.
Cheers B.
In reply to Rowie B: I did some fantastic kayaking down on stuart island (off the south tip of south island) Its a really amazing place if you want to get away from the crowds. There are lots of secluded beaches as most of the island folk live in oban (the maint settlement). Prices are more expensive for goods over onthe island, there is a very small general store where you can buy basic provisions. You get great fish n chips (fresh out of the southern ocean) And the mussels you can pick and cook straight off the beach, truely magical!! one of the most amazing places i have ever visited.
In reply to Chris Fryer:
It is actually a bit of a bummer to try and combine both snow and climbing in one trip (of only 3 weeks). The main reason for this will be the weather! If you come in Spring, it is likely to be windy and wet, although the nice days are v v nice! You can equally get great days on the mountain and on the rock, but it will be a bit hit and miss for both and you will probably (unless you are very lucky) have days when you can't do either.
Winter tends to be drier and slightly less windy and could be your best bet. The snow on the mountain will be good (although this year it has got better and better as we got closer to spring), and the weather off will probably be dry. However it will be cold and you could find there is snow everywhere rather than just on the mountain. This however doesn't tend to last that long at sea level so you'd probably only lose a day or so.
Summer is by far the best time to see NZ, but you are less likely to get any boarding in, although I think it is possible that Ruapehu will be open for summer skiing this year.
The problem with NZ when trying to plan a trip that is subject to weather is that you just can't predict it. It is an island with fast moving weather systems passing over it that tends to get very affected by both the weather in the Pacific aswell as what comes off the large land mass of Oz. My parents came during what is supposed to be the best month of the year weatherwise and we had a cyclone! My sister came when it was supposed to be comfortably warm but not as sweltering as summer and had ice forming on the windows in her hostel and had to go out and buy a new sleeping bag. The week later it was back up to double figure temperatures. It is just one of those things which can really ruin any plans.
You therefore need to come with and open mind and be willing to be flexible about what you do. I'll add a bit about the snowboarding specifically in a mo, but I think it is safe to say that the boarding and climbing in NZ is not that amazing and I would never recommend someone comes to NZ just to do one of those or even both. However, if you come to see NZ and happen to take in those activities you will enjoy it. The most amazing thing about NZ is the variety - the fact that you can get from craggy coastline to desert sand dunes to rain forest, to teletubby hills to snow capped mountain to huge surf within a few hours drive. Everything is on your doorstep here and it is amazingly unspoilt compared to most of the world.
If you want any specific info let us know. We are more knowledgeable about the North Island, but have travelled the south island quite a bit so can help there too.
Climbing venues which I'd recommend are Castle Hill, Paynes Ford (north of South Island - never been but heard it is pretty good) on the South Island and Whanganui Bay (stunning venue) and Wharepapa (good scene centred around Bryce's) on the North Island.
This season (on snow) has been an amazing season with the North Island mountain having over 3m until this weekend (when it rained and washed over 30cm of snow away). We have season passes and have been down there throughout the season with our first weekend being at the end of June. At that point, the upper mountain was loads for fun for boarding - there was 2m of snow but due to the rocky terrain there was an abundance of features to play with. The down side was that lower down the mountain, the rocks were pointing through a bit too regularly so a lift down to the bottom was preferable. By mid July however, there was close to 3m of snow and the rocks had disappeared. So had many of the great features I was enjoying earlier in the season however, although it was still fun. The weather in July was relatively reliable and I don't think we missed a day on the mountain due to it being closed (only go down at weekends).
August saw lots of snow but as a result the mountain was closed much of the time due to weather.
September saw fantastic snow and reasonable weather but later in the month and running into October the weather started getting more unpredictable. Spring on the north island tends to be rather wet and windy which has actually brought lots more snow to the mountain, but also alot of closures!
The mountain is however open until 21st November this year (for the winter season) with a fairly large possibility of it opening again for summer skiing around Christmas time.
The south island slopes, while having great snow, have closed earlier than the north island due to lack of custom. There just isn't enough people down there to justify staying open.
As someone who has boarded in Europe and Canada, I have to say that NZ isn't amazing for boarding. It doesn't have the huge powder fields that Canada has to offer and not really as many features (when there is lots of snow), however this season has seen some amazing powder days (rather annoyingly all midweek) and the runs are shorter and more fragmented than the European resorts. However the atmosphere is really cool, the mountains deserted (relatively speaking), and it is so close to everything else - 4 hours drive from Auckland on a Friday night, oh and v cheap for a season pass
You can surf, ride and climb in the same weekend withouth much effort!
If you want any specific info, just email me or Matt.
It is actually a bit of a bummer to try and combine both snow and climbing in one trip (of only 3 weeks). The main reason for this will be the weather! If you come in Spring, it is likely to be windy and wet, although the nice days are v v nice! You can equally get great days on the mountain and on the rock, but it will be a bit hit and miss for both and you will probably (unless you are very lucky) have days when you can't do either.
Winter tends to be drier and slightly less windy and could be your best bet. The snow on the mountain will be good (although this year it has got better and better as we got closer to spring), and the weather off will probably be dry. However it will be cold and you could find there is snow everywhere rather than just on the mountain. This however doesn't tend to last that long at sea level so you'd probably only lose a day or so.
Summer is by far the best time to see NZ, but you are less likely to get any boarding in, although I think it is possible that Ruapehu will be open for summer skiing this year.
The problem with NZ when trying to plan a trip that is subject to weather is that you just can't predict it. It is an island with fast moving weather systems passing over it that tends to get very affected by both the weather in the Pacific aswell as what comes off the large land mass of Oz. My parents came during what is supposed to be the best month of the year weatherwise and we had a cyclone! My sister came when it was supposed to be comfortably warm but not as sweltering as summer and had ice forming on the windows in her hostel and had to go out and buy a new sleeping bag. The week later it was back up to double figure temperatures. It is just one of those things which can really ruin any plans.
You therefore need to come with and open mind and be willing to be flexible about what you do. I'll add a bit about the snowboarding specifically in a mo, but I think it is safe to say that the boarding and climbing in NZ is not that amazing and I would never recommend someone comes to NZ just to do one of those or even both. However, if you come to see NZ and happen to take in those activities you will enjoy it. The most amazing thing about NZ is the variety - the fact that you can get from craggy coastline to desert sand dunes to rain forest, to teletubby hills to snow capped mountain to huge surf within a few hours drive. Everything is on your doorstep here and it is amazingly unspoilt compared to most of the world.
If you want any specific info let us know. We are more knowledgeable about the North Island, but have travelled the south island quite a bit so can help there too.
Climbing venues which I'd recommend are Castle Hill, Paynes Ford (north of South Island - never been but heard it is pretty good) on the South Island and Whanganui Bay (stunning venue) and Wharepapa (good scene centred around Bryce's) on the North Island.
This season (on snow) has been an amazing season with the North Island mountain having over 3m until this weekend (when it rained and washed over 30cm of snow away). We have season passes and have been down there throughout the season with our first weekend being at the end of June. At that point, the upper mountain was loads for fun for boarding - there was 2m of snow but due to the rocky terrain there was an abundance of features to play with. The down side was that lower down the mountain, the rocks were pointing through a bit too regularly so a lift down to the bottom was preferable. By mid July however, there was close to 3m of snow and the rocks had disappeared. So had many of the great features I was enjoying earlier in the season however, although it was still fun. The weather in July was relatively reliable and I don't think we missed a day on the mountain due to it being closed (only go down at weekends).
August saw lots of snow but as a result the mountain was closed much of the time due to weather.
September saw fantastic snow and reasonable weather but later in the month and running into October the weather started getting more unpredictable. Spring on the north island tends to be rather wet and windy which has actually brought lots more snow to the mountain, but also alot of closures!
The mountain is however open until 21st November this year (for the winter season) with a fairly large possibility of it opening again for summer skiing around Christmas time.
The south island slopes, while having great snow, have closed earlier than the north island due to lack of custom. There just isn't enough people down there to justify staying open.
As someone who has boarded in Europe and Canada, I have to say that NZ isn't amazing for boarding. It doesn't have the huge powder fields that Canada has to offer and not really as many features (when there is lots of snow), however this season has seen some amazing powder days (rather annoyingly all midweek) and the runs are shorter and more fragmented than the European resorts. However the atmosphere is really cool, the mountains deserted (relatively speaking), and it is so close to everything else - 4 hours drive from Auckland on a Friday night, oh and v cheap for a season pass
You can surf, ride and climb in the same weekend withouth much effort!
If you want any specific info, just email me or Matt.
In reply to Chris Fryer:
Agree generally with Cleddy having been in NZ for the past year.
We went skiing at Cadrona which was good- it seems to be well set up for boarders with loads of jumps and bits of metal to slide down. Went surfing at Raglan which was a good experience as a punter- good place to hang out. There are other venues but they can be quite dangerous with rips so check with the locals.
IMHO the climbing is good but not world class having visited a couple of the venues (not castle hill). Overall though I'm sure that you'll have a good time whatever the weather- I'd try and sample all aspects of NZ life.
You can email me if you have specific queries.
Agree generally with Cleddy having been in NZ for the past year.
We went skiing at Cadrona which was good- it seems to be well set up for boarders with loads of jumps and bits of metal to slide down. Went surfing at Raglan which was a good experience as a punter- good place to hang out. There are other venues but they can be quite dangerous with rips so check with the locals.
IMHO the climbing is good but not world class having visited a couple of the venues (not castle hill). Overall though I'm sure that you'll have a good time whatever the weather- I'd try and sample all aspects of NZ life.
You can email me if you have specific queries.
In reply to fast eddie and cleddie: Thanks for the responses. One of the main thrusts of the trip is to see friends and family out there, but also to do/see other stuff as well. Climbing and Boarding would be good, as would a bit of surfing, kayaking, rafting, jet boating, mountain biking, whatevering, as the weather allows. More a trip to check the place out than do anything specific.
In reply to Dave Burbidge: good skiing???!!! i think not
In reply to Matt Wilson: Umm, is that North Island? Cant you come and see us on the South One?
Will try to make a plan.
Will try to make a plan.
In reply to Chris Fryer:
Didnt one of your good mates go travelling last year and spend some time in NZ. Did you think about asking her?
Didnt one of your good mates go travelling last year and spend some time in NZ. Did you think about asking her?
In reply to Zoe: We were leaving that til the weekend, smartarse.
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