Hi,

We will be travelling to NZ during April and would appreciate some
advice.

Is it necessary to prebook accommodation? We are planning to stay in
motels/units or cabins as we travel (2 adults, 2 children 10 and 13)
and would prefer to leave our plans open but dont want to get stuck
either. I am gettting a little nervous now about leaving things to
chance after reading some posts on this forum.

Has anyone had experience with GoRental car rentals before? Good?
Bad? - http://www.gorentals.co.nz/

I have read too that the ferries are cheaper if booked in NZ. Is this
true? How much of a saving is it? (we plan to take the car -
especially for the convenience of not having to unpack it. This will
be 2 weeks into our trip and we will have accumulated extra baggage by
then - food, drinks etc)

Thanks

Karen

There is no need to pre-book during April except around Easter when it could
be wise.
It IS cheaper to book the ferry in NZ. When we went last year - our car
rental firm booked our two ferry crossings, cutting what we would have had
to pay roughly in half. They added the cost to our credit card deposit and
held the tickets until we picked the car up. (Another advantage of dealing
with smallish NZ independent car rental companies). Such pre-booked
crossings are non-refundable and not able to be changed - we arrived 4 hours
early at Picton, asand could have taken an earlier ferry - not possible,
we'd have forfeited our already paid tickets - and have had to pay full
price for the new ones!!


<karen73@eudoramail.com> wrote in message
news:21207873.0402221315.1e204245@posting.google.c om...
> Hi,
>
> We will be travelling to NZ during April and would appreciate some
> advice.
>
> Is it necessary to prebook accommodation? We are planning to stay in
> motels/units or cabins as we travel (2 adults, 2 children 10 and 13)
> and would prefer to leave our plans open but dont want to get stuck
> either. I am gettting a little nervous now about leaving things to
> chance after reading some posts on this forum.
>
> Has anyone had experience with GoRental car rentals before? Good?
> Bad? - http://www.gorentals.co.nz/
>
> I have read too that the ferries are cheaper if booked in NZ. Is this
> true? How much of a saving is it? (we plan to take the car -
> especially for the convenience of not having to unpack it. This will
> be 2 weeks into our trip and we will have accumulated extra baggage by
> then - food, drinks etc)
>
> Thanks
>
> Karen

in article 21207873.0402221315.1e204245@posting.google.com,
karen73@eudoramail.com at karen73@eudoramail.com wrote on 23/2/04 10:15 AM:

> Hi,
>
> We will be travelling to NZ during April and would appreciate some
> advice.
>
> Is it necessary to prebook accommodation? We are planning to stay in
> motels/units or cabins as we travel (2 adults, 2 children 10 and 13)
> and would prefer to leave our plans open but dont want to get stuck
> either.

I'd strongly advise booking in the SI and other tourist destinations. April
is still part of the "summer" tourist season anyway but the Easter school
holidays cover 2-3 weeks of April as well (Primary schools & Polytechs
generally have 2 weeks from 8-26 April while universities & some high
schools may have 3 weeks).

This will impact highest on the sort of accommodation you are after. You
especially need to be aware of weekend sporting fixtures - a Super 12 rugby
match can overload even a large town if local NZ teams are playing each
other.

Have you checked that your rental car co allows you to take the car on the
ferry? Apart from the added cost, there are marine insurance issues. Only
last week 3 trucks overturned (luckily they all belonged to TranzRail).

Vicki

have a look at britz or maui campervan rentals, then spoil yourself by
staying in a motel every third day.

most car rental companies preclude travelling on the ferry in their rental
agreements, i was surprised when one clerk told me, "what we dont know
wont hurt us".

http://www.interislandline.co.nz/
they dont care where you make the booking from (but you might think twice
about paying $200-$300 not to unpack the car)


On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 13:15:19 -0800, karen73 wrote:

> Hi,
>
> We will be travelling to NZ during April and would appreciate some advice.
>
> Is it necessary to prebook accommodation? We are planning to stay in
> motels/units or cabins as we travel (2 adults, 2 children 10 and 13) and
> would prefer to leave our plans open but dont want to get stuck either. I
> am gettting a little nervous now about leaving things to chance after
> reading some posts on this forum.
>
> Has anyone had experience with GoRental car rentals before? Good? Bad? -
> http://www.gorentals.co.nz/
>
> I have read too that the ferries are cheaper if booked in NZ. Is this
> true? How much of a saving is it? (we plan to take the car - especially
> for the convenience of not having to unpack it. This will be 2 weeks into
> our trip and we will have accumulated extra baggage by then - food, drinks
> etc)
>
> Thanks
>
> Karen

Hi Karen,
I have just read a couple of confusing and conflicting replies to your
requests regarding availability of accommodation and car rental/ferry
passage.
But then I suppose that one can only go on ones own experiences.
My wife and I like you, at first thought - why change cars,and go through
all the hassle of unpacking/packing at each end.
As it turned out it was absolutely no bother, and the saving in ferry costs
made it well worth it.
I do not know much about go rentals, we used Apex and found them to be
excellent.
Some of the cheaper rental firms (ACE springs to mind) do not have the
facilities to allow you to swap cars at either end of the ferry trip and
insist that you must take your vehicle over.
I have not heard of one that insists that you cannot.
Apex were happy to accommodate us either way - they will book your ferry
(including car if you want) at the best available rates - but it was their
friendly advice that convinced us to swap vehicles and save the cost.
For a family, self contained motel accommodation is certainly a great way to
travel, we have travelled twice during September/October (which is pre
summer season and which I would regard as the shoulder, and equivalent to
the April shoulder at the end of the season)
Pre booking was not necessary, and certainly allows for a lot more
flexibility in your travel arrangements.
But if you happen to be in a town that may have a festival or similar and
accommodation is booked out - go to the next town - it will not be too far
away - part of the fun of being on holidays !!!
But then again we were in the South Island for about 90% of our travel so
cannot really speak for the busy periods in the North - but I should imagine
it would be about the same.
Good luck
and enjoy
Trevor
Perth
Western Australia


<karen73@eudoramail.com> wrote in message
news:21207873.0402221315.1e204245@posting.google.c om...
> Hi,
>
> We will be travelling to NZ during April and would appreciate some
> advice.
>
> Is it necessary to prebook accommodation? We are planning to stay in
> motels/units or cabins as we travel (2 adults, 2 children 10 and 13)
> and would prefer to leave our plans open but dont want to get stuck
> either. I am gettting a little nervous now about leaving things to
> chance after reading some posts on this forum.
>
> Has anyone had experience with GoRental car rentals before? Good?
> Bad? - http://www.gorentals.co.nz/
>
> I have read too that the ferries are cheaper if booked in NZ. Is this
> true? How much of a saving is it? (we plan to take the car -
> especially for the convenience of not having to unpack it. This will
> be 2 weeks into our trip and we will have accumulated extra baggage by
> then - food, drinks etc)
>
> Thanks
>
> Karen

Hi Trevor, how was your trip last year? You did not e-mail me? Too
enjoyable?

"trk" <ktrevor@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> My wife and I like you, at first thought - why change cars,and go through
> all the hassle of unpacking/packing at each end.
> As it turned out it was absolutely no bother, and the saving in ferry
costs
> made it well worth it.

My sentiment exactly. In any event, you have to pack & unpack when you are
checking into a hotel/motel. So it is really no big hassle.

> I do not know much about go rentals, we used Apex and found them to be
> excellent.

I hired a Toyota Previa from Budget and it was fine all the way. My main
worry was mechanical problems with an older model. One lesson I learnt is to
make sure of the number of days of hire. I hired for 13 days but later on, I
realised if I had hired an extra day, I would actually be saving money as
the rate for 14-21 days is cheaper!

> But then again we were in the South Island for about 90% of our travel so
> cannot really speak for the busy periods in the North - but I should
imagine
> it would be about the same.

How was your trip to Catlins? I was actually waiting for your reviews. I was
pretty disappointed with this part. I had expected a 'Nature Reserve' to
have a lot more virgin forests than farmed land! And your experience with
Southern Secret? I booked for 4 nights but left after only 2 nights - was
caught in the middle of a drought & the flies were huge!

Sarah

"bruce" <root@benz.edz.mob> wrote in message
newsan.2004.02.23.06.35.52.491186@benz.edz.mob.. .
> most car rental companies preclude travelling on the ferry in their rental
> agreements, i was surprised when one clerk told me, "what we dont know
> wont hurt us".
>
> http://www.interislandline.co.nz/
> they dont care where you make the booking from

Sadly, they do care.

You can only book the 'Easy Change' (most expensive) fare from outside NZ.
I think that the cheapest fare was about half the price, but I am not 100%
sure. Perhaps somebody in NZ could tell you?

Thank you all for the replies and advice.

I have decided finally to take the car on the ferry (a must with this
company anyway) because it does work out cheaper than hiring from
another company (I got quotes from many) and exchanging. Even with
the purchase of the ferry tickets online. ($280 with a vehicle - $160
without)

As to the accommodation - I can see that I will have to seriously look
at this. My preference is not to book as this will tie us down to a
set itinerary and timetable. We plan to spend 2 weeks in the south
island starting in Christchurch and 1 week in the North finishing in
Auckland. I will have to plan a more detailed route now, I think.

Thanks

Karen

On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 19:35:54 +1300, bruce <root@benz.edz.mob> wrote:

>have a look at britz or maui campervan rentals, then spoil yourself by
>staying in a motel every third day.
>
>most car rental companies preclude travelling on the ferry in their rental
>agreements, i was surprised when one clerk told me, "what we dont know
>wont hurt us".
>
Before anyone decides to take a rental on the ferry, double check with
the rental company that they permit it; ask if marine insurance is
included in the rental and *obtain it in writing*.

People found out too late when the Wahine sunk that they needed marine
insurance to cover their vehicle's whilst on an inter-island ferry.

>http://www.interislandline.co.nz/
>they dont care where you make the booking from (but you might think twice
>about paying $200-$300 not to unpack the car)
>
>
>

Hi Sarah,(tried to reply direct but it was rejected)
Completely forgot - sorry
We had a wonderful time - were not impressed at all with the North Island
(1week) a lot more crowded and too much of the sameness of where we come
from.
Loved the South (again)
This time we took our fishing gear (collapsible rods and spinning lures) and
certainly made the most of our opportunities.
Our experience in the Catlins was superb - we stayed at Nugget Lodge (not
really a lodge just a self contained apartment right on a cliff overloking
the beach at Nugget Point).
Our host was a nature ranger, with lots of info and tips
We also did a fair bit of fishing in the area and travelling through the
"back country" on tracks etc - we certainly got into some way out places.
Walked the beaches and talked to the seals, saw the penguins etc etc
They say that the Catlins area of NZ gets 5 days of good weather a year - we
had three of them - just luck I guess!!
We finished off with a glorious week in Queenstown (joined by our son and
his fiancee). It was a very late ski season and they were still skiing at
the end of October.
Our high points - a few days staying in the Golden Bay area near Nelson, our
three days in the Catlins and our time in Queenstown.
The most boring part - we did the coastal drive from ChristChurch to Dunedin
(after staying at Akaroa (gorgeous)
Regards
Trevor

"Ms Bellum" <Cerebrum@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c1d6ha$65t$2@mawar.singnet.com.sg...
> Hi Trevor, how was your trip last year? You did not e-mail me? Too
> enjoyable?
>
> "trk" <ktrevor@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > My wife and I like you, at first thought - why change cars,and go
through
> > all the hassle of unpacking/packing at each end.
> > As it turned out it was absolutely no bother, and the saving in ferry
> costs
> > made it well worth it.
>
> My sentiment exactly. In any event, you have to pack & unpack when you are
> checking into a hotel/motel. So it is really no big hassle.
>
> > I do not know much about go rentals, we used Apex and found them to be
> > excellent.
>
> I hired a Toyota Previa from Budget and it was fine all the way. My main
> worry was mechanical problems with an older model. One lesson I learnt is
to
> make sure of the number of days of hire. I hired for 13 days but later on,
I
> realised if I had hired an extra day, I would actually be saving money as
> the rate for 14-21 days is cheaper!
>
> > But then again we were in the South Island for about 90% of our travel
so
> > cannot really speak for the busy periods in the North - but I should
> imagine
> > it would be about the same.
>
> How was your trip to Catlins? I was actually waiting for your reviews. I
was
> pretty disappointed with this part. I had expected a 'Nature Reserve' to
> have a lot more virgin forests than farmed land! And your experience with
> Southern Secret? I booked for 4 nights but left after only 2 nights - was
> caught in the middle of a drought & the flies were huge!
>
> Sarah
>
>