New Zealand 16 Days Self Drive Holiday 2019 – te wahi moe!

'te wahi moe' is the Māori word for place to sleep.

I had been using Agoda for more than 10 years, we decided to just use the platform for our whole trip accommodation for convenience. In between, we cross checked with or booked via trivago/ Agoda!
Lily and I went through countless amendment as route were changed and up to the last few days before we departed for Auckland, as we were being updated with more and more interesting sites, tips etc.

Sample Agoda Booking Confirmation


As we were doing a backward looping from Christchurch to Auckland, we would have to fly to Christchurch after our first arrival in Auckland from Kuala Lumpur.

Auckland
Considering various contingencies including international & domestic flight delays or changes, We planned a buffer of a day, staying first night in Auckland, nearby airport; we would fly Jetstar to Christchurch on the 2nd day morning.

First night! Nearby Auckland Airport


That turned out to be quite ‘right’ as 3 incidents happened after we concluded the Jetstar plan!

1st, our Iconic National Carrier, Malaysian Airline changed its December KL/AKL schedule one month after we made the MH & Jetstar booking!

Flight change notification


2nd, the Whakaari/ White Island eruption, hours after we landed Auckland International Airport, we had just flown more than 10 hours KL/AKL.

Source: popularmechanics.com


And finally, as getting used to flying our AirAsia, Jetstar AKL/CHC delayed almost 3 hours!

Waiting to take off - AKL/CHC


For those who are planning travelling anywhere anytime, plan for contingencies!

Dunedin
To put up a night in Dunedin, on same day as driving from Christchurch & taking morning Jetstar AKL/CHC, was a very challenging idea. 

That was what we did on Day 2! We still enjoyed the beautiful Canterbury landscape, we arrived The Law Courts Hotel, Dunedin Central, with quiet streets, almost 10pm, our 1st leg of 16 day self-drive. We had a bite at McD, only available food outlet in town, minutes before it closed!
The Law Courts Hotel was still my first choice ‘te wahi moe’, though earlier we had reviewed few other places.

Source: Booking.com


It was a typical Art Deco architecture which I wanted to experience! It had a small casino and the Jury Room Bar, which I planned for a sip after an expected long journey from Ōtautahi; the bar closed minute we checked in!

The Dunedin Law Courts, 2 blocks behind is the Law Courts Hotel


The hotel is located next to the former Dunedin Central Police Station, and The Dunedin Law Courts. Maybe I though, it would be good for Nonie, as she’d just called to the bar a week before we left for NZ!
The Queen was here in room 207 & 208 on her Coronation Tour in 1954!


Dunedin Railways in background, from the hotel's balcony





Invercargill
Camping is a favorite summer leisure for many Kiwis, there were many campgrounds throughout New Zealand. 

As we were not using campervans or motorhomes, and we wanted to have a taste of this kiwis camping experience, we stayed in Central City Camping Park Invercargill; we had an ensuite room with kitchenette, we could still utilize the central dining hall and the public bathrooms! 

There were few campervans & motorhomes around, our Rav4 was the only non-camping vehicle here!
We had our breakfast in the central dining hall before we left for Bluff!

Central City Camping Park Invercargill


Public dining hall





Te Anau
You had to put up a night in Te Anau, if you planned to take the fjord cruise in Mildford Sound, which was about 120km away.

Either you were from Queenstown north or Invercargill south, taking the morning or afternoon cruise ride, staying in Te Anau day before or after would be logical as you could take time to enjoy the 2 hours stunning and challenging Te Anau/ Mildford Sound scenic route trip and another 2 hours of magnificent fjord cruise.

Te Anau was another beautiful attraction by itself beside an usual stopover to or from Mildford Sound.
We put up a night in Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park & Motels, next to the beautiful Te Anau Lake!

We did not spend much time in Te Anau as the scenic Highway 99 from Invercargill took us almost a day here, we left about 5am for the cruise ride the next morning.

Beautiful Te Anau Lake


2 bedrooms cabin with ensuite

Sipping local beer at the varendah, with Te Anau Lake on the far left


Nonie stayed in this 2 single beds room







Queenstown
Tāhuna or Queenstown was planned as our first two-nights stopover on the 16 days journey.

We stayed in this resort town longer to exploit the local attractions, and made a divert 46km trip to the Middle Earth of the Lord of the Rings, Glenorchy.

We went through various accommodation options & changes, considering Queenstown parking issue, lake front landscape, nearby Skyline Gondola etc, we landed in Abba Court Motel, a short walking distance to Lake Wakatipu.

We had a studio ensuite room for three of us, with kitchen, and prepared our first night dinner and breakfast in this homely studio.

Main entrance, Abba Court Motel, Queenstown


Ensuite room with kitchen


From the kitchen window...




Mt. Cook Village
As a very popular resort destination, we booked our room very early to avoid disappointment; unlike most of our other bookings, this stayed unchanged until we checked in, as you could see how the room availability was in Mt Cook Village in summer.

There were many fantastic outdoor activities required more than a night stay here, my wife said to me that we would come back for the Hooker Valley Track especially the Tasman Glacier, as we descended to Christchurch the following day.

View from our room


Walkway to rooms, Mt Cook Lodge & Motels


Balconies, Mt Cook Lodge & Motels






Christchurch
We left Christchurch right away, without staying for a night, for Dunedin after taking our rented car near the airport on Day 2.

At least we made a night stopover here, the Garden City of NZ, after completing the southern routes, before we proceed to North Island.

We stayed in All Stars Inn On Bealey in the centre of Christchurch, which had facilities & rooms catered for different types of travellers both local & abroad, we loved the atmosphere.

We did our first laundry onsite, our diner & breakfast at The Bealey Ale and Steak House, just next door. Our Rav4 just parked at room doorstep!

Open space/ BBQ area at the back of our room



Main block, All Stars Inn on Bealey



Ensuite room for 3 or 4 pax



The Bealey Ale & Steak House; one of the best bars/ restaurants in South Island





Picton
Earlier plan was to stay in Kaikoura for a night; we changed to Picton as we did not plan to take the Kaikoura whale watch.

We had the famous crayfish meal in Kaikoura before heading north on Highway 01 to Picton in the afternoon.

We were relieved a bit of putting up in Picton the night before the ferry crossing, as Highway 01 Kaikoura/ Picton, facing South Pacific on the right, was quite a challenging driving experience.

Our room in Picton Yacht Club Hotel was comfortable, we enjoyed the buffet breakfast at the Chartroom Restaurant the following morning, and had ample time touring this small picturesque town, especially the Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum.

From balcony outside our room,  Picton Yacht Club Hotel



Room for 3 or 4 pax



The Chartroom Restaurant, Picton Yacht Club Hotel 





Wellington
Alike the Law Courts Hotel in Dunedin, with a unique blend of old-world character and modern style, we found the Cambridge Hotel, located right in the heart of Wellington city and within walking distance to all major attractions. 

There was a typical NZ style bistro/ bar, which I aimed for & an onsite gaming corner.
We parked our Rav4 at Wilson Parking lot just across the adjacent lane with Wilson Parkmate App in my Samsung!

As claimed, the hotel was graced with the presence of the Queen during the 1963 royal tour.


The Cambridge Hotel, Wellington



Bistro/ bar at ground floor

 

Ensuite quad room

 

Wilson Parking lot across adjacent lane


Old fashioned lift, with collapsible grille door, still in operation






Rotorua
Like most tourist visiting North Island, we put up a night in Rotorua, a town which was renowned for its geothermal activity and Maori culture.

We managed to swift to Sudima Lake Rotorua Hotel after its price drop in Agoda days before we departed Kuching. There, we started to run into Asian group travellers and coaches as to smaller groups & diverse travellers in earlier journey.

We had the included buffet breakfast the following morning, with a large Asian crowd, a forgotten familiar scene after immersing more than 10 days in the backcountry!

Sudima Lake Rotorua Hotel



Lake Rotorua view, from balcony





Auckland/ Home
We had 2 nights in Auckland, Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre, Mt Wellington, before we came home, so that we could pick up those we might have missed earlier in Day 01.

Parking was hassle free in outskirts here, Auckland Airport was just less than 20km away.

The hotel had a gym where I did my stretch for the added fat put on from the leisure.


Bureau room





Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre


Panmure Lagoon next to the hotel


kia ora!

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