South Island driving route
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@voodoo said in South Island driving route:
@Bones said in South Island driving route:
@Hooroo maybe downtown Tony Brown then 😬
It's Stan Hill, one of Palmys finest!!! Good guy, he wouldn't remember me most likely, but I spent some time with him. His kids were a bit below me in age.
Also, Tony fucking Brown still owes me a keg!!!
Stan Hill!!! Thank You!! The man knows his steak!!
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@Hooroo said in South Island driving route:
@voodoo said in South Island driving route:
@Bones said in South Island driving route:
@Hooroo maybe downtown Tony Brown then 😬
It's Stan Hill, one of Palmys finest!!! Good guy, he wouldn't remember me most likely, but I spent some time with him. His kids were a bit below me in age.
Also, Tony fucking Brown still owes me a keg!!!
Stan Hill!!! Thank You!! The man knows his steak!!
Well, I'd guess he probably eats 2 for every 1 he serves up...
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@voodoo said in South Island driving route:
So that's 1 x vote for Coromandel, 1 x vote for Hahei, and 1 x vote for Whitianga.
Fricken Fern, no bloody consensus as always!!!
Whitianga would be the best option for the northern part of the peninsula based on what you want for cafes and restaurants. There should be more reasonably-priced accommodation as well. Still close enough to visit some of the popular tourist spots if you have time.
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Cheers all, ended up booking something in Whitianga. Will explore a bit from there. Reminiscing about Palmy bball with Stan will have to wait!
This country sure is spendy though - I really couldn't find anything decent under 1k for the 5 of us. When you add on the cost of my wine habit, the kids are going to be on 2 minute noodles for the next few weeks...
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Ok, so after the Coromandel, we will be coming back south, heading for Hawkes Bay, then Palmy.
2 questions :
- Where to stop for a night between Whitianga and the Bay?
And
- Where to stay in the Bay for 3 nights?
@Hooroo might be coming through Matamata, will keep you posted
@Nepia time to make yourself useful 😉
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@voodoo said in South Island driving route:
Coromandel - would you guys stay at Whangamata, Whitianga, or Coromandel town (or somewhere else?). Not Pauanui/Tairua. Going to stay 3 nights I reckon. Ideally want a central place to explore from, with easy access to cafes, the odd restaurant etc
This time of year?
Whitianga. Lots more to do around there than just the beach. Avoid Coromandel. Unless you like hippies and weed.
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@voodoo said in South Island driving route:
Ok, so after the Coromandel, we will be coming back south, heading for Hawkes Bay, then Palmy.
2 questions :
- Where to stop for a night between Whitianga and the Bay?
And
- Where to stay in the Bay for 3 nights?
@Hooroo might be coming through Matamata, will keep you posted
@Nepia time to make yourself useful 😉
Don't get tempted to go via Gisborne and then via Wairoa. The Gisborne - Hawkes bay route is pretty uninteresting (by NZ road standards) and rather slow. I've never been down Waikeremoana but my old man did it recently and couldn't stop talking about it.
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@MajorRage said in South Island driving route:
@voodoo said in South Island driving route:
Coromandel - would you guys stay at Whangamata, Whitianga, or Coromandel town (or somewhere else?). Not Pauanui/Tairua. Going to stay 3 nights I reckon. Ideally want a central place to explore from, with easy access to cafes, the odd restaurant etc
This time of year?
Whitianga. Lots more to do around there than just the beach. Avoid Coromandel. Unless you like hippies and weed.
Fuck, I just booked Whitianga!!!
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@MajorRage said in South Island driving route:
@voodoo said in South Island driving route:
Ok, so after the Coromandel, we will be coming back south, heading for Hawkes Bay, then Palmy.
2 questions :
- Where to stop for a night between Whitianga and the Bay?
And
- Where to stay in the Bay for 3 nights?
@Hooroo might be coming through Matamata, will keep you posted
@Nepia time to make yourself useful 😉
Don't get tempted to go via Gisborne and then via Wairoa. The Gisborne - Hawkes bay route is pretty uninteresting (by NZ road standards) and rather slow. I've never been down Waikeremoana but my old man did it recently and couldn't stop talking about it.
I almost was tempted, I have never been to Gisborne!
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@Bones said in South Island driving route:
@voodoo last time we were in Napier we stayed at the Shoreline Motel, not sure about their family rooms though. Was a cheaper option for us.
Make sure you grab brekky at Mister D and dinner at Restaurant Indonesia if they're open.
Restaurant Indo, too soon mate!
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@voodoo The Gisborne route isn't as bad as @MajorRage is making out, but it depends on where you want to go. If you want to stop in at Rotorua/Taupo on the way then that route is fine but is as boring as the other way, but the road is a bit better. If you want stop on the coast then Gisborne is a nice place and then on the drive down you get to go through Nuhaka where George Nepia is from
.Waikaremoana is an interesting drive but I think it's still gravel road in some spots. @MajorRage's old man might be able to confirm that. Going around the Cape is an interesting drive but fairly long.
You'll probably want to stay in Napier, but I don't have any idea of the air bnb/hotel situation at the moment. There's 3 or 4 of the motels like that along the 'waterfront' - the Marine Parade.
If you're feeling brave there's a funky little Asian Street food place called Funbuns ... at least then you can say you braved Hastings. Actually, you should go to Rush Munros for ice cream in Hastings.
@Bones I had to look up Mister D ... it used to be called something else, do they still do the donuts where you can insert your sauces?
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@voodoo if you have time on your hands, go visit Gisborne. It really is a nice place. Take the long way too.
Otherwise, Taupo would be the best place to stay. Matmata has places with thermal pools along with Okororie which has a pub, accommodation and the pools. (I don't know anyone that has stayed there though and I imagine it is reasonably priced)
One thing that has struck me with accommodation is that they aren't really fighting for your dollar at the moment, unlike rental car companies etc.
We were looking for a bit of a deal in Auckland and ended up paying normal prices for this Saturday night which was disappointing.
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@Hooroo said in South Island driving route:
@voodoo if you have time on your hands, go visit Gisborne. It really is a nice place. Take the long way too.
Otherwise, Taupo would be the best place to stay. Matmata has places with thermal pools along with Okororie which has a pub, accommodation and the pools. (I don't know anyone that has stayed there though and I imagine it is reasonably priced)
One thing that has struck me with accommodation is that they aren't really fighting for your dollar at the moment, unlike rental car companies etc.
We were looking for a bit of a deal in Auckland and ended up paying normal prices for this Saturday night which was disappointing.
Think a few places have run specials that have all been snapped up.
I know the Chateau had some crazy cheap prices going but they were all gone 2 days later. -
@Hooroo said in South Island driving route:
@voodoo if you have time on your hands, go visit Gisborne. It really is a nice place. Take the long way too.
Otherwise, Taupo would be the best place to stay. Matmata has places with thermal pools along with Okororie which has a pub, accommodation and the pools. (I don't know anyone that has stayed there though and I imagine it is reasonably priced)
One thing that has struck me with accommodation is that they aren't really fighting for your dollar at the moment, unlike rental car companies etc.
We were looking for a bit of a deal in Auckland and ended up paying normal prices for this Saturday night which was disappointing.
Yeah, we have found most airbnb owners willing to negotiate, and most hotels happy to give a 10% discount. But less and less so as time passes
