I have but it's incorrect.

Pat the Ex Mat is in Aussie though isn't he so the misspelling is not surprising.

As noted in the Pavlova thread any pie shop in NZ, bakery, supermarket, cafe, petrol station is going to have much better pies than in Oz . And you can 1/4 your planned fish and chips budget if you made it on Australian rates.

Pom actually!

I should beware relying on Aussie spelling - they spell Maroon correctly but pronounce it Marone.....

I've been translating the tips onto my google map itinerary-fair to say NZ is fairly peppered with place markers.

From all the suggestions, there is a few blank spots which (may be intentional as it's rubbish) could do with being filled in:


Blenheim => Moreaki via Christchurch- is there much down this road?

New Plymouth => Wellington down the coastal road.

All pie shops are marked down!!

The coastal road from Blenheim to Christchurch was a stunning drive after you cleared the inland section and hit the coast. The road snakes along right beside the surf in places with the odd tunnel to sharpen your senses. There was a sizable earthquake slightly inland in November 2016 (7.8Magnitude) which caused a lot of damage to the road and rail line. Until recently road closures or delays due to the repair were a factor...

but this handy link shows the road open 24/7 now.

From Christchurch to Timaru the road is heavy traffic and allow me to suggest those f**kers are even more impatient than anywhere I've driven. There are roadworks going on on that stretch to add lanes and improve flow. That link I included will list them for you.

The coastal stretch down to Kaikoura is a more impressive drive than the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, I've done both. South of Kaikoura the road winds through coastal hills. It's narrow and windy all the way. The stretch south to Timaru is flat and predominantly straight as you're crossing the Canterbury plains. This is where I suggest the Inland Route through Mt Somers and Geraldine, a much nicer drive. You head out of Christchurch towards the West Coast and Darfield, then turn south.

From Timaru south (I've not done this drive for close on 30 years) was always a more interesting drive with the hills closer to the coast and the road winding through some nice scenery in places. Moeraki is definitely worth a look, it's quite a unique place.


EDIT... can't overestimate the tight, winding nature of the roads enough. It's slow going at times with a lot of heavy truck traffic to negotiate and Kiwi drivers are impatient. They'll sit right on your arse... it shits me.

Yes if time is not a factor definitely go from Christchurch inland via Geraldine to Lake Tekapo then to Omarama back down SH83 to Oamaru and down to Moeraki. Mt Cook village is along this road to, with the drive up the side of Lake Pukaki being a stunning one.

You can probably skip Timaru altogether. A more wretched hive of scum and villainy you will not find

To be fair there's nothing more annoying than a slow tourist driver who has no clue about how to go around a corner and there aren't that many straight sections where a pass can be made safely in much of the country.

If someone is tailing you, pull over and let them pass. Especially in a campervan.

That would be a really good way to fit the McKenzie country into a trip.

I can neither confirm nor deny the prosecution remarks concerning Timaru but note that I have only spent a handful of nights there in years and escaped relatively unharmed.

I've found if one is tail gated that giving four seconds between the rear of the car in front and the front of the car in the rear tends to encourage more space behind one. But yes.

Many will tail whilst in a queue.

I'm guessing that you mean dropping back from the car in front of you by 4 seconds? Because your Swahili is garbled but I agree...

and Deadduck makes a good point about pulling over. Not enough drivers do that.

Agreed, turn off just prior to Ashburton I believe, avoid Ashburton, Timaru and Oamaru. It's not that they're bad towns, but there's certainly far better things to see between CHCH and Moeraki. Personally would have driven down the West Coast via Lewis or Arthur's pass, and returned back up the South Island via Alexandra and the Lindis Pass. But hey, that's just a local South Islanders opinion.

You can go straight out from Christchurch on West Coast Rd, use SH77 and SH72. Stunning drive, especially when there's snow about.



I usually do the West Coast on the return north.

Either or, hopefully Caley Red isn't skipping over Abel Tasman National Park etc but I'm sure he can visit those on the way back up. Via the Catlin's, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown and Wanaka back up the West Coast.

I see you left out Invercargill.

Would be difficult to skip over Invercargill, that place is a given. Since the glowworm caves have been discussed, it's as easy to check them out in Te Anau!

Not a tourist city, bit like Rotorua. Great hub for Stewart Island, Fiordland and the Catlins.

Yep, great launching city, and with cheap beer and decent fish and chips, not bad for one night only.

No, four seconds between the back of the car in front and the front of the car behind.
Do you need it in gibberish?

I know you're a pom but aren't you domiciled in OZ?

This. Lake Pukaki and Mt Cook and surrounds are unbelievably awesome on a clear day. I don't think you want to miss out on this part of NZ, it is spectacular.

How do you ensure the four seconds from the front of the car behind?

I was tipped off about Fat Bastard's Pie Shop so will be making pilgrimage. Also so I can say I've gone from Oban, Argyll to Oban, Stewart Island. .



No, definitely not skipping Abel Tasman after the plaudits it was given on here!

You pick a mark you'll be able to see in your mirror, like a road marking, for example, or whatever. You start counting when the rear of the car in front aligns with that mark, you know, thousand and one...thousand and two, etc., then watch in your mirror to see when the front of the car behind aligns with that mark. If it's before a thousand and four, you drop back a bit more from the car in front until that timing is achieved. Then if the car in front stops suddenly you'll be able to manage your braking so you don't get rear ended.

If the car behind won't maintain a safe braking distance by itself, you'll have to do it for it.

I am, but I can't be doing with inaccurate pronunciation!

Coming from a land I consider to be the most courteous driving nation in the world (UK), I am determined to do my bit to ensure that reputation is upheld

Hence, I will be pulling over at regular intervals to allow the good people of NZ to pass on their own roads

If not even the locals can think of a single decent pie shop in Invercargill, we can hardly expect a visitor to go there.

Try not to spend too much time in Auckland if you are a polite driver.. some of the most arrogant drivers you will ever have the displeasure of driving with.. also many are incompetent

Fat Bastard Pies have already been mentioned, you skinny bastard.

I plan on visiting one day and this pleases me

Some people really love them. I was a bit underwhelmed. I'm a bit of a Fergbaker pie connoisseur.

As for servo pies, one can't beat a Jimmy's Mince & Cheese.

Since when has reading the whole thread been a requirement for making a post?

It's world famous - well, it's my home town. I still get all nostalgic when I am driving thru.

They say it wrong though. Oh-Ban, not Ohb'n. Also Invercaaaaargill.

The ferry over can be an experience of a lifetime. They run in pretty much any weather and the route is beam-on to the prevailing swell and wind. Our trip back was meh but the trip out was green water over the top of the boat every other wave. The skipper just set it at 20kts and put the hammer down. First passenger threw their breakfast about ten minutes after leaving the heads at Bluff. About 75% must have puked in the end while the auld commercial fishermen at the bar just sat and drank beer and laughed.

Old school Dunedin pubs? Duke of Wellington might fit that description. But the locals should have better info.

St Kilda Tavern? Robert Burns pub? The Kensington? Best bet for a good bar is to check out the Octagon, there's heaps there. The Bog isn't too bad either.

Skip Dunners, it's rubbish. Coming up from Bluff / Catlins, Moeraki's less than an hour up the road and has a perfectly good pub and a world-class seafood joint on the wharf. Or Oamaru - good beer, some great places to eat, and much prettier.

Sorry Dunnersites.

I love Dunedin.

We don't really do pubs well, do we?

Same over here... it's hard to find a really good little pub that fits like an armchair. The SH is more about the beerbarn.