Diamantina

Haere mai (welcome) to New Zealand, KarenWoo! I hope you have been enjoying your trip and that the roller coaster weather and temporary West Coast road closure has not interfered with your plans. Don't forget to check Metservice for the forecast!

KarenWoo

Diamantina, Thank you so much for including this article. I need your advise!

We just arrived in Wanaka today, and our motel manager told us the road at Haast is closed, but he doesn’t know for how long. We didn’t realize how bad it is. We are scheduled to leave Wanaka on November 12 for Franz Josef! We were to spend 2 nights at Franz Josef and one night at Punakaiki before continuing on to Abel Tasman NP. So, looks like we won’t make it to Franz Josef.

Should we try to go to Punakaiki? If so, what route do you recommend? We could take Route 7. Is that road open? What kind of a road is it? Is it stressful mountain driving?

Or do you think it is wiser to eliminate the West Coast entirely? And figure out where else to stay en route to Kaiteriteri.

Thank you so much!

Diamantina

I'm so sorry you have been affected by the flooding and road closure.

Had you planned to go to Abel Tasman or Nelson after Punakaiki? If so, then, yes, it'd be best to continue to Punakaiki as planned. I suggest you return in the direction of Mt. Cook/Lake Tekapo, then continue in the direction of Arthur's Pass. I'd try to find somewhere to overnight in scenic Arthur's Pass, though it will be a long drive from Wanaka (more than 6 hours), but this would make your next day's drive relatively short so you can spend more time in Punakaiki and relaxing.. If this seems like too much driving, consider staying somewhere in-between Tekapo and Arthur's Pass.Or get to an early start and take a long lunch break midway through. Weren't you asking about thermal pools higher in this post? It seems like Methven has thermal pools. But Methven to Punakaiki would be about a 4 hour drive. Methven is about midway between Wanaka and Punakaiki.

The West Coast weather is expected to improve by Monday afternoon, though rain is predicted for Thursday.

I've never taken SH7 but it seems out of your way.

Best of luck. The drive through Arthur's Pass and Otira Gorge is lovely, narrow and winding at times but, in my opinion, less stressful that Haast Pass.

Diamantina

Sorry, somehow I missed that you already said you'd be going to Kaiteriteri. Same answer still applies.

KarenWoo

Diamantina, thank you so much!

I am waiting for one more update on NZTA but it’s not looking good. So we are researching hotels in Methven for one night.

I talked to our hotel in Franz Josef, and they told me the weather there is beautiful and everything has dried out. So we might spend one night in Franz Josef since we have the reservation. We will go via Arthurs Pass. And then after Franz Josef, we will go to Punakaiki as planned.

Thank you so much for your help and for thinking of us. Other than this glitch, we are having a wonderful time in New Zealand! And we have had gorgeous weather most of the time.
Karen

Diamantina

Hi Karen, it says on the NZTA site that they expect the road to be closed through 17 Nov, though they often get repairs done a little early--but I doubt by the 12th.

It will be a long drive from Methven to Franz Josef, but at least you will see what you came to see, and the weather forecast looks okay for Wednesday. I hope you have a lovely time.

If you are looking for a scenic stop between Punakaiki and Kaiteriteri, check out Cape Foulwind Walkway as it's not too far off your route (near Westport). There is a short walk and a longer walk. If you go there, I would suggest the former.

Great to hear that you've had a wonderful time so far. We had good weather today in Dunedin, so I'll bet it was fabulous weather in Wanaka!

KarenWoo

Diamantina, the 5PM update states the road will be closed at least until November 17 as you have already said.

So we made hotel reservations in Methven for one night. Thanks for the suggestion!

We are part way through our 5th week (the first 3 weeks in Australia), and the first rainy day we had was our first full day at Aoraki Mt.Cook, but the next day we were able to walk the Hooker Valley Track, which is magnificent.

Then our second rainy day was the day we had reservations for the Milford Sound Cruise, and the road was closed due to possibility of avalanches. So we switched to the next day, which meant extending our stay in Te Anau and having one less day in Wanaka, but it was worth it! So far we can’t really complain.

northie

sounds like you are still loving your travelling ,Karen

KarenWoo

Hi Northie,
Yes, we are still having a great time! We just arrived in Methven and booked the hot pools and spa for 2 hours. Leaving in a few minutes.

Thank you Diamantina for the suggestion of Methven !

Diamantina

Hello Karen. I thought you'd be interested to know that SH6 south of Knights Point will reopen tomorrow morning. That took a while! But it'll still be closed overnight from 9pm to 7am ("for the time being") while NZTA gained more assurance of slope stability.
I hope you are still having a wonderful time. Or perhaps you are already getting set to return to the US. If so, I hope you have a safe and comfortable journey home!

KarenWoo

Diamantina, we arrived home a couple hours ago! I got a second wind so thought I would check Fodors, and saw the nice posting from you. Yes, sounds like the road was closed quite awhile. The last we heard it was set to re-open on November 17 but that obviously didn't happen.

We had an AMAZING trip to Australia and New Zealand, despite the road closures. It really didn't ruin our trip at all. Just added a sense of adventure!

I plan to do a trip report for both countries, either in December or January. First the task of culling the photos and deciding which ones to include in the report.

Melnq8

Looking forward to your report Karen.

Diamantina

Hi Karen. I'm glad to hear you had an overall amazing trip. And that your return journey mustn't have been bad at all, if you managed to get a "second wind"! (I would've have felt like a zombie.)

I.too, look forward to your trip report!

northie

Lovely to hear you are back home after yourlong trip