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Upcoming travel to Auckland, New Zealand

Posted by (Calgary, AB, Canada) on

We are travelling to Auckland this weekend from Canada. They are having very bad weather (cyclone) and things don’t look great. They have declared a state of emergency in the region around Auckland. Originally planned to tour the North island for two weeks, then to the South Island for the next two weeks.

Is anyone here tuned into what is happening there? Should we land in Auckland (if our flight isn’t cancelled), get our rental car and head straight to the South Island?Are the roads passable?

Any suggestions on what to do will be appreciated. We are distraught over this weather situation.

Debra

Posted by
33 posts

Hi Debra,
where were you planning on going for your two weeks in the north island? Auckland had extreme rain two weeks ago (most ever in 24 hours) which was widespread and the recent cyclone which affected some areas more than others. Life for me is normal at the moment. The airport is open again. There were issues with baggage so pack a lot in your carryon. Central Auckland is open. West Auckland Coast beach roads closed. Hawkes Bay ongoing flooding today will not be open the same with Gisborne. I think the main road to Wellington is open again. Lots of places still to see.

Posted by
2825 posts

Another option would be to continue on to the South Island immediately upon arrival, thus delaying your exploration of the North by a couple of weeks and thereby giving local authorities the extra time to generally clean things up before your visit.
Given your relatively short time in the country I wouldn't recommend using up most of one day taking the ferry between the islands - pretty though it is. When we did it years ago we were in the country for 3 months and so didn't mind the extra time. I think you'd be better advised to fly back into Auckland and renting another car there.
My suggestion would be to fly into either Queenstown (exquisite) or Christchurch and doing a one-way rental from one to the other.
Our favorite excursion from Christchurch was out to the Banks Peninsula and the French-themed town of Akaroa, which not only has a fascinating history but also happens to be one of the prettiest little villages in NZ.

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