drive time question from a jaffa

Hi Mainlanders...

can anyone please tell me how long it would take to drive from dunedin to invercargill.. then invercargill to chch.. in a van...

i am arranging a roadshow and using the wises drive time .. but suspect they are very conservative.. these two legs of the trip are time tight, so am trying to see if i need to send 2 crews or weither 1 van can do it...

thanks heaps

I've done Dn to Invers in two hours but it was very late at night and I was pushing the envelope a bit. I'd recommend allowing three hours to be safe, especially in a van.
Going the other way I would allow an hour and a half Dn to Oamaru, one hour Oamaru to Timaru, one hour Timaru to Ashburton, and one hour Ashburton to Chch. That will give a reasonable margin of safety.
If it's worth anything I have done Dn to Picton in eight hours. Having left Dn twelve hours ahead of my ferry booking just to be safe I spent four hours sitting on the wharf waiting.

thanks Igor.. i have allowed 2hrs 45 dun to inv.. and 7 hours inv to chch..
so maybe wises isnt that far off eh?

4 hours at picton wharf.. oh joy!

Dn to Invers usally around the 2.45 - 3hours depending on several factors and road works are a major one at this time of year. If turn off at Clinton and come out at Mataura cuts a bit of time off as well.
Invers to Chch - best to allow 8 hours which gives the driver time for a meal break and a couple of pit stops somewhere along the way.

Invercargill to Dunedin - we usually do in 2 1/2 hrs (with no road works and good travelling conditions). I think there are probably lots of road works at the moment, plus in a van, I would allow 3 hrs.

Invercargill to Chch - we usually do in about 7-8 hrs. Really depends if you stop for lunch, or do lunch on the run. In a slower van I would estimate 8 - 8 1/2 hrs.

Happy travelling!

I hope you get to see some of it in daylight.
Be warned that the part from Timaru to Christchurch can be deadly at the end of a long trip, because it is so flat and straight so the occasional corner can catch a tired driver unaware.