eveningcrane

Hi

DH and I are planning a 16 (or 17) day trip to the South Island taking advantage of Air NZ's promotional fares for their new non-stop route from Houston to Aukland. We can go in either February or March of 2016. Any thoughts / comments as to better timing. Is March less busy? Is weather significantly different between early February and late March. Any holidays that we should be aware of in this time frame?

Also would appreciate any comments on what you consider to be the absolute must do / must see things on the South Island.

We are interested in nature, hiking, scenery and birding, not into vineyards. We are in our early 60s and are quite physically active, but we won't be planning any abseiling, zip-lining or bungee jumping.

Milford Sound - overnight cruise - any thoughts, comments.

We will have more questions later on but we only have until Monday to decide the timing of our flights

Thank you for any assistance that you can provide

Pamela

tasmangirl

Hi Pamela
Either month will be fine. All the kids are back in school in February so things will be quieter and the weather is often better.
We have Waitangi Day (February 6)which makes a long weekend for New Zealand as the following Monday is a public holiday.
If you like to hike then Abel Tasman National Park in the Nelson area is lovely.
From ATNP you could drive down the West Coast to Wanaka/Queenstown. Are you hiring a car?
Milford Sound is great - I have not done the overnight cruise but it would be fantastic.

Melnq8

I'd personally choose March over February. We usually visit NZ in the off season, but we were on the South Island this past February, right smack in the middle of Chinese New Year. It was chaotic by NZ standards, much busier than I'd ever seen it and there was some pretty insane driving on the part of Chinese tourists. Granted, it was the year of the sheep, so that might have been an anomaly, but just in case it wasn't, keep in mind that in 2016 Chinese New Year falls on Feb 8.

I'd also avoid Easter, but that's not until March 27.

lauren_s_kahn

You will love your trip to NZ. I have home exchanged there twice (once on each island). You are right to confine yourself to one island. They are larger than they look on the map.

I home eschanged in Northland (the NW bit of the North Island) the first time and in Christchurch the second time. I left just before the earthquakes started that eventually caused major damage in central Christchurch.

Both islands are gorgeous. You will have a wonderful trip.

And pay attention to the safety video on Air NZ. It is very different from the usual boring ones on most American carriers.

deSchenke

Chinese New Year falls on February 8, but the entire week afterwards is a national holiday. So expect Chinese visitors until February 14.

Melnq8

<<So expect Chinese visitors until February 14.>>

At least.

We were in NZ from Feb 14 - March 7, 2015. Chinese New Year was on February 19.

Both the NI and SI were packed with Chinese visitors throughout our entire stay.

I suspect this was an unusual year as it was the year of the sheep, but its certainly worth taking into consideration.

eveningcrane

Thanks so much for all the intel! It has been incredibly useful. We have now switched our plans to early March.

We did a two week self drive trip to New Zealand almost 15 years ago and started in Aukland, ended in Christchurch and spent most of our time on the South Island. I am really excited to return.

So far we are planning for 3 nights at Abel Tasman for some hiking, 2 nights at Kaikoura for whale-watching and pelagic bird excursion. We didn't spend any time in these locations the last time we were there. We are also planning to do an overnight cruise on Milford Sound. Last time we did a cruise on Doubtful Sound as a stand-in for Milford due to time considerations.

We really liked Christchurch but I have heard that it is very sad now due to the earthquake damage. I am not sure whether to skip it or not. Any thoughts on Christchurch?

Another place we didn't get to last time was Mt Cook Village. I think that we would really enjoy it, probably doing the boat trip on the Tasman Glacier lake and hiking the Hooker Valley track. Any thoughts, comments on Mt Cook?
Any suggestions as to best (most scenic) routes in and out of Mt Cook Village.

We will probably be going to Dunedin since we are accidental birders and DH really likes penguins

Also we will be staying at least one night in Te Anau prior to (and maybe after) the Milford Sound overnight. I need to start counting up nights and then play an interesting game of connect the dots.

Other areas under consideration are:

Franz Josef - to heli-hike or not to heli-hike - that is the discussion. Last time DH did the all day glacier hike (no heli involved) and loved it, but that is no longer an option. I did the scenic heli-hike because I was having trouble walking and knew I couldn't do a full day trip. Fortunately my mobility problems are behind me for now, so this trip we are more focused on hiking, which really wasn't an option on the first trip.

Stewart Island - not really sure what to expect and whether the time investment is worth it.

Queenstown - but we really aren't extreme sports enthusiasts, so I am not sure what we would do there.

Arrowtown - would like to stop in on our way to somewhere.

Wanaka - We didn't spend any real time there the last time but I remember that the drive through that area was gorgeous.

Any thoughts, comments and suggestions you might have would most gratefully be accepted.

Thanks again for all your input so far!

Melnq8

A few thoughts:

<<We really liked Christchurch but I have heard that it is very sad now due to the earthquake damage. I am not sure whether to skip it or not. Any thoughts on Christchurch?>>

I find post-earthquake Christchurch considerably more interesting than pre-earthquake Christchurch. The re-birth of the city from the rubble has been fascinating to witness over the past few years. It's amazing how much they've accomplished in such a short time. It's well worth a visit IMO. The Kiwi spirit and resilience is nothing short of inspiring.

I highly recommend a Segwsy tour with Urban Wheels - an ideal way to see the city's transformation in a short period of time.

Quake City - fascinating

Hagley Park - beautiful

The cardboard cathedral, the container mall and the pop-up art...it's all good.

There are some very nice tracks at Mt Cook - do be aware the weather can be unpredictable, and it's not much fun to be stuck in Mt Cook in crappy weather, but take your rain gear and hope for the best.

There's only one way into Mt Cook, and it's scenic (there might be some obscure jeep trails, but I don't know of anything specific).

As far as I know, the heli-hikes/glacier hikes are still operating at Fox - you can still walk to the terminal face of both glaciers and there are many, many hikes in both areas - you'll be spoiled for choice.

It took us about 8 visits to the SI before we made it to Stewart Island - it's an investment of time and logistics to get there, so once there, you should plan to spend at least three nights IMO. The boat trip to Ulva Island from Stewart is well worth the time. Expect plenty of sandflies.

Lots to do in Queenstown - boat trips, water based activities, walking tracks, restaurants, casinos, pubs, shopping, nightlife, natural beauty, wineries, fabulous scenery. It's very 'toursity' but for a reason. From Queenstown you can reach the tiny village of Glenorchy at the top of the lake in about 40 minutes - stunning scenery, walking tracks and the gateway to Mt Aspiring Nat'l Park.
Glorious.

Arrowtown is our preferred destination location over QT - close enough to the frenzy w/o being in it. Arrowtown is quite busy during the day (in season), but a peaceful respite at night. Makes a good aa good day trip fro QT - lots of nice tracks nearby in addition to the Chinese Settlement and the other tourist stuff (shops, cafes, museums, pubs, etc).

Wanaka is a quieter version of QT - beautiful surroundings, lake activities, nightlife, plus that wonderful lake. You can get into Mt Aspiring Nat'l Park from this end too - involves a 90 minute drive and it's a rental car violation, but your secret is safe with me. There's a beautiful winery near Wanaka - stunning location overlooking the lake - Puzzling World (a major tourist attraction, not my thing, but popular with families and Asian tourists)and plenty of beautiful walking tracks. Clutha River is renowned for it's trout fishing, there's the walk to the top of Mt Iron - lots to do!

Melnq8

You might get some more ideas from my recent trip reports:

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...ew-zealand.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...uth-island.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...-island-nz.cfm

You can't go wrong, it's NZ!

eveningcrane

Hi again,

Melnq8, thanks for the links to your wonderful trip reports. There is a world of information contained within.

We have come up with a tentative itinerary. Since the AirNZ Houston Fare sale is the same price no matter where we fly in and out of, we decided to fly into Dunedin and out of Queenstown.

Fly in to Dunedin - 9:15 am arrival
Dunedin - 2 nights, (Jet lag recovery, Elm Wildlife Tour) drive to
Christchurch - 2 nights, (Hagley Park, Segway Tour, Akaroa?) drive to
Kaikoura - 2 nights, (Whale Watch, Pelagic Bird Tour) drive to
Marahu - 3 nights, (hike) drive to
Hokitia - 1 night, (Pancake Rocks, Hokitika Gorge) drive to
Franz Josef - 2 nights, (White Herons, Heli-Hike) drive to
Wanaka - 2 nights, (Blue Pools, Rob Roy Glacier hike) drive to
Milford Sound - Overnight Cruise (Cruise) drive to
Arrowtown - 1 night (relax)
Depart Queenstown - 2:30 pm departure

We are planning to fly out February 24, landing in Dunedin on February 26 and departing Queenstown on March 13 at 2:30pm. We get back just before we left, at 2:15 on March 13.

It will be interesting to see which activities get cancelled due to weather related issues. I wouldn't mind missing the heli-hike but DH seems keen on it.

Comments, suggestions, as always greatly appreciated

Pamela

Melnq8

Hi Pamela -

I think you've got too much crammed into too little time - it's very difficult to see both the far south and the far north of the SI in only two weeks, as it involves so much driving.

For instance...

Dunedin to Christchurch is about a 5.5 hour drive and that's via the east coast, the least scenic drive on the South Island. There's no way to fit all you have listed for your one full day in Christchurch. Your day of arrival will be spent in the car and getting your bearings.

Akaroa is a 90 minute drive from Christchurch and well worth a few days - it's never struck me as a day trip, although people certainly make it one.

Marahau to Hoki is another 5.5 hour drive - w/o stops.

Lots of driving, no wiggle room for bad weather (although you are visiting at a relatively stable time weather-wise, and days are long, so that's in your favor).

Melnq8

<Hokitia - 1 night, (Pancake Rocks, Hokitika Gorge) drive to>

Pancake rocks - is located in Punakaiki, which is north of Greymouth - I assume your intention is to visit on the drive from Marahau, which will add at least an hour to your drive day - do check tide charts as best viewed at high tide (but no promises). I suspect you won't have time for all of that plus Hoki Gorge, but you may be more energetic than I am!

tasmangirl

I agree with Melnq8...that is a lot of driving and most NZ roads in the South Island are hilly, winding, narrow and single lane each way. I live here in NZ and I have had enough driving after about 4 hours anywhere!
Is Dunedin a must see and could you fly into Christchurch instead? That would give you 2 more days in the top of the South Island.
I would go for Kaikoura/ATNP over Dunedin if you had to drop a city.

deSchenke

When you depart Marahau, plan to only go as far as Punakaiki. Then plan on visiting Hokitika Gorge on the day you drive to Franz Josef. It will divide the journey a bit better and you'll have double the options for a high tide viewing of the blowhole at Pancake Rocks.

Buller Gorge, especially as you get closer to Westport, is a tiring drive. The drive between Greymouth and Franz is very easy in comparison. The detour to Hokitika Gorge will take longer than you think, as it's 35 minutes each direction from town as you zig-zag through farmland.

If you don't like the accommodation options at Punakaiki, then overnight at Westport.