Wren55

Just starting to plan a family trip/gathering in New Zealand for late February 2011. There will be five of us - my husband and I, our son and his girlfriend, and our daughter(all adults). We'll have a week to ten days together with varying amounts of time before and/or after on our own. I would love some advice on making the most of our trip.

Based on what I've been reading here and some additional research, I'm thinking we may want to focus our time on the Upper South Island. We all share interests in sampling good local food and wine; being on, in, or near the water; and exploring interesting natural areas and ecosystems.

One of my lifelong dreams is to be in the water with dolphins, but only if environmentally appropriate. My husband and son both fly fish, most of us love to kayak. Just relaxing in a beautiful setting is also high on our list.

I was thinking about staying near Blenheim to explore some of the wineries, spending some time on the Marlborough Sound, and then heading over to Abel Tasman and/or driving a ways down the west coast.

Any advice on ...
* a good itinerary for the Upper South Island
* recommendations for lodging that could accomodate two couples and a single adult?
* the best way to get around (rental car, boat, train - we're pretty flexible!)

We like staying in places with comfortable beds, pleasant/natural surroundings, and friendly people. We'd like to keep costs fairly reasonable, since we're "treating" the younger contingent to this part of the trip, but we're willing to spurge occasionaly, especially for something really special or unique.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have!

wlzmatilida

Hi Wren!

Thanks for providing a very good start as to what you and your family's interests are - I'm sure you'll get lots of great help from everyone here on the board!

Let's address your lifelong dream of swimming with dolphins - one word - Kaikboura - this also incorporates your environmental concerns as they only take so many people on the boat at one time, and a specific limit for people in the water interacting with dolphis (hence, reservations essential).

Blenheim is the perfect spot for food and wine.

Abel Tasman matches your criteria for kyaking and being in/on the water for sure.

To help pull your itinerary together, I suggest that you consult a Specialist which you can find listed on the official Tourism site of New Zealand - www.purenz.com. Drop down to the "Contact a Travel Agent, then "United States".

Hope this is helpful!

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Kiwi Specialist

Wren55

Thanks, Melodie. It sounded like there might be dolphin experiences in both Kaikboura and in the Marlborough Sound - does anyone have first hand experience with a particular group that they would recommend?

And thanks for the refrence to the purenz site. We may eventually go the travel agent route, but in this early stage I'm still having fun doing the research and exploring what options are available.

Looking forward to hearing more from folks!

mlgb

In my 6 trips to NZ, I have never detoured to Blenheim so I can't really comment other than to say that from the air the scenery isn't that exciting, and there is so much better in NZ. I would consider either substituting the area around Nelson/Abel Tasman and/or that around Kaikoura.

The wine region of Waipara is up and coming and has an amazing range of varietals. Good choices for food and wine are the Pegasus Bay winery, also great little cafe/wine bar just north of Christchurch in Amberley, Nor'Wester Cafe (2009
Cuisine restaurant of the year finalist!)

http://www.norwestercafe.co.nz/
http://www.waiparawine.co.nz/ (Has a link to the few lodgings in the area).

photoprospect

There's also an option to swim with dolphins from Picton.
http://www.naturetours.co.nz/new-zea...hins/index.cfm

The road from Blenheim to Picton via Havelock (Queen Charlotte Drive) is one of the most beautiful in NZ.

mlgb

I think that is the road from Picton to Nelson, not the road to Blenheim!

Blenheim is in the flats. Not exciting.

Wren55

Thanks for the ideas, folks.

Do any of you have favorite lodgings, experiences or restaurants that you'd recommend if we based ourselves for a couple of nights in:

Picton/Marborough Sound
Nelson/Abel Tasman
Westport/Greymouth

Also, what do folks think of the Tranzcoastal and/or Tranzalpine rail trips? Worth doing?

mlgb

If you go thru Arthurs Pass, the restaurant at the Wobbly Kea is good.

Melnq8

Hi Wren -

The Upper SI is a personal favorite of mine. Picton isn't all that exciting IMO, but it is the gateway to the Marlborough Sounds which is a beautiful area. There are some interesting B&Bs and self catering accommodation tucked near Picton that are accessible by road, yet offer excellent views of the sounds.

We've stayed at the Bay of Many Coves Resort twice (IN Marlborough Sounds) and would return in a heartbeat - as I recall they do have two bedroom units, but they might only accomodate up to four. It's not cheap and it's expensive to get to as you can only reach it by water taxi, but they do offer specials on occasion. It's an ideal place to sit back and relax, kayak, fish, and partake of other water sports, and a good base from which to explore the Queen Charlotte Track (which involves another water taxi ride to access), but it's NOT the spot to be if you hope to take day trips to the wineries.

There are several self-catering options within the sounds that are less expensive, accessible by car and might work better for a group of five.

I suggest you take a look at these sites to see if you can find a holiday rental within the sounds that meets your needs (keep in mind that 'bachs' can be a bit rustic and be sure to check the location as some places in the sounds are difficult to reach):

http://www.holidayhouses.co.nz/Marlborough-Sounds.asp

http://www.holidayhomes.co.nz/for-re...d/marlborough/

http://www.nzstays.co.nz/region.aspx?p=111

B&Bs are another option and there's an enticing one in the next cove over from the BOMC, but the name escapes me at the moment.

Blenheim is indeed full of wineries and some wonderful ones at that, but as mlgb mentioned, it is in the flats. I've stayed in Blenheim twice and would happily do so again, but the area around Nelson/Upper Moutere/Motueka is much more inviting as has some wonderful wineries as well.

I have several trip reports posted here on Fodor's with loads of info on the upper SI.

As for Westport and Greymouth...I'd give them a pass...you can do a lot better.

Melnq8

Here are the links to a few of my trip reports with details on the upper SI:

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...rip-report.cfm

Scroll towards the bottom of this one:

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...rip-report.cfm

Wren55

Thanks, Melnq8! Your earlier posts, along with those of Chicago Runner, were part of why I started focusing on the Upper SI.

The Marlborough Sound and the area around Nelson/Abel Tasman are definitely on the list. I'm not sure exactly how long, when and where we'll have the younger contingent with us. My son and his girlfriend will be in NZ for three months, camping and tramping for the most part, and my daughter will be coming down for a couple of weeks, with an eye towards doing some surfing. I'm thinking that a house or bach for three or four days in one spot and a like amount of time in another would be a good bet for when we're all together. I'll check out the websites you mentioned to see what might be a good fit.

Recommendations and comments continue to be welcome!!!!

Melnq8

Wren55 -

I might have mentioned this already elsewhere, but...I'd suggest avoiding Punga Cove Resort in the Marlborough Sounds - we stayed there several years back and had an awful experience. They're still getting poor reviews all these years later.

Craglee Lodge is the place I couldn't remember in my earlier post. We met the owners once and it looked like a nice place. Furneaux and Portage are other options, but personally I wasn't enticed by either when I saw them in person.

NZ is full of unique lodging - for me half the fun of planning trips to NZ is researching accommodation. There are so many unusual places to stay - converted churches and school houses, farmstays, old stone cottages, etc. Lots of really good options.

Here are a few more links:

http://www.cottagestays.co.nz

http://www.uniquelodges.co.nz

http://www.accommodationz.co.nz/southislandlinks.shtml