We will be visiting the Marlborough and Nelson regions in November, before heading down to Queenstown and the Milford Track. We will be arriving on Saturday, November 19 and need to fly to Queenstown on Thursday, November 24. (We currently only have one full day in Queenstown, so if we can arrange our Nelson/Marlborough agenda to allow us an extra day there, that might be good). We have a few options for our stay there, and are unsure which would be best.

We are doing the 5:30 am dolphin swim in Kaikoura, then taking the TranzCoastal to Blenheim, arriving around noon.

MARLBOROUGH OPTION 1:
Do ½ day wine tasting tour (11/19). (Will this be too much after swimming with the dolphins that morning?) Spend the night in Blenheim, then head up to Picton to see the Queen Charlotte Sound (11/20). Take a water taxi to a lodge along the QCT and stay the night. Head to Nelson the following day (11/21).

MARLBOROUGH OPTION 2:
Change our TranzCoastal trip to arrive in Blenheim and do the Mail Boat Cruise of the Sound on arrival (11/19). Spend the night in Blenheim, then do a full day of wine tasting the next day (11/20). Spend the night in Blenheim again and head to Nelson the next day (11/21).

NELSON/ABEL TASMAN OPTION 1:
Skip Nelson and head straight to Marahau. Take the water taxi from Marahau to Awaroa Lodge (11/21). Stay 2 nights at Awaroa and sea kayak (11/21 and 11/22). Fly to Queenstown on 11/23 (gives us an extra day in Queenstown)

NELSON/ABEL TASMAN OPTION 2:
Skip Nelson and head straight to Marahau. Take the water taxi from Marahau to Awaroa Lodge (11/21). Stay 2 nights at Awaroa and sea kayak (11/21 and 11/22). Explore Nelson and stay the night (11/23). Fly to Queenstown on 11/24.

NELSON/ABEL TASMAN OPTION 3:
Head from Marlborough to Nelsonl; explore Nelson and stay the night (11/21). Take the water taxi from Marahau to Awaroa Lodge (11/22). Stay 2 nights at Awaroa and sea kayak (11/22 and 11/23). Explore Nelson and stay the night (11/23). Fly to Queenstown on 11/24.

Transport options
We are taking the TranzCoastal to Blenheim. Should we rent a car to explore the area and drive to Nelson/Marahau, or should we take buses? We’re a little nervous about driving on the left side, and think perhaps a bus would allow us to enjoy the scenery more. But we realize this limits our ability to get around Marlborough and binds us to a set timetable. We’d love recommendations regarding these options.

Thanks in advance!