Your plan is certainly doable, but I'd suggest continuing on to Hokitika instead of spending the night in Greymouth, unless there's a reason for your stopover.

Regarding accommodation, I can recommend:

Hokitika - Shining Star
Franz Josef - Glen Fern Villas
Wanaka - Alpine View Lodge
Te Anau - The Croft B&B is my first choice, but she can only accommodate two couples. Birchwood Cottages is a close second, but I can only vouch for the small cottages, of which there are only two. They have accommodation for larger groups, but it's located off the property and you'd want to look at reviews.

Queenstown/Glenorchy - Glenorchy accommodatin is VERY limited. I know a lovely B&B, but it only accommodates one couple. You might have trouble finding accommodation for four couples in Glenorchy. No shortage of accommodation in QT.

Mt Cook - only a few options for accommodation in Mt Cook. The Hermitage is the largest, the most popular and the most expensive. The Mt Cook Alpine Lodge is less expensive. If accommodation is booked out, you might consider staying in Twizel or even Lake Tekapo.

Christchurch - we enjoyed Merivale Manor, but be sure to request a room in the back, as the rooms up front are right on a very busy road and quite noisu

There is a new Aspen Court that will be opening at Mt Cook in December. We considered staying there around mid December but booked Tekapo instead in the event they are not complete.

Melnq8, I greatly appreciate your comments. How soon do you think I should be making reservations for this Feb trip?

Rather than stay in Glenorchy, I suggest Kinloch Lodge on the other side.

http://www.kinlochlodge.co.nz/

If it were me, I'd go ahead and book now. Just read the fine print regarding cancellation/changes. I've found most accommodation in NZ to be pretty flexible regarding bookings. We've stayed at a few that didn't even require a deposit, but that was during the winter months, not February.

thanks to Melnq8 for the great tips. we now will stay in Hokitika and hope to get rooms at the Shining Star.also thanks to mlgb for the Kinloch tip. we hope to stay there 3 nights.

our last 2 days will be in the Mt. Cook/Lake Tekapo area. any recommendations for lodging in the Twizel or Lake Tekapo area?

There is a lodge called Glentanner that has some tourist lodgings

Actually I like the private rooms at the YHA, they are on the upper floor so less noisy and separate (share) baths up there. They also have a good cancel policy. It is nice to have a kitchen if you are several days at Mt. Cook, too.

http://www.yha.co.nz/

A good option is Aoraki Mt Cook Lodge Alpine Lodge

And the splurge option is the Hermitage lodgings (they have a range).

Mt. Cook books up way way in advance, except for the pricey Hermitage.

Twizel has tons of lodging, and the one hotel I will warn against is the "GodAwful" or Godley in Tekapo. I have never seen a hotel with more "awful" than any other category on Tripadvisor.

Aoraki Mt Cook Alpine Lodge website

http://www.aorakialpinelodge.co.nz/

PS, the food at Kinloch is REALLY good. They may ask you to reserve for dinner, as it's really just the chef himself doing all the cooking.

We visited the South Island in mid-February of 2012, following many of the suggestions offered by Melnq8. (Thanks again, Melnq8!) By clicking on our screen name, you can check out our trip report which includes a description of our lodgings. We'd suggest getting started on booking now if you want a better chance of getting your #1 choices.

Another thought, you may be able to find "holiday homes" aka baches or serviced apartments.

Bookabach.co.nz is one of the websites for reserving holiday homes.

I am 1 of the travelers on this adventure to NZ and the responses have been very enlightening so I'll kep asking questions. we will have 4 couples and believe we will need 2 vehicles. any recommendations on the vehicle types and/or the best place to rent from in Christchurch for our 13 day trek? (we're flying into and out of Christchurch). also, if 1 or 2 of us separate from our party to stay longer at some location, is hitchhiking a reasonable option to rejoin our group 40 or 50 miles down the road?

I like Apex , they rent used vehicles.

If you don't have lots of luggage Apex has Toyota Corolla is good. I prefer something with an enclosed trunk especially if you will be parking at trail heads. They also have station wagons.

I would not get one of the small hatchbacks that usually are the economy cars, there is barely enough room for one person's luggage much less four.

Although NZ used to be a hitchhiker's paradise, it isn't quite the crime free paradise that it once was.

I like APEX too. I particularly like that they offer both new and older vehicles, which we prefer, since we tend to stray off the asphalt. We usually rent a Toyota Corolla, but there are only two of us. Luggage could indeed be an issue with four people. We can get all of our luggage in the trunk, but we tend to use the backseat for everything else...coats, hiking poles, backpacks, snacks...

I've never hitchhiked, but if I were going to, NZ would be the place. We frequently pick up hitchhikers there - plenty of backpackers needing a ride from the trailhead into town, etc.

We have finalized our itinerary and accommodations.Very happy with intinerary but due to our party size [9]we had to make some concesstions with accommodations.I do appreciate everyone's imput, it's been very helpful.
I do have one final request.A number of our days will be busy while others seem to be a little open.Don't need to be hiking all the time, so if anyone has any idea's on how to spend a day/night or 2 it would be greatly appreciated.Maybe some adventure guides,kayaking great restaurants,fun bars, shops,etc etc

Day 1- drive to Shining Star-light hiking at Arthurs Pass on way
Day 2&3-drive to glaciers-1/2 day glacier tour with Fox Guides[more?]
Day 4- drive to Wanaka[more?]
Day 5-hike Rob Roy glacier, drive to TeAnau
Day 6&7-drive to Milford Sound, 3:45 cruise[more?]
Day 8,9,#10-drive to Kinloch Lodge,day hike Routeburn, kayak[more?]
Day 11&12-hike Tasman glacieer,drive to Hermitage,Hooker Track
Day 13-drive to Christchurch,for night, flight doesn't leave until 4:00pm[more?]

Again, I greatly appreciate everyone's help and am very excited about this vacation. Thanks

You might be interested in the hot pools in Franz Josef (man-made), a walk around Lake Matheson (for the reflection of the mountains in the lake), a walk to the seal colony, the West Coast Wildlife Center in Franz Josef (kiwis), a nightime Kiwi tour in Okarito or the visitor's center (I think it's in Fox) which offers slide presentations, nature talks, etc.

We like the Blue Ice in Franz Josef(good pizza) and there are a few cafes and a couple of pubs if you just want to chill.

In Wanaka there are some good short walks which I can recommend if you want them; assorted lake activities, area drives, Puzzling World (maze), various cafes and shops to poke around in, a winery and a brewery, and several wineries in the surrounding area.

Are you basing yourself in Te Anau for your two days in the area? Are you staying in QT or Glenorchy?

Fear not, you will NOT be bored.

Thanks for ideas.While at the glaciers;Lake Matheson,Wildlife Center and nightime tour, all fit. Thanks

Yes an easy walk or 2 in Wanaka sounds nice.Shopping,eating, and drinking seem pleasant as well because I expect the next 5/6 days to be very active.

Two nights in TeAnau, with 1 day being spent at Milford sound.Other day open.

Three nights at Kinloch Lodge, which I believe is across lake from Glenorcy.1/2 day on Routeburn track and 1/2 day on Rees-Darr track.Not sure about the rest of time but think we should proably spend a good part of a day in Queenstown.

Again, thank you for all your help

Wanaka walks:

Mt Iron, the highest point in Wanaka. It's a climb, 240 meters, the reward being the panoramic views from the flat topped summit. We found the descent via the east slope more difficult than the climb up from the west, 1:45 return, 3.2 miles, ~5 km.

The Outlet Track, which follows the Clutha River from Lake Wanaka to Albert Town. This section of the Clutha River is world renowned for trout fishing. It’s an easy wide trail, used by bikers too. The walk ends in Albert Town, where you turn back, 1:20, 3.38 miles return.

Resaturants/cafes we liked in Wanaka:

Cheeky Monkey Cafe
Bombay Palace
The Spice Room
Amigos

Walks at Franz Josef:

Glacier Valley Walk, following the Waiho riverbed to the terminal of Franz Josef Glacier. Easy, about 1:45 return with lots of photo ops.

Peter’s Pool, where the mountains can be seen reflected in the water. This connects to the hilly Douglas Track (3.9 km, one hour loop), which leads through lush rainforest.

Canavan’s Knob Walk, right off of SH 6 towards Fox Glacier. It's a 10-15 minute walk from the car park to the trailhead, then a steady uphill climb, one hour return, fabulous views of the glacier on a clear day.

Kinloch/Glenorchy:

The Greenstone Track is another option, it's located 12 km past Kinloch. There are some fabulous hikes in the Glenorchy area, including a very easy flat boardwalk, let me know if you need more ideas.

Te Anau walks:

You can walk a section of the Routeburn from this side as well - - park at the The Divide (on the road to Milford), then hike towards Key Summit. The views over the Humboldt and Darran Mountains from Key Summit are positively stunning. Approximate walk time to Howden Hut and back, just under five hours (8 miles, about 13 km), less to Key Summit. If you plan your day well, you can do this trek and take a cruise in Milford on the same day.

Another easier option is the track to Rainbow Reach (part of the Kepler Track), which begns at the control gates of Lake Te Anau. This tame section of the track follows the Waiau River through beech forest. You can return via shuttle to prevent having to backtrack.

It's also possible to walk a section of the Milford Track as a day walk, but you must take the boat to get to the trail head and it's not cheap.

The boat leaves from Te Anau Downs. It's a 42 km journey, taking about an hour each way. We managed to squeeze 11.6 miles, about 18.5 km, into our 4.5 hours on the track.

Have fun. NZ is beautiful.

Just returned from 2 fabulous weeks on the south island.Will not do a trip report but would like to share a little.
The itinerary changed slightly; Hokitika vs Greymouth and Kinloch Lodge vs Queenstown. If you like to be active with nature, this was a great itinerary for 2 weeks.
Highlights included;Fox Glacier 1/2 day hike, Hokitika gorge,Monro beach walk,hike Key summit along Milford Sound road,late day Milford Sound cruise, full day kayaking Doubtful Sound,day hike to Routeburn Falls hut , and hiking Hooker Valley at Mt Cook.All done in spectacular weather with rain only for 1/2 hour on Fox Glacier??
Accomodations all worked out extremely well with tremendous diversity; Shinging Star, Glow Worm cottages,Brookvale Inn,Cosy Kiwi, Kinloch Lodge[favorite] to the Hermitage.
Special thanks to Melnq8 for all her help.Read all her postings for 9 months and learnt tons.Thank you
Also to Mlgb who turned us on to Kinloch Lodge.Certainly off the beaten track and not for everybody but 1 cool place. Thier guests are really interesting people from all over the world.
New Zealand, the South Island were way over our expectations. It was absolutely fabulous.

Hey jimfitz1, glad you enjoyed Kinloch Lodge. Sitting at the top of the lake at sunset and watching the reflections might be one of my favorite experiences in NZ, too.

Hi jimfitz1 - So glad to hear you had a good trip! And little rain - woo-hoo!

I would second jimfitz1's appraisal of Cozy kiwi (Te Anua) and Kinloch Lodge. Both were run by owners who really offer a great travel experience.....different styles of lodging but both were exceptional. Highly recommended...10 stars?

Where was Cosy Kiwi again? Currently planning a return visit to NZ.