tcleaner

Hi everyone, We are planning on going to the south island of NZ but are short on
time and wonder if it is worth making the trip to Fox/Franz glacier.
Should we spend more time in Queenstown instead? Or if you had the choice
of going to Milford/Doubtful sound or Fox/Franz glacier, which would you choose?

mlgb

If you haven't seen a fiord before them one of the sounds, I've been to both and prefer Milford.

The west coast and the glaciers get a lot of rain, which can pretty much ruin a trip up that coast, so if you can stay flexible and decide a few days ahead I'd do that.

If you don't already have Mt. Cook in the itinerary that is another possibility with great scenery & glaciers, and usually better weathher.

Melnq8

That's a hard question to answer, as it's so subjective. I've done both many times and would do both again.

I personally love the west coast and I think it's one of the highlights of the SI, rain and all. The glaciers are dirty and not particularly attractive from the ground, but they're spectacular from above. There are some wonderful hikes in the area too, so it really comes down to your particular interests.

On the subject of rain, Milford Sound gets 6,813 mm of rain a year, and is known as one of the wettest places on earth. The tour operators will try to convince you that the rain is a good thing, as it creates waterfalls, but having seen Milford twice in the rain and once on a beautful day, I'll take the beautiful day every time.

The deciding factor might be your existing itinerary...Fox and Franz aren't side trips, they're best seen while driving from Christchurch to QT or vice versa.

How long will you be in QT?

tcleaner

Right now our plan is :
feb 12-leave Nelson, fly to Queenstown-drive to fox glacier
feb 13-stay fox glacier
feb 14-drive to queenstown-stay queenstown
feb 15-do fly and cruise pkg to Milford sound-fly back
to Queenstown-stay Queenstown
feb 16-fly to Auckland-drive to Whangarei-stay Whangarei
feb 17-dive Poor Knights-stay Whangarei
feb 18-stay Whangarei
feb 19-drive to Auckland-stay Auckland
feb 20- fly home
Is this insane?or doable? So right now, its 2 nights in
Queenstown

Melnq8

In that case I'd give the glaciers a pass. You're looking at a six hour drive (minimum) each way, and you'll be backtracking. That time could be better spent in/around QT...if you scrap the glaciers, you still only have three full days to work with, one of which will be filled with the Milford Sound trip.

tcleaner

Hi Melq8, thank you for your reply! What would
you recommend to do in/or around Queenstown?

Melnq8

Geez, there's loads to choose from...

I've enjoyed the Shotover Jet, the Dart River Safari (Glenorchy), the TSS Earnslaw and Walter Peak Farm, lots of hiking tracks, the drive to Glenorchy (beautiful), the Skyline Gondola, wineries...there are also lots of lake activities, adventure activities (bungy, rafting, paragliding, etc), the options are endless.

tcleaner

Melnq8-thanks for the suggestions! Just another thought, what do you think of passing on the glaciers, stay 3 nights queenstown but add 1 day to the nelson area or marborough sounds? Currently our plans are to spend 2 nights nelson area and 2 nights marborough sounds. Or do you still think our time would be better spent in queenstown? I really appreciate you taking the time to answer all my questions!

Melnq8

I think adding a night to the Nelson or Marlborough area is a wonderful idea. There's loads to do up that way too, and adding an extra night at either will give you at least two full days to explore. I find one day to explore is never enough, especially in NZ, where the attractions are so spread out.

tcleaner

Hi Melnq8, are there any accommodations in marlborough sounds or Picton area that you would recommend?

Melnq8

We've stayed at the Bay of Many Coves a couple of times - it's actually IN the sounds, so you need to arrange transport via water taxi. It's a lovely place, but it's not cheap.

Craglee Lodge is also a possibility - it doesn't have road access either - we've not stayed there yet, but have met the owners and it looks lovely, but it's also not cheap.

I'm currently researching more affordable Marlborough Sounds accommodation for our upcoming trip, I've found these sites really helpful:

http://www.qctrack.co.nz/operators/accomsearch.asp

http://www.tourism.net.nz/region/mar...accommodation/

And I've got these shortlisted, but I obviously can't comment on them as I've not stayed at either yet.

http://www.hopewell.co.nz/
http://handwardcottage.co.nz/