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suggested 6 day itinerary for South island New Zealand in December

suggested 6 day itinerary for South island New Zealand in December

Old Aug 29th, 2014, 12:30 PM
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suggested 6 day itinerary for South island New Zealand in December

Flying in and out of Christchurch in December. My 20 year old daughter and I have 6 days. Is it easy to rent a car and do it ourselves? Would love some suggestions for itinerary. Would like to do a day hike at Mt, Cook.
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Old Aug 29th, 2014, 04:26 PM
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Yes, it's easy to rent a car and do it yourselves, but having only six days will seriously limit what you can see/do.

Perhaps drive from Christchurch to Mount Cook, spend two nights Mt Cook, then continue on to Wanaka for a night or two and then head to Queenstown for the remaining time. Then fly from Queenstown back to Christchurch.
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Old Aug 30th, 2014, 04:28 PM
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Thank you. Someone suggested I do a hike on Fox Glacier instead, then go to Milford Sound and then to Queenstown. Any thoughts on that?
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Old Aug 31st, 2014, 11:37 AM
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I personally prefer the West Coast, but its often quite wet.

The problem is time. With so little time you should consider taking the road of least resistance, the shortest route. The West Coast isn't the shortest route.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2014, 04:27 AM
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A good South Island tour route from Christchurch would be Christchurch to Tekapo then Wanaka/Queenstown past Mt Aspiring to Fox Glacier and then a day's worth of driving from somewhere on the West Coast back to Christchurch through Arthur's Pass. It's a good "classic" route (though might be more driving than anything else, depending on how long you have). With 6 days plus hiking options I would completely take the West Coast out of the picture, and I personally would skip Wanaka for Queenstown. Wanaka's nice, only slightly less touristy nowadays, but Queenstown is much more of a stunner. Tekapo is a good en-route option for a night's stop. Lupins are pestilential but absolutely gorgeous around the lake that time of the year. Plenty of hiking options from anywhere in the South Island (or NZ) really.
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Old Sep 9th, 2014, 12:28 PM
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I have decided to stay for 8 days and thinking of the following:

Christchurch
Franz Joseph Glacier
Wanaka
Queenstown
Millford Sound
Fly out of Queenstown

I rather minimize driving so is it better to skip Franz Joseph and do Lake Tapako instead (inland route)

I would love suggestions on how many days to stay at each stop.

Thanks
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Old Sep 9th, 2014, 01:40 PM
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Flying into Christchurch and out of Queenstown in early December. Here are 2 possible itineraries. I would love input on which is best. We enjoy hiking/walking and adventure. They both seem like tight itineraries but don't know what to cut out. I want time in each place to enjoy the activities. I could also fly in and out of Queenstown.


Itinerary 1
1 Christchurch
2 Christchurch – Franz Glacier 5.5
3 Franz
4 Franz to Wanaka 3.5
5 Wanaka
6. Queenstown 1hr
7. Queenstown to Milford Sound 4 hrs
8 Milford Sound to Queenstown 4 hrs


Itinerary 2

1 Christchurch
2 Christchurch – Mt Cook 4 hrs
3 Mt Cook
4 Mt Cook to Queenstown 3.5 hrs
5 Queenstown
6 Queenstown to Milford Sound 4 hrs
7 Milford Sound
8 Milford Sound to Queenstown 4 hrs
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Old Sep 9th, 2014, 05:47 PM
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It's quite common to travel New Zealand in a campervan - have you thought about using one to save booking so many hotels? It is something to consider if you want to free up your itinerary to be less committed on where to stay. NZ is one of the easiest places to campervan in the world. You can get info on campervans at http://www.ecampervanhire.com/camper...e-new-zealand/ and https://www.rankers.co.nz/
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