Best in 3 to 7 Days

Best in 3 to 7 Days

Touring the lower half of South Island requires making difficult choices. Do you want to walk the Milford Track or bungy off a bridge? Will you go away disappointed if you miss Queenstown, the adventure capital, or would you rather find a quiet lodge in sight of majestic Aoraki/Mt. Cook? Then there's the choice of waking up with views of mountains, lakes, or both.

To see it all would take a good three weeks, if you intend to do it justice and stay sane. Short of that, treat each of these areas as two- to three-day segments, mix them up to suit your fancy, and take into account travel time of three to five hours between each.

If You Have 3 Days

Spend at least one day and night in Queenstown,starting with a ride on the Skyline Gondola to catch a bird's-eye view of the town, Lake Wakatipu, and the Remarkables mountains. Once you've whet your appetite for adventure, either brave a bungy jump or just watch one for a vicarious thrill. A scenic flight over Milford Sound will give you a peek at Fiordland, to the south. The next day, you could head to Wanaka for some fishing, rafting, or wine tasting. Alternatively, head to Aoraki (Mt. Cook) (a longer drive) to take a flight onto Tasman Glacier.

If You Have 6 or 7 Days

Spend two or three days in Queenstown. Depending on how active you are, you could easily spend three days here throwing yourself off a bridge, heliskiing, jet-boat riding, or wine tasting. During one of your afternoons, head to Queenstown's gold-rush neighbor, Arrowtown. If you've booked a stint on one of the multiday trails in Fiordland, such as the Milford Track, spend just two days in Queenstown and head south from there. Otherwise, next head to Te Anau,the base for Fiordland National Park. Here you can take a boat or flightseeing tour of Milford Sound,work in a day hike, and perhaps see the less-crowded Doubtful Sound as well. Wherever you go in Fiordland, don't forget your bug repellent! After a couple of days here, you can double back for a day at Wanaka. If you have a day left, you could try to push on toward Aoraki (Mt. Cook) on your way to Christchurch, or drive over to the West Coast via the Haast Pass.