Sorry I haven't responded, took a bit of a break from planning. Thanks again for all your help! I am still struggling with staying in the South vs. seeing Abel Tasman/Marlborough Sounds at the expense of maybe the glaciers or more time near Wanaka. We will price both out and see. One question-if we fly into Queenstown and out of Christchurch, does that make it easier to see more? It is hard to tell based on the map?

<One question-if we fly into Queenstown and out of Christchurch, does that make it easier to see more?>

No. It makes sense if you've chosen between the glaciers or Mt Cook and plan to make a one way drive of sorts, something like QT-Milford-Te Anau-Wanaka-Mt Cook-Christchurch OR QT-Milford-Te Anau-Wanaka-West Coast (glaciers)-Christchurch.

But if you want to see both the glaciers and MT Cook, it's best done by driving a loop, say from CHC-CHC.

Got it, thanks so much! Melnq8, I think you may have answered this in another forum, but if I want to spend time in the Wanaka area, do you recommend Wanaka or Glenorchy or somewhere else i haven't thought of? Most important is a cute place to stay with great views. Thanks again!

Also--to get from Mt. Cook to Te Anau you have to stop near Wanaka, right? And what is the best place to stop when going from Te Anau to the glaciers? Thank you!

They're both great bases.

Wanaka and Glenorchy are close to two hours apart, so you almost have to choose one over the other (or do both) in order to fully appreciate them.

Wanaka is a lovely little town within an hour's drive of Mt Aspiring Nat'l Park. It's beautiful and well serviced, with plenty of pubs and restaurants and still very close to outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, lake/river, etc.

Glenorchy is tiny, only two pubs and a café, but man it's beautiful. It's our favorite place on the SI. It's one of those places that either enchants or bores, depending on the type of person who visits. Those seeking beauty, quiet and solitude love it, those needing to be entertained don't.

In Wanaka we really enjoyed Clearbrook Apartments, in Glenorchy we adore Precipice Creek Station B&B.

Thank you! Given that Wanaka is close to Mt. Aspiring, is it the best place for day hikes? I don't care much about the town itself, but would like somewhere nice to stay and have access to day hikes. Would 2 nights be enough there?

They're both close to Mt Aspiring. Wanaka is about an hour's drive from the access points to walks within the park.

Glenorchy is closer, depending on the particular track.

Two nights only gives you one full day, so it really depends on what specifically you want to do...and the weather gods.

From Wanaka, you could walk any of these:

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...rob-roy-track/

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...kituki-valley/

From Glenorchy you could walk a portion of the Routeburn Track as a day walk in addition to these:

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...ng/activities/

PS - I'm just now posting specifics on the walks we took in Wanaka on our latest visit to the SI and I've already posted details on our walks in Glenorchy here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...-island-nz.cfm

Thanks, this is really helpful. Walking part of the Routeburn track would be great. I looked at your other post again, and am thinking now maybe I'll do pretty much the itinerary you picked for your brother. I see you don't have him doing Mt. Cook though. Any reason for that? It seems like it will be easier to just cut cut out the north of the island so as of now that is my plan, unless someone convinces me that Abel Tasman and/or Marlborough Sounds are spectacular. I'm thinking right now that they aren't *so* different from California.

Btw, I just picked up Fodor's NZ guidebook from the library and saw a quote from you in there! You're famous!

I didn't include Mt Cook with my brother because his time was so limited and some tough choices had to be made. He's from CO, so mountains are a dime a dozen, whereas coastline, rainforest and glaciers are a bit harder to come by.

If you're from CA, you probably won't be wowed by Abel Tasman - I've heard people from CA say it's similar to CA, although I'm not sure I agree.

From Glenorchy, you can easily walk to the Routeburn Hut and return in a day - takes about four hours. You can also access the Routeburn from the Milford side at The Divide.

I sure hope I wasn't quoted saying something stupid

Abel Tasman doesn't remind of California, it's Marlborough Sounds that looks a lot like the SF Bay/Marin headlands. Not that it's a bad thing/

But we don't have the glaciers such as at Mt. Cook or the west coast. Mt. Cook is considered one of the most beautiful peaks in the world, along with the glacial blue lakes. If you were from Alaska you might think 'same old.'

I prefer the Mt. Cook/Queenstown side because the sandflies on the west coast like me far too much. I think Melnq travels in winter so maybe they are not as much of a problem that time of year.

Interestingly enough mlgb, we encountered lots of sandflies in Mt Cook this year - in August - I didn't expect them there so was caught off guard.

They were godawful thick in some parts of Fiordland, but oddly absent at Milford.

The midges got us along Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown.

You just never know. I hate the beastly things.

Ok thanks so much. Here is another attempt at an itinerary. Thoughts and advice are appreciated!!

Day 1 Fly into CHC
Day 2 Mt. Cook
Day 3 Mt. Cook
Day 4 Wanaka
Day 5 Wanaka
Day 6 Te Anau
Day 7 Te Anau
Day 8 Te Anau
Day 9 Haast? (I am not sure if there is somewhere better to stop)
Day 10 Fox Glacier
Day 11 Fox Glacier
Day 12 Arthur's Pass
Day 13 Arthur's Pass
Day 14 Kaikoura
Day 15 Kaikoura
Day 16 drive to CHC for 4pm flight

I am open to doing something else besides Arthur's Pass and Kaikoura after Fox Glacier, but would ideally like to avoid 1 night stays, unless there are great things to see to and from wherever that stay is.

I think in general, I don't love that we never really stay anywhere more than 2 nights but I am not sure what to cut, or where warrants more than 2 nights since it seems like driving time to "sights" can often be long anyway so you might as well just stay somewhere else. Is that accurate?

Thanks in advance for all critiques and help!

One other question--Golden Bay vs. Marlborough Sounds? How different are these two locations? Thanks!

Golden Bay and Marlborough Sounds are like chalk and cheese. To me anyway.

I have some photos of both posted here if you'd like to take a look:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/335646/index.html


<it seems like driving time to "sights" can often be long anyway so you might as well just stay somewhere else. Is that accurate?>

Not necessarily. All the attractions of Mt Cook are right there at your doorstop. You can cover a lot of Wanaka and Mt Aspiring in one very full day, all best done from a Wanaka base. There's loads to do in/around Te Anau, not counting Milford and Milford Road, which yes, involves some driving.

The attractions of Fox are easy to reach from the village. Franz Josef is another 30 minutes up the road. Arthur's pass is tiny, most walks are easily accessible from the village. The seal colony and peninsula are easy to access from Kaikoura. Ohau Point and Ohau Stream (seals and seal pups) are about ~25 north of Kaikoura, as are a few of the longer hikes.

Te Anau to Haast is about a 5.5 hour drive w/o stops. There's isn't much to Haast, but it makes an okay stop for a night (we've done it). If you have time once you arrive in Haast, you might consider the detour to Jackson's Bay.

Once you've seen the Otira Viaduct, Arthur's Pass is all about hiking and walking. If you like to walk, it's a good place to spend a full day, if not, one night would be plenty.

On my most recent visit, we drove from Franz Josef to Kaikoura, breaking up the drive for a night in Greymouth. We'd planned to take Arthur's Pass, but the weather gods didn't cooperate, so we drove up the coast and crossed over at Lewis Pass instead. It was a long drive day, but an alternative worth considering if you're not going to Arthur's Pass for any particular reason.

You might consider spending some time in Christchurch. I used to avoid it, but honestly, after our most recent visit, I have a new appreciation for the place. There's plenty to do for a couple of days and the earthquake recovery is fascinating.

If you're interested in wine, you might enjoy spending part of a day in Waipara, which is 40 minutes north of Christchurch and an up and coming wine region on the South Island. You can also access Rakaika Gorge easily from Christchurch or incorporate it into your drive to Christchurch.

The options are endless...

Wow, your photos are great! And really helpful. We do love to hike, so that's what appealed to me about Arthur's Pass. There really are endless options and I guess that is the problem!

Have you explored the Gibbston Valley much? I was thinking maybe a couple days there could be a good alternative to Marlborough area.

When I think Gibbston Valley, I think Gibbston Valley Winery and Cheesery, which are located right off of SH 6. The area is part of Otago, surrounded by stark rugged hills and vineyards and easily accessible from Queenstown, Arrowtown and Cromwell.

I personally have never considered it as a destination, rather a place one drives through going elsewhere, but maybe I've missed something.

As you like to walk, you might want to Google Gibbston Trail and Queenstown Trail, as they go through there.

Got it, thanks. . Perhaps I could drive through it if I decide to take Lindis Pass back to CHC.

We're thinking of ending in Kaikoura and I'm wondering what there is to do there besides whale watching. Is there any hiking? Or are there wineries nearby? It looks beautiful with the mountains right next to the ocean, but I'm not really interested in just sitting at the beach. Thanks so much!

Yes, there's plenty of hiking - Kaikoura Peninsula is right in town and there are several tracks along SH 1 north and south of Kaikoura - we walked a few of them (see my recently posted trip report for details).

Here's some info on the Kaikoura Walkway:

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...nsula-walkway/

You might also want to Google Okiwi Track, Puhipuhi Valley, Omihi Track, & Half Moon Bay