indiancouple, that's just the sort of advice i need at this stage, which is why I did the double post, for which I apologise again. anyway, thank you so much for a great TR and any tips you can give me.

i have read about Milford Sound being vey crowded during the day, which is why the overnight cruise sounds attractive. we could spend the whole day getting there from Te Anau, and then the following day driving to Queenstown. What did you particularly like about QT?

annhig, sorry for the delayed response.

As for the day cruise on Milford Sound being crowded, you must avoid the cruises that leave between 10am-11:30am, which are full of busloads of tourists. These copious amounts of tourists stop arriving by noon or so. We took an early afternoon cruise, and there were very very few of us on board. That was the consistent advice we got from this forum, and it was accurate. So if you time your arrival at Milford Sounds around lunch time, you can be guaranteed of very few people and a peaceful cruise.

We had an early start from Te Anau, saw 50% of the lovely stops on our way to Milford, had a lovely Mitre Peak cruise, and saw the balance 50% of recommended sights on the way back to Te Anau. It was just perfect.

The drive from Te Anau to QT is only about 2 hours or so, and not worth wasting a full day. As for QT itself, the place is just too beautiful for words. There is a lot of "action" sports to do (jet boat rides, luge rides, gondola rides up to the top for grandiose views ), along with lovely drives to Glenorchy, Arrowtown etc. I just wish we had a few extra days here to do nothing, but just sit on the lakeside with a glass of wine, and admire the beauty. Or spend more time on the drive to Glenorchy.

If I ever go to NZ again (I hope I do), I would plan atleast a week in QT.

indiancouple - that's very helpful as always. At the moment I'm trying to decide between a succession of "one-night stands" and a longer stay in QT. This is the problem - from Franz Joseph [one night or two?] do we do Wanaka - Te-Anau - QT, or do we just go to QT and do day trips from there?

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in an attempt to answer my own question, I've just re-read your thread, indiancouple, and this time it's made more sense to me because of all the help I've had from you and others. following your example, by going straight from Roturua to Wellington [and we would get there on a Thursday night too!] i think that I can squeeze us a couple more nights on SI, which should help a lot.

rather than hijack your thread, I'll post my new attempt over on my itinerary thread.

many thanks again to you, mel and mlgb

You are welcome annhig. Have a great trip.

"Are you planning an overnight Milford Sound cruise ? Not sure if it will add much more from a day cruise. In either case, spending 2 nights at Te Anau + 1 night on the cruise is perhaps too much. You could either do 2 nights at Te Anau (including a day cruise), or 1 night at Te Anau + night cruise. So you will probably have another day to spare.

Any extra nights, I would recommend you just add to Queenstown. By far the best place in NZ, and worth as many days as you can spare."

We struggled as to where to spend an extra night and it seemed there was just so much to see in the te anu area that we tacked it on there.. sounds like you are not in agreement.
MMM I have already made reservations but its still early enough to change them We are in Queenstown just before for three nights and on to Wanaka for one night as a stop over before heading to Mt Cook.. we will be back to Wanaka on the way to fox G --We had planned to do part of the Routeburn Track one day .. Milford sound another not sure yet about the third day still working on the plan..

Before you change your booking, be sure to consider specifically what it is you'd like to do Barbara - Te Anau is walking nirvana, and often overlooked by most visitors who just pass through on their way to Milford. When the weather is lovely, the outdoor options are endless. On a rainy day, well, it can be a bit bleak.

Queenstown is definitely beautiful and yes, there's plenty to do, but it really comes down to your particular interests.

Te Anau = walking tracks, lakes, scenery, communing with nature. I'm not referring to town itself, but rather the entire stretch between Manapouri and Milford - loads to do if you like to walk and soak up the scenery and get out to explore. Simple and quiet.

Queenstown = lake activities, adventure activities, scenery, restaurants, cafes, pubs, casinos, shopping, jet boats, gondola, skiing; Arrowtown, Glenorchy and wineries nearby. Busy and vibrant.

This is great - we are using this trip as our template for the 2 week NZ vacation coming up in December. Thanks for the detailed report!

Hi senseshnal, thanks for your comments. Glad you found the TR useful. Always good to hear that one's writings were of use to someone else.

Great TR!

I am finalizing details on my trip to NZ, which is coming up in 2 weeks and I stumbled upon your TR, which is surprisingly somewhat similar!

Dec 15: Arrive 8am Auckland from NYC. Spend day leisurely to rest and recover from jetlag.
Dec 16: Drive to Coromandel Peninsula to see hot water beach and cathedral cove (in hindsight, I'm wondering if this is even worth it)
Dec 17: Drive to Rotorua
Dec 18: Rotorua - Waiotapu and ??
Dec 19: Drive to Whakapapa (base for Tongariro National Park) and half day of golf
Dec 20: Alpine Crossing Hike
Dec 21: Drive to Waitomo - black water rafting - Drive to Auckland
Dec 22: Fly to Nelson - Drive to Marahau
Dec 23: Abel Tasman National Park
Dec 24: Drive to Punakaiki
Dec 25: Drive to Franz Josef
Dec 26: Glacier hike
Dec 27: Drive to Queenstown
Dec 28: Queenstown (return car rental)
Dec 29: Overnight Doubtful Sound Cruise (transport provided)
Dec 30: Return to Queenstown
Dec 31: Queenstown
Jan 1: Fly back to NYC

A few questions...

1. I think I might have allotted too much time in Rotorua. Other than waiotapu, what is the next must-see in the area? Not sure what to do with my afternoon after seeing waiotapu.

2. I am still trying to decide if the black labyrinth black water rafting tour is worth the $$. The fact that you said the glowworm cave was underwhelming is making me second guess myself

3. I have 2 FULL days in Queenstown...I have decided I want to do the shotover jet and gondola / luge, however, should I take the morning (before I return the car rental) to drive to glenorchy? or arrowtown? i am more interested in scenery and activities, so arrowtown doesn't really appeal to me as much. I didn't really consider it until you said it was your favorite part of the trip.

4. I still have not decided on whether it would be better to do Fox glacier vs franz josef. I have read that franz josef can only be accessed via heli hike. i don't mind paying the premium if it means an unforgettable experience and beautiful scenery. it seems based on what I've read and pictures that I've seen that franz josef has more "blue" ice, ice caves, ice crevasses, and more dramatic ice formation. However, I'm also wondering if perhaps I did the full day fox glacier hike, if I would be able to access similar. Any thoughts / ideas?

Any feedback would be much appreciated as parts of your itinerary are very similar to mine!

mrsmlee -

You might consider starting your own thread, which will increase your potential responses.

In the meantime, I might be able to answer a few of your questions until indiancouple checks back.

3. Glenorchy is much, much more scenic than Arrowtown. The drive alone is gobsmacking. The Dart River Safari is the perfect intro to Glenorchy and Mt Aspiring Nat'l Park if you're short on time. Arrowtown and Glenorchy are like chalk and cheese IMO.

4. You can walk to the terminal face of both glaciers on your own. I was last in Franz Josef in Sept and it was closed to on-glacier guided walks. An Australian tourist was killed during a guided hike on Franz Josef in 2010; I suspect it's been closed since then, but can't find anything online to support my theory.

For what it's worth, neither glacier outshines the other from the ground. They're both kind of ugly and dirty looking from the ground. To see any glacial blue, you need to get onto one and the helihike is the perfect way to do it. We took a helihike on Fox years ago and loved it.

From a town standpoint, Franz Josef is a bit larger than Fox and has more services. By more services I mean that Franz has more accommodation, a few shops, a tiny grocery store and a small assortment of cafes, as well as the hot pools and the wildlife center.

Hi mrsmlee, glad you found the Trip Report useful. You have already received excellent advice from Melnq8 above, who was very helpful during my own trip planning many years ago, and is very knowledgeable about NZ. I can add my own two-bit worth below.
1. There is lots to do in Rotorua besides Wai-o-Tapu. You can visit Te Puia, the Kuirau Park, the Polynesian spas, take walks in the Whaka forest, visit the Maraes in the area, not to mention activities on the Rotorua Lake.
2. Do not know anything about the labyrinth black water rafting, sorry.
3. Definitely drive to Glenorchy while in QT. It is the most lovely drive on the planet. Excellent scenery.
4. You will not go wrong by selecting either Franz Josef or Fox glacier. Both are very good, and you can do a glacier hike or a heli-hike on either. I am sure both are equally good. When we visited, guided walks were permitted on both glaciers. Do not know if things have changed, but you can check that out on their websites.
5. Any reason for selecting Doubtful Sound over Milford Sound ? Most people find the experience quite similar, and Doubtful Sound takes a lot longer to reach. Besides, the drive from Te Anau to Milford is to die for - outrageously beautiful !

Thank you for both of your input! I will start my own thread and see what others have to say. I am literally counting down the minutes to my trip...I cannot wait :)

Thank you so much for this detailed post. This is invaluable as we plan our trip. To help me better visualize your path, I created a Google Map with your itinerary. Sharing in case others find it useful too.

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/ed...Y.kmvvPPNVJlvM

That's pretty cool frapsicum.

Just noticed your post frapsicum. Cool route map ! Glad you found the TR useful.

Great report. I lived in NZ for less than an year but never went to South Island. Love to go back and your report was really great. BTW, do you mind to share the photos.

Thanks for the kudos mycruise !

BTW, I've pressed the yellow triangle on don who's been a busy boy today, cropping up on several threads.

Oh lordy! Well at least it topped this excellent trip report.

Thanks for the great report! You've given use some good ideas on how to play our own trip!