2 weeks in New Zealand in Sept
 

We are planning a two week trip to the South Island of New Zealand and are really struggling with itinerary plans since it seems like everything is so far away but everything looks so beautiful we don't want to pass it up. Right now it is 2 girls in our mid 20's going, may be 2 addition guys joining for just a week out of the trip.

If there are 4 of us we are contemplating getting an RV for the first week to get around and save some money on lodging.....thoughts?

We land in Queenstown on Sept 3 and fly out of Christchurch on Sept 16. Below are our thoughts on things we would like to see:

- Queenstown (We want to do the bungee/skydive stuff)
- Fiordland National Park
-Te Anu (Arrowtown wineries)
- Wanaka up to Franz Josef Glacier (we were going to do the helihike)
- Abel Tasman
- Marlborough/Belhim
- Christchurch

Some Questions we have:
- Is this too much to fit in?
- What is the best way to travel from the Glacier area up to the north side of the south island? Fly or drive?
- Best wineries on the island?
- What are the must sees and what can we skip?
- Any recommendations for time we should allocate for each of the spots/driving

Well for starters, Te Anau isn't anywhere near Arrowtown.

You essentially have 12 full days - while you can do quite a bit in that time frame, you will find it difficult to incorporate the far north of the SI and the south of the SI in 12 days.

As you've discovered, although NZ is small, it has limited roads, and it takes much longer than one might expect to get from point A to point B.

I've been to the SI many times in September, and the weather can be quite iffy. Occasionally the road to Milford Sound is closed for avalanche removal, poor road conditions, etc.

While this isn't insurmountable, it can be frustrating if you've not allowed enough time in the area - I'd suggest you leave some wiggle room for possible weather issues throughout the SI.

As much as I like the cold, I personally wouldn't want to rent a campervan in Sept on the SI - nights can be quite cold.

Have you driven a campervan before? Have you driven a campervan on the left side of the road? These are all things to take into consideration.

Motels are a great alternative - many have cooking facilities which will help you save money on food costs.

If you haven't already, you might do a cost comparison between motels/car rental and campervan rental. Many motels are family oriented and have multiple bedrooms, which might work for a group of your size.

Must sees are relative, but most first time visitors to the the SI try to see Queenstown, Milford Sound and the glaciers.

IMO, the best way to travel from the glaciers to north of the SI is to drive. In your case, I'd suggest driving the West Coast from Franz Josef up to Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks), through Murchison and then on to Moteuka/Abel Tasman.

Best wineries are subjective and depend on what type of wine you like. The Bannockburn area (Central Otago) makes beautiful Pinot Noir and some nice Reisling, Marlborough is world renowned for its Sauvignon Blanc.

I like to allow a minimum of three nights per location, which is essentially two full days.

With your wish list and 12 days, you might do something like this:

Arrive Queenstown - overnight
Day Queenstown - overnight
Drive QT to Te Anau - overnight
Full day exploring Milford Sound - overnight Te Anau
Drive Te Anau to Wanaka - overnight
Full day Wanaka - overnight
Drive Wanaka to Franz Josef - overnight
Full day Franz Josef - overnight
Drive Franz Josef to Punakaiki - overnight
Drive Punakaiki to Motueka/Abel Tasman - overnight
Full day Abel Tasman - overnight
Drive Abel Tasman to Blenehim - overnight
Drive Blenheim to Christchurch - overnight
Depart Christchurch

You'd be giving short shrift to Blenheim, but it's 12 days.

Alternatively, you could add a night in QT and take the bus from there to Milford Sound - it's a very long day, 13 hours. I did it once and that was plenty. I much prefer to self-drive, but unless you're competent with driving on the left in adverse conditions (frost and snow, not to mention the dark as daylight is very limited in September), you might want to leave the driving to someone else.

By doing this, you'd free up those Te Anau nights to use in Blenheim.

September is not good weatherwise. Along with August I find it cold, wet and dreary. Maybe that is an Auckland thing and it can be better in the South Island.
It would be like me taking my dream trip to Europe in Feb or March - better than not going but I wouldn't want the weather to be so grotty I was disappointed in the trip.
I'd skip Blenheim. At the moment you have to drive the long way (on SH 70)around to Christchurch which is about 6-7 hours. The Nov 16 earthquake has damaged the roads.
They have started clearing it but with 9 huge slips all blocking the road and the railway lines pushed metres away into the sea the damage is extensive. September is a long way off however so it may be open by then.

We had about the same amount of time as you last year, and realized there was no way we could fit Abel Tasman, Blenheim, and Marlborough into our trip.

Here's a link to what we ended up doing, if you're interested.

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...-june-2016.cfm

Lee Ann