Sunrise, you're welcome. I should let you know that the galactic core of the Milky Way is not as visible from December to January. Here's a link to an article about this written by Dr. Ian Griffin, the director of our local Otago Museum, who's a highly respected astronomer, astrophotographer, aurora chaser, and defender of our night skies. However, if conditions are favorable, stargazing is still enjoyable. The Geminids meteor shower is in December, but its peak coincides with the full moon. This meteor shower is more active in the Northern Hemisphere, but don't be surprised if you see a meteor low in the night sky.

If you're doing the overnight cruise on MIlford Sound and if the night is clear with not much moonlight, go up to the top deck to look at the stars. If it looks promising, you might ask them to briefly turn off the top-deck lights (if they're on). There is a possibilityof seeing wildlife during your Milford Sound cruise, such as NZ fur seals, bottlenose dolphins, and seabirds, including Fiordland crested penguins. A friend of mine saw a whale and its calf on her Milford Sound cruise! You will see kea, the world's only species of alpine parrot, along Milford Road and possibly around Aoraki Mt. Cook.

My guess is the overnight cruise will be all done and back at the dock by around 9 to 9:30 a.m., early enough that you could stop for a hike along Milford Road as you drive back to Te Anau (providing the weather is fine). If you're okay with walking uphill for 20 minutes, the Key Summit track, which starts at the Divide, has great views from the top. It takes roughly 3 hours return and is classified as an "intermediate" walk. Of course, there are many short walks and lookouts along the way, such as Mirror Lakes. Be forewarned: you can sometimes encounter biting sandflies at Milford Sound's dock and along Milford Road, but not on the cruise. Wear insect repellent or just cover up. They're slow critters, so you can usually outrun them. They are not active at night.

You might already know this. When the first humans arrived in Aotearoa/New Zealand between 1200 and 1300 AD, this land was only inhabited by birds and a few reptiles, and only three species of land mammals (just bats). There were sea mammals on its coasts, such as NZ fur seals and sea lions. Many bird species were killed off after the arrival of humans, but these are some that remain, which you might see on the South Island. The takahe is one of my favorites. It was thought to be among NZ's extinct bird species, until it was rediscovered in the Murchison mountains near Te Anau in 1948. Today, because of the success of a captive breeding and a species recovery program, there are about 500 of them. You can see a takahe for free at the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, which you can easily walk to from central Te Anau. There are many sanctuaries, such as the one in my town, where takahe are free-roaming and you can get close to them, but I believe the takahe in Te Anau are in an enclosure (I've not been there in years). But you should have a look all the same.

In Auckland, many people enjoy walking the Mt. Eden path. I've not done this, but if you enjoy walking, this might appeal to you. A bus will take you to the start of the walk, but I couldn't tell you which one. More info about it here.

I wanted to add this to my above post. There is a possibilityof seeing wildlife during your Milford Sound cruise, such as NZ fur seals, bottlenose dolphins, and seabirds, including Fiordland crested penguins. A friend of mine saw a whale and its calf on her Milford Sound cruise! You will see kea, the world's only species of alpine parrot, along Milford Road and possibly around Aoraki Mt. Cook.

Be forewarned: you can sometimes encounter biting sandflies at Milford Sound's dock and along Milford Road, but not on the cruise. Wear insect repellent or just cover up. They're slow critters, so you can usually outrun them. They are not active at night.

You might already know this. When the first humans arrived in Aotearoa/New Zealand between 1200 and 1300 AD, this land was only inhabited by birds and a few reptiles, and only three species of land mammals (just bats). There were sea mammals on its coasts, such as NZ fur seals and sea lions. Many bird species were killed off after the arrival of humans, but these are some that remain, which you might see on the South Island. The takahe is one of my favorites. It was thought to be among NZ's extinct bird species, until it was rediscovered in the Murchison mountains near Te Anau in 1948. Today, because of the success of a captive breeding and a species recovery program, there are about 500 of them. You can see a takahe for free at the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, which you can easily walk to from central Te Anau. There are many sanctuaries, such at my town's Orokonui Sanctuary or Wellington's Zealandia or Hauraki Gulf's Tiritiri Matangi Island, where takahe are free-roaming and you can get close to them, but I believe the takahe in Te Anau are in an enclosure (I've not been there in years). But you should have a look all the same. These birds are about the size of chickens.

Wellington is an attractive city and NZ's windiest. My top picks are Te Papa Museum, the Wellington Cable Car, its Botanic Garden and Zealandia. It also has a beautiful waterfront made for strolling. You can take the cable car up to the top of the Botanic Garden, then walk down through the garden to the city center. There is a free shuttle to Zealandia Ecosanctuary that leaves from the top of the cable car or from the I-Site Tourist Info Office near Te Papa Museum.

Thank you yet again Diamantina! More good tips!

Sunrise, so sorry about the duplications. My original post wasn't showing my edited version, and instead told me it was too late to edit, so I posted the edits separately with some overlapping information. I often have trouble seeing edits to my posts.

Question: When you said you'd be skipping Phillip Island because "getting there requires a flight or drive to Adelaide". Did you mean to write Melbourne? Or were you confusing Phillip Island with Kangaroo Island, the wildlife-rich island near Adelaide?

If you still want to see and photograph the Little Blue penguins, you can still do so in Bicheno near Tasmania's Freycinet NP. They allow photography without flash. While I'm a little familiar with Bicheno because my husband and I went scuba diving there (while based at nearby Freycinet Lodge), we did not see their Little Blue penguin attraction. My guess would be it is a small colony compared to the one on Phillip Island, which is massive and busy. But, because, it's likely to be much smaller, it could be a more intimate setting and you might not have to jostle with others to get close to these little penguins. If you are interested. please check out some reviews..

My Mistake! Yes we have opted not to go to Kangaroo Island but are stiill considering Phillip island. And I would love to photograph the penguins with natural lighting (no flash) so Bicheno is a fantastic lead. Thank you!