My sister and i are flying into Christchurch on March 11th. We are not sure if it is better to rent a car for the entire 7 days and drive from christchurch to dunedin to catlins and back up through te anua and queenstown and back to Christchurch OR if it would be better to take the train to Greymouth, rent a car and do the same loop in the reverse direction. We are welcome to any other ideas as well. Any opinions on car rental companies?

Haha, I know the first thing people here will say is "You need more time" and "You're trying to do too much!" But if you've got 7 days, you've got 7 days to work with. Have you considered flying from Queenstown to Christchurch or reverse to cut down on the driving and free up some time to stop and look around?

No, i have not. I'll do some research though and check flight prices. I wish i did have more time.

I don't see any point into flying between Christchurch and Queenstown. By the time you add airport and rental car checkins you will be halfway there. You can do the loop in either direction, what I;d do is check the weather and head for the glaciers when it is clear (ish).

Given your short time period, I would skip the TranzAlpine train and simply hire a car for the full 7 days. Although it will feel somewhat rushed, you can indeed do a loop that goes over Arthurs Pass and on to Greymouth, down the coast to the Glaciers, then on to Wanaka, Queenstown, and Te Anau. From there, you can return to Christchurch via Dunedin and the East coast - but you might want to consider saving lots of kilometers by returning via Queenstown, Twizel, and perhaps Mt. Cook.

If it were me, I'd consider saving still more time by hiring a campervan instead of staying in hotels. That way, you can more easily arrive somewhere late at night, and then leave in the early morning. There are tons of Holiday parks, where you can park and hook up cheaply, use communal dining facilities, and meet fellow travelers. If you do elect to hire a car, you still might find it easy and inexpensive to stay in 'tourist flats' that are usually found in most holiday parks.

Hi.
If it were me and I had 7 days, I would rent a car for the entire period and proceed to drive the Eastern route through Dunedin, turn off at Balclutha into the Catlins and then come back via the scenic route and try and and fit in Mount Cook National Park.

If you would like, send me an email to [email protected] and I can let you know where I store hundred of photos of the South Island plus I can send a travelogue, via Microsoft Word, of a fairly recent jaunt around the South Island.
Richard.

Julie: Below is a suggested itinerary based on a trip I did last year. Given limited time, I would skip Dunedin and not miss Mt Cook, Queenstown, Milford Sound and the West Coast. Much of the drive down the east coast is flat and relatively uneventful.

day 1 drive ChCh to Mt Cook area, o'nite at Mt Cook, Twizel or Tekapo

day 2 visit Mt Cook, short hike. Drive to Te Anau via Queenstown. O'nite Te Anau

day 3 drive to Milford Sound and back, cruise on the sound. O'nite Te Anau.

day 4 drive to Queenstown. O'nite there.

day 5 Queenstown..lots of possibilities for things to do. O'nite Queenstown.

day 6 drive Queenstown to Fox Glacier

day 7 hike Fox or Franz Jospeph glacier, drive back to ChCh via Arthurs Pass

Just a warning on the campervan... are you comfortable driving one on relatively narrow twisty roads?

Thanks for everyone's input. Since we enjoy staying in youth hostels and meeting other travelers, we will skip the campervan. I do like the itinerary above except i'd like to squeeze in the catlins. Does anybody think that is possible or am i crazy?

I would argue against trying to do the Catlins, as you will end up shortening up everything else to pull it off in 7 days. I would take RalphR's itinerary (or in reverse order), and consider that a reasonable go for one week's time.

You could certainly shorten up the Queenstown part of your stay. What you might want to do is go to Queenstown early in your trip, see Milford Sound, and then decide if you really want to spend more time in Queenstown. Then you can either head back to Queenstown after Milford or go south from Te Anau to the Catlins. You can pick up Mt. Cook on your way back, if you go to Dunedin you can reach it via a few different scenic routes.

Hi, Julieky,
I'm not quite sure why everyone wants to see Mt Cook - the several times I have been there at different times of the year, it has never been visible because of rain or low cloud!! I would visit the Catlins over Mt Cook anytime, as imo there is a lot more to see in the Catlins.

Hi, as i live near Mt Cook, I would just like to say, that it is true that it can be hidden by cloud. We have taken many overseas visitors for the lovely scenic drive through Tekapo and past the Hydro Lakes, and couldn't see it. The only thing is, if it is covered in cloud, you can by pass it, and go straight to Queenstown. The Catlins are beautiful, but entirely different scenery from Mt Cook and surrounding areas. Good Luck on what you decide. IM

I like Ralph Rs itinerary and I may be in the minority here, but with only 7 days something has to give so I'd give up West coast and glaciers in favor of the sounds and Q'town.

My advice:
Arrival day and next night- stay in Christchurch
Day 3-start early, drive to Q'town via Mt. Cook. Spend night in Q'town
Day 4-Explore Q'town
Day 5-leave early, head for Milford. Take Milford day cruise, start drive to Catlins
Day 6-Do the Catlins, get a room
Day 7-Head back to CC