Hi
We are taking our first trip to New Zealand and arrive on October 28th for 8 days. It will be my husband and myself and two of our adult children. I am struggling with trying to figure out distances and the amount of time we should allow for each stop. We are accustomed to lots of driving...even on the other side of the road. We are also accustomed to going all day with quick stops to pick up snacks etc. We are not bungee jumpers, helicopter people, skiers, but we do enjoy a a walk with nature so we would have an interest in some hiking. Right now this is what we have:
Fri Oct 28- arrive in Queenstown from Philadelphia. Spend the afternoon exploring the city and then an early dinner
Sat Oct 29- We would like to go to Milford Sound. My husband was going to drive round trip but after reading several posts I thin that is not prudent. I have read about the tours offered by Trip and Tramps which appeals to us because there is the bus ride, then the cruise but a walk is included. Unfortunately it only leaves from Te Anau so we think we may need to rent a car and leave at 5:30 am and meet the 8 am bus for departure from Te Anua. If anyone can suggest another option we would be grateful
Sunday Oct 30- We had thought we would drive to Dunedin. It appears to be a 3 hours trip and the town very small but from what I can gather there are several quaint towns along the way and place to get food. We would spend the night in Queenstown.
Now I am not sure how to map the next two or three days. We would like to see Wanaka and Lake Takepo and Franz Josef Glacier. If we drive to Wanaka and then spend the night and leave the next morning for Franz Josef Glacier ..spend the afternoon and evening there..see the sights in the am ...do we then have to drive backwards to Wanaka to get to Lake Takepo ?
It appears if we went to Lake Takepo first the same would be the case. We would need to drive back to Wanaka before heading to Franz Josef Glacier.
We think that those three stops would take us until Thursday afternoon when we should be flying to Auckland since we fly home from Auckland on Sunday the Nov 6th.
I have seen mixed reviews about visiting Waihehe Island? Should we head in another direction..north maybe?
If you have any restaurant recommendations we would be appreciative.
We thought at this point seeing Wellington and trying to fit in a ferry ride from Picton to Wellington was too much and we are not convinced we need to see Christchurch. Thoughts?
Again any and all ideas and suggestions are much appreciated
Mary p.

For basic travel time go to aa.co.nz/travel/time-and-distance-calculator/

Enter all the places you want to visit on the south island. Arrange them in the order that you think you want to hit them. Assume that your travel time will take 50% longer than the calculated time.

Personally, I think you're trying to do way too much in the short amount of time you have. I'm an Australian, well used to long drives but driving in NZ is different. As susnobie has said, add 50% to whatever the estimated drive time is. The roads and windy and the scenery so spectacular that you will want to stop every 10 minutes!
Queenstown to Dunedin is 4 hours each way and while Dunedin is a lovely city ( my sister in law lives there!), it's not worth driving all day!
Likewise getting to Franz Josef. You have to cross the mountains to get there - well worth it because the west coast is spectacular but you wouldn't go over and back in a day.
Are you flying Queenstown to Auckland or could you fly from Christchurch? That way you could go over Haast Pass and back across Arthur's Pass.

Agree with Kwaussie - you have planned too much. The trip is only 8 days so spend it in the South Island.
Driving here is NOT like driving in the States.
There are roundabouts and one lane bridges, only about 200 km of motorway/freeway in the whole country, very few divided roads with a convenient barrier down the middle and not many long straight flat roads because the terrain is hilly or mountainous.
With such limited time you will have to chose either Tekapo or the glaciers as they are in opposite directions with only the one road for access and a mountain range in the middle! Tekapo is a pretty lake but not much to do there. Mt Cook is worth a look.
Queenstown - Mt Cook - Lake Tekapo - Christchurch -fly to Auckland and home.
Queenstown - Wanaka - Franz Josef (2 nights) - Hokitika/Greymouth to break up the trip - Christchurch - Auckland.
I'm suggesting Christchurch because the airport has direct flights to Auckland. Any smaller airport will not.
There is no time for Waiheke -save it for next holiday.

Thank you so much for all of your help and suggestions. I will relook our itinerary with your ideas in mind.
Thank you

Thank you. We have decided to forego Dunedin. Here is what we think will work:

.
Friday- arrive Queenstown
Saturday -tour Queenstown and leave with ample time to drive to Te Anau ( 3 hours) - have dinner and spend the night in Te Anau
Sunday -tour Milford Sound with Trips and Tramps...drive after we return to Te Anau, to Wanaka ( 3 hours) and spend the night in Wanaka
Monday - drive to FJG ( 4 hours but will allow more in the area of 6 since apparently the sights are spectacular) spend the night in FJG
Tuesday - drive to Greymouth to meet the Tranzalpine train and take back to Christchurch ( 4 hour ride - 2pm train ) spend the night in Christchurch
Wednesday - dive to Lake Takepo and back to Christchurch
Thursday fly from Christchurch to Auckland
Friday /Saturday and half day Sunday - explore Auckland and it's surrounding area
The Trips and Tramps tour was appealing because it includes a walk and we won't have spent 13 hours in one day on a bus/boat.
We don't tour by plane or helicopter so seeing Lake Wanaka from the ground will be most practical for us. We can easily rise early and see the town/lake before getting on the road.
the Tranzalpine seems the most efficient way to cover the territory from FJG to Christchurch. It sounds pretty and it would be less driving for my husband
I have heard we don't want to miss Lake Takepo hence the day trip from Christchurch.
Thank you again for all of your help
mjwpacker

Does not leave much time to actually see the glaciers? I'd skip the Lake Tekapo day and add another to the West Coast.
Wonder where the hype about Tekapo has come from? There is not much to do there and an hour looking at it would be enough.
There is very little time for Queenstown and half a day means you could walk around and go up in the gondola but nothing else. I'd take a day from Auckland and stay one more night.

Thank you very much. Your suggestions are vey helpful !

Have a great trip!
It has been unseasonably cold here in NZ with a snow dump in Queenstown last week which is unusual for this time of year. Bring some warm clothes and a jacket. Queenstown should look gorgeous for you.

Totally agree with tasmangirl. Tekapo is a pretty lake but it's a drive by, not a destination. Certainly not worth a long car ride and losing a day for.

Have a great trip & don't stress too much. NZ is so beautiful you'll be happy with any itinerary