three "wants" for an upcoming 2 week trip, in order of priority and then the puzzler of not being able to book in at this stage until my waitlisted flight clears:

abel tasman, nelson for crafts, quick visit to christchurch to see it and maybe the kiwi "zoo"?

a)what order would you do these for travel mid january.will it matter accommodation wise to pick a definite order?

b)would you base yourself in nelson to see abel tasman, or is that too long of a day, or vice versa, base in abel tasman to see nelson? where would you stay for either - female on my own this trip. love to try a modern bach if possible versus a motel (if that is not just a north island phenomenon.)

c) drive between nelson/ cc or fly? done the akl to kerikeri and that would be my limit for distance.
logical o'night stopping point?

d)christchurch, which part of town and how long to stay?

if i had to cut one place out for time it would be cc, so if you think i'm better off just staying in the abel/ nelson region and there's enough to see and do, i can live with that...just can't figure out where.

thanks so much!
kerikeri

Hi kerikeri -

We usually base ourselves in Upper Moutere, Tasman or the Mapua area, as they're located between Abel Tasman and Nelson.

Personally, I think Nelson is too far away if you want to spend the day in Abel Tasman - it's over an hour's drive each way.

By basing yourself in between, you can get to either Nelson or Abel Tasman in about 30 minutes.

There are some really nice accomodation options in the areas I've mentioned - we've stayed in several excellent cottages and a nice B&B, so a modern bach
certainly isn't out of the question.

Another option would be to spend a night or two in Kaiteriteri, Marahau or Motueka, which will put you at the doorstep of Abel Tasman, then you can head to Nelson for a few days.

Or, you could visit Abel Tasman from the Golden Bay side (near Takaka, on the other side of Takaka Hill). It's not as convenient as visiting from Marahau though, so really depends on how much time you have and your particular interests.

Wouldn't suggest basing yourself in Golden Bay to visit Nelson though - bad idea that one.

Personally, I'd drive between Nelson and CH, but once again, it depends on how much time you want to spend getting there and what you want to see.

I'm not a kiwi by the way, just a devoted fan of your country.

thank you for that and late apologies for the rude start to this thread- i was in a rush and forgot my manners when posting.

mel, the town you mention in between, does it have its own appeal, or is it strictly for the convenience of being in between?

otherwise i like the idea of being in one and then if i have to shifting to the other.

lastly, how many days does it take you between cc and nelson, driving? do you do the coast?

thanks again!
kerikeri

The drive from Nelson to Christchurch is easily done in a day. Most locals would do that routinely. There is not a huge time difference either way, inland or coast, and the scenery is pretty good on both routes -- bush-clad mountains inland and sea coast the other way. My preference is the coastal route. The seascapes are fabulous!

A better option for you would be to stop at Kaikoura overnight, do some of the activities that are available there, and carry on to Christchurch the next day. That would give you, roughly, two equal travel days in terms of approximate time and distance.

As Rob mentioned, Nelson-CH can be done in a day, but it can be a long day if you plan to stop alot (took us nine hours on our first trip to NZ, because we had to stop and gawk at everything).

The spots I've mentioned between Nelson and Abel Tasman are areas more than actual towns. Upper Moutere is a wine and fruit growing area. It's located a few km south of Mouteuka, so you can get to town easily enough.

The attraction of Upper Moutere for me is that it's peaceful and in the middle of the country, surrounded by family run vineyards.

Similar to Nelson, you'll also find artists and their studios scattered about in the area. A few cafes too.

Tasman and Mapua are closer to the water's edge. While you'd probably miss Tasman if you weren't looking for it, Mapua is a tiny town along Ruby Bay, and it has a couple of very good restaurants, and many holiday homes, cottages, etc.

Tasman and Kina Beach are also a short drive from Motueka. There are some nice cottages in the area, including this one (which I've stayed in)

http://www.guestnewzealand.com/new-z...house-Motueka/

If you'd rather be closer to Motueka, you might consider The Blue Moom B&B in Riwaka (also stayed here).

Hope this helps.

thanks to you both for this.

kerikeri