elb2018

I've booked a last minute 2 week trip to the South Island of New Zealand and I'm scrambling to figure out my itinerary. I'd love suggestions on any tweaks to what I've laid out. It's my first time in New Zealand and I'll be traveling from California with my husband and our 8 month-old daughter so we are hoping to see lots but to slow our normal travel pace a bit. She's of extremely good temperament and tends to be flexible with her nap schedule (otherwise we wouldn't be doing this adventure). We are interested in seeing the gorgeous scenery, animals, food and wine. We thought about the campervan to avoid packing up each time we move but with the twisty roads I'm leaning towards a rental car and Airbnb or hotels. I'd also be grateful for any suggestions of which route and towns to stay in the Central Otago area if Cromwell isn't the best choice. Thank you!

Feb 11 day arrive SYD 8:55am
Feb 11 night Sydney
Feb 12 day Sydney
Feb 12 night Sydney
Feb 13 day Sydney
Feb 13 night Sydney
Feb 14 day Sydney
Feb 14 night Sydney
Feb 15 day fly SYD to ZQN 9:35am - 2:30 pm; Queenstown
Feb 15 night Queenstown
Feb 16 day Glenorchy
Feb 16 night Queenstown
Feb 17 day Drive to Te Anau; Glowworms 10:30am
Feb 17 night Te Anau
Feb 18 day Milford Sound hike and possible cruise
Feb 18 night Te Anau
Feb 19 day Doubtful Sound nature cruise 10:30am
Feb 19 night Te Anau
Feb 20 day drive to Cromwell; winery or two in Cromwell
Feb 20 night Cromwell
Feb 21 day Cromwell and Alexandra wineries and fruit
Feb 21 night Cromwell
Feb 22 day Drive to Oamaru; Wrinkly Rams; Ostler and Kurow wineries; Riverstone Kitchen 5pm; drive to Oamaru by 7:30? for penguins
Feb 22 night Oamaru
Feb 23 day Otago market Sat 23rd 8-12:30
Feb 23 night Dunedin
Feb 24 day Otago peninsula, Taiaroa head albatross
Feb 24 night Dunedin
Feb 25 day
Feb 25 night Dunedin
Feb 26 day fly Dunedin to WLG to Nelson 1:05-3:25pm; town and breweries
Feb 26 night Nelson
Feb 27 day Day 1 Nelson for town and breweries, Day 2-3 Abel Tasman
Feb 27 night Nelson
Feb 28 day Day 1 Nelson for town and breweries, Day 2-3 Abel Tasman
Feb 28 night Nelson
Mar 1 day Day 1 Nelson for town and breweries, Day 2-3 Abel Tasman
Mar 1 night Nelson
Mar 2 day
Mar 2 night Picton
Mar 3 day dolphin swim (8:15-1); 1/2 day wineries
Mar 3 night Wellington
Mar 4 day
Mar 4 night Wellington
Mar 5 day
Mar 5 night Wellington
Mar 6 day flight 6:30am;

Melnq8

Wow, where to start. You're traveling at high season so you need to start by looking into available accommodation. NZ is very busy these days and accommodation (and car rental) could well be an issue at this late date.

As for your itinerary - I see two nights QT, three nights Te Anau (what Milford hike are you referring to? The Milford Track is a muilti day hike and no doubt completely booked at this point. If you're just interested in hiking a track along Milford Road fine, but otherwise, no.). Have you checked to see if there's availability on the Doubtful Sound day cruise for you date? So, one two nights Cromwell? If you want lunch at Mt Difficulty (which I highly recommend), you'll want to book in advance. One night Oamaru? Three nights Dunedin?

I don't understand Feb 26 - are you flying to Nelson via Wellington? That seems kinda nuts. Is it three or four nights in Nelson?

One night Picton? Then you're flying to Wellie the following day? Doesn't give you time to do much of anything.

Three nights Wellington?

My thoughts - too ambitious - full on and frenetic, especially with an infant.

I recommend you stick to just one island - the south. You'll be glad you did.

AnselmAdorne

I don't think there are non-stop flights between Dunedin and Nelson. Given the OP's flight times, I suspect they are looking at NZ 5750 and NZ 8848, which have a 25 minute layover and change of aircraft in CHC.

Melnq8

Christchurch makes sense, Wellie, not so much, but I see both flights listed on Skyscanner. The routing just surprised me.

Diamantina

I hate to see you miss Wanaka and Aoraki Mt. Cook, especially as you'll be in the area.
You'll be able to buy Central Otago stone fruits at the Otago Farmers Market, so no need to go to Alexandra. There are also fruits stands in Cromwell. A couple of wineries are also represented at the Otago Farmers Market, Urbn Vino and Judge Rock, which is one of Alexandra's best wineries. Steamer Basin Brewery also sells at the Otago Farmers Market. While in Dunedin, you might also want to visit Emerson's Brewery. They also do tours.
We'll get a big bump in visitors during the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival/Lantern festival holidays, from Feb. 4 through Feb. 19. So I'd check the availability of your Queenstown accommodation now. If considering a small campervan, I'd check on the availabilty of those as well.
You might want to check cruise schedules for Dunedin and Picton. Dunedin's city center can get pretty busy on these days.
As per Melnq8's suggestion, I'd spend an extra day in Picton, if planning to both wine taste and dolphin swim.
When driving from Oamaru to Dunedin, you might want to make a reservation for lunch at Fleur's Place in Moeraki. You can also check out the Moeraki Boulders.

elb2018

Thanks for your response! I'm planning on 2 nights Queenstown, then driving to Te Anau and I saw several short hikes along Milford Sound to get some hiking in and a sound fix. There's availability in the Doubtful Sound day cruise but not the overnight. The plan is to fly from Dunedin to Nelston and to use water taxis to go to/from Abel Tasman but to still be able to enjoy Nelson in the evening, but I don't know how practical this is. The night in Picton is pre-ferry and to allow a wine tasting tour.

Melnq8

Just to be clear - the only walk at Milford Sound is a short stroll along the foreshore. The Milford Sound Track is only accessible via a boat from Te Anau Downs. So, I assume you're referring to the walks accessible from Milford Road (before you reach Milford Sound),of which there are many.

I'm not aware of any water taxis from Nelson to Abel Tasman - the water taxis leave from Kaiteriteri and Marahau, which are about an hour's drive from Nelson. You can drive to either, or take a bus provided by a tour operator.

There are no wineries in Picton - they're actually in Blenheim, which is a 25 minute drive from Picton. Not a problem, just trying to help you understand the logistics.

elb2018

If we stay in Blenheim instead of Picton can we walk to wineries or will we need a car? For this part of the trip, I had planned to fly into Nelson and then to not have a rental car. To access Abel Tasman, we would buy a 3 day water taxi pass that includes the bus to/from Nelson. I realize it's an hour on the bus each way but I also think we will really enjoy staying in Nelson with the restaurant and craft beer scene. From Nelson I was going to bus to Picton, then grab a wine tour group, stay overnight in Picton and take the ferry in the morning. We could change our one night stay to Blenheim if that is a better town than Picton and then fly from Blenheim to Wellington. The cost is nearly the same as the ferry - should we fly or would we miss out on the ferry ride and scenery, even after three days in Abel Tasman?

elb2018

Thank you! I made a reservation in the morning at Fleur's Place, although I can't tell if they serve breakfast or if we'll be enjoying fresh seafood at 9:30 a.m.

Melnq8

If we stay in Blenheim instead of Picton can we walk to wineries or will we need a car?

You can do it without a car if you take an organized tour. You can also rent a bike and bike between some wineries.

https://www.winetoursbybike.co.nz/

For this part of the trip, I had planned to fly into Nelson and then to not have a rental car. To access Abel Tasman, we would buy a 3 day water taxi pass that includes the bus to/from Nelson.

So you plan to take the bus to/from Abel Tasman three times? That's a lot of time spent on a bus - same route day after day - and not very efficient IMO. What specifically do you plan to do in Abel Tasman those three days?

Is there a reason you don't want to rent a car? It will offer you so much more flexibility.

We could change our one night stay to Blenheim if that is a better town than Picton

Neither is 'better'. Picton has it's own charms, such as the Marlborough Sounds and Queen Charlotte, but if your focus is wineries, Blenheim might make more sense for you.

The cost is nearly the same as the ferry - should we fly or would we miss out on the ferry ride and scenery, even after three days in Abel Tasman?

Totally subjective. I've been visiting the SI since 1993 and I have not once taken the ferry. I don't see the point really, other than to get from one island to the other. We've spent a lot of time in the sounds - walking the Queen Charlotte Track, exploring from a Picton base, etc. Seeing it from a boat never appealed to me, but because you have so little time in the area, it might be a good option for you.

Diamantina

A 9:30 a.m. reservation for Fleur's Place. My guess is it would be for breakfast. It's a shame you can't make it for lunch, but I see from your schedule you'll be racing to make it to the Farmer's Market, where there will be a lot of prepared foods on sale, meat pies, crepes, wood-fired pizza and so on. Plus, there's a nice cafe across the street from the market, Iconic Cafe.

It would be better if you could arrange your schedule to stay in Oamaru on Thursday night instead, so that you could drive from Oamaru to Dunedin on the Friday. This way you can take your time on this drive, which would be nice if the weather is fine. It's not a long drive, a little more than an hour and a half, but there are interesting places to stop along the way, such as Moeraki Boulders and several good wildlife viewing spots. I will send you a PM later with details.

I know you want to slow down and not hurry along, and I find this admirable, but, all the same, I'd consider cutting a night in Cromwell so you wouldn't have to hurry to get to Dunedin's Otago's Farmer's Market.

I'd agree with Melnq8 to make a reservation for lunch at Mt. Difficulty Winery in Bannockburn, which is just a few minutes drive from Cromwell. Wine hits you harder on an empty stomach, which is some thing you probably already know. Mt. Difficulty has gorgeous views. Carrick Winery in Bannockburn also has a restaurant and nice vineyard views though not with the same spectacular vantage point as Mt. Difficulty.

Amisfield Winery and Bistro is a top dining choice for Queenstown. It's one of the best restaurants on the South Island. They have a fixed menu, "Trust the Chef".Amisfield is about a 15-minute drive from central Queenstown. Queenstown will be pretty busy with Chinese New Year and other travelers. The traffic will be busier than usual, and it's usually busy!

Diamantina

You might want to dine at the Boat Shed Cafe in Nelson. it's kind of local institutiion.
https://www.boatshedcafe.co.nz/
https://www.cuisine.co.nz/48-hours-in-nelson/

I, too, would recommend renting a car while in Nelson, that you can later drop off in Picton. This would also give you more options in terms of accommodation and you could stay closer to Abel Tasman NP.

elb2018

Thanks for the advice. I decided instead of flying from Dunedin to Nelson to fly from Christchurch as it's direct and was less expensive. Based on the advice here, I plan now to rent a car in Nelson. One way car rentals are expensive to Picton ($500 for 5 days) and less expensive in dropped in Blenheim instead. We could fly to Wellington from Blenheim instead of taking the ferry but we had looked forward to the ferry crossing. Any advice on this?

For the Marlborough region - I'm thinking about staying in Blenheim or another nearby town instead of Picton and adding on a second night which would cut Nelson/Abel Tasman to 3 nights. Is this recommended? Are there towns or specific places to stay that people recommend? Which wineries should we target for our visit?

I'm also looking for restaurant recommendations in Wellington and if there are any specific neighborhood I should book an Airbnb in?

Thanks everyone for your great advice so far!

elb2018

For the Central Otago wine region I'm considering two nights in Cromwell, Clyde, or Alexandra. Is one town better to stay in for access to wineries but also to good restaurants and espresso?

The next stop is now Dunedin and I'm wondering which road east is most scenic or interesting along the way. I had originally intended to drive the 83 through Omarama to visit Ostler and Kurow wineries and to go to the Wrinkly Ram; however, now I am considering either the 8 or the 85.

Diamantina

Cromwell (and nearby Bannockburn) has more wineries and has several large fruit stands. Cromwell sits on manmade Lake Dunstan, and has a small historic precinct down by the lake with a small Sunday morning farmers market, otherwise Cromwell is very much an agricultural town, kind of suburban looking in my opinion.
https://suncrestorchard.co.nz/mrs-jones-fruit-stall/
https://www.webbsfruit.co.nz/
https://freewayorchard.co.nz/
https://www.jacksonorchard.co.nz/
Bannockburn has some of the best wineries and is focused on wine tourism, with Mt. Difficulty having a restaurant with great vineyard and distant mountain views and an excellent range of varietals. Bannockburn is different from Cromwell. The landscape around Bannockburn is desertlike, like the "wild west", used to be a gold mining area.
https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...uicings-track/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Restau...o_Otago_R.html

Clyde is cute, small with a historic precinct. It's a popular, practical choice for cyclists going on the Central Otago Rail Trail. It's not that far from Alexandra. Two of its restaurants, Paulina's and Olivers, are popular (I've not eaten at either):
https://www.odt.co.nz/features/spons...and-restaurant
http://www.historicclyde.co.nz/

Alexandra is the largest town of the three (though Cromwell is quickly catching up) and closest to Dunedin. Good wineries, but some its best (in my opinion) are closed to the public or only open by appt. A lot of orchards and vineyards in nearby Earnscleugh Valley.
https://www.odt.co.nz/features/spons...and-restaurant

The Clutha River, the South Island's longest river, starts at Lake Wanaka, feeds into Cromwell's Lake Dunstan and Clyde Dam, flows through Clyde and Alexandra and Lake Roxburgh, before flowing into the Pacific Ocean.

That route between Cromwell to Clyde to Alexandra to Roxburgh is the stone fruit corridor, with lots of orchards and fruit stands. Much of the produce sold at the Otago Farmers Market comes from here. So you'd probably want to take this route to Dunedin. But at Lake Waihola, take a slight detour, get off the main highway (SH1) and take Finlayson Road (this is part of the Southern Scenic Route) to Taieri Mouth (the mouth of the Taieri River). From Taieri Mouth drive north along the coast to Dunedin, many places to pull over for good coastal views. It's far more scenic and less busy than SH1 and won't take much longer than the main highway.

FYI: From Cromwell, there are three different routes to Dunedin. The northern route proceeds north of Dunedin through Palmerston then inland through Ranfurly (SH85, also known as the Pig Route). The middle route passes through Middlemarch and the Rock and Pillar Range (areas also seen from the Taieri Gorge Railway) (SH87) before meeting up with the northern route. The southern route is the one I've described above (Alexandra-Roxburgh-Lawrence-Manuka Gorge-Milton). All of the routes pass through Clyde and Cromwell. The route through Middlemarch is the least winding and scenic. Scenery looks like this (this was taken on a grey winter's day, so there's snow on the mountains, not a good photo but it gives you an idea of what the Rock and Pillar range looks like, vast landscapes strewn with large boulders and covered with sheep ):


Where will you be staying in Dunedin? Because each of the three routes ends up in a different part of Dunedin.

Sorry, I don't drink coffee, so I can't advise on espresso, but I would think you could find good espresso in each of these places. Cromwell has a small shopping mall and it also has a couple of cafes in the historic precinct down on the lake. That's where I'd go for an espresso.
http://www.cromwellheritageprecinct.co.nz/
For sure you'll have espresso in Clyde, as you'll have all those cyclists gearing up for their rides!
Cromwell, Clyde and Alexandra are all on well-traveled tourists routes and cater to international tourists.

Can you post your new itinerary?

elb2018

Thank you for that great post Diamantina and in Dunedin we're staying at High St and Maitland St.

Here's our revised itinerary. Essentially, we swapped the order after Cromwell (and I may change that to Clyde after your writeup) to go to Dunedin first and then up to Oamaru. I also decided to fly from Christchurch to Nelson instead of from Dunedin. We switched one night from Nelson to add a second in Blenheim. And we are flying from Blenheim to Wellington instead of the ferry.

I've really appreciated everyone's restaurant and winery recommendations and have made several reservations, including Rata, Amisfield, Riverstone Kitchen, and Boat Shed. Fleur's Place will sadly be closed because of the itinerary changes. We are trying to get into Mt. Difficulty and Amour.

DATE LOCATION
Feb 11 day arrive SYD 8:55am
Feb 11 night Sydney
Feb 12 day Sydney
Feb 12 night Sydney
Feb 13 day Sydney
Feb 13 night Sydney
Feb 14 day Sydney
Feb 14 night Sydney
Feb 15 day fly SYD to ZQN 9:35am - 2:30 pm; Queenstown
Feb 15 night Queenstown
Feb 16 day Glenorchy
Feb 16 night Queenstown
Feb 17 day Drive to Te Anau; Glowworms 10:30am
Feb 17 night Te Anau
Feb 18 day Milford Sound hike and possible cruise
Feb 18 night Te Anau
Feb 19 day Doubtful Sound nature cruise 10:30am
Feb 19 night Te Anau
Feb 20 day drive to Cromwell; winery or two in Cromwell
Feb 20 night Cromwell
Feb 21 day Cromwell and Alexandra wineries and fruit
Feb 21 night Cromwell
Feb 22 day Drive to Dunedin
Feb 22 night Dunedin
Feb 23 day Otago market Sat 23rd 8-12:30
Feb 23 night Dunedin
Feb 24 day Otago peninsula, Taiaroa head albatross
Feb 24 night Dunedin
Feb 25 day drive to Oamaru, boulders, Riverstone Kitchen 4pm, penguins sunset at 8:36 pm
Feb 25 night Oamaru
Feb 26 day drive to Christchurch; fly to Nelson at 6:20pm-7:15pm
Feb 26 night Nelson
Feb 27 day Nelson for town and breweries
Feb 27 night Nelson
Feb 28 day Abel Tasman
Feb 28 night Nelson
Mar 1 day Abel Tasman; drive to Blenheim
Mar 1 night Blenheim
Mar 2 day bubbles tour
Mar 2 night Blenheim
Mar 3 day fly to Wellington
Mar 3 night Wellington
Mar 4 day
Mar 4 night Wellington
Mar 5 day
Mar 5 night Wellington
Mar 6 day fly WLG to SYD Mar6 6:30am; fly SYD to LAX 11:15am

Melnq8

Espresso (and flat whites) in Cromwell and vicinity - we liked Black Rabbit Café (Bannockburn) and Afix (Cromwell).

We love Mt Difficulty for their dry Riesling - the food has been very good in the past too, although our last visit there was a wee bit disappointing food wise.

Loved Olivers in Clyde, as well as Clyde itself

Monsoon in Cromwell was also very good - Indian fusion

Rock Ferry Cellar Door and Café (Rapaura, Blenheim) – two of the best meals of our most recent trip to NZ

Diamantina

You were on the fence about the Milford Sound cruise. I'd say if you're driving all that way, you might as well do it. It'll also give you a break from driving. Leave early to get ahead of the bus tours. Tips for driving Milford Road:
https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...s-for-drivers/
Map of Milford Road showing places to stop:
teanau-milford-highway-map-factsheet.pdf

Clyde is small and cute. Just keep in mind, it'll be a 25-minute drive from Bannockburn. No large supermarkets, just a Four Square Market. You'll find larger New World Supermarkets in Cromwell and Alexandra.

You're food and wine savvy, so you'll know Central Otago is especially known for pinot noir and riesling. Some of the larger wineries will have at least two different label pinot noirs on offer, one for drinking right now (usually sell for around $20 to $25) and the other that might benefit from months to a year or two of cellaring, or could be fine for drinking right away (these sell for around $40 on up). Many wineries will also have higher-end special pinot noirs that sell for around $60 on up. These could be single vineyard or reserve wines. This stratification is similar to large U.S. or European wineries with second label wines. These more affordable second label pinot noirs will often be a great value.

At Mt. Difficulty, the early drinking pinot will be the "Roaring Meg" series, then there's their more premium "Mt. Difficulty Bannockburn" series. You can often find these two series in the larger supermarkets, sold at discounted prices. Then there are their single vineyard pinots that sell for around $110. You generally won't find these in the supermarkets or liquor stores. Carrick's second label wine is the Unravelled series. Rockburn's second label is Devil's Staircase. Peregrine, located in Gibbston Valley near Queenstown, has its Saddleback wines.

Akarua, one of my favorite Bannockburn wineries, has the more affordable Rua, then the premium Akarua label. A few years ago, I ordered a case of Akarua Pinot Noir, tried one right away and found it disappointing (a bit sharp, like cranberries). I drank the rest over the next two or three years, with each bottle becoming better than the last one.. By the time I finished the last one, I wish I'd had more because by then the flavors had developed. One of my favorite wines at Akarua is their sparkling rose. Quartz Reef, based in Cromwell, also has terrific sparkling.

You might want to look at Cuisine Magazine's winery map. It's useful, but a little out-of-date (for instance, Rockburn's cellar door has since moved from Cromwell to Gibbston Valley).
http://www.cuisinewine.co.nz/wp-cont...tral-otago.pdf

Cuisine Magazine also releases an annual Top 100 NZ Restaurants:list:
https://www.cuisine.co.nz/good-food-awards-top-100/

While in Queenstown, you might want to check out The Winery, especially if you'll have no need to get in your car and drive afterwards.

Diamantina

It would take about three hours to drive from Cromwell to Maitland and High Streets in Dunedin, whether you go via Middlemarch or via Alexandra-Roxburgh-Taieri Mouth-Brighton.
Maitland and High streets is in Dunedin's city center, but uphill from the busiest areas. It's a convenient location for seeing city attractions, shopping (two big supermarkets), dining, and too many espresso bars to list.

You'll be just a few minutes drive from the Railway Station, Toitu Settlers Museum, the Octagon (home to Dunedin Public Art Gallery and the I-Site Tourism office), two breweries (Speight's and Emersons), many colorful murals, and not too far from the "north side", where you'll find the Botanic Garden, Baldwin Street (world's steepest residential street) and Signal Hill (city views). The University of Otago and Otago Museum are also in this direction. There will be a lot of traffic downtown, as the university students will have returned from their summer vacations.

St. Clair/St. Kilda Beach and the other "city" beaches (Tomahawk and Smails) are only a 10 minute drive away from where you'll be staying You'll find a few restaurants and cafes along the St. Clair Esplanade, a couple have ocean views. There's also a Saltwater Pool at the end of the beach. Occasionally, you can see a sea lion or two resting on the beach beyond the sea lion statue. On a warm day when the waves are good, there will be dozens of surfers in the water.

The Otago Peninsula's Taiaroa Head (home to the Royal Albatross Colony and Pukekura Blue Penguins) will be a 45-50 minutes drive, part of it along the winding harborside Portobello Road. An alternative is to drive part of the way on the Otago Peninsula's Highcliff Road, though it's also winding and narrow. On a clear day, it's a beautiful drive.

At Taiaroa Head, you can usually see albatrosses flying above the Royal Albatross Centre, without paying to go in. They're more active on windy days. However, if you. take the tour, you'll be able to view albatross chicks from a glass enclosed hide. Sometimes the nests are close to the hide, sometimes farther away. There's also a TV monitor in the hide focused on a nest for a closer look.. You'll also see younger albatross in courting behaviour. .Make sure to walk to the lookout beyond the Taiaroa Head parking lot. There are a lot of other birds here, mostly seagulls, shags, and terns. You can also see fur seals basking on the rocks below. You can see more seals on Pilot's Beach, which is the small beach below the Royal Albatross Centre (on the harbor side). This is where Little Blue Penguins swim ashore at night.
https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-re...ature-reserve/.

While you're on the peninsula, you might want to drive to Allans Beach, as there are often sea lions on this beach and you don't have to walk that far from the parking lot. Beaches are best visited at, or near, low tide, when the beach is at its widest. On Feb. 22, low tide will 12:21 p.m., on Feb. 23 at 1:14 p.m., and on Feb. 24 at 2:07 p.m.
The Sandymount Track is a nice Otago Peninsula walking track with beautiful views on a clear day. It can be windy this time of year.

The best widllife tour is the Elm Peninsula Encounters Tour, but it might too much with an 8-month-old child as it lasts 6 hours and requires some uphill walking. The Monarch Cruise is also nice.

After you visit the Farmers Market, if the weather is nice, you might want to see the West Harbor. Orokonui Ecosanctuary is on that side of the harbor. There are also some beautiful beaches on that side, Aramoana, Long Beach. Doctor's Point.

Or go to the Botanic Garden if the weather is nice. There's an upper garden, with an aviary and city views from the Mediterranean terrace, and a more landscaped lower garden with a rose garden, a rock garden, a stream, herb garden, a glass house, and so on.

This is peak cruise ship season. There will be a large cruise ship visiting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 22. The will be a small luxury cruise ship visiting on Feb. 23, with only about 200 passengers. There will also be a large cruise ship visiting on Feb. 24.

There will be a rubgy game at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Feb. 22, the local team, the Highlanders, in a match with the Queensland Reds; it shouldn't make the city busier than any other Friday night. Emerson's Brewery is down the street from the stadium, so it's probably best avoided on Friday night before the game. Otherwise, Emerson's beer is local favorite and they also do tours (which I've heard are good). Speight's, a much larger and older brewery, also does tours. There's also the craft brewery New New New. I believe their taproom is only open on Friday 4:30 to 9:30.

Whilte in Oamaru, don't miss Steampunk HQ. The PM I sent you contains tips for wildlife viewing and sightseeing between Dunedin and Oamaru.

Diamantina

Just a heads-up on a possible storm this weekend to affect the entire country.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-z...s-weekend.html

For weather advice and warnings:
https://www.metservice.com/national/home

Roads:
Traffic map