Advice needed on South Island itinerary
 

I have been reading many trip reports and responses on this forum and have been really impressed with the generosity of time and knowledge of the people who post here. I hope I can tap into some of that knowledge to get feedback on an itinerary I have come up with for a trip to the South Island in late February-March 2026. My husband and I are in our early 70s. He loves photography. We are not big hikers but will definitely hike if there is a payoff of beautiful scenery. We don't enjoy hiking just to hike. We are flexible as to when to do this trip and how much time the trip takes. I would really appreciate any thoughts you might have. Thanks so much. Bonnie

Fly NY to Christchurch. We could stay just 2 nights to recover from the flight and then rent a car or spend extra time in Christchurch before going on.
Kaikura for 2 nights? We recently returned from Baja California where we saw many whales and dolphins and I was wondering whether Kaikura might be more of the same. Would staying in Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula be an alternative?
Kaiteriteri for 3 nights
Should we add 2 nights in the Picton area to see Nelson and Marlborough Sound area?
Punakaiki for 1 night
Franz Josef Glacier for 3 nights to add a cushion in case of bad weather
Wanaka for 3 nights or would 4 nights be better
Queenstown for 4 nights
Te Anau is 3 nights enough to do both Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound cruises?
Catlins for 2 or 3 nights and also where would be the best area to stay
Dunedin for 3 nights
Omaru for 1 night
Aoraki Mt. Cook for 3 nights to add a cushion in case of bad weather
Christchurch for 1 night before flying home

I would really appreciate any feedback you would have. Thanks so much. Bonnie

We have similar situation as you. We look for more unique experience in SI, and try to avoid similar scenery from California coast. From TripAdvisor forum, I was advised to take the Doubtful Sound overnight cruise.
I would very much like to see penguins on east coast but Feb and Mar is their molting season so not good sighting. If you're interested you may want to change your trip dates.

Thank you so much for the information about the penguins. We have, very luckily, seen many types of penguins on other trips so we might just change that part of the itinerary.

Abel Tasman National Park is a must see. Water taxis will get you there. Try to stay in the park. Awaroa Lodge if possible. You won’t regret the experience. Lots of hiking and great photography. We stayed in Nelson on our visit and wished we had made arrangements for lodging within or closer to the park. We just had friends, same age, spend a month in NZ and ATNP was the highlight of their trip. There are nice hikes around Punakaiki too. Wave Watchers retreat is where we stayed right on the beach.

Thank you so much for this information. I will definitely look into that lodge. Abel Tasman sounds like a really beautiful area

We stayed in Kaiteriteri for 3 nights when we visited Abel Tasman NP. And we also spent 2 nights in Picton, which is very pretty. We visited Nelson on our drive from Kaiteriteri to Picton. While in Picton, we visited the Marlborough wineries for lunch and tastings.

I hope you can do the Hooker Valley Track hike. It is mostly flat with a few up and down places, mainly to get to the first suspension bridge. This was one of the highlights of our trip. Spectacular scenery. Definitely worth the hike.

Here is the link to my TR if you haven't seen it yet.
Trip Report Six Weeks Down Under - the Never-ending Beauty of New Zealand - Part 2 - Fodor's Travel Talk Forums

KarenWoo your trip report was great. makes me want to return to NZ. Thank you

Thank you Karen. I definitely read your trip report and took pages of notes. It was so helpful and just a pleasure to read. Thank you for this suggestion. I am sure we will be able to do that trail. It sounds beautiful.