Arriving Auckland Sat. March 27
Our NZ trip will be preceded by a 12 day guided tour of Australia, so jet lag should be over!

Departing Christchurch, Sunday April 11th.
So we have 14 full days.
We thought we would do a cursory 1 1/2 day in the north island and head to the South Island Monday.
Reading brings interest in so many things!
Here are some of the things we read about which we find interesting. We don't mind long drives, but we also like the idea of a central location for a few days with side trips.
Kayaking Abel Tasman Park,or Nelson or?.
Arthur's Pass, Drive or Train? We are used to mountain driving.
Te Anau, Doubtful Sound or Milford Sound?
Dunedin,
seals, penguins, etc.
Christchurch,

Any suggestions welcome! thanks, arbeeo

Unfortunately the answer is just yes yes yes. It's hard to go wrong and hard to decide.

I think it's just easier to rent a car rather than taking the train to Arthurs Pass. I'm assuming you will be driving the rest of the trip.

I prefer Milford Scenery to Doubtful but others prefer the opposite.

thanks, we are so excited! For a base in fjordland area, would you think Te Anau, or Arrowhead(?) or Queenstown? With all the travelling we have found if we find a place and stay four nights it becomes a more relaxing trip and we get to know an area and some locals that way.

Te Anau makes a perfect base if you want to explore Milford Sound, the Milford Track, Doubtful Sound, Lake Manapouri, Lake Te Anau and the many walks in the area (including the Routeburn and the Kepler). Arrowtown is just outside of Queenstown, so if you base yourselves in either, you're looking at a two hour drive to Te Anau, and then another two hours to Milford. It really comes down to what you want to see and do. I spent four nights in Te Anau a few years back and absolutely loved it, because we were there to hike, and there are loads of hiking options.

Others prefer to pass right through Te Anau and base themselves elsewhere, so it really depends on your particular interests.

I haven't really liked the "base" method of touring NZ if you are there for a short time and want to see a lot of sights. Queenstown is probably the best base for the South Island since a lot of tours leave from there.

However since I have a second interest in golf, I have based myself in places like Dunedin and Arrowtown that have both great sights and great golf.

If you are interested in meeting locals I recommend staying in a B&B homestay if that works into your plans. Www.bnb.co.nz is a good website.

mlgb you hit a good note, my husband's favorite hiking is on a golf course! So we will definitely plug that in.
Thanks

Bingo! He has to play Arrowtown!

We have general itinerary. Now inclined to:
March 27th
Saturday... get to Auckland,
Sunday...do a brief tour
Monday... Rotorua, possibly a tour from Auckland.
Then close our eyes, and drive or fly to Picton/nelson or chch on Monday evening, so as not be tempted to begin to Meander!
That gives us 12 full days and 13 nights from...
March 30th to April 11th to "do" the South Island. we fly out of Chch on April 11th.
My husband is thinking the ferry ride could be part of the ambiance, but I would rather get to Fjordland for the ambiance!
Any thoughts and recommendations for 1 or 2 night stay in or around Auckland?

I hesitate to mention to the golfer that he can play Alister McKenzie's 100-year restored Titrangi Golf Club, which would be on the west side of Auckland on the way toward the Waitekeri Ranges, Kumeu and the wild west coast, where he can also play Muriwai.

http://www.titirangigolf.co.nz/layou...e=Green%20Fees

The more typical advice for Auckland is to take a ferry to Devonport or to Waihekei Island.

You are a golfer devil!!! He's on if we extend another week!!!
Any special places to stay in Arrowton?

If you are not on a budget you could stay at the Millbrook Resort, its a typical American golf resort from the looks of it (but he really wants to play the wonderfully quirky Arrowtown Golf Course). That way you can have a spa treatment while he plays golf!

I have always just stayed in the cheapest motel or hostel I can find in Arrowtown, and I like being called the golfer devil!

I could also be a food devil...around Arrowtown there is Amisfield Bistro, Saffron and the Postmasters House. They are popular so reservations are probably necessary.

Don't forget Mantra in Arrowtown if you like Indian food - excellent.

We've enjoyed our stays at Orchard Cottage near Arrowtown, although it appears to be under new ownership since we last stayed there:

http://rentalo.com/200428/orchardcottage.html

I would suggest Te Anau also. it is a great place for most of the well known/heard about activities in the north island. there is a list of hotels at www.aboutnz.info