Finally, a doable itinerary for South Island in September - any comments?
 

Hi, I’ve been lurking ‘round this site for a while and getting lots of great ideas from the brilliant trip reports on the South Island (thanks Melissa5, Melnq8, Jed, dktenor, angelnot1, BillJ and everyone else – your travel tales were a joy to read!). So, finally, I think I have a workable itinerary for our family holiday to the southern end of SI this coming September. We’ve been to NZ before (way back on our courting days in the early 80’s took a campervan round the North Island, then took the kids in 2004 to retrace our ‘dirty’ holiday, ha-ha!). So here’s the plan:

Day 1: Fly into Christchurch, arriving 3pm – pickup car, check in at accommodation

Day 2: Hang around Christchurch – visit Hagley Park, museum, weekend art market

Day 3: Drive over Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth – DILEMNA: should be stay at Greymouth or drive on to Punakaiki and stay the night there?

Day 4: Drive to Franz Josef – overnight at FJ, try out the indoor ice climbing centre

Day 5: Glacier walk – most probably FJ, then drive to Fox and nearby sights

Day 6: Drive to Haast – overnight at Haast, visit Jacksons Bay, must eat at Crayfish! QUESTION: is there anything interesting between Haast and Jacksons Bay? Penguin or seal colonies perhaps?

Day 7: Drive to Wanaka – overnight at Wanaka

Day 8: Drive to Dunedin – overnight in Dunedin

Day 9: Explore Dunedin, must do Cadbury’s tour (or the kids will kill me), in return, they will have to endure a twilight tour to the peninsula (the Elms tour sounds too long, maybe go on our own steam and do the Penguin Place)

Day 10: Drive to Te Anau – overnight at Te Anau

Day 11: Drive to Milford Sound and go on a day cruise

Day 12: Drive to Queenstown (4 nights at Qtown)

Day 13 – 15: Explore Queenstown and surrounds: must do Dart River Safari, Deer Park Heights, Arrowtown, etc. – we’re big LOTR fans! And of course, do the gondola and luge thing (or the kids will kill me).

Day 16: Return car and fly out of Queenstown to Auckland. QUESTION: which is the best side of the plane was it again? Melissa5 had this great discussion on the best seat to get those spectacular ‘free’ views of Mt Cook.

I am enjoying all the planning stage and I feel like I’ve travelled with you all in your reports. Any comments or suggestions on things that I may not have considered at this point are MOST WELCOME. No doubt I will be posting more questions closer to September.

Hi bellytoo -

Looks like you've done your homework and I have to admit, it's refreshing to see someone with a realistic itinerary!

Regarding Day 3 and your dilemma between Greymouth and Punakaiki...

Greymouth is the biggest town on the West Coast and you'll find a variety of accommodation and restaurants should you decide to overnight there. Greymouth is also home to Monteith's Brewing Company and they have a nice tour if that interests you. There's also a museum and jade gallery.

Punakaiki is basically a spot in the road. A very nice spot, but a spot just the same. Pancake Rocks is the main draw, and most visitors make a quick stop there and then move on. Punakaiki has only a handful of accomodation options, a cafe and a tavern. BUT, the coastal scenery is gorgeous and there are many tracks in Paparoa National Park. Punakaiki is a short drive from Greymouth, so it won't add much time to your drive the next day should you decide to overnight there.

Most visitors just pass through Greymouth too, but we spent three nights there on one visit and we enjoyed it. We plan to spend three nights in Punakaiki next month so we can check out the tracks. As far as which you'd prefer, well, it just depends on what you like to do.

Regarding Haast & Jackson Bay - I've done quite a bit of research on walks in the area - if you're interested I'll post a couple. From what I've read, McGuires Lodge has the best food in Haast - I plan to find out myself when we stay there next month.

Regarding Cadbury's Tour - great tour, but be sure to book in advance. Eat some chocolate for me.

Regarding Day 11 - are you planning to spend a second night in Te Anau?

One concern and suggestion. By going to Dunedin in the middle, you have to double back to TA, which is considerable extra driving. Also, looking at the map, the drive from Wanaka to DUD is circuitous.

Would you consider going from Wanaka to QT, then to TA, then to DUD, and flying out from there? Seems to me to be less driving, of which there will be a lot.((*))

Driving from Wanaka to Dunedin to Te Anau is a circle as mentioned by Jed, but by taking highway 8 & 1 to Dunedin, and highway 1 & 94 to Te Anau, you'll see different scenery on each route. The drive from Wanaka to Dunedin takes about 3:30 and Dunedin to Te Anau takes about 3:40 (according to my distance calculator, which I've found to be fairly accurate).

Flying back to Christchurch from Dunedin will save you 3:30 of drive time, but if your intent is to see the country by car, this may not be a big factor for you. Suggest you check the flight times to CH from QT and Dunedin to see if one works better than the other for your connecting flight.

Thanks Melnq8 and Jed for your comments! You must have sensed my earlier dilemna about deviating eastwards to Dunedin from our generally westerly itinerary. It had been on and off for a while based on the varied reports on this site - in the end, it won out, we're chocoholics and as tropical biologists, we've never seen penguins in the wild (and boy, I'd love to see an albatross in the air)! Melnq8's route was exactly what we were planning to do from Wanaka to Dunedin and then Dunedin to Te Anau - going through Clinton then Gore sounds like a great photo op! We're still deciding whether to stay at Te Anau for 2 nights (or go on an overnight Milford cruise instead - need to factor in the weather in late September). And oh, the Queenstown departure point was a calculated decision as we wanted to end our holiday on a big note (we figured we'd save all our LOTR treats in the end - I imagine us flying home with the most recent memory being the Dart River Safari and thinking of Frodo!). I worry that flying out of Dunedin may sound like an anticlimax. I am taking up Melissa5's idea - based on past reports, the flight out of Queenstown apparently is pretty spectacular (and a tad scary in horrid weather!). What a way to leave NZ, eh?

Hi Melnq8, I'm looking forward to your report of your SI trip in August, especially the West Coast leg. Thanks for the tip re: McGuire's lodge - this was on our list of possible places to stay - can't wait for your thoughts on the menu! Yes, some ideas on walks around the area between FJ and Jackson's Bay would be most welcome. After all the food ideas I am getting on this site, we would need to do some walking in between meals!

bellytoo -

Here you go:

Haast Area Walks

Haast to Paringa Cattle Track (this is a three day track, but I plan to walk the section below as a day walk)

The north end of the track is marked by a sign at a car park about 40 km north of Haast Junction on State Highway 6, and a gate just south of the Waita River Bridge marks the south end.

State Highway 6 to Blowfly or Blue River Hut

It is an easy 1.5 - 2 hour walk to Blowfly Hut. The Moeraki Valley track junction is about 15 minutes before the hut. Follow the main track past the junction, cross the Moeraki River swing bridge and on past the Maori Hut junction sign to Blowfly Hut.

Jackson Bay Walks

At Haast township turn right along Jackson Bay Road. Walks are signposted as you travel to Jackson Head.

Hapuka Estuary Walk
Time: 20 min
This walk takes the visitor into the intertiadal zone. Information panels explain the ecology of the estuary, the story of whitebait and the rich birlife. Photo opportunities abound, especially in the spring when the kowhai is in flower and tui, korimako and kereru are in abundance. Views to open Bay Islands and interpretation tell stories about seals.

Smoothwater Bay Track
Time: 1 hr 30 min - 2 hr
This track offers a variety of terrain. For the first 45 minutes it follows an old pioneer's track until the Smoothwater River is reached. The more adventurous will continue down this clear-flowing river, keeping to the riverbed. The reward for 40 minutes of wet feet is the beauty ans solitude of Smoothwater Bay. Sturdy footwear recommended.

Wharekai-Te Kou Walk Jackson Head Wildlife Refuge
Time: 20 min
Walk from sheltered Jackson Bay to the rocky shore at Ocean Beach. Interpretion panels tell stories about tidal pools and the life of the rocky shore.

North of Haast Township
Monro Beach Walk
Time: 40 min
An easy walk through luxuriant coastal forest to the remote monro Beach. Between July and December tawaki (Fiordland crested penguin) might be seen in the surf and on the beach.

NOTE: We've taken the Monro beach walk many times and highly recommend it - beware of sand flies on the beach.

Kahikatea Swamp Forest Walk
Time: 20 min
A gentle walk following the slow flowing Ship Creek Tauparikaka. A creek-side viewpoint allows easy observation of the forest plants and wildlife. Deep in the swamp forest, are views of New Zealand' s tallest tree, the kahikatea.

Dune Lake Walk
Time: 30 min
This walk winds through dense coastal forest stunted by wind. It opens out to provide magnificent photo opportunities from platforms overlooking the dune lake to the sweep of coastline south-west to Jackson Head.

Haast Pass Lookout Track – 1:30 return, 2 km

Haast Pass is on State Highway 6, the road linking Wanaka and Haast.

This newly formed track leads to a view point above the bushline that provides a stunning vista.

NOTE: These walks were found on the NZ DOC site - www.doc.govt.nz

As a fellow chocoholic, I can assure you that you're going to love the Cadbury tour!