Getting around South Island NZ without a Car?
 

We are a 50'ish couple planning an early October trip to New Zealand. While we would like to visit Queenstown, it is very difficult to find information about exactly how to get from Queenstown to other towns in the region, like Milford, Te Anau, Paradise, etc. Are there local buses? How about trains? How easy are they to find, and how reliable? We won't have a car, so local travel would have to be completely by public transport.

Also, apparently the train from Queenstown to Christchurch is out of commission for the foreseeable future, so how would one get there?

We are planning on renting a camper for the North Island part of the trip, and have found information on that.

Why not get a car and be independent?

But to answer the "where is information" - GOOGLE the terms "Milford public transport" and the same for any other location, it will show websites that tell you how to get to and from.

If you are renting a camper, you can obviously drive - so why not simply rent a car for the South Island?

I agree with the above poster. You'll have more flexibility with a car! Intercity is the bus line that can get you from place to place, but they often only have one bus per day.

http://www.intercity.co.nz

The train you've referenced is the TransAlpine and that runs from Christchurch to Greymouth. There is no train service to Queenstown.

There are several coach tours to Milford Sound from Queenstown. Check out BBQ Bus, Southern Discoveries or Real Journeys.

https://www.realjourneys.co.nz
http://www.southerndiscoveries.co.nz
http://www.milford.net.nz

It shouldn't be difficult to find the information.
Local buses - yes. Trains - no. Tours for the tourist who doesn't have a vehicle - yes.
You could fly to Christchurch, do a few days there and get the bus to Queenstown.
Intercity bus leaves Christchurch at 8 am and gets to Queenstown at 4.40 pm. Quite a long day but at least it stops at Lake Tekapo for lunch and you will see some of the countryside.
The train will take you to the West Coast which is more difficult on public transport. New Zealand is having unseasonably cold and wet weather right now even though it is January. Arthur's Pass is closed because of slips today (22 Jan 2017). It will be cleared ASAP but I'm trying to make the point that the weather may disrupt anyone's plans for travel in the South Island so a plan B is a good idea. The earthquake of Nov 16 is still affecting traffic and the roads one can take.

Could you please list all the places you plan to visit?
The roads on the South Island are often curvy, narrow, and, with the exception of those around cities, are just one lane in each direction. But in general there is less traffic on the South Island.

You have several options in terms of public transit between major tourist centres of the South Island, such as from Queenstown to Wanaka.
Intercity http://www.intercity.co.nz
Atomic Shuttles http://www.atomictravel.co.nz
Naked Bus https://nakedbus.com/home
Naked Bus is perhaps not as reliable.

Once in Queenstown, if you’d like to visit historic Arrowtown or Amisfield Winery or the suburb of Frankton or the Remarkables Park shopping centre, you can catch the local Connectabus.
http://connectabus.com
They also go to Wanaka and Queenstown Airport.

Alpine Connexions travels between Queenstown and Wanaka and also does track transport from Wanaka to Mt. Aspiring Park:
http://alpineconnexions.co.nz/Connexions/

If you’d like to see the gorgeous road from Queenstown to Glenorchy or to the start of tracks beyond Glenorchy, check out Glenorchy Journeys Track Transport. If you want to go to Paradise, you might have to sign on for their tour or some other company’s tour.
http://www.glenorchyjourneys.co.nz
http://www.glenorchyjourneys.co.nz/4...he-rings-tour/
http://www.privatediscoverytours.co.nz

TrackNet also travels from Queenstown to Te Anau and beyond:
http://tracknet.net/timetables-prices/

There are a number of companies that run day tours from Queenstown to Milford Sound (cruise included), such as Real Journeys, Kiwi Discovery, Jucy, Naked, Intercity, but your day would be shorter if you started off from Te Anau and you’d have more options from there as well, such as the tours offered by Trips and Tramps. One of their tours gives you the option of doing the Key Summit walk.
https://tripsandtramps.com
October is still avalanche season for Milford Road. Doesn’t mean there are necessarily avalanches, but there could be avalanches.
http://nzta.govt.nz/assets/projects/...re-Milford.pdf

Sightseeing tour bus options from Q’town:
http://www.intercity.co.nz/newmans-coachlines
http://www.greatsights.co.nz/new-zealand-tours

If you stay in central Queenstown, you'll be able to walk to the gondola, the waterfront, the botanic garden, shops, restaurants, or The Station (bus and tour pick up location).

it's easy to find information about public transportation options in New Zealand using Google.

You might want to read Auntie Em’s trip report as she used public transportation and took tours (note, she accidentally posted her report three times).
http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...rip-report.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...-itinerary.cfm

Thanks a great deal Diamantina. We had not found most of the references you list in our web searches. This is just the sort of information that none of the guidebooks include. Lots of where to go but not much how to get there.