Yes I thought the cottage looked nice.

So this is how it is looking so far

1 night Kaikoura

3 nights cottage near Havelock

1 night Hokitika

2 nights galciers

3 nights Wanaka

3 nights Te Anau -the Croft

Now I am torn- I have 6 nights left-one of which will be spent in Cch

Thought about the area near Kaka Point-the Catlins for 3 nights then on to Lake Tekapo for 2 nights then Chc

Am I getting too ambitious with my distances?
Perhaps I need another day at the glaciers or elsewhere?

Finally would there be any benefit in reversing the itinerary so that we head south at the beginning of the trip while the weather might still be a bit warmer and then heading north at the end?
Thanks

If you only want to see the glaciers, maybe go walking on one two nights is plenty. If you want to do longer hikes around that area then more time could be spent.

Catlins is a very scenic, although you might struggle to find stuff to do if you spend three nights there. Maybe split the time with Dunedin and exploring the Otago Peninsula.

Driving form the Catlins to Tekapo is about a 5 hour trip, Dundiun to Tekapo is about 4 hours.

If you leave from the Catlins, then there are two routes, one is back through central Otago Via SH8, the other is along with the coast on SH1, through Dunedin, Oamaru then inland to Tekapo. The SH1 route takes a little longer.


I do not think you are being to ambitious, these a couple of decent length drives in your plans but nothing over 5 hours. Many people would probably try and see even more destinations.

With regards to reversing the itinerary its anybodies guess. If normal weather patterns hold then there would be no difference. Although you might be unlucky if a storm hits the the top of the South just when you arrive, or vice versa.

That time of year I wouldn't worry about which direction you go first.

Now that you have extra nights, why not add the Abel Tasman area using three of them? They'd fit nicely between Havelock and Hoki.

Or you could add a couple of nights in Mt Cook between Te Anau and Christchurch. I really don't see the point in spending two nights at Tekapo unless you're there to hike and/or visit the observatory at night.

Another idea is to add a couple of nights to the end of your trip and stay in Akarora instead of Christchurch.

And the Croft is a very good choice. Lovely owners and nice accomodation.

FYI - please be aware that Golden Bay and the Abel Tasman area are two different places.