TravelBug16

My wife and I are arriving in Aukland on July 29th, at about 5:30am. And we then have another 10 days to squeeze in everything possible. I've read that a quick flight down to the South Island on day 1 is a good idea, but from there I'm not sure how to best spread out so few days in such a big place!
I'm 29 and my wife is 25 and we are major nature lovers. But depending on late July weather, we're not sure what we might be in for. Any suggestions would be awesome!
Thanks,

TB

ElendilPickle

If you're not absolutely set on going to the South Island, you might want to take a look at my North Island trip report and pictures at http://community.webshots.com/user/ElendilPickle

Lee Ann

TravelBug16

Hi Lee Ann, your photos are awesome! We are trying to figure out our route squeezing in both North and South Islands. It will definitely prove to be challenging with so much to see!

ElendilPickle

That's why I asked, TravelBug16; with only 11 days, you will probably want to stick to one island. Since we were on a limited budget, and had to fly in to and out of Auckland, we chose to stick with the North Island.

If you'd rather see the South Island, then yes, take a flight from Auckland.

Unfortunately, I can't help with an itinerary for the South Island, but you really can't go wrong with either choice.

Lee Ann

TravelBug16

Thanks for the tips. I know, we've been told to maybe stick with one island. But given that we probably won't make it back anytime soon, we are going to just put the peddle down and squeeze in as much as possible. It will really be a race to see it!

GBZ

Here is a list of stuff to see and do in New Zealand.

New Zealand
Buy the Lord of the Rings location guide and do some looking

North Island
Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach
Swim with the dolphins in Paihia, Bay of Islands
Vertigo Climb, Auckland Skytower - beyond the observation decks, and wear an orange suit to do it.
Take a ferry or kayak from Mission Bay, Auckland to Rangitoto Island & climb to the top.
Waiheke Island - only 35 mins by ferry from Auckland, for some great wineries, maybe spend the night.
Raglan- & catch some wild surf.
Waitomo Haggas Honking Holes and tubing the glow-worm caves
Kayak from Whitianga to Cathedral Cove - then go to Hot Water beach and dig your hole in the sand
Drive from Opotiki to Gisborne then around the East Cape and back to Opotiki
Hawkes Bay- wineries, East Coast, North Island
Whakatane- Take a scenic flight over White Island, an active volcano.
Rotorua - to see the geysers, thermal activity and smell, visit Te Whakawerwera for your Maori cultural experience.
Drive out to Lake Tarawera near Rotorua- check out the Blue and Green lakes on the way
Taupo- Tandem Skydive 12,000ft
Craters of the moon outside of Taupo
Tongariro Crossing- one of the best one-day walks in the world, stunning scenery with volcanoes
Walk up Mount Taranaki- West Coast, North Island
Watch the sun rise at Te Araroa - the eastern most place in NZ
Martinborough- wineries- bottom East Coast, North Island
Te Papa Museum in Wellington- you could spend all day here learning about NZ / Maori -culture

South Island
Abel Tasman- for relaxing walking and kayaking around the National Park
Walk the Queen Charlotte Track, Marlborough Sounds- Top, South Island
Marlborough- wineries, top East Coast, South Island
Kaikoura- for whale watching and swimming with dolphins
4 day hike, Banks Peninsula - East Coast, South Island
Moeraki Boulders - East Coast, South Island for unusual round boulders
Christchurch- Arts Centre
Akaroa- for a bit of French New Zealand history
Dunedin- for historic homes, albatross, yellow eyed penguins and seal colonies
Oamaru- for Old Oamaru Stone buildings and Penguin watching
Pancake Rocks and blowholes- Punakaiki, upper West Coast, South Island
Mount Cook - South Island
Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers- West Coast, South Island
While looking at the glaciers in the Fox/Franz Josef area take a cruise out to Lake Matheson first thing in the morning to take some amazing photos of the reflection of Mount Cook in the water
Wanaka- a relaxing place in Central Otago
Arrowtown- an old Central Otago Goldfields town with an old Chinese village, 20 minutes from Queenstown
Queenstown- for adventure activities and party atmosphere
Pipeline Bungy Jump in Queenstown
Drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy- have a beer at the Glenorchy pub, after stopping and taking plenty of photos whilst on the drive
Queenstown- wineries
5 day trek of Routeburn/Greenstone Track
Walk Milford Track- one of the Worlds best.
Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park- lower West Coast, South Island
Doubtful Sound in the Fiordland National Park- swim with dolphins
The Catlins- for nature East Coast, South Island
Stewart Island- for nature bottom South Island
http://www.newzealandatoz.com/travelinformation.php

lucy66

Travelbug16

Last year in July my 14 yr old son and I spent a week in Northland and that wasn't enough time. We rented a small caravan which worked out great.

We both agreed that the best activities were swimming with dolphins and a quad tour in Paihia and another quad tour in Ahipara.

It rained on us most days for a short time but then cleared up. We only had one day of hard rain and we turned that into a well needed lazy day. Just take some light rain gear and go have fun.

We met some wonderful people and I can't wait to go back.

Lucy

TravelBug16

Thanks for the great tips! This is going to be such an awesome trip.
CBZ, thanks for the ton of highlights. Now I just have to pick from that to cram into 11 days
Lucy, thanks for the quad suggestions. I'm sure you and your son had a blast.
What should I be packing for cloths for an early August trip if I'm going to hit both islands for at least some time.?

TravelBug16

Hey Mel, while I'm thinking about it, what's your opinion on:

Fox vs FJ? I've read a lot about the Heli-hike and thought that would be a nice splurge. But what glacier?

Milford vs Doubtful? Leaning towards Milford.

Thanks again!

Melnq8

Travelbug -

I'm beginning to feel like a stalker, following you around on Fodors...

I've stayed in both villages of Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Franz Josef has more services, meaning hotels/motels, restaurants and seems to have a few more tourists because of this, but otherwise, there's not a huge difference between the two villages (they're about a 40 minute drive apart).

We took a helihike on Fox, because that's where we were staying during that particular visit. It was the highlight of our trip - probably because it was the first time in four visits to the area that we had nice enough weather to actually take the helihike.

We haven't done the helihike on Franz, so can't offer any insight into the difference between the two. I really don't think one is better than the other though.

You might want to contact the individual operators before making a decison.

Milford vs Doubtful - can't help here either as I've only done Milford (twice) and was underwhelmed both times due to bad weather and poor visibility. I've heard wonderful things about Doubtful, but when we looked into taking the overnight cruise one September we were told they DO NOT operate year round, so you might be somewhat limited during the winter months.

Here's their site:

http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/

Melnq8

Just checked the Real Journey's site and they DO indeed operate year round - guess we were told incorrectly or perhaps something else was going on at the time.

TravelBug16

Hey Mel,
Don't worry about stalking. I'm feeling like a total know-nothing and am the one constantly harrassing you!!
Just tell me when you've had enough of me
Thanks for the insight into the glaciers and sounds. I'm leaning towards Fox for the heli-hike and Milford for the cruise.

Regarding your Arthur's or Lewis response, I can't figure out whether to do Kaikoura at all. I can't get a read on whether or not Sperm whales will be likely during their winter months or not. Is it worth going up there anyway? I emailed the Whale Watching site and they said they do tours year around, but Sperm whales migrate a little further off the coast during their winter. I guess that was code for chances are likely you may not see them. I really want to see Orca and Sperm as I've seen Humpback in Hawaii.
What do you think?

Melnq8

Travelbug -

Your call. Kaikoura's main draw is whale watching - if chances are good that you won't see what you're looking for, it's probably not worth the detour.

Fear not, you'll see plenty of gorgeous scenery on the west coast, so you won't be missing out in that regard.

poll162

If its whales you want we went on a whale and dolphin trip in the Auckland harbor and saw three whales. it was the highlight of our trip.

JADFEL

I have been to NZ three times ( I too thought I would only be there one time!) and if you are nature lovers I would recommend spending the majority of your time in the South Island. I have visited in Jan/ Feb so the weather will be much different (and the travel between the places longer) but there is so much to do in the South Island (the glaciers, Mt Cook, Mt. Aspiring,Wanake, Queenstown and Fiordland. The last visit we spent more time in the North Island and were missing the dramatic views of the South.

TravelBug16

We're doing 99% of our trip on the South Island, based on everyone's awesome feedback. Now it's just jamming it all in. Can't wait. I checked out the whale watching website and looks like we have a great chance of seeing Sperm whales and even orcas if we're really lucky. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

jbtan

I have been to NZ six times in five years and intend to go back again soon. My choice is always to head to South Island. Went to Kaikoura thrice already and yet to see a whale's fin-tip. So forget about that unless it's really peak season for whale-watching (definitely not in July). Since my NZ trip usually occur between Nov to Jan -- once in May -- I have little to say about the weather. But if that May trip is a benchmark, then make sure you have enough warm clothing. Invercargill, Dunedin and Queenstown can be brutal. Staying at B&B is the best thing as NZers are great hosts. Have a great trip!

mlgb

My last trip in Dec I finally went to Kaikoura and we had 3 sperm whale sightings. Jbtan has really bad luck!

jbtan

Hi MLGB, I know... Really bad luck. I still joke about it and blame it on my friend(s). The four of us had high hopes on the first trip to Kaikoura, then nothing. The subsequent trips were with one of the three and she didn't even see a whale -- fin or even a spout -- when she was in Hawaii during the peak whale-watching season. I already said the next time I hit Kaikoura, she won't be coming along for sure ;-)...

Pamo

A few years ago I did both islands in 2 weeks. We got an Air NZ pass that provied for 3 flights for $300 -- not sure if they still do that. We spent slightly more time on the south island. I liked both -- but if I had a choice I would spend my time on the south island. We really like Dunedin/Otaro Peninsula. You don't have to go to Marlborough to go to wineries -- they are really all over the place. We also like Oomaru -- we saw the blue penguins. Another highlight was Milford Sound. We took a small plane there which afforded spectacular views. If you are from the US and have ever been to Yellow Stone -- the geysers in NZ are not as spectacular. Auckland is a nice city to spend a day or two. Lots of people like Christchurch -- I thought it was so-so. But -- there is a French Village I believe we drove to from there that was quite cool. Have a great time. I have traveled lots and NZ was one of my favorite places.