How does this sound?
 

My husband and I are travelling to NZ in Dec. We will be there for a wedding in New Plymouth on the 27th Dec and have to decided to spend a few days on the South Island after this. This is what we are discussing but would welcome feedback.
- 28th Dec arrive Christchurch collect car drive to Dunedin.
- 29th Dec explore Dunedin and drive to Queenstown
- 1st Jan leave Q'stown drive to Mt Cook, stay overnight (thinking of staying in hotel at Twizel due to cost, staying at Mt Cook doubles the price)
- 2 Jan explore Mt Cook area and drive to Greymouth stay o'vernight
- 3 Jan Catch Tranzalpine train to Christchurch.
- 4th Jan fly home.
Whilst in Q'stown we will drive to Milford Sound for a day, I know its a long way but we will be with other friends who have booked a van for us all to go in and will share the driving.
I would love some feedback, are we doing too much?

Hi there,

Have you checked out how long it takes to drive between the places on your itinerary?

From memory I thought it was 4-5 hours on a bus to get from Dunedin to Queenstown. OK it might be quicker by car, but I thought I'd see if I could find out somewhere. googling "new zealand travel distance" brought up several travel planners:

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/main/td-calculator.php

http://www.travelplanner.co.nz/driving/smlcalc.html

4-5 hours is about right.
Mt Cook to Greymouth is 9 hours!!

Don't know how accurate it is, but if it were me I'd be thinking it t

sorry .. hit wrong button.

Was going to say, I'd be thinking it through again!

Should say that the two sites don't agree - only 7 hours 15 mins Mt Cook to Greymouth according to the AA.

Have fun!!

Thanks afterall...
OK we might have changed slightly sfter reading all the forums... We have decided to drive to TeAnua from Dunedin and stay overnight.
- 30th Dec do Milford Sound boat trip and return to Queenstown same day (I know its a 4 hr drive).
- Stay Queenstown 3 nights drive to Fox Glacier for 2 nights (Where to stay?).
4th Jan drive to Greymouth to catch Trans Alpine train.
We will cut out Mt Cook as time is too short.

I like to look up organised tours and then follow their itinerary! You should find one that suits :)

Your new plan sounds much better. The scenery throughout your entire trip will be stunning. Just a few thoughts.. From Te Anau into Milford Sounds is a good 2 hours, but that doesnt account for time taken stopping to take photos, admire the view etc. So on the 30th you will have a two hour drive into Milford Sounds, a boat trip and then a four hour plus drive to Queenstown. It's do-able but a lot of driving. Its also frustrating because on the map Milford Sounds and Queenstown are really close but there is no direct road. You have to come back through Te Anau. Also, just as a thought, Wanaka is beautiful and only 90 mins from Queenstown. It might be worth spending one night there (and only 2 in Queenstown) to see more sights and also to shorten the drive up to the Glacier.

Whatever you end up doing you have chosen a great time of year for it and some truly beautiful places to see. Enjoy.

I don't know if you have any other options on your connecting flights to the south Island other than Christchurch? It would save some time if you could fly into Dunedin, or skip Dunedin and fly into Queentown. Then you can travel one way to Christchurch for the return flight home.

With a short amount of time, I would more carefully plot out an itinerary with travel times and sightseeing times. Otherwise you are likely to be on the road most of the time and not have time for stops. If you can book lodging ahead, you can sightsee during the day and travel around dinner time, since it stays light very late (but don't drive at night on the west coast...possum roadkill abounds).

I might drive Arthur's pass from rather than take the train. You might even change your routing to spend the night in Arthur's Pass instead of Greymouth, with a bit more time the prior day at the glaciers.

There was way too much on the first itinerary.

Whoever said to follow another printed itinerary had a good thought, if you don't want to do the research.

I agree with the mlgb. Do you really need to go to Dunedin? You will be there for such a short time and it takes away from your time in Fiordland and Queenstown. I have been to the South Island for trips of a similar length to yours 5 or 6 times and haven't yet been to Dunedin. It is just too far away from where I would prefer to spend my time. I also agree that 1 night in Wanaka would break up the long drive to the glaciers and also give you a look at a beautiful and much quieter town than Queenstown, which is beautiful but tourist central. Many posters (including myself) recommend The Moorings in Wanaka as a nice motel close to town with great views. A motel in Fox Glacier we stayed in was the Sunset Motel. It was quite new with great views of the glacier (something not every accommodation place can boast of).

Well, your revised itinerary is more realistic, but I'd love to know what's drawing you to Dunedin...

I'm often amazed at how many first time visitors to NZ want to visit Dunedin - it's a city, and yes, it has it's charms, but to give the place justice you really need more time.

If you're just using Dunedin as an arrival spot, it does make a convenient hopping off point for seeing the south end of the SI, yet Queenstown is even more convenient for such a short trip.

My advice, spend a few nights in Te Anau if you can spare them - it's a beautiful area with so much to see and do.

As far as where to stay - I can highly recommend The Croft B&B near Te Anau. We liked Lake Matheson Motel in Fox Glacier, but it's been a few years since we stayed there. If you want something more upscale, take a look at Te Wheka in Fox (not sure of spelling).