I've been reading posts for a while trying to plan our NZ itinerary and I'm thoroughly confused now! We (husband and I) plan to stay 2 nights in Auckland to see the city and go on a day tour to either Rotorua or Waitomo Caves. This much I'm sure of.
We fly to Christchurch and have 6 days on the South Island before flying out of Queenstown and I would REALLY appreciate some advice on what to see and what order to see things. We are open to renting a car.
We'd like to see Christchurch, Mt Cook, Milford Sound, one of the glaciers and Queenstown, We are going to NZ late March/early April and we are also trying to get pregnant so I may not be up for anything too strenuous at that time (like bungee or white water rafting). We are adventerous but also love the city/culture/shopping/food.
PLEASE HELP ME!?

Okay..you have time so don't worry. Six days is not enough time. If that's all you have to work with then okay but if you can squeeze in more it would be better. I would spend a day or two in Christchurch (I didn't really like it, but I"m in the minority) and then either drive or take the bus to Queenstown for a few days. You can do a day trip to Milford from there, heaps of adventure activities, and while on the bus you can get off at Mt.Cook and Lake Tekapo (stunning). Queenstown also had great restaurants and shopping. I hope this helps..

Oh, if you have to choose between Rotorua or Waitomo go to Waitomo. I did the five hour blackwater rafting trip and it was great!!! Rotorua smells like crap because of the sulfur and while the Hangi concert was fun the Waitomo trip was a great experience.

WE spent 22 days in NZ/Au in Feb of 2003, could send you our trip report if you wish. [email protected]. You might get some ideas from report.You don't mention Milford Sound which was just great.

Is it unsafe to try to get pregnant while travelling?

It's not unsafe to try while traveling. I meant that I may be up to 5 months pregnant by the time we go and won't want to be doing anything really strenuous if I am.

Oh, thanks for that last clarification. I was trying to figure out what bungee jumping has to do with an attempt to get pregnant.
And I agree that MIlford sound is kind of the highlight of South Island.

I was hoping someone could advise me if it's best to drive between Queenstown and Christchurch to see the places I originally listed or if anyone can reccommend a better way to see the highlights of the South Island.

When I was there I flew from Christchurch to Queenstown to save on time. Milford Sound is definitely a highlight - but when I was there I found that a 1 day trip from Queenstown was difficult. I actually went from Queenstown to Te Anau, spent the night there, and then was picked up in the early morning for a drive to Milford, which was beautiful, passing countryside and then snow and waterfall covered mountains. I then spent the morning kayaking in the sound. There are actually flights that go between Queenstown and Milford, but they seem to rarely operate due to poor weather conditions in the mountains. Therefore, I don't think it's wise to count on flying in and out. That being said, you can also arrange to take a cruise on the sound, which would be less strenuous than the kayaking, but then you don't get the extreme close-up w/ the dolphins. Something else I did out of Queenstown was a one-day trek on the Routeburn, which was absolutely beautiful (though could be a bit strenuous at 5 months pregnant). Enjoy! I think whatever you decide to do you will love it; New Zealand is a beautiful & friendly country.

I just got back from a couple of weeks in NZ. My itinerary was a little different from most - having grown up in coastal BC and being a city girl at heart, I didn't feel a strong need to see some of the typical sights (Queenstown=Whistler? etc). If you're looking for places to shave off time, I wasn't particularly impressed with Christchurch - overnight on arrival or en route to Greymouth etc is enough. By the way, the ensuite rooms at the YMCA are a great value at NZ 70. The hotels seemed bland and quite expensive. The YMCA is well-equipped and very central (but it may not have any double beds - not so good for trying to get pregnant, unless you're trying to recreate the romance of university dorm life).

I'd recommend a stop in Dunedin, and a stay at Larnach Castle if you can manage it and afford it (about NZ 200 a night, incl breakfast). Dunedin is an interesting, Scots-influenced city toward the southern tip of the Island. At Larnach Castle, I stayed in a quirky "gold rush"-themed room, where I climbed into a vintage wagon (equipped with a double bed), in a room painted sky blue with clouds, with a fabulous giant corner tub and spectacular views of the water.
I stayed in Dunedin for one night, then booked a bus/boat tour of the Otago Peninsula with Monarch Tours. Beautiful scenery and a somewhat hair-raising drive on the peninsula to the penguin reserve, then an interesting "bird nerd" boat cruise to see the albatross. Monarch picked me up at my hotel, and then dropped me at Larnach Castle - convenient because the castle is a little hard to find if you're driving (but not impossible). You can visit the penguin reserve and take the boat tour if you're driving yourself, too.

I wish I had taken the coastal road south from Christchurch to Dunedin, in order to visit Oamaru (sp?). I did spend several days in Kaikoura (whale-watching, swimming with dolphins and seals, scuba diving) and quite liked it.

I flew from town to town because I don't drive. An alternative to driving is to take shuttle buses - they're very easy to book and cheap. You can also take backpacker buses - I didn't try them but Magic Bus was recommended for the "over 18s". And of course, there's the Tranz-Coastal train from Christchurch to Greymouth. You could probably piece together a combination of buses, trains and flights (which are cheap to book on Air NZ's website once you arrive in NZ).