Hi All

I am planning a 2 week trip south island around the 3rd week of November . We are 3 of us including my wife and our 3.5 yr old daughter and will be coming in from San Francisco and plan to rent a car and drive.
Regarding the itinerary , its still being researched and planned but in general we wanted to do the "loop" clockwise or anti clockwise.

Christchurch, New Zealand

Arthur's Pass

Franz Josef Glacier

Wānaka

Queenstown

Te Anau( or day trip from Queenstown to Milford sound?)

Dunedin(really only as way to drive towards omarama)

Omarama(For the blue penguin colony)

Lake Tekapo/Mt Hood

Christchurch

Is this possible or too much especially with our 3.5 yr old daugher? . Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated
I am debating flying into Christchurch or Queenstown or even fly into Queenstown and fly out of CCHC.
Any suggestions on that as well would helpful.

Thanks

It's alot...it's difficult to cover these areas in only two weeks as the SI is long and skinny and there are only so many roads, so it takes longer than you might think to get from place to place. It might be too much car time for a three year old, unless she's good at sleeping in the car. This is kind of a 'see NZ through the windshield' itinerary.

Your routing is fine, it's just a matter of deciding how long you want to stay in each place. I'd not attempt this itinerary with less than three weeks.

You won't want to (and shouldn't) drive upon arrival, so will probably want to spend at least one night in Christchurch upon arrival.

It's quite possible to then drive from Christchurch to the glaciers via Arthur's Pass in one day, but it's a long one - over five hours without stops, and you'll definitely want to stop. If you plan well and leave early, you could even make the side trip to Punakaiki, but personally, if I did this, I'd stay in Hokitika for a night before pushing on to the glaciers. This will make your drive the next day significantly shorter, and free up an afternoon upon arrival to begin exploring the glaciers.

I'd suggest at least three nights in Franz Josef (two full days), or perhaps two nights if you drive in that day from Hokitika, as then you'll have 1.5 days to explore the area.

Then Franz Josef to Wanaka will take four hours without stops, and once again there are many reasons to stop - it's a beautiful drive with lots to see enroute.

I'd suggest at least three nights in Wanaka too, but I guess it depends on what you hope to see/do.

Wanaka to Te Anau will take about three hours with no stops. I personally much prefer Te Anau as a base for visiting Milford as it makes for a shorter day, and gives you more time to explore Milford Road.

The drive to Milford is about two hours from Te Anau without stops. As far as I'm concerned, Milford Road is the highlight of Milford, and there's a lot to see - overlooks, hikes, etc, so this can easily fill a day. Te Anau has a lot on offer as well, so I'd personally leave a full day to explore in around Te Anau/Manapouri.

Te Anau to QT is about two hours. I'd spend 3-4 nights here and make a side trip to Glenorchy.

QT to Dunedin will take four hours without stops. Dunedin isn't my favorite place on the SI, but Fodorite poster Diamantina lives there and may weigh in when NZ wakes up to give you some ideas.

The penguin colony is in Ōamaru, not Omarama. Dunedin to Omarau will take about 90 minutes.

Ōamaru to Lake Tekapo will take just over two hours. Lake Tekapo to Mt Cook (which I assume you mean instead of Mt Hood) will add an hour. Tekapo is easy to see in a short amount of time, unless you plan to do some hiking. Mt Cook is worthy of at least two nights, which is only one full day. Then again, I have no idea what your plans are - hiking? Just looking at the mountains?

Lake Tekapo to Christchurch will take about three hours.

If it were me and I only had two weeks, I'd fly into Christchurch and out of Queenstown, or vice versa., but you will have to choose between the West Coast route (glaciers) and the Inland route (Tekapo/Mt Cook, etc).

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply. And yes I did mean Mt Cook and Ōamaru.

If I choose to use Queenstown as a base, and I skip the west coast , will the 2 weeks be enough ? Any alternative suggestions ?

Queenstown works well as a base for seeing Glenorchy, Wanaka, Cromwell, and possibly Te Anau. And many people visit Milford for the day from QT, but I personally think it's too long of a day, and prefer to visit it from Te Anau. Most of the journey from QT to Milford is spent on the bus or in the car, vs getting out and exploring Milford Road in earnest.

It's also possible to see a bit of the West Coast as a day trip from Queenstown, but certainly not the whole thing, and definitely not as far north as Fox, Franz and Hokitika.

Yes, two weeks would be enough if you chose between the West Coast and the Inland route.

You could do something like this:

Arrive Christchurch - 1-2 nights
Christchurch to Hokitika via Arthurs Pass with detour to Pancake Rocks, overnight Hokitika (or 2 nights, which will give you a full day to explore Hokitika - several hiking options, such as Hokitika Gorge if that appeals)
Franz Josef/Fox Glacier - 3 nights - two full days gives you a full day for each, plus 1/2 day on arrival
Wānaka - 3 nights
Te Anau - day trip to Milford from Te Anau 2-3 nights
Queenstown - 3-4 nights - possible day trip to Glenorchy

Oops...we've run out of time

Or something like this:

Fly into Queenstown - 3-4 nights, possible day trip to Glenorchy
Te Anau - 2-3 nights - base for seeing Milford Sound
Wanaka - 2-3 nights
Dunedin - 2-3 nights
Oamaru - see enroute to Lake Tekapo/Mt Cook - 1-2 nights
Christchurch

Ran out of time again..you can see the issue with trying to fit in both the West Coast and the Inland route in just two weeks, no?

Yes .I agree. I wouldve skipped dunedin altogether but wanted to keep the penguin visit because of our daughter. I am debating if the glacier visits will be more interesting for our daughter vs inland.

No idea what will appeal more to a kid, but I personally much prefer the West Coast. There's aren't many places in the world where the rainforest meets the sea.

Expect sandflies. Take repellent.

Venkats, I posted a response for you about Dunedin and your drive from Te Anau to Oamaru, but posted on the wrong thread! I don't know how to move it, but, if you're interested, have a look here:
Seeking advice on 14 night road trip! Thank you in advance!

Thank you !

Venkats, I don't know if your thanks was directed to me as well as others, but you are welcome and I'm happy you read what I posted on the wrong thread--silly me! I hope you have a wonderful trip.