Hi,<BR>Just got back from the trip of a lifetime on the South Island. What an amazing place!!<BR>I don't have time to type a detailed trip report, but I have listed our itinerary below and the things we did. If you have questions about any of these places, please post them on this board and I will answer if I can.<BR><BR>Flew in and out of Christchurch. Rented a Toyota Camry from Apex, a local company Way cheaper rates than Hertz/Avis etc. They had great service and the 4 cylinder car was quite economical on petrol. It was also comfortable for getting a family of 4, plus luggage, all over the island and up and down all the mountains.<BR><BR>First 2 nights stayed at Glenmore House in Christchurch. Visited the Cathedral, Arts Centre, Antarctic Centre including Hauggland ride, Botanical Gardens and beach at Sumner.<BR><BR>Next day drove to Kaikoura, (stopped at a few wineries on the way) stayed at Lavender Farm, did the swim with dolphins trip.<BR><BR>Drove to Hanmer Springs, stayed at Cheltenham House, did Thermal Pools and and hiked to top of Conical Hill.<BR><BR>Drove to Punakaiki, stayed at TePuna Bush Haven, walked the Truman Track and visited Pancake Rocks.<BR><BR>Drove to Fox Glacier, stayed at Lake Matheson Motel and did half day glacier walk.<BR><BR>Drove to Queenstown. Stayed 3 nights at St. Omer Lakeside Apts. Did TSS Earnslaw cruise, gondola and luge ride, Dart River half day tour that included 4 wheel drive, hike and jet boat. Saw quite a few sites of Lord of the Rings filming. Also visited 3 wineries in the area.<BR><BR><BR>Drove to Te Anau, stayed 2 nights at Radford Motel, did Milford Sound cruise on Mitre Peak Line and Glow Worm caves.<BR><BR>Drove to Lake Tekapo, as a stopping point on the way back to Christchurch. Stayed at Tekapo Cottages.<BR><BR>With a few small exceptions, all of the things we did and accommodations were to our expectations and some were far above.<BR>I look forward to answering questions on any of the above. New Zealand is absolutely magical and we all hope to get back there again soon!

lindsey<BR>just got back from a similar trip with my son. i want to go back with my wife and i am anxious to compare notes on where you stayed , prices, things you did, whether you arranged trip yourself, etc. if you have time, please email me for specific questions. what a wonderful country.

hi lindsey,<BR>lord of ring filming sights&quot;.how to doit.is it organised tour or you did it on your own.we are not renting a car.we are staying 2days,one day for milford sound,the other day is free,i got few ideas from this board.i appreciate your info.thanks.....

Dear Lindsey,<BR> We will also be staying in Te Anau 2 nights at the Radford Motel after 4 days in Queenstown. We will arive around noon time, night one and the second day (night) will be spend at Milford. Do you think 2 nights are enough? Can you please tell us about Radford Motel and the particular Milford cruise you chose.<BR> Thanks, Anne

Rama,<BR>There is a book called Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook, by Ian Brodie. It is published by Harper Collins and gives all the information you need. We bought it in Glenorchy but you may be able to order it from www.lordoftherings.net or from www.harpercollins.co.nz. Some of the locations are pretty remote, but some are quite accessible, even without a car.<BR>We did a combination of driving on our own and touring. The halfday tour we took with Dart River Safaris took us into quite a few of the LTR sites. If you don't have a car to get to their base in Glenorchy, they will pick you up in Queenstown. There are lots of tourist offices in Queenstown where you can sign up for this tour.<BR><BR>Anne,<BR>I think 2 nights in Te Anau is enough. We arrived there midday the first day, did the glow worm caves that afternoon and then drove out to Milford Sound for the whole next day. <BR>Radford's is great! It's almost brand new and the cleanest place I have ever stayed. Great views of the lake from all the rooms and nicely equipped kitchenettes. there is a little grocery store that is about a 10 min walk away, where you can buy provisions. The owners live on-site and are very helpful with local information. We used them to book our glow worm trip and the cruise on Milford. They recommended the Mitre Peak boat, as it only takes 60 people, while some of the other cruises take several hundred. This turned out to be excellent advice because it was a more intimate cruise and the boat could get much closer to the edges of the Sound. At one point I could almost lean over the edge and touch the sealions basking on the rocks. The commentary was also excellent. <BR>Hope this helps. Let me kmow if you need any more info.

Hello! Thank you for posting this... great help. I am travelling to NZ South Island - get in to Queenstown on Saturday afternoon and leave out of Christchurch on Friday afternoon. (about 5.5 days) I want to spend time in the Fiordlands, Queenstown area, and Mt. Cook area. Do you have any recommendations on itinerary? Driving times? What for sure to not miss? We are also LOTR fans - one major reason we are visiting NZ. I wish that I had 2 weeks or more! Sounds like you had a blast. Thanks again.

Jenny,<BR>Don't worry, you will be able to cram a lot in to the time you have. If you want to drive to Milford, I would suggest staying overnight in Te Anau, 2 hrs drive south of Queenstown. (See my previous post on Radofrd's Motel...good place to stay there.) We did it that way for 2 reasons....it is too far (in my opinion) to drive there from Queenstown for the day, and the flights were very expensive and weather dependent. I understand it is not uncommon for people to fly from Queenstown to Milford in the morning and then if weather moves in, get stuck with a 4 hr. bus ride back. Also, the drive from Te Anau to Milford is one of the most spectacular in the world and we wanted to do it at our own pace, choosing our own photo stops.<BR><BR>In Queenstown, our kids totally loved the gondola and luge ride. The gondola takes you about halfway up the mountain and then if you buy tickets for the luge, you get on a chairlift that takes you farther up. Then you &quot;luge&quot; back down to the gondola.<BR><BR>We also did a 6pm cruise on the TSS Earnslaw, the old steamship that goes up and down the lake. It became a delightful &quot;happy hour&quot; for us. The round trip was 90 min. and we sipped wine and listened to the live piano music (the pianist takes requests and did a whole group of songs from Phantom for me!) while we enjoyed the scenery. We got back at 7:30 relaxed and ready for dinner in Queenstown.<BR><BR>With regard to Mt. Cook, I can't help much. We drove from Te Anau to Tekapo (I think it was about 5 hrs.) and passed the turnoff to Mt. Cook on the way, but did not have time to go up there. Since it was a clear day, we had spectacular views of Mt. Cook from the highway.<BR>Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. have a great time!

thanks lindsey

Hi,<BR>We are planning a trip to New Zealand for next December and we are thinking of doing the dolphin swim. What was it like,can you tell us more about it please? Do you get life vests if you want some (we can all swim but I know I would feel more confortable with a life vest on - just in case!) Is it suitable for children?<BR>Also, can you tell us a bit more about Hamner Springs and also the jet boat trip (was it the Shotover one?) please?<BR>Thanks,<BR>Odile

Odile,<BR>To be honest, the dolphin swim was a bit more challenging than we anticipated. You won't need a lifevest because the wetsuits they give you are extremely thick and buoyant. And you need that, because the water is REALLY cold (15 degrees C). We knew that in advance, but it was still quite a shock when we jumped in. My husband and I and our 15 yr old all acclimated to the water pretty quickly. But our 9 yr old gave up after about 5 min and stayed in the boat. <BR>The strenuous part is climbing in and out of the boat quite a few times because we were chasing a pod of dolphins that kept moving. While we were in the water with them, it was fun, but they moved very quickly.<BR>On the way back, the water was a bit rough and quite a few people got seasick. Overall, I would not recommend this trip for kids under 12.<BR><BR>Hanmer Springs is a delightful Alpine town, with gorgeous mountain views all around it. The thermal pools are in the center of town. We were thinking they would be in a more natural setting, but the pools are actually manmade. They do have waterslides for kids, but you have to pay extra to access them. It was a fairly warm day when we were there. I think the pools would be much more enjoyable in winter, after a day of skiing.<BR>The walk to the top of Conical Hill is not too tough and the views are wonderful. I think you can also rent mountain bikes there to tackle some of the other trails.<BR>We loved staying at Cheltenham House. It's a 200 meter walk to the center of town. The host and hostess were extremely hospitable and the cooked to order breakfast was great. Depending on the ages and number of kids you have, they have a few different accommodations that would suit a family. <BR>Let me know if you have any other questions.

I am travelling to NZ in March and have reserved a car from Apex as well. The question I have is did you rent one of their older cars or their newer ones (I noticed they have both, but the newer ones cost a bit more). If you rented an older one, did you have any problems with it? I am a little worried about having an older car since we will be on a tight schedule and so we wouldn't want to get stuck with it breaking down, but the prices are so good. I'm just wondering whether you think it would be worth paying extra for the newer cars. Thanks so much and glad to hear that your trip went so well.

Thanks Lindsey. I thing we'll try, even if our son prefers to stay on the boat. Did the dolphins actually come very close to you, and were there many of them - I read somewhere that there could be up to 150!

Nicole,<BR>We went with the newer car, just to be safe and for the little extra comfort of newer shock absorbers, seats etc. Even so, we thought the price was extremely reasonable. We paid $NZ 79/day for a Toyota Camry, plus $8/day for all inclusive insurance. <BR><BR>Odile,<BR>There were quite a few dolphins around us, but I couldn't say how many. Several people mentioned that dolphins had actually brushed up against them, although this did not happen to me. Of course, since they are wild, you are strictly instructed not to try to touch them. We did see a number of babies in the pod as well. Good luck!<BR>lindsey

Lindsey: I read your report with interest. Will it be safe for a woman traveling alone to do your tour? I will arrive in Christchurch 5/05/03 and depart from Auckland 5/15 to US. How will the weather be? Is there anything on your itinerary that could be omitted? Do you have addresses or emails to the hotels you stayed at. This is my first trip alone and i AM a little fearful. Best place to stay in Christchurch near the center of town. Appreciate all of your comments, help and suggestions. Johanna

Johanna,<BR>I am sure that it would be safe for a woman alone to follow our itinerary. NZ has to be one of the safest places I have ever visited. I'm just don't know how much fun it would be do to do that trip alone. There was a fair amount of driving, although I tried to plan it so there was not more than 5 hours in any given day. But it helped having 2 people to share the driving chores. If you do it alone, I would be sure to get a car with a CD player. (We could only pick up radio when we were right in CC or QT.)<BR><BR>I've never been to NZ in May so I can';t comment on the weather, although I would guess it will be pretty chilly and some roads are closed at that time of year or require chains on your tires. If you do a separate posting on weather, perhaps some of the Kiwis on this forum will respond.<BR><BR>If I were to shorten the itinerary, I would cut out Kaikoura and Hanmer Springs and Punakaiki and go straight from CC to the Glaciers.<BR><BR>Glenmore House in CC was about 10 min drive from the center of town. If I was alone, I would select one of the great B&amp;Bs that are right in the city. Worcester House is right across the street from the Arts Center and Botanical Garden. Go to www.lodgings.co.nz for some great boutique style places to stay.<BR><BR>Hope this helps. Please let me know if you need more info.

hi,lindsey,<BR>how long is the ride from franz joseph to queenstown.see my question on this thread.looking forward to your advise..thanks