We will be in NZ the beginning of Sep 03 on our honeymoon. The first day we will arrive in Christchurch early in the am. We depart the following day on the train to Greymouth. Can someone please recommend a place to stay? I'm hoping there might be a hotel somewhat convenient to the train station while still close to the downtown area. At the end of our trip we will end in the Picton/Marlborough area, to explore the wine region before taking the ferry to Wellington to depart NZ. We are hoping to find a nice place to stay there also, preferably a B&B or something romantic. Thanks!

I can't help with a place to stay near the train station in Christchurch, but I can recomend a perfect cottage in wine country. It's called The Old Schoolhouse - it's located about five minutes from Mouteka, and 30 minutes from Nelson. It's a privately owned cottage overlooking a vineyard with views to Kina Beach. The 1930's school house was moved from it's original site and restored by the owners. It's a great place for a honeymoon! The owners are incredibly friendly and helpful, yet the cottage is completely private. We stayed there last September and just loved it - we returned to the cottage every night to find a fire burning in the fireplace.

www.cottagestays.co.nz click "regions", then click "Motueka" under the South Island column, the click "old schoolhouse".

Nelson is about 68 miles from Picton, so this may not be the area you're interested in. There are several "vineyard stay" cottages located in and around Blenheim and Renwick as well (closer to Picton than Nelson). You'll find these at www.lodgings.co.nz

Hope this helps. Have a great trip!

I just did a search on Google and found many hotels and B&B's in Christchurch near Addington Station.

Just type "hotels near Addington Christchurch" or "B&Bs near Addington Christchurch" and you'll find many choices.

In Blenheim I stayed at the Black Birch Lodge right off Rapaura Road. It was very convenient to the wineries. I rode a bike around and visited a few. Email the owner at [email protected]. It's a nice home and the room was great.

I would not worry about looking for a place near the railway station in Christchurch; it is not a particularly attractive part of town. Christchurch is a relatively small city and I doubt that any part of it is more than 30 minutes from the station. Find yourself and nice motel, there are plenty available in the NZ dollar 100 to 150 range and rely on a taxi to get you to the station.

HI

In Christchurch we stayed at "The Rydges" a fairly upscale hotel and it was in the $100 range US. You'll love Christchurch - try to spend some time there.

GMS
Try the Friar's Guide....we stayed at several of the properties that they offer...
www.friars.co.nz
Have a great trip....You'll fall in love with New Zealand!!!