My 10 days on the South Island
 

My two young adult daughters and I will be driving/hiking/kayaking around the south island in mid march and I am having a heck of a time trying to hit the highlights w/o feeling like a tour bus driver. We are an active lot and want to be out and about. What have a missed- what should I exclude- please give me your thoughts. Also, opinion on regular cruise on Milford Sound as opposed to kayak on the sound.
1. dinner arrival in ChCh and drive to Kaikoura
2.swim w/ dolphins Kaikoura in the am and then drive to Mouteka.
3. Abel Tasman w a kayak/hike tour. We can't afford the expensive lodge stays but I am a little leary about the Aquabacker boat stay as Lonely Planet mentioned something about the all night drinking sessions. any comments?
4. finish up Abel Tasman w/ hike or kayak and stay in Mouteka
5. Drive through the Buller Gorge w/ stops for the swinging bridge a hike and maybe a jet boat trip - and stay that night at Punakaiki
6. Franz Josef and a stay there
7. Drive to Wanaka w/ hikes along the way and stay there
8. drive through QT and on to Te Anau
9. Milford SOund trip
10. Back to QT - one daughter leaves here
11. Drive to ChCh
12. Day in ChCh
13. Departure
What do you think? Many thanks. Christine

Christine -

I think it looks pretty good if you don't mind being on the move quite a bit.

Have you considered flying from QT back to CH to catch your flight home? Doing so would free up a couple of days and give you more time to spend outside of a car.

There are some looo..ng drives here
MS-QT is about 5 hours
QT-Chch even longer.I would not advise driving at night from ChCh to Kaikoura.(jet lag?)
We found driving in SI harder than expected: wet and narow roads, steep hills,the "other "side of the road does not bother many - it did me.
Some hikes are short. some are hard and long.. (?)
There is not much accomodation in Te Anau ...
SI can be very crowded ... book ahead!

If I read Christine's post correctly, she plans to spend two nights in Te Anau - one before the Milford trip and one the day of the trip - if this is the case, she only has a two hour drive
(give or take) on each of these two days.


QT to CH takes about 6:15, longer with stops.

I respectfully disagree with nbujic's statement that there's not much accommodation in Te Anau. There are over 3,500 beds - not too bad for a town with a population of about 1,800.

http://www.fiordland.org.nz/Explore-...it/Te-Anau.asp

I wholeheartedly agree with nbujic's statement about the roads in NZ though - it takes longer than one might expect to get from point A to point B.

I've found this site pretty accurate regarding travel times/distances:

http://www.accommodationz.co.nz/distances2.html

Thanks for your help...especially about the driving.
Does anyone have info on one of the cheaper overnight hike/kayak stays in Abel Tasman? Or any comments about Abel Tasman.

It sounds like too much time on the road for the activities that you want to do, ie, not just a driving trip. Maybe drop Kaikoura on trip start. You could do it on the end of trip instead of the day in Christchurch,if you have time, but I don't think you will.

OP didn't say what time of year they were going but Te Anau does tend to fill up especially if looking for a bargain.

Christine -

Are you looking for a tour that combines kayaking/walking and an overnight stay?

These sites list several options:

http://www.seakayak.co.nz/sea-kayak-tours/index.htm

http://www.southern-exposure.co.nz/freedom.htm

You can also do this on your own by renting a kayak in Marahau or Kaiteriteri, spending the day in the park (freedom kayaking and hiking), then returning to the accommodation of your choice for the night.

Or, you can spend the day in the park as part of a guided tour, and book your own accommodation.

Suggest you look into accommodation in Marahau, Kaiteriteri and Motueka. I can suggest a few places in Motueka/Tasman if you're interested.

Thanks so much for the input on kayaking. I had looked around but had not found one of the sites you suggested and it looked great. Considering the hassle of camping for just one night would you suggest a camp or kayak, stay outside the park and hike the next day? I would appreciate suggestions on stays in Motueka/Tasman. Thanks! Christine
I may have to drop the dolphin swim to make this work.

Christine -

I'm not a camper (anymore) so I'd stay outside the park, but that's just my personal preference.

You have two days allotted for Abel Tasman, so how about kayaking one day, and hiking the next. You don't need a tour for either, but if you're unfamiliar with kayaking, you might prefer a guided tour. If you have a car, you can then drive to your accommodation each night and return to the park the next day. Keep in mind that you can take water taxis within the park so you can walk a portion of the track then take a water taxi back or vice versa (you must arrange this ahead though).

We've stayed at the following places in the area and highly recommend both:

The Old Schoolhouse, which is located a 30 minute drive from Abel Tasman:

http://www.cottagestays.co.nz/oldsch...se/cottage.htm

Blue Moon B&B - located about 15-20 minutes from Abel Tasman:

http://www.thebluemoon.co.nz/

Other options include staying in Marahau (right outside the park) or in Kaiteriteri:

http://www.accommodationz.co.nz/abeltasman.html

http://www.tourism.net.nz/region/nel...accommodation/

Motueka also has many inexpensive motels, so that's yet another option.

And then there's Golden Bay, but that's on the other side of Takaka Hill - here you'll find Takaka and Pohara, which are near the northern end of the Abel Tasman Track. You can kayak from this end as well - less crowded, but not as pretty from what I understand.

Thank you so much for your ideas. Things are beginning to come together with some changes in my plans thanks to input from all of you and a new guide book! Should have purchased Frommer's earlier. Anyway, the dolphin swim and the day hike in Abel Tasman are out and an extra day in ChCh at the beginning and the heli hike at Franz Josef are in. I decided my daughter who is taking a short leave from her Peace Corps assignment in Fiji needs a little taste of city life before she heads back to Tavua Village in Fiji. I am really getting excited. Thank you so much. Christine