Need a plan B
 

Hi, I'm looking for suggestions for a plan B to the following itinerary. Our second stop is Kaikoura and I wish everyone there the best and a speedy recovery to the devastation the earth quake brought. But with SH1 out I think we need to look at an alternative. I'm thinking of spending another night in the Blenheim area and then flying to Christchurch to continue our journey. We have accommodations reserved everywhere so I really only want a plan b for Day 3. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Day 1 Blenheim (rdu-lax-akl-Blenheim)
Day 2 Blenheim
Day 3 Drive to Kaikoura / Whale Watch Stay in Kaikoura
Alternative Day 3 Blenheim area
Alternative Day 4 Fly Blenheim to Christchurch / Drive to Mt. Cook
Day 4 Drive to Mt. Cook
Day 5 Mt. Cook
Day 6 Drive to Queensland
Day 7 Queensland
Day 8 Queensland
Day 9 Drive to Te Anau
Day 10 Te Anau
Day 11 Drive to Lake Wanaka
Day 12 Lake Wanaka
Day 13 Drive to Franz Josef
Day 14 Franz Josef
Day 15 Drive to Christchurch
Day 16 Fly Home

Flying is really your only option if you can't move the itinerary around. Are you going to Blenheim for the wine?
Blenheim's airport is very small so Air NZ flights will go through Wellington and be quite expensive.
You can get Sounds Air to Christchurch so that is more direct. It will be a very small plane (think their biggest is a 12 seater)and some people don't like small planes. We have flown in their 8 seater and it was fine.
FYI it's Queenstown in the South - Queensland is a state of Australia.

Thanks Tasmangirl. We have a nonstop from Auckland to Blenheim on Air NZ. At the time of booking we thought it was a good place to start and had Kaikoura in mind. We are into wine. We're actually staying at a B&B at "The Grove, Picton". It looks like we can enjoy that area with the extra day.

I think we will take Sounds Air, as I'd rather not have to connect.

Sorry about the Queenstown mistake, second time I've done that.

Here's the link to Sounds Air that tasmangirl mentioned:
http://www.soundsair.com
http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/soun...ura-2016111722

If you'll notice, they're also flying from Blenheim to Kaikoura, and Kaikoura to Christchurch. Please note that tourism activities in Kaikoura are limited at present. You wrote in your last post of your interest in kayaking. This seems to be one of the activities still being offered, with new hydrothermal vents that appeared post-earthquake being an added feature:
http://www.kaikourakayaks.nz
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/nz-e...nue-to-come-in
Whale watch cruises have not yet resumed, however flights to see the whales are being offered by other companies (Wings Over Whales, Kaikoura Helicopters and South Pacific Whale Watch).
http://www.whalewatch.co.nz/informat...december-2016/
http://www.whales.co.nz

But I see from your last posting, that you wanted to wine taste and do the Queen Charlotte Track (I'm assuming you mean you want to walk part of it).
http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...y-266060-2.cfm
So maybe you would be better off just spending an extra day in Blenheim (or Picton) to have time for the above activities.

I wanted to stress if you only have the one day and your other accommodations are already booked, I agree you should stay an extra day in Blenheim/Picton to enjoy the area more, providing flights are available to CC on the following day. I just wanted to point out in my above posting, that Kaikoura is still open for business, though probably not an option for you on this trip that only offers you one free day.

There are many other things to do besides wine tasting and a day walk on Queen Charlotte Track. There are some beautiful land-based walks around Picton. Picton cruise operators offer wildlife tours. You could do a bit of the twisty but attractive Queen Charlotte Drive. Of course, there are always more wineries to visit (and Moa Brewing Company, if you also enjoy beer).

If you fly on to CC on Day 3 instead, I'm sure you could just as easily enjoy your extra day there, as there's much to see and do (check previous postings on Christchurch urban attractions). In lieu of Kaikoura, you might want to visit the charming seaside village of Akaroa, which is a curvy 1-hour, 20-minute drive from central CC. Akaroa offers wildlife watching and dolphin swimming tours. It has been both a French and British settlement and is nestled in the heart of an ancient volcano.
https://blackcat.co.nz