We will be spending the 2nd week of August on the South Island of NZ. Our tentative itinerary calls for 2 days near Nelson (top end), a day/night in Christchurch, and 2 days in the Queenstown/Milford Sound area. We are not big "adventurers" (no kayaking or mountain-climbing). We're concerned that it may be too cold there in August and are trying to decide whether to spend 4 nights, 5 nights or six nights. How do others who have been there feel about this? Thanks in advance for your reply.

kia ora Jeff - I live in Picton which is a seaport village and entrance to the South Island via the Cook Strait Ferry. Picton is also the entrance to the famous Marlborough Sounds. June July August are our coldest months & the top of the south Island are the warmest in comparison to the rest of the Island. Both Nelson & Picton are worth a visit the Marlborough region is known for wine & the Sounds Nelson for their art trails & national parks both have excellent walking tracks. We are also very close to Kaikoura which is known for whale watching....and if you want to experience some excellent local food call back to this site & I'll give you a list of must do's....

Here's a reply to our posting on Fodor's site.

I was just in Queenstown 2 weeks ago and it was COLD (30-40F). However, by the time I got to Christchurch, it was 50-60, and Picton - in the high 60's.

Hi Jeff - yes, it's chilly in Queenstown during August, but it's a dry cold, and rain and gales are very rare. It's usually sunny enough to take your sweater off during the middle of the day, and in the evenings most bars and restaurants have roaring log fires. <BR>There's plenty to do apart from adventure sports and skiing ... snow-mobiling, jetboating, wine tasting, scenic helicopter flights, shopping and dining, steam ship tours to a high-country sheep station, flights to Milford. But if none of those appeal to you, maybe you should limit Queenstown to just a couple of nights. <BR>Happy planning.