My husband and I have just under a month to spend in NZ. Should we visit the north island or the south? Or is that enough time to see both without being caught in a whirlwind of driving. WE are leaning toward renting a camper van in Sept or Oct, and are interested in seeing the landscape, kayaking, hiking, visiting quant towns, and staying away from "touristy" areas.

With a month you could do some of both. More to see and do on the SI (in my opinion), so maybe a week to ten days on the NI and the rest on the SI.

Seconding Melnq8's suggestion to do both islands and her assessment of the time division.

Ditto

Thanks to the 3 of you for your recommendation. It was suggested to us to drive the east coast of the NI and the west coast of the SI to have the best scenery and hiking/kayaking. Do you agree, and do you have some "must sees" to add? Do you think the camper van is a good idea? DH has driven in Scotland and Ireland so has his bearings for right hand drive and narrow windy roads.

Definitely drive the West Coast of the SI and if you can swing it, try to include the inland route as well via Lake Tekapo & Mt Cook. This is easily done if you make a loop from Christchurch.

The route to avoid is the east coast of the SI, south of Christchurch. It's mind numbing.

"Must sees" for firstimers usually include Arthur's Pass either via train or road, the glaciers, Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook, Lake Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford Sound and to a lesser extent, Dundin.

Queentown is the most touristy town on the SI, with Wanaka a close second. There you'll find all the usual tourist trappings, but the scenery surrounding both makes the busy factor tolerable.

If you're looking for out of the way and/or sleepy, suggest you take a look at Karamea, Punakaiki (busy with day trippers, but not many visitors spend quality time there, same with Arthur's Pass) Collingwood (don't miss the tour of Farewell Spit), the Catlins, Okarito, Makarora, Glenorchy, the outer Marlborough Sounds, Murchison, Stewart Island, D'Urville Island (no camper van for that one) great options with alot on offer and not usually on the radar of the average tourist with time constraints.

Others will have to help you with the NI. I've only been there once and never felt the need to go back.

I have mixed feelings about a camper van. I think they're ideal for families, but not particularly cost effective for couples. The roads on the SI are narrow, winding and there are countless one way bridges, all of which would make me a bit crazy in a camper van, but I've not done it. Petrol prices are high.

I rather enjoy the sheer variety of unique accommodation on offer in NZ. Farmstays, homestays, B&Bs, cottages, motels, self-contained apartments, etc. We've met some lovely people in NZ, most of them hosts of our accommodation.

If you'd like some ideas for the North Island, click on my screen name and you'll find my trip report. We spent 10 days there in 2004.

Lee Ann

Have you considered the place the Kiwis call the West Island? ;-)

Melnq8 -thanks for all the place names,Punakaiki looks very appealing, and I still need to check out some of the others. I am a bit apprehensive towards the camper van as well. We have stayed in B&B's throughout Europe and Britain and quite enjoy them. Just thought to try something different this time
ElendilPickle - Yes, I read your whole trip report, fascinating! I love your accounting of the glow worm float. Are either you or Ross at all claustrophobic? I am wondering how "close" the cave would feel. Did you reserve your accommodations, or are places to stay easy to come by?
RalphR - I couldn't find anything on a "west island" and think perhaps you are suggesting.... Australia? In which case, yes we have. Our youngest son spent 5 months there, loved it! That is saved for another time when we have longer than a month.

Colleen: you're right, it's Australia! Seriously, I think your plan make a lot of sense - one month in NZ would be perfect. But do get over to the West Island next time! I've been to NZ three times now, mostly on the South Island, which is truly spectacular. My last trip was in Nov 2010: eight days of hiking on the Milford and Routeburn tracks - amazing! I'm not sure about the extent these tracks will be open in Sept/Oct, but a day hike, say up to Key Summit on the Routeburn, may well be feasible. Click on my name and you'll see a link to my trip report and, toward the end, links to my photos. I want to go back!

>>Are either you or Ross at all claustrophobic? I am wondering how "close" the cave would feel. Did you reserve your accommodations, or are places to stay easy to come by?<<

We are not claustrophobic, and the tour we did didn't require squeezing into tight spaces - unless you count trying to get into a wetsuit! There is one part as you're going into the caves where the ceiling lowers a bit, enough that you might have to bend your head. But once you're in the water the caves are pretty big with high ceilings.

I don't care for heights, though, so the part where you jump off the waterfall was a little challenging, but leaping in backwards worked for me.

Since we won the trip and had to work with a travel agent, all our hotel nights were reserved before we left. We reserved the hostels in Taranaki and Whakatane on our own.

Lee Ann