lilyclaire

Hello!

My husband and I (late 30s, early 40s) are planning our first trip to New Zealand. We have 12 days to explore, not including travel time, and will be visiting early to mid-May. Wish we had more time and the weather may not be ideal, but such is life. We will love it regardless, and will pack appropriate clothing so we can be out in the elements. We are from Minnesota, so can handle weather of all sorts, as we get a little of everything!

We love hiking, good food and wine/cool breweries, beautiful scenery (who doesn't) and I am a huge animal lover. I love the pictures I have seen of penguins, dolphins, sheep and alpacas! Ahh, so cute! Anyway, to say I am excited is an understatement.

Does the following itinerary make sense? Can we fit Akaroa in anywhere? Is May a time when we could sort of "wing it" with accommodations and tours, or do you recommend booking in advance? I am just thinking of the weather and how that could affect our trip. Any advice is appreciated!

1 Arrive in Christchurch
2 Explore Christchurch - see botanical garden, museums
3 Pick up rental car, drive to Arthur's Pass
4 Franz Joseph Glacier
4 Mt Cook
5 Wanaka
6 Wanaka
7 Te Anau
8 Te Anau (Milford Sound tour)
9 Queenstown
10 Queenstown
11 Drive to Oamaru (main objective is to see the penguins, but I read May is not a great time, should we skip and spend more time in the Queenstown area? We could also drop off rental car in Queenstown and fly back to Christchurch?)
12 Drive back to Christchurch
13 Fly home - early morning flight

We wanted to avoid very long driving days,since we will have less daylight. We would also like it to be somewhat relaxing so we can stop along the way to enjoy the beauty.

If you could let me know what you would change, or if I am being too ambitious/not ambitious enough, that would be great!

Melnq8

<<4 Franz Joseph Glacier
4 Mt Cook>>

Can't do this - the glaciers and Mt Cook are separated by a mountain range.

Unless, you're referring to a flight over Mt Cook from Franz Josef? That is certainly possible.

There are two main driving routes on the SI - the inland route (Mt Cook) and the West Coast (glaciers).

Taking Arthur's Pass will lead you to the West Coast, so from Franz Josef, you can go to Wanaka or Queenstown (about 6-7 hours drive).

Mt Cook can be seen on your drive from Queenstown - Christchurch, although you will want to spend at least one night there, and I'm afraid you really don't have sufficient time.

I always suggest at least two nights at the glaciers, because there are very long drives on either side, so you will need at least two nights to give you one full day to explore.

May should be a good time to visit - I'm considering a return visit in May myself.

You should have no trouble winging it, but I would definitely book in Mt Cook village, if indeed you can fit in staying there.

Do you plan to spend a night in Arthur's Pass? If so, I'd book there too - not much on offer in terms of accommodation (or services for that matter).

Flying from QT to Christchurch is a good way to maximize your time and limit driving, but you'll need to entirely cut either Franz Josef or Mt Cook, as you can only see one on a one way trip.

I understand your desire to see Oamaru for the penguins - Omarau is an okay little town, but to get from there to Christchurch you will be driving the least scenic route on the South Island, the east coast. While you will probably still see penguins in May, their numbers will be low, unlike in the summer months. Don't let this discourage you if you really want to see them though.

paulg

Re: Akaroa, my wife and I enjoyed our day trip there last year. With only one full day in CC, it would be tough to go there as it can be a full day trip, depending on what you plan to do. If you plan to do the Botanical gardens (I highly recommend them as well) and museums, I don't think you'll have time for the trip to and from Akaroa. However, if you do find a way to make it there, do not miss The Giants' House. We found this to be one of the most unique and enjoyable man-made stops on our trip.

lilyclaire

Thank you Melnq8! Very helpful.
I realized we actually have 13 days not including travel, instead of 12.

Revised itinerary below. Is this better? (I am not going through a mountain where there is no pass on this one, hopefully, haha) I cut out Oamaru and will have to miss Akaroa (this time). I am still thinking about flying from Queenstown to Christchurch though, but I would be sad to miss spending more time at Mt Cook.

1 Arrive in Christchurch
2 Explore Christchurch
3 Pick up rental car, drive to Hokitika via Arthur's Pass, stay in Hokitika
4 Franz Josef Glacier
5 Franz Josef Glacier
6 Wanaka
7 Wanaka
7 Te Anau
9 Te Anau (Milford Sound tour)
10 Queenstown
11 Queenstown
12 Mt Cook - stay in Mt Cook
13 Drive back to Christchurch
14 Fly home - early morning flight

Thank you again!

lilyclaire

Thank you, Paulg! It is hard to know what to cut out! I think we will spend the day in Christchurch, visit the botanical garden and the Canterbury Museum.
I googled The Giants House - so cool!!

paulg

That's pretty good! We did that exact same trip but in reverse, and we had a couple of more nights. So we had one extra night in CC and one extra night in Te Anau compared to you. And all of those drives are easy and relatively short. Jealous!

paulg

Since we have almost the exact same trip, check out my trip report for any additional ideas.

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...rip-report.cfm

lilyclaire

That is good to know, the drives are easy and relatively short. I am not sure what to expect, but that is part of the fun!

paulg

Beware, I'm from Texas so all drives are relatively short! But up to 4-5 hours is what I classify as short.

lilyclaire

Your trip report is amazing, thanks for sharing! It will be very helpful as we continue to plan. Congratulations on your anniversary.(Btw, I love Austin!)

Melnq8

Looks good lilyclaire!

You're longest drive day is Franz to Wanaka, about 5-6 hours, depending on stops (and DO stop, lots to things to see enroute).

Let me know if I can help with accommodation.