Hi Everyone!

I am deep in the throws of planning our holiday and would love some advice. We are going at the busiest time, so I have been booking accommodations ahead of time, but really need some help figuring out the last week of our trip. So far, this is what I have:

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Dec. 24 - Arrive Queenstown (recover/sleep)
* accommodations booked

Dec. 25 - Queenstown
* accommodations booked

Dec. 26 - Queenstown
* accommodations booked

Dec. 27 - Drive to Te Anau, Doubtful Sound Cruise
* accommodations booked

Dec. 28 - Hiking, Milford, stay in Te Anau
* accommodations booked

Dec. 29 - Drive to Wanaka, explore, stay in Wanaka
* accommodations booked

Dec. 30 - Drive to Franz Josef, on the way explore Blue Pools, stay overnight Franz Josef
* accommodations booked

Dec. 31 - Spend more time in Franz Josef, drive to Punaikaki in the evening and stay overnight

Jan. 1 - Explore Punaikaki, stay overnight

Jan. 2 - Drive to Akaroa in the a.m., explore, stay in Akaroa

Jan. 3 - More Akaroa? Drive to?

Jan. 4 - ?

Jan. 5 - ?

Jan. 6 - ?

Jan. 7 - Arrive evening Queenstown, stay overnight

Jan. 8th - Catch flight back to U.S. from Queenstown

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* Would it make sense to stay 2 night in Wanaka? 2 night at the Glaciers?
* Would you suggest a different route?
* What ideas do you have for the route after the Glaciers?
* Are there any sights or activities that you would recommend?
* Are there any great places to stay?

Any advice/tips would be great appreciated. Thank you!

Jane

Akaroa will be crowded at that time of year, so be prepared for this. If you don't like crowds, don't go there then.

In the first part of your trip, you will see our wet, West Coast flora and fauna. You would have the opportunity to drive back down the inland scenic route of the east coast. The scenery is completely different to that on the western side. You could look at stopping at Mt Cook for a night and doing the Glacier Explorer trip on Tasman Lake.

Rob.

Minimum travelling time freom Punakaiki to Akaroa is five and a half hours, a distance of 386 km, at a very busy time of the year. Unless you leave Punakaiki very early you will not get to Akaroa until early to mid afternoon so you would need to stay in Akaroa overnight and spend half the next day exploring. Spend the night in Christchurch (Stonehurst Accommodation is a comfortable central place to stay) then follow Rob's idea. Just leaves Jan 5 & 6 to fill. The following link has a plan mapped out that may help you. It is another lovely part of the South Island.

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/gkrt/roadt...ueenstown.html

So you're flying in/out of Queenstown? Any way you could fly out of Christchurch, to prevent having to drive back to QT?

I always suggest at least two nights at the glaciers, as the weather can be iffy and you might want some extra time if an activity you're interested in (helihike, etc) gets cancelled due to weather.

I'd also recommend two nights in Wanaka, especially if you hope to do any hiking, as the walk trails are a bit of a drive from the town, so you'll need some time to explore them.

We avoid one night stays unless we're in transit - there's just no time to do anything by the time one checks into and out of a hotel, etc. I personally prefer three nights, but I feel two nights in a particular area should be a bare minimum.

Perhaps you could drive Punakaiki to Nelson (246 km, about 3.5 hours), spend a few nights there and then work your way back to Christchurch via Blenheim & Kaikoura? Perhaps you could spend a few nights in/around Christchurch towards the end of your trip, giving you time to explore the city and perhaps taking a day trip up to Arthur's Pass, Waipara (wine region), Rakaia Gorge or Akaroa?

Akaroa is possible as a day trip - in fact, I can provide a scenic driving route if you're interested. It won't give you time for a dolphin tour or to see the penguins though, so it really depends on what you're interested in doing there.

Thank you all for your advice!

Here's is the updated itinerary:

Dec. 24 - Arrive Queenstown (recover/sleep)
* accommodations booked

Dec. 25 - Queenstown
* accommodations booked

Dec. 26 - Queenstown
* accommodations booked

Dec. 27 - Drive to Te Anau, Doubtful Sound Cruise
* accommodations booked

Dec. 28 - Hiking, Milford, stay in Te Anau
* accommodations booked

Dec. 29 - Drive to Wanaka, explore, stay in Wanaka
* accommodations booked

Dec. 30 - Explore more in Wanaka, stay night in Wanaka

Dec. 31 - Drive to Franz Josef, on the way explore Blue Pools, stay overnight Franz Josef
* accommodations booked

Jan. 1 - Spend more time in Franz Josef, stay in Franz Josef
* accommodations booked

Jan 2. - Drive to Punaikaki, explore Hokitika, Stay in Punakaiki overnight?

Jan. 3 - Drive to Christchurch, stay in Christchurch overnight

Jan. 4 - Drive to Akaroa in the a.m., explore, drive back to Christchurch and stay there overnight

Jan. 5 - Drive to Mt. cook, explore, stay Mt. Cook

Jan. 6 - Glacier Exploration trip on Tasman Lake, Stay Mt. Cook?

Jan. 7 - Drive to Queenstown

Jan. 8 - Fly Back to U.S.

How does this itinerary sound?
Does the time in Christchurch with day trip to Akaroa make sense?
Is it too much time in the Mt. Cook area?

Thank you!
Jane

One of the attractions at Punakaiki is The Blowholes. (I think that is correct grammatically -- it just doesn't sound right). They are best viewed at high tide. Depending on the tides at that time, if you arrive at Punakaiki on the afternoon of Jan 2 and do not leave until late morning on Jan 3, you will have the chance to catch at least one high tide.

Akaroa is an easy day trip from Christchurch, so that part certainly works.

On the drive from ChCh to Mt Cook, there are some nice little towns worth a stop (e.g. Geraldine -- a good place for a lunch break), so I think that your pace through Jan 5 to 7 is about right. You should arrive at Mt Cook around mid to late afternoon on Jan 5, could do the Explorer trip on either the morning or afternoon of Jan 6, fill in the spare time with one or two walks, and then head away at your leisure on Jan 7.

Rob.