kodi

Melissa, taking out Mount Cook is a tough call. I'm not sure I have a logical reason.
We had to make choices, the same as what you are going through now, and it wasn't that we didn't want to see Mount Cook, but other sites won out!
We were told that if we had bad weather we wouldn't see much.. that was a factor. But we settled for seeing it from a distance on the drive from Queenstown to Christchurch. We got a beautiful postcard beautiful view of it from the outlook on HIghway 8 , I think at Lake Pukaki. That had to satisfy us and I think it did, considering all the other things we did...and saw.

I guess, we wanted to see sights that were more unique to NZ. The west coast was so awesome. At Franz Josef, while my friend was climbing the glacier, I went on the tour to see the White Heron Sanctuary. I would not have missed it! It included a jet boat ride and a walk through the rain forest...and Of course, the Herons.

Further south we stopped at Blue Pools. Another wonderful spot.

And I'll never foget our first view of Lake Hawea! ...and then Lake Wanaka.

In seeing Mount Cook from a distance, we were able to see how majestic it is.

Good luck in making your choices.

Nick4

I wasted a whole day of sightseeing by going to Tiritiri Matangi Island. Even the bird watchers were bored. Also, the penguin and albatross centers near Dunedin were marginal at best.

But, I was blown away by everything else in 3 weeks of touring NZ. West coast of South Island near Pancake Rocks was unbelievable. Black water rafting at Waitomo. Milford and Doubtful Sounds (in good weather). So much beautiful scenery. Enjoy.

tassiedevil

Only good memories here:

Doubtful Sound had not featured in my planning, but after being persuaded to visit, I'll be back - marvellous views.

Also the Royal Albatross Centre near Dunedin kept us for most of a morning.

Finally, we love the 'milk run' on the Bay of Islands in the Northland.

RalphR

I'll belatedly add my 2 cents to this discussion. Have only skimmed the earlier posts so what I have to say may now be redundant. Been to the SI twice now, though I have to confess, there is still so much I have not seen. Both trips were in the winter months.

Incredible: Mt Cook. Spent an afternoon there on a crisp clear winter afternoon, doing the walk up to Kea Point. Spectacular views with the occassion boom of distant avalanches. Stayed in Twizel for the night.

Incredible: The drive to Milford Sound from Te Anau!!! Has the be one of the most beautiful drives in the world.

Incredible: Milford Sound and cruise. We had gorgeous weather. Magnificent snow covered peaks (Mitre Peak for example)jutting straight overhead from the boat. Weather permitting, winter seems like the time to visit Milford...not a lot of tourists then, none of the crowds you hear complaints about.

Incredible: The West Coast. Memories are a little faded since I did this in 1986. Particularly remember the Pancake Rocks north of Greymouth and the Fox/Franz Josef Glaciers.

I was a little disappointed with the glow worm cruise from Te Anau which left me wishing we had done Doubtful Sound instead. Unfortunately, this was not the nicest of days. And in the grand scheme of things, even the so-so things in NZ, are still very nice.

Queenstown may well deserve being overrated, being so popular and overdeveloped. However I wish we had stayed there an extra day as it was a great place to be with kids...lots to see and do. Still we managed to do the Shotover Jet boat, bungy jumping, the gondola and the luge (fun!).

mlgb

The NZ Autoclub website's "101 Must Do's" is handy. They have a photo, brief description and rating by "voters". And #1 is....A tie! Doubtful Sound, Mitre Peak/Milford Sound, and Fiordland (at 9.4 out of 10 hearts). So no help in the Doubtful vs Milford debate...

mlgb

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/101-must-d...is/gallery.php

The link to the 101 top sites in NZ

Melissa5

Fodors New Zealand 2007 Guidebook is...awfully dry reading...for such an amazing country, I must say! I'm still wading my way through the south island portion. (Yes I really did run out and buy the Fodors 2007 guidebook when I was halfway through with the 2006 guidebook.) Only reading about the south island.

I don't know what I'm gonna do as it is clear to me we need 3 weeks to properly see what we want to see but we only have 2 weeks. This is what I'm trying to fit in and will probably still have to leave something out:

Kaikoura whale-watching
Christchurch
Dunedin & nearby nature sites
Southern Scenic Route through Catlins
Invercargill overnight
Te Anau/ Doubtful Sound/ Milford road
Queenstown: 1 night stopover
West coast: glaciers & lakes & beaches

I also wanted to see Mt. Cook but it's already hard to fit everything in. Was hoping husband would agree to skip glaciers as we've seen them before but he wants to see the west coast.

I need some 3-night stays because I get stressed with too much checking in/checking out.

I was hoping reading the Fodors guidebook would clarify my plans but I still have the same dilemma/decisions.

Thanks for all your ratings of what you think is INCREDIBLE or what is OVERRATED! I love hearing why; the details of your experiences.

It's almost October and I want to start booking our February 2007 trip! Yikes!

I keep thinking the trip would flow better without Kaikoura but don't wanna give up our whales!!!!!!!!

MLGB: Thanks and I'll check out those 101 Must-do's!

Reading the fodors guidebook is clarifying one thing...no wonder you all have such different experiences of Mt. Cook/ Milford Sound/ and the glaciers...it rains or fogs up like about half the days of the year in those areas it seems!

Deadline for our decision approaching...

Melissa5

RAGOUT:
Thanks for your Kiwi's insider views! New Zealand is breath-taking...Twenty years ago when we dashed about, I remember a lotta driving, awesome visions, and friendly people. Now I can't wrestle my itinerary down into 2 weeks on the south island. It looks like the south island needs 3 weeks but we only have 2 weeks.

Also there's 2 of us to please...husband and I. That means we have to vote on what to leave out. He is high-energy and thinks we can do it all, but this is an anniversary trip, and it is about "us". I like to slow down to 3-night stays in a few places to really "absorb" a place.

I think if it was just up to me, I would skip the west coast on this trip, and fly into Christchurch; include Kaikoura with whale-watching; Fiordland with Doubtful sound and Milford road; Dunedin area with albatross and penguins; southern scenic route with Catlins; Mt. Cook. Wow even that would take more than 2 weeks!

I think having seen New Zealand 20 years ago is making the trip harder to plan, not easier. Because we both seem to want to duplicate our highlights, and we had beautiful spring weather on that first trip, so everywhere we went on the south island was wonderful. The bit we saw of the north island has faded in memory...

Thanks Ragout and everybody for sharing! I think I should plan this like I planned Ireland. I will just make a list of our #1, #2, and #3 priorities, and whatever is on the bottom of the list will just have to get lopped off...Or saved for 3rd trip?

luvtraveln

Hey there,

I just got back from an anniversary trip there a week ago. In two weeks, we flew into Auckland and drove down to Wellington, stopping along the way. Then we flew into Dunedin, took the Taieri Gorge Track and Trail to Queenstown. You got it right with just the SI. It is romantic and beautiful.

Here is our list, fresh from travel:

Incredibly interesting:
* 2 hours north of Dunedin
Morecki Boulders (make sure you arrive at the low tide to see all the boulders)
Drive a little south to have a romantic dinner at Fleurs. Ok, that is the second posting I've done that mentions their food, but, man, is it good. Make sure to go early so they still have a large variety of the day's catch available to order.

* In Dunedin, on the peninsula, check out the Nature tour (8 wheel golf cart drive) near the Royal Albatross Centre. They really respect the land and protect the fawna there. We saw some really amazing things there.

* Ok, one more really good one, the drive from Queenstown, thru Te Anau to Milford Sound. The Chasm is an amazing stop and the drive itself is beautiful.
I recommend using Eco Tours to do the driving, so you can sit back and look.

Overrated? Considering I've never been there before my trip, I really love all of NZ. It really depends on what floats your boat. I think you are savvy enough to stay away from massive tour groups, buses and all the nonsense to see all the wonderful the SI has to offer.

Most romantic?
The hotel room view from the Mercure Hotel in Queenstown. It's an older hotel, and a shuttle bus away from the town centre (which is a good thing), but waking up early to watch an unobstructed view of the sun change the colors of the Remarkables and the surrounding mountains...that made for a great memory.

While in Queenstown, an exotic flavored hot chocolate from Patagonia made our chilly walks outside, along the water's edge, really nice.

Most romantic dinner was at Fleurs. I kind of don't want to share this place, because I would hate to see it packed: ) ...but it really is a wonderful place. Ask for a table on the second floor, where it's quiet, go early, and enjoy the view and the romance.

BTW, I have to make a pitch, since your hubby is into nature:

Swimming with dolphins is not good for the dolphins. It's very detrimental.

Also, kiwi birds are shy. Yellow-eyed penguins are so scared of humans, they get heart-attacks when you get too close. They get really stressed out.

There you go. Hope it helps!
: )

mlgb

Don't worry about disclosing Fleur's: It's beem written up in Cuisine magazine (NZ version).

http://www.cuisine.co.nz/index.cfm?p...26484B3E264866

Melissa5

luvtraveln, I'm glad you had an amazing anniversary trip, and thanks for sharing your highlights with me! As to whether swimming with dolphins is detrimental to them, I really don't know enough about dolphins to say... But I am in favor generally of a good combination of protecting native flora and fauna, and also providing some public education and some opportunities for the public to enjoy the wildlife and flora and fauna to some degree...otherwise, there is nobody left to care about protecting it.

I am sure stalled on the prospect of what to leave out of my trip...we would like to buy airline tickets soon.

jhw0101

Dear Melissa5: Just came back from an 11-day trip to France and here I am planning our next trip to New Zealand in Feb. 2007 as well. So we may bump into each other, you never know.

Just so that you know, starting from Feb. 18 is the Chinese New Year, and I know New Zealand is a popular destination for a lot of Chinese vacationers, although they tend to go with tour groups to North. Just so that you are aware of that. I personally don't like tons of people anywhere. That's also the reason I am leaning towards South, even though this is my first time visit to New Zealand.

Have fun planning and we can exchange notes.

Melissa5

jhw0101, good luck to both of us with our planning! I am feeling pressured to make decisions in a shorter amount of time than I am used to...I usually like to spend a year planning an international trip, but I don't have a year this time...

I have figured out it takes 3 weeks to see the south island but we only have 2 weeks, and I'm still having trouble narrowing it down to an itinerary which will please both my husband and I for this anniversary trip...

Thanks for the info on Chinese New Year...I think we will be done with our trip by Feb 18 (that is if I ever get it booked!)

Melissa5

We are booking airline tickets this week...finally. HELP! Itinerary is ironed out EXCEPT we still can't choose between the SE coast or the SW coast of the south island!

By SE coast I mean the southern scenic route, between Dunedin and Invercargill. By SW coast I mean the nature areas around Haast. There is a wilderness lodge on Lake Moeraki that looks nice...it's in the World Heritage area on the west coast.

This is our itinerary with the SE coast included: (It would change a bit if we substitute the Haast region for the Catlins region...

2 nights: Christchurch
3 nights: Mt. Cook/Aoraki
w/ scenic flight landing on glacier
3 nights: Dunedin
w/ albatross and penguin visit
1 night: Catlins area
1 night: Invercargill
3 nights: Te Anau
w/ overnite on Doubtful sound
1 night: Queenstown
Fly home from Queenstown to LAX

Alternatively, we can either substitute the SW coast (near Haast) for the SE coast (losing Catlins area on southern scenic route...)

OR another idea is to skip Christchurch and fly into Dunedin and out of Queenstown. With this plan we might be able to squeeze in both SE and SW coast but it adds more driving and is a bit of a squeeze...

Anybody have a vote?! Why is New Zealand so hard to plan? We're booking the airfare this week. Thank you for all your help and patience!

mb54

Hi - we just returned from 2 weeks in NZ and I'm ready to go back for more of the South Island. Just to confuse your planning a little more:

- One of the best things we did was the Tranzalpine Scenic train from Christchurch to Greymouth. It arrives about 12:30. We then rented our car in GM and drove the WestCoast.
- I thought Fox Glacier township was more appealing than Franz Josef.
- We didn't stay at the Wilderness Lodge near Haast, but I'd seriously consider it if it's within your budget - what with your family biologist.
-I loved the Haast Pass to Wanaka drive and there are many short easy walks to be had just off the highway. If you're over there don't miss the Blue Pools!
- A day in Queenstown was my husband's favorite: walk thru the Gardens, Earnslaw/Walter Peak, the Shotover jetboat and dinner at Saffron in Arrowtown. I'd probably stay there rather than Queenstown.

I gotta go, my husband's bugging me to go to dinner. Good luck! MB

Melnq8

Melissa -

"why is NZ so hard to plan?"

So much to see and do, never enough time.

Melissa5

Wooo-hooo! We booked our airline tickets for New Zealand and I just booked our Doubtful Sound overnite as well! We'll be celebrating our 25th anniversary on the south island.

Now I'm getting EXCITED. Thanks everybody for putting up with my indecision. 8-)

MELNQ8:
Yeah, so much to see and not enough time...isn't that the Fodorite Motto?! Can you look at my itinerary and tell me which areas are near any Great Walks which we could just get a sample of...like a 3-hour hike?

MB54:
Glad you had a great trip! The Tranzalpine train sounds great. What was your #1 favorite highlight?

We are flying into DUNEDIN and out of QUEENSTOWN. (LAX to Auckland...) That sets the dates somewhat but I can still play with the middle now! Here's what I am thinking, any comments welcome: (These are the "bases" where we will stay to do day-trips nearby.)

Fly LAX-Auckland-Dunedin

3 nights: Dunedin (w/ Otago Peninsula)

1 night: Invercargill (skip it?)

3 or 4 nights: Te Anau (w/ Doubtful Sound overnite cruise & Milford Road)

1 night: Queenstown or nearby

3 nights: near Haast area (nature)
(Wilderness Lodge at Lake Moeraki???)

2 nights: Mt. Cook (w/ scenic flight)

1 night: near Queenstown

Fly home from Queenstown.

We have 14 nights to spend in New Zealand south island.

SCENIC ROUTES? Have I set up the itinerary to include scenic routes? Suggestions of great activities/nature walks/scenic drives in each of our "base" areas are welcome.

Melnq8

Regarding walks -

Near Te Anau -

Kepler Track - this is a multi day track, but you can walk the track for as long as you want then turn back if you don't mind backtracking:

The following taken from the DOC website -

The Kepler Track is accessed from the Lake Te Anau Control Gates, either by road or a 50 minute walk from the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre in Te Anau, or over the swingbridge across the Waiau River at Rainbow Reach, a ten minute (12 km) drive from Te Anau.

Routeburn Track - another multi day track that you can walk a section of:

From the DOC -

The Routeburn Track can be accessed by road at either the Routeburn Shelter (the starting or finishing point at the Mount Aspiring National Park end of the track), or at the Divide (the starting or finishing point at the Fiordland National Park end of the track).

Lake Moeraki - be sure to walk to Monroe Beach

Mt Cook - several walks here- can't remember the specifics - just check with your accommodation when you get there

From Glenorchy (near Queenstown) -

Routeburn Track (Mt Aspiring National Park end) - see above

Dart-Rees Track - more long tracks that you might want to walk a portion of, but a bit harder to access

From the DOC -

The Rees track begins 68 kms from Queenstown, via Glenorchy, and there is a car-park at Muddy Creek. It is possible to take four wheel drive vehicles beyond Muddy Creek, but as Muddy Creek is prone to sudden washouts which make it impassable, it is not advisable to leave vehicles for any length of time on the other side.

The Dart track begins 76 kms from Queenstown via Glenorchy. A 4x2 road extends to Chinamans Bluff, however this is a fine weather road only and subject to washouts and flooded creeks.

Invercargill - great park in the middle of town - if you drive to Bluff, there's a nice walk along the base of the bluff - will see if I can find more details.

Melissa5

MELNQ8: You're great! I knew you would know all about short walks. Thanks! I'm printing this out and starting a WALKING file. (Hey when I was younger I might have called it a HIKING file!)

I hardly know what to do next...have the airline tickets, whew, almost waited too long, there weren't a lotta seats left on our flights!!! I realize now I am usually booking our June trip in the fall, but here I am booking a trip that is only 3 months away for February! EEEk!

THANK YOU DOUBTFUL SOUND LOVERS! On your advice, I got the dates set for Doubtful Sound overnite BEFORE getting the airline tickets.

Need to book accomodations next...judging from how full our flight is, I gotta hustle! Maybe I will even post a separate question for accomodations...

I want a mix of special romantic accomodations to celebrate our anniversary, and some clean budget places to balance the budget...Anybody want to share their favorite (my itinerary is posted just above.)

GP

Hi Melissa5

We are doing a similar trip (skipping Haast and Mt Cook and adding in Able Tasman) in December. Between Dunedin and Te Anau we are staying for 2 nights in the Catlins down at Curio Bay instead of Invercargill. There are 3 houses on this link that are at Curio Bay. We have booked the Dolphin View house $ 125 NZ a night. Take a look

http://www.cottagestays.co.nz/regions/southland.htm

Have Fun
GP