Hi, everyone. I am currently researching for a trip to NZ for 2 weeks in December over Christmas period. I will be travelling with my husband. We are looking for beautiful scenery, good food and nice atmosphere (and, if possible, penguins!).

I am at the initial stage of my research and have a few questions:
1. Do we have to book anything in advance because it's probably high season (e.g. Alpine Train tickets between CC and Greymouth; a car; B&Bs, etc)?

2. We have to fly through Auckland to get to the South Island, so, it makes sense to spend a few days in the North Island? If so, how should we divide our time between the North Island and the South Island for a period of 16 nights (I know it's not enough to see a lot!)?

We will be happy to hear any other suggestions/comments. Thanks.

Hi Selinalei

Glad to see you have changed your plans from a white Christmas to a warm one.

If you are to spend a few days in the North Island you may wish to stick to the East Coast at that time of year. The Pohutukawa will be in bloom and look magnificent. Plus the weather is usually better there. If you were to take three days to drive down as far as Gisborne that would give you a good feel for the North Island.

You could then fly down to Christchurch pick up a rental and still have enough time to do the circle tour of the South Island.

Penguins can be found right round New Zealands coastline though they seem more prevalent in the South Canterbury/Otago/Southland regions.

Best spot being the Otago peninsula.

New Zealanders are a fairly friendly bunch so you should have no trouble their. People here tend to be reasonably relaxed and appreciate guests who are similarly inclined.

Good food can generally be found in most locations. Follow the guidance of locals who will usually put you right. New Zealand wines particularly the Whites are very good. BGest regions for tasting in the South Island being Marlborough and around Queenstown.

Hope some of this helps with the planning.

Refer to the NZ official tourism site Purenz (Search in Yahoo on purenz) this site will help with some of the planning.

Cheers

Steve

As far as booking is concerned. If you could have booked yesterday I would recommend it.

Chritmas holidays are by far the biggest holidays here. A lot of businesses close at this time so a lot of locals are holidaying as well.

Steve,

Are you the same Steve that suggested me to go to Ortisei (I have kept that in mind for future reference)?

Anyway, I was laughing when I saw your comment about my white Christmas! It's true that our plan has been changed. NZ has always been a place that we wanted to go and we just thought that this December would actually be a good and convenient time for us to be there (we actually postpone our white Christmas to next year due to other plans for the coming year).

I am thinking of doing the classic circle tour in the SI, starting and ending in CC. I am wondering what will be some of those places where we could stop and overnight in order to break up the trip. Any recommendations for B&Bs in such places?

Also, what kind of cost can we expect for a car for around 10 days in the SI?

Does it matter whether we do NI or SI first?

Hi there

No I am not the same Steve that offered you advice previously. There are so many of us in this board though, very popular name.

As far as your latest questions are concerned I can only answer in a limited way. When we go down to the South Island we have stayed either with friends, camped or in a motel. There was one B&B we stayed at in Blenheim and for the life of me I cannot remember the name. It is a great pity because the place was brilliant. It was an old farm cottage with quince trees outside.

It was not far from Blenheim itself which is a great location especially around Christmas as the cherry season is on then with some beautiful fresh cherries available. The area is also famous for its wines, definately worth a tasting tour.

Try this link for a list of New Zealand B&B's

http://www.selections.co.nz/

Car rentals. The usual suspects abound Budget, Avis, Hertz etc. One you could try though is Apex as it is slightly cheaper.

The cars they rent out are not new. Generally they are about 5 years old. But they are well maintained, not rent-a-wreck quality.

I attach below their web address
http://www.apexrentals.co.nz/

Prices start at NZD45 a day for what you may know as a subcompact.

Half way through this post I had a brainwave and now I havefound the website for the Blenheim B&B we staed at:

http://www.cranbrook.co.nz/cottage.htm


As far as which Island first that is entirely your call. You can fly direct to the SI on Air NZ from LA, Australia, Singapore and Japan. So you could always start there and then head up to the North Island.

Must sees? Well I think that following will appeal to you. Queenstown/Wanaka
Dunedin/Otago Peninsula
Blenheim/Nelson
The glaciers on the West Coast

Ask away regarding these areas if you want any elaboration on them.

Happy planning

Steve

Thanks so much for your info, Steve.

I will have a look at the websites and the B&B you recommeded although I am not sure if we will have time to cover that area.

By the way, has anyone tried the helicopter ride over the Glaciers? How much does it cost and does it pay?