nelsonian

There is a great Facebook Group called NZ Travel Tips which have lots of tips and advice. The one requirement is you have done some research before you post. It's very informative even for those that live here!!

yestravel

"You may want to look into spending more nights in Wanaka and fewer in Queenstown. Four tours I always check newzealand.com for certified companies."
I agree on spending time in Wanaka -- it was nice town.

KarenWoo

Thank you to Yestravel, mlgb and Nelsonian for your additional comments. Yestravel, I decided to add more time to Wanaka. Mlgb, will add gloves and a warm hat to my packing list. Thanks!
Nelsonian, believe it or not, I don't have a FB account! I know, that makes me weird I guess. But I have been getting excellent advice from folks on Trip Advisor. In fact, I have changed my itinerary a bit based on their advice. I still have us going clockwise from Christchurch, but I will talk to my husband about changing to counterclockwise in the hopes we will have warmer weather if we first go north and then south.

Here is my revised itinerary:
Christchurch - 1 night
Mt. Cook Village - 3 nights
Queenstown - 3 nights (Melnq8 suggested we drive from Mt. Cook to Te Anau but TA folks think that's too long of a drive for one day, so I decided to stop at Queenstown first.)
Te Anau - 2 nights
Wanaka - 3 nights
Franz Josef Glacier or Fox Glacier - 2 nights - Is Fox Glacier preferable?
Punakaiki - 1 night
Kaiteriteri - 3 nights
Picton - 2 nights
Christchurch - 1 night
And then fly home from Christchurch the next day.

Question: We plan on stopping at Kaikoura on the drive from Picton to Christchurch. If we go counterclockwise from Christchurch, that means we will arrive in Picton late. Should I then add another night to Picton (so 3 nights instead of 2 nights)? Otherwise, we will have only 1 full day in the Picton area.

Thank you!

magsrose

As I'm working my way through my trip report, I'll get to my time in Queenstown and the Milford Sound soon and will gladly share my perspective and experiences with you. That's the only part of the South Island I can speak of.

Diamantina

Snow is not common in October, but it can happen (the dreaded "polar blast"). Remember, there are no major land masses between NZ and Antarctica. The snow generally falls on mountain passes and high hills. Snow is even less likely in November. I'd say, outside of a polar blast, normally the lowest temperatures in November, depending on where you are, would be very high 40s to 50s F. Where I live, Dunedin, tends to have chilly and windy weather up through November (but we also get nice sunny days that are much warmer). Regarding a winter jacket, even if the temperatures are not that cold, the wind chill can make you feel it's colder than the actual temperature, particularly if these winds are southerlies or northeasterlies. So you really want to make sure your jacket is windproof as well. I think a winter coat would be a bit much. A lined water- and windpoof jacket with a hood, and the fleeces that you've mentioned should be fine. I would bring waterproof pants, but I often overprepare. i would definitely bring waterproof shoes or hiking boots. These would allow you to go for a walk in the rain. This being said, provided I've donned suitable clothing, the rain doesn't really bother me as much as the wind, unless it's raining heavily.

This year we are experiencing an El Niño climate pattern, which further complicates things. I don't think it is yet known if El Niño will continue into next spring.

There are two ways to get from Havelock to Picton.We found the the route along the Queen Charlotte Drive to be scenic.

KarenWoo

Diamantina, thank you for your very helpful detailed information. I always worry about having the proper clothing with me. And thanks for the tip about the Queen Charlotte Drive!

Good idea to post on my thread instead of the person's thread I hijacked.

Diamantina

I should have added the north of the South Island is much warmer than the south of the South Island. 2023 was NZ second warmest year on record and my guess is 2024 will be even warmer. Today, much of the South Island sizzled. Even here in in usually brisk Dunedin, where the mercury rose to 31C (87.8 F).