Would love your thoughts. Hubby and I are early 30s. We're from CA, traveled extensively. Plz share if there's any sites that should be nixed or if we should space our time differently?)

Can do 15 days in NZ or 18 days:

2/3 SYD fly CCH (11:30PM flt, Onight CCH)

2/4 CCH fly NELSON (11:15a, rent car)
Onight in Motueka or Abel?

2/5-2/7-- 3 days/2nights @ Abel Tasman
2/8---Drive to Hokitika (only to break up the distance, really just want to get to Fox Glacier)Onight Hokitika
2/9 Drive Ho to Fox, onight fox
2/10 Hike fox, onight fox
2/11 Drive fox to lake matheson, drive wanaka, onight wanaka (or do we proceed to QTown?)
2/12 Drive wanaka to QT, onight QT
2/13 Onight QT (bungee,luge,gondola)
2/14 Onight QT
2/15 Drive QT to TeAnau, onight TA
2/16 Drive TA to Milford Sound, day cruise, onight TA
2/17 Drive TA to QT, fly QT to CCH
2/18 Day in CCH
2/19 Day in CCH
2/20 fly CCH out to SYD, SYD to SFO

1) We are BIG on beaches. Is the WCoast drive worth it? Would like to get rid of the so much driving -- but we definitely want to do Abel, Fox, Milford and don't know how to avoid the coast drive?

2) is it better to do this itinerary in reverse? we'd fly into CCH, but instead of connecting to Nelson, we'd connect to Queenstown. Start from btm of island to top, rather than top to btm. Any advtg or diff in this?

4) should i allocate only 1 day to CCH? not big on art, churches.

Beaches on the West Coast are not nice beaches. But the drive is very beautiful (in a wet rainforest type of way). I still enjoyed the drive and you won't come across that much traffic (we were there in low season and met 4 cars in 2 hours). Stop at the Pancake Rocks, drive through Greymouth (keep driving - my husband grew up there!?!).

If you want to do Abel Tasman and Fiordland you can't really avoid the long drive.

It doesn't matter which way around, however I would go with what you have now as IMHO the highlight is Fiordland.

1 day is fine in Chch especially as you will have been in Sydney. It is a really nice town but you don't come to NZ for the cities.

Just remember the CHCH - Nelson flight will be in a small plane - ATR or SAAB.

And NZ will feel a lot colder after Australia - but it will still be fairly warm. It can be cold in Milford at any time so take a sweater as well as insect replellant and sunscreen just in case.

hi Wilees,
thanks for the help, esp re: the beaches. We'll be at Jervis Bay and GBR in OZ (5 days)..do u think Abel is worth the 2n/3days, should we pass? I have it on our trip cuz we are big beach lovers. But i don't want to go all that way and find it's like a CA(where i'm from) beach. Some advise we skip it and take the tranzalpine from CCH, and do the pancake rocks-glacier-southbound drive.

Personally, I very much consider Abel Tasman "worth it", especially if you enjoy walking or kayaking. I love the north part of the SI.

Abel Tasman is situated along sheltered waters - it's not up against a roaring ocean like you'd find in CA.

Three quarters of Abel Tasman is forested and the park is mountainous with small islands and crescent shaped bays along the coastline.

Just beware of those pesky sandflies.

The drive along the West Coast is beautiful and unlike anything you'll find in CA. Here the rainforest meets the sea. The NZ rainforest can be quite chilly and it's completely free of snakes!

I live in California. The Abel Tasman beaches do not look like CA beaches. Dark gold colored sand, coves with turquoise water and a large tidal range. Check out some photos online!

West Coast beaches have the sandfly hazard. Not so much at Abel Tasman, but you still need to wear but repellent.