We fly into Queenstown and intended to spend the night before driving onto Te Anau. Recommendation for a nice, but not expensive hotel?

Just got back from a 2 week holiday to South Island this morning. In Queenstown,we stayed at Oaks Shore. Nice two bedroom self contained apartment for $165 a night. Should be cheaper a one bedroom apartment, I am sure.
Good luck.

http://www.theoaksgroup.co.nz/Property.aspx?sid=7

sorry...might be helpful to give you the internet site.

We were in NZ recently and used the Bella Vista motel chain for most of our nights. Modern, clean, comfortable and not expensive - I think we paid between $110-$130 NZ per night for two. There is a Bella Vista motel in Queenstown near the gondola.

We've also stayed at the Bella Vista Motel in Queenstown. I liked that it was walking distance to town, yet in a quiet area. Our unit was a bit small, but was otherwise fine.

We've also stayed at The Lofts (years ago) and the A-Line Hotel (years ago). Both were fine and centrally located, but a bit noisy for us, due to their in-town location.

We've also stayed at Villa Del Lago, in a one bedroom apartment. It's on the outskirts of QT, about a 25 minute walk from town. Stayed there twice - really liked it.

We were recently (end December) in the South Island, and we pre-booked all our hotels, staying at Bella Vistas in Kaikoura and Christchurch, but since this was our first visit, and we had little info on the Bella Vista chain, we didn't want to "put all our eggs in one basket" by solely staying at Bella Vistas. But, that concern was unfounded -- the Bella Vista hotels are excellent, and well located if you are driving (as we were), with ample parking, great rooms, excellent bathrooms and fairly priced.

We ended up staying at the Four Seasons MOTEL (not part of the Four Seasons hotel chain) in Queenstown, and I'd put in on par with the Bella Vistas, but either are fine and well located if you are driving.

Michael