I just booked our flights for our 25th anniversary trip to New Zealand south island for first half of February 2007! >< Weeeeeeeee!

Now I need to book romantic accomodations for our 14 blissful nights in gorgeous New Zealand. Suggestions welcome...we like a mix of places, from luxury to budget... We prefer locally-owned places, with a flavor of New Zealand...

Here is our itinerary. We like to stay in one place for 3 nights and do day-trips from there. Need romantic accomodations as our "base" to explore the surrounding area...

Fly LAX to Auckland to Dunedin

3 nights: Dunedin/ Otago Peninsula

1 night: Invercargill (skip this??)

3 or 4 nights: Te Anau (includes overnight boat trip on Doubtful Sound)

1 night: Queenstown

3 nights: Haast area, west coast (or nearby)

2 nights: Mt. Cook (Hermitage or nearby?)

1 night: Queenstown or Wanaka area

Fly home from Queenstown

I'd love suggestions! Can't change the airline tickets, and the Doubtful Sound Overnite is booked. The rest can be juggled if necessary.

We love nature,scenic drives, walks (up to 3 hours), native flora and fauna. Husband is a biologist and I am a poetic dreamer...We're both looking for inspiration!

We especially love accomodations where you can meet the friendly local hosts, or where you can meet interesting guests, yet still have your privacy in your room...

To balance the budget, I will need to book some nice budget places in some spots, but will consider luxury places for other spots...

Thank you!

Friends of mine stayed here on their honeymoon and loved it (they had spent time tramping as well though, so probably really appreciated it)

http://www.kinlochlodge.co.nz/index.htm

it's very close to the greenstone caples and routeburn tracks, so if you're interested in doing any of those, it would be a good base for this as well.

LANCEFAN:
Thanks for the tip, I'll check out the link!

MT. COOK OPTIONS:
I just finished looking at my options up at Mt. Cook, and I'm disappointed. The Hermitage is only appealing to me if I choose the rooms with the great views...which are $800 NZ per night...whew! Too much. They do have cheaper rooms, but without the great views... If the mountain is fogged in you would just end up with a very expensive window!!!

Looked at the web-site for a new hotel up there, the Aoraki/Mt. Cook Alpine Lodge, but can't tell much from their web-site. There is one review for it on tripadvisor.com, but I think the reviewer has it mixed up with the Hermitage hotel...oh well...

About Invercargill, I don't see the reason to stop there unless you are going on the Southern Scenic Route.

Are you sure you want to stay in Te Anau for 3-4 nights?

Near Haast, we loved Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki.
http://www.wildernesslodge.co.nz/lakemoeraki/index.html. Needs 2 nights.

JED:
Thanks for the reply! What did you love about Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki? I am thinking of e-mailing them!

About Invercargill, my husband is a herpetologist and would like to stop by and see the herps...plus we are interested in the southern scenic route and might see a bit of it by staying in Invercargill. But this is still an optional stop at this stage.

Why are we thinking of staying in Te Anau for 3-4 nights? Because we have an overnight on the Doubtful Sound booked, which takes up 1 whole night...and because we would like to take some walks on the Milford road scenic stops...and because I am thinking I won't sleep on the boat much, so I might want to sleep in Te Anau after getting off the boat...and because there is a slight chance we might want to sign up for this tour which includes a short walk on the Milford Track. (Without signing up for the tour, you have to commit to a 4-day hike on the Milford Track..too much for me!) As you probably know, it's a 1-way track...you can't back-track. It's the whole way or nothing.

herps?

Henry the herp! Your husband should write ahead and ask to meet Lindsay Hazley, the tuatara curator.

I do know that the black cat at Hulmes has the run of Hulmes I, I suspect they are unable to keep him out of Hulmes II. Sorry, I don't know the other two B&Bs but the Claremont looks nice (and $$$). Not so sure about the location of the second, looks like it might be next to the motorway.

Melissa - About Wilderness Lodge - from my report

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34602230

"Part 4 - The other Garden of Eden

We then headed south to Lake Morecki where we checked into Wilderness Lodge (9). It was a beautiful place in a beautiful setting. We had reserved lodge rooms, but were given garden rooms which were significantly larger and very attractive. The only problem was that they were not sound-proof (which seemed to common in NZ). We went on a guided walk through a primeval forest for an hour. Dinner was delicious. It had started raining heavily, and by the next morning had rained 4".

Next AM, another short guided walk, followed by a long self-guided walk to gorgeous Monro Beach (9), with rocky outcropings and crashing waves, all guarded by armies of mosquitoes. We had gotten a box lunch from WLLM ($20), but carried them back to a picnic bench near the lodge where the setting was idyllic. Arline said that the place was magic. We were exhilaratingly exhausted.

At 9PM, a large group went on a guided walk in the middle of route 6 highway in the dark to see the glowworms along the road and to see the southern cross, a brilliant full moon, and Jupiter.

Next morning a short guided walk to feed the large eels which lived along the bank of Lake Morecki. There was a fleeting view of a brilliant double rainbow."

Te Anau is a great place to stay for several nights. And if you would like a wonderful little cottage/B&B I recommend The Croft. The Blue cottage is charming and comfortable and (I think) very romantic. The couple who owns the place are very nice and will make your stay everything you could hope for. It is on a small sheep farm and you can even meet their pet sheep. Check out their website at:
www.thecroft.co.nz
It is so quiet and beautiful at night. They have a little sitting area in the cabin and will bring your breakfast to you there or you can have it in their house which is right next door(but not visible from your porch). There is also a refrigerator and Jane puts little homebaked goodies in the room as treats.

I would recommenda staying in Invercargill (or somewhere along the Southern Scenic route) just because that will give you more time to poke your way along. Go to the southernmost point (Slope Point) and Waipapa Beach (we saw three sea lion's arguing there). We actually drove all the way down through Invercargill to Bluff to have lunch the day we were heading through. Great oysters.

I'll try to remember to look at home for the name of a lodge in Wanaka that might be a good choice. We met one of the owners at a hotel in Fox Glacier. She was heading up to the North Island to visit her sister and checking out other lodges on her way. We had a great time talking with her and liked the sounds of her lodge but didn't have a chance to get there.

At any rate, I can't think of a better place for a 25th anniversary. We went to the South Island in the winter (July) and want to go back in the summer. Since it was our 15th this last year when we went maybe we can plan on a return trip for our 25th.

I booked 3 nights at the Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki...looks perfect for an anniversary celebration with my biologist husband!

HERPETOLOGY:

MELNQ8: Sure, my husband calls snakes and lizards "herps"! Also he and his fellow herpers say they are going "herping". That means finding reptiles in their native habitat, admiring them, taking a photo, and then swapping stories with fellow herpers.

Also delightful to them is going night-driving. That means driving out to someplace in the countryside where snakes like to lie on the road in the evening/night (to get warm?)...so they drive along, come to a screeching halt, race out of the car, and identify a snake in the road (sometimes alive, sometimes squished hours ago by a car...) That's life with a herpetologist/biologist! If the snake is still alive they chase it off the road so it might survive.

INVERCARGILL:

MLGB: So yes my husband would like to stop by Invercargill to chat with the tuatara curator, though the main purpose of the trip is to celebrate our anniversary. We have a photo of my husband over 20 years ago holding a tuatara. (Not me!) Thanks for your help with accomodations.

We may not stay in Invercargill...might just stop there enroute.

LAKE MOERAKI:

JED: I'm excited about the Wildnerness Lodge Lake Moeraki, as I think we will both enjoy it together! It has a nice combination of things that we both enjoy. He would be happy in a tent in the wilderness. I like my nature with a little pampering. So this way we can share a special time for our anniversary! Thanks for sharing from your trip report. Gotta remember to bring some DEET.

TE ANAU:

JCASALE: I contacted The Croft but they were full. I got back a very friendly e-mail from the owner. Sounds like a great place! I did book at Campbell Autolodge in Te Anau. www.cal.co.nz It's right next to the lake, the owner is nice, the price is good, we can also do laundry there. The rooms have views of the lake.

Since we're spending a lot on the Doubtful Sound overnite tour, I wanted a nice comfortable place in Te Anau for a good price. I think having the lake view from Campbell's will be romantic. The rooms even have kitchens. It's in the brand new Rough Guide to New Zealand 2006. Great book, it's very well organized. (Yes I have my Fodors guidebook too!)

WANAKA AND QUEENSTOWN:

We also need a room at either Queenstown or Wanaka, or maybe both. If anybody knows a romantic place? I especially like romantic places with a good cooked breakfast.

DUNEDIN:
Has anybody stayed at The Brothers, a boutique hotel in Dunedin? www.brothershotel.co.nz It's been recently converted from a 1920's residence apparently. Also from the Rough Guide 2006 guidebook. Fletcher Lodge and Lisburn house were full for my dates.

MOUNT COOK:

Not much competition up there on Mt. Cook! Hermitage owns most of everything. Reviews seem to say they are overpriced for what you get. I'm trying to book with a new one, independently owned, the Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Lodge. They only have 1 of my 2 nights I was hoping for. Not sure what to do with the other night...

Anybody trying to book rooms for February 2007 better get going! Things are booking up everywhere in NZ!

Thanks for any more suggestions you might have.

Hi Melissa5,
Sorry that The Croft was booked. With only two cabins, I suspect they do fill up. But I remember seeing the Campbell Autolodge and it seemed like it would be a good option.

In Wanaka, the place that I had mentioned is the Mountain Lodge. We met one of the co-owners (Melanie Laaper) in Fox Glacier when we were the only occupants at the Te Weheka Inn. I don't know if she would remember us, but you could tell her that Bill and Jenni (the Americans she had dinner with in Fox Glacier) suggested her place to you. It comes highly recommended in Frommer's and Melanie seemed like the kind of person who would make sure her guests had a good experience. Breakfast is included with the room. The website is www.mountainrange.co.nz

I'll be interested to read about how you liked the overnight on Doubtful Sound. That is on my list of things to do when we go back there.

Oops - I meant Mountain Range, not Mountain Lodge. At least I got the website right !

jcasale, thanks for your continued interest and help in planning! The trip is coming together. I booked 3 nights in Te Anau with also 1 night on the Doubtful Sound overnight cruise... Can't wait! Staying at Campbell Autolodge. We want enough time in the area to do walks from the Milford Road as well.

I have all the accomodations booked except for I need 2 nights somewhere between Te Anau and Mt. Cook. Having trouble choosing between Queenstown, Glenorchy, and Wanaka. Glenorchy looks really appealing, more out there in nature...but it's also a longer drive from Glenorchy to Mt. Cook! Decisions, decisions... :-?

I welcome anybody's suggestion for romantic drives, restaurants, or sites to visit on south island, New Zealand. We're driving from Dunedin to Te Anau to Queenstown/Glenorchy/Wanaka (one of those 3 choices!) to Mt. Cook to Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki (near Haast) to Queenstown. Many thanks!

We just returned from our 7th trip to NZ (an early 30th anniversary). In Queenstown we stayed at the Novotel Gardens right on the lake and loved it. Define your "romantic." We got a downstairs (trees don't block on ground level as you look "under" the trees) waterfront room and could sit outside or inside (we hit rain and snow in October!) and enjoy the sights and sounds of the water - beautiful at night! Because it's at lake level you have an easy walk to everywhere - it's a block from downtown and close to the Earnslaw and other activities. We really enjoyed a wine/cheese tour, too. Just enjoy whatever you do.

LouUS: Novotel Gardens on the lake sounds nice. Happy 30th anniversary! Define "romantic"? Let's see...pleasant surroundings that help a couple to experience a memorable time together. (Also, advice to husbands: being "romantic" really means being very thoughtful.)

We like star-gazing away from the city lights...a long stroll in a scenic spot with time to chat...hearing the sounds of water or frogs through the window in the dark...accomodations where the hosts have added a special touch to make your stay memorable...Example, Hotel Hana Maui had hand-made soaps that smelled glorious...and they gave us enough to take some home. Let's see...a balcony or patio with your room where you can sit at evening or early morning...The view of the hills of Tuscany from our window in Siena, Italy...

And the most romantic of all, one night in Belgium where we arrived to find our hotel where we had a reservation was dark and closed and totally deserted...therefore in the dark we had to drive into town and find any old place...(we were young with no guidebooks and this was before internet travel forums)...we randomly selected a place which turned out to be such a bad place it made us laugh...the bed was so lumpy it looked like it came out of a cartoon...the bathroom down the hall had one dirty hand towel hanging up with a hole in it...the phone outside didn't work...All we had was each other!