My husband and I will be making our first trip to South Island in February 2008. I have been reading a few of the trip reports and the answers to some of the questions other vistiors have had and what a help it has been to plan our trip. With that being said I have came up with a trip plan and wanted some insight. We are flying in and out of Christchurch (shortest flight I could find, love to travel-hate to fly)...so here goes.

Christchurch 3 days
Blenheim 1 day
Nelson 3 days
Greymouth 2 days
Lake Moeraki 3 days
Queenstown 5 days with an overnight to Doubtful Sound
Dunedin 2 days
Lake Tekapo 3 days - Mt Cook side trip

ending up in Christchurch final 2 days.

We plan to hike, tour wineries, see as much of the "hot spots" as possible.

So is this a good plan...I doubt this will be our only trip to New Zealand except if those sandflys are as bad as some comments....

Thanks for your help.

Hi trvltyme -

Looks like a good itinerary to me. Don't forget about travel time though. For instance, the drive from Christchurch to Blenheim is 308 km, so if you're driving the same day that you're spending there (meaning one overnight) your time in Blenheim will be limited. Lots of nice wineries in Blenheim.

What are your plans for Greymouth?

RE: First Time

Blenhiem is really just a stop for the night. We thought it would take all day to get there...we tend to stop for any slight or sight reason.

Greymouth is to see the coast and find some back roads and a trail to hike or part of the beach to hike.. it would depend on how much there is to see in the area and the weather, but for two days I was thinking we could find things to do. Your thoughts...two days too many or not enough? I do want to spend 3 days at the Wilderness Lodge at Lake Moeraki, we have some friends who have stayed there and say its wonderful.

Thanks

Agree that Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge is worth as much time as you can afford - stayed there eons ago during our first trip to the SI - loved it.

Regarding Greymouth - we spent three nights there one trip. Most visitors just pass through, but we're the types who can find things to do no matter where we go. I certainly don't want to discourage you from spending time there, but personally, I'd add that extra night to Blenheim - but that's just me (and I like all that wine!).

There are some walks near Blackball, which is a short drive from Greymouth, and the Monteith Brewery tour is fun. Blackball is also known for it's salami (venison I think) and its whitebait. There's also cave rafting and gold and coal mining tours, but I don't have any firsthand experience with those.

I assume you'll pass through Punakaiki on your way to Greymouth from Nelson.

We also spent three nights in Lake Tekapo one trip. Like Greymouth, most visitors just pass through, take a look at the lake and the church and head on. There are some nice hikes in the Tekapo area though and it's a good base from which to visit Mt Cook.

You really can't go wrong no matter what you decide. NZ is a beautiful country, and as you mentioned, you'll very likely be back (our trip in March will be our 8th!).

And about those sandflies - don't fret too much - just be prepared with some repellent and you'll be fine.

Hi Melnq8,

Well as things happen we already need to make an adjustment to our schedule. We are unable to book at the Wilderness Lodge in Lake Moeraki and the night we wanted for the Doubtful Sound was unavailable...so we have changed to

2 Christchurch
2 Blenheim
3 Nelson
only 2 nights in Greymouth
added 2 nights around Fraz Josef
3 nights in Wanaka
2 Queenstown
1 Te Anau
1 Doubtful Sound
3 Dunedin
1 Mt Cook
1 Lake Tekapo
2 final in Christchurch

We will save the Wilderness Lodge for another trip and call earlier.

My husband has suggested that we wait until we get to the SI to make all the night arrangements(Hello...Wilderness Lodge is booked three months in advance) his thinking is we mill around and do what we find interesting and find a room for the night in the area we end up in...that way we are free to not make up a schedule...but I'm thinking we may not end up with a room for the night either.
Any thoughts. Is it better to go loaded with reservations or is it possible to just wing it in February.

Well, February is HIGH season and you might have school holidays to contend with as well - for details check out this site:

http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?...ocumentid=3767

Personally, I prefer to book in advance. I don't like the idea of spending precious vacation time trying to find a place to stay, but that's just me.

If you're comfortable winging it, go for it, but keep in mind some areas have limited lodging to begin with, and you may end up without a place to stay. Franz Josef, Te Anau and Mt Cook all come to mind. If these places are booked, you've got quite a drive to the next town, so you may not be able to spend time where you'd like anyway.

The Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge has a sister property on Arthur's Pass you might want to check into as an alternative, but it will mean revising your itinerary again.

www.wildernesslodge.co.nz/

I like your adjustments in order to accommodate Doubtful. Yes on reservations, especially the more popular ones like Doubtful, glacier helicoptering, etc.
The Albatross center out of Dunedin can be a phone call the afternoon before just to make sure you get a time when there are no buses.
In Te Anau, check out Campbells Auto Lodge. Clean and comfortable if a little dated. Washer/dryer avail, great view across from the lake.
Just me also, but we made pretty much all reservations before we went. Especially on the west coast, QT, etc. Driving around looking for lodging? Been there done that.

Just few suggestions :

You dont need so many days in Christchurch, its like any other metro with a few more things to do.
You do need to see what SI is really made of.
Lake Tekapo , one night is enough.
5 days is great for queenstown.
From CC drive to Kaikora , you can do whale watching, then drive to Hanmmer Springs & spend the night there. You could spend 1 - 2 nights in Franz Joseph, a few hours in Te Anu if geographically possible. They have gloworm caves there. Hokitika & Punakaiki are also scenic places. Try some of these instead of so many days in CC. It does make sense to fly in & out of CC ofcourse if you are visiting from the US.