What are the things I absolutely must see on the South Island of New Zealand. I will be there for maybe around 10 days and don't want to miss anything spectacular. <BR>Thanks

You need to take a boat tour in Fiordland, either on Milford or Doubtful Sound. The former is more famous, accessible, and tourist-infested. I prefer the latter for those reasons. The drive to Milford is quite spectacular, and worthwhile, particularly if you stop to take a few walks along the way.<BR><BR>Visit Fox and/or Franz Josef glaciers. Take a guided walk out onto one of the glaciers for a great adventure.<BR><BR>Visit the town of Wanaka, and take a day-long raft trip down the Clutha River. Lots of great walks just outside of Wanaka, as well.<BR><BR>Visit the town of Oamaru, where you will be able to view penguins waddling out of the ocean and into their nests. A bit further south, stop at Moeraki Beach to gaze on the weird giant boulders strewn along the coast.<BR>Drive over Arthur's Pass, across the spine of NZ's Southern Alps.<BR><BR>On the northwest coast, stop at Punakaiki to view the spectacular Pancake Rocks, and perhaps try a little canoeing on the nearby Porarari River.<BR><BR>Drive out to the end of the Otago Peninsula, a great place to see the fiant Royal Albatrosses, as well as a nearby Yellow-eyed Penguin reserve.<BR><BR>In the town of Waikawa, you can take a boat trip off the coast to see rare Hector's dolphins.<BR><BR>Take a ferry from Bluff to Stewart Island, a remote outpost off the southern tip of the South Island. <BR><BR>Visit Queenstown, the 'thrill capital' of NZ, with incredible numbers of adventure trips, ranging from bungy-jumping to raft trips, to para-sailing, to river jet boats, etc.<BR><BR>Visit Mt. Cook, and take a walk among the valleys that lead up to this spectacular range.<BR><BR>Take a boat trip off the coast at Kaikoura, where you will probably be able to view sperm whales and Dusky dolphins.<BR>Take a water taxi along the coast at Abel Tasman National Park, then walk back along the beaches and over headlands. A great place for kayaking too.

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate the help.

Hi Frannie.<BR>Alf has given you some great advice. If I may I would like to expand on some of his information and add a little of my own.<BR>Both Alf and myself are assuming that you will have a car at your disposal.<BR>Milford or Doubtful are an absolute must. If you go to Milford make sure you leave enough time to visit the many attractions along the very scenic Milford Road. Take the Mitre Peak boat, it is smaller and it goes out passed the heads. If you decide to do Doubtful you will cross, what many consider one of our most beautiful lakes Lake Manapouri. From there you will be taken by bus underground to the huge power station. Then you will travel across the Wilmot Pass; if the weather is not foggy, a very scenic drive.<BR>Dunedin is one of my favourite cities in New Zealand. As suggested take a drive out along Portobello Road and visit some of the numerous attractions along the way. If you like gardens make sure you pay a visit to Glenfalloch Gardens. Larnach Castle is well worth a visit. Get a bite to eat at the well received '1908' Restaurant, in the small township of Portobello. The suggested visit to the Yellow Eyed Penguin Colony is also well worth it. In Dunedin itself we enjoyed visiting the well preserved Olveston House.<BR>On the way to Mount Cook National Park you will pass the beautiful Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki. From the latter you can get an absolute beautiful photo of Mount Cook. I suggest you stay one night in the national park, as often the weather is at its best first thing in the morning.<BR>Not far out of from where the road from the national park meets the main road, is the small town of Omarama. Just before you reach this town there is a sign post pointing to way to the 'Clay Cliffs'. It is a shingle road leading to these cliffs but in my opinion it is well worth the effort.<BR>If you have time visit Cromwell and more especially 'Old Cromwell' where old buildings have faithfully been re-constructed. They were saved when the valley was flooded when they built the Clyde Dam. Close-by is the Kawarau Gorge gold strike village. Although it is a tourist attraction, it is well worth visiting, as it gives a very good insight as to how the gold miners lived.<BR>From here you can travel to Queenstown.<BR>If you visit Christchurch, a trip on the Tranzalpine excursion is a must. It is considered to be amongst the top ten train journeys in the world.<BR>Well I think that is enough with what Alf and I have suggested, that should fill your 12 days easily.<BR>If you would like to read a travelogue and view phoyographs of a recent South Island trip please email at the above address.<BR>Have a great time.<BR><BR>

Hi Frannie,<BR><BR>A month ago, I did a 10 day driving holiday in the South Island. Check out my photos : http://nz2002.has.it<BR><BR>Everything on my itinerary is a must-see except for Christchurch and Dunedin. After a very exciting West Coast trip, we found Christchurch and Dunedin to be a tad boring. No offence intended !

Frannie:<BR>Alf and Richard have given you outstanding advice. Too bad Senhwei saw fit to throw cold water on their views for the sole purpose of promoting his web site. Which incidently I did visit and was not impressed by pictures of him and his friends.<BR>As a frequent visitor to the South Island I can only endorse Alf and Richards recommendations.<BR>John<BR>