My wife and I are hitting New Zealand at the end of July and into the first week of August. There is a bunch I want to see on the South Island but am afraid of the weather. Are any major roads or sights closed? Or just not worth a look at this time of year? Any help would be awesome!!
Thanks.

Hi Travelbug -

We've visited the SI several times in August/September - we enjoy going that time of year, but we're not bothered by cold weather.

Having said that, we've had some beautiful weather during these months as well.

You'll no doubt run into some closures, mostly walking tracks that have bridges which have been removed for the winter. It's still possible to do plenty of walking, but multi day walks might present some issues so you'd do well to research before hand. This site lists the current status of all walking tracks:

http://www.doc.govt.nz/index.html

You shouldn't have any problems with major roads or sites being closed however.

The road from Te Anau to Milford does close occasionally during the winter due to heavy snow and avalanche danger, but road crews do their best to keep it open. I believe you're required to carry chains in your car on this road during the winter and sometimes the road closes around 4 pm so they can set off avalanches, then clear and re-open the road.

IMO NZ is very much worth a visit during the winter months. Just be prepared for wet and chilly conditions and be flexible.

Thanks so much for the info. I'm glad to hear that winter is still a great time to visit. Since you've done it during winter, can I ask your opinion on how you'd allocate 11 full days of New Zealand travel? I would love any tips from someone who's done it that time of year.
Thanks a ton,

TB

Well, let's see...

First time visitors to the SI are usually most interested in hitting the highlights. By that I mean the Tranzapline train from CH to Greymouth, whale watching in Kaikoura, the glaciers of the west coast, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Mt Cook, and to a lesser extent the attractions of Dunedin.

Fitting all of this into 11 days is a bit of a challenge, and I wouldn't suggest you do so, unless you're not bothered by spending alot of time in the car.

Assuming you begin in CH and assuming you want to see the above, I'd suggest something like this:

Begin in CH - maybe spend a day/night there to recover from jetlag and see the local sites

Drive CH to Kaikoura via SH 1 (In 6 trips to the SI I have yet to spend more than an afternoon in Kaikoura, but many people spend a night here for the whale watching trips and it is very scenic)

From Kaikoura there's a very pretty back road (name not shown on map) that joins 70 at Rotherham and then 7 to Lewis Pass. This is a very scenic drive and will get you over the pass and headed towards Greymouth and the West Coast.

You might want to take the short side trip to Hanmer Springs to visit the thermal pools, or even spend a night here, depending on your interests.

Once over Lewis Pass, you can either continue on 7 towards Greymouth, or pick up 69 then 6 towards Westport. Regardless of the route you choose, you should make a point of stopping at Punakaiki (pancake rocks) to see the rock formations.

You're now on the west coast, and might want to stay overnight in Westport, Greymouth or Hokitika before heading down to the glaciers.

While I think the glaciers are worth at least two nights, some visitors just stop long enough to walk to the terminal face of one or both then continue on their way. If you're interested in taking a helihike, a guided glacier hike or just want to do some independent walking in the area, I'd suggest you allow about two nights here - this gives you a little flexibiily if the weather is bad (which it often is on the west coast).

From the glaciers you can continue south towards Wanaka and Queenstown.

From QT you can easily reach Glenorchy, gateway to several great walking tracks as well as the Dart River safari.

From QT you can also reach Te Anau and Milford Sound. There are buses that take visitors from QT to Milford Sound for a day cruise and back in one day. This is a looong day, but it can be done. You can also drive yourself, but you'll want to leave very early. Because it's winter and weather is a factor, you might want to spend a night in Te Anau, then head to the sound the next day (assuming you're interested in Milford Sound).

If you're a wine drinker, you'll enjoy the many wineries around QT, Wanaka and Cromwell. There's alot to do in QT and on every one of our trips we allow 3-4 nights here, but that will depend on your interests.

You'll notice I haven't even touched on Mt. Cook or Lake Tekapo for that matter, but I think we're out of time already!

You can fly from QT back to CH to connect with your international flight and prevent having to drive back to CH.

If you're not set on seeing the above sites, you might consider limiting yourself to the north part of the SI. This is my personal favorite, and there's plenty up there to keep you busy. Abel Tasman, Nelson, Takaka, Collingwood, Marlborough Sounds, Banks Peninsula, wineries, great hiking tracks etc. And for what it's worth, the weather in the north SI tends to be a bit nicer than down south, which might be a consideration in the winter.

Don't know if this helps, but maybe it will get you started. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if I can be of more help.

Have a great trip!

As if that post wasn't long enough, I forgot the following:

Here's a link that shows driving time/distances between towns in NZ:

http://www.accommodationz.co.nz/distances2.html

I use this link when planning our trips and I've found it pretty accurate.

Here are our itineries from our trips to NZ which may or may not be helpful:

1. 14 nights

Christchurch – 1 night
Nelson – 2 nights
Frans Josef (homestay) – 2 nights
Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge – 1 night
Te Anau – 2 nights
Queenstown – 2 nights
Mt Cook – 2 nights
Christchurch – 2 nights

2. 23 nights - South and North Islands

Christchurch – 1 night
Westport – 1 night
Franz Josef – 2 nights
Queenstown – 3 nights
Dunedin – 4 nights
Wellington – 1 night
Napier – 2 nights
Rotorua – 2 nights
Waitomo - 2 nights
Whitianga – 2 nights
Whangarei – 3 nights

3. 19 nights

Christchurch – 1 night
Blenheim – 3 nights
Greymouth – 3 nights
Franz Josef – 3 nights
Queenstown – 3 nights
Invercargill – 3 nights
Dunedin – 3 nights

4. 16 nights

Hanmer Springs – 3 nights
Motueka – 3 nights
Blenheim – 3 nights
Fox Glacier – 3 nights
Queenstown – 4 nights

5. 28 nights

Hamner Springs – 3 nights
Marlborough Sounds – 3 nights
Takaka – 3 nights
Mouteka – 3 nights
Karamea – 3 nights
Banks Peninsula – Duvauchelle – 3 nights
Lake Tekapo – 3 nights
Te Anau – 3 nights
Queenstown – 4 nights

6. 21 nights

Oamaru – 1 night
Invercargill – 1 night
Stewart Island – 3 nights
Queenstown – 3 nights
Franz Josef – 3 nights
Takaka – 3 nights
Mapua – 3 nights
Marlborough Sounds – 3 nights
Hanmer Springs – 1 night

As you can tell, we like NZ!

Hi Melnq8. You are awesome!!!!!
Thanks so much for all the great suggestions. You really do love NZ!This had got to be one of the hardest trips I've planned.
It really stinks that I can't squeeze more time in. Just getting there eats up two travel days and a day wasted coming back to California. Yuck.
I will start playing with your ideas and see how to schedule it out.
With 11 days total, it's sooooo hard.
So you suggest a trip from CH straight up to Kaikoura? How is the whale watching in late July/early August?
Is it worth a trip up there?

If you had to list your personal all time favorite sights of both North and South Island, what would they be?

Picture taking a couple who have never been and will probably never get back. And you only have 11 days!

Thanks again, this helps a ton!

It takes about 2.5 hours to drive from CH to Kaikoura. It's a very pretty drive and a nice little town, but like I said earlier, I've never spent much time there. There's a winery near Kaikoura I've wanted to visit, but haven't made it yet - maybe next time. You can sometimes see seals basking on the rocks along the road to Kaikoura too.

If you arrive in CH early in the day and don't want to spend time in CH, I'd suggest heading straight to Kaikoura and perhaps spending your first night there.

Just keep in mind that you're going to be tired and you'll be driving on the left. If you're completely knackered, you'd do better to rest up in CH first.

Here's the site for the whale watching:

www.whalewatch.com.nz

As far as I know, it operates all year. Suggest you contact the operator to see if July/Aug is a good time for whale watching.

If you do decide to stay in CH and you plan well, you might be able to squeeze in a whale watching trip in Kaikoura the following day, then continue your drive without spending the night in Kaikoura - this will of course depend on the whale watching schedule and you'll probably want to book ahead.

I suggested Kaikoura because taking that route is a good way to get over to the West Coast. It's also very scenic and very much worth the drive even if you don't stop for the whale watching excursion.

If Kaikoura doesn't interest you, you can always take Arthurs Pass from CH and head right to Greymouth then down the west coast. Another gorgeous drive. If the drive seems too daunting (it is for some, although I'm not really sure why), you might consider taking the Tranzapline train from CH to Greymouth and picking up your rental car there.

Driving south from CH along the east coast is NOT a route I would suggest. It's just not that scenic and you can spend your drive time better elsewhere.

Let me think about my personal all time favorites and get back to you. So many to choose from!

Okay here goes...

I've only been to the NI once, long before I began keeping copious travel notes, so take this with a grain of salt. As I recall, my favorite areas on the NI were the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel Peninsula. Rotorua didn't do much for me, but perhaps that's because I've been to Yellowstone so many times, who knows.

As for the SI, it's harder for me to choose. I really like the north end of the SI - I love Queen Charlotte Drive between Havelock and Picton - spectacular drive. I can't seem to get enough of the Marlborough Sounds.

I'm particulary fond of Ruby Bay, between Nelson and Motueka, and I really like the Golden Bay area, north of Motueka. I also like the area around Kaiteriteri (near Abel Tasman).

All time favorite activities:

Helihike on Fox Glacier
Dart River Safari in Glenorchy
Farewell Spit Nature Tour - Collingwood

Melnq8, you are the bomb. I'm really going to try to work these suggestions in. I will check out the whale watching schedule and see what's active this time of year. If there's not much of it, would you still suggest heading up that way? Or would you take the Arthur's Pass to Greymouth instead? And I'm still stuck on whether to take the train or drive it if we do go that route.
Thanks again. I think I moved two steps closer!

Yes, I'd still suggest going via Kaikoura as the scenery is well worth it. If time is short though, you'll save a day by going directly to the west coast via Arthurs Pass to Greymouth.

We took the TranzAlpine (round trip) on our first visit and enjoyed it, but
I'd suggest you only take it one way.

We've since driven the pass several times and I prefer the drive to the train, but I'm glad we took the train the first time - it was a good introduction to the area.

A caveat regarding my personal favorites listed above. These are areas I discovered after several trips to NZ. They're not what one would consider first timer "must sees". My favorites may not be your favorites, so proceed with caution. Most first time visitors head towards the West Coast, Queenstown, and Milford Sound.

Because you only have 11 days I strongly suggest you limit yourself to ONE island. There's just no way you can do both islands justice in so short a time. Believe me, I understand the desire to squeeze in as much as possible, but I think you'll have a much more enjoyable trip if you limit your options and concentrate on a smaller area. There's just so much to see and do in NZ that it would be a shame to rush.

We've only been to NZ once, and spent all our time on the North Island.

Our favorite activities were dolphin swimming in Whakatane, the Mai Ora concert and hangi in Rotorua, Te Papa Museum in Wellington, and black water rafting in Waitomo. The link I posted in another post has pictures and descriptions of all these activities.

Just driving around looking at the scenery was great as well.

Mr. Pickle really enjoyed the two mornings he got up early and explored Rotorua and Wellington; he took the camera and had a lot of fun.

Lee Ann

Okay, got a little further today. Mel, you menioned possibly taking the Lewis Pass route to get from the east coast to west coast. Is this road more spectacular than Arthur's pass?

Arthur's Pass would no doubt win in the more spectacular category. It's steeper and has more relief than Lewis Pass. I suggested taking Lewis Pass as it's a good way to get from Kaikoura to the West Coast, but if you're not going to Kaikoura, you'd definitely be better off going from CH to Greymouth via Arthur's Pass.

These sites might help you decide:

http://www.westcoast.org.nz/tourism/...ion/lewis.html

http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/001~N...Park/index.asp