Two Weeks in March in South Island
 

My husband and I are planning our first trip to New Zealand and seeking your guidance.
We are active seniors, one of us 64 and the other 69 who enjoy hiking, wildlife, scenery and favor the mountains over the beaches. We tend to stay away from museums, wineries, and cities overall. We prefer bed and breakfasts or non-chain comfortable motels.

We have some flexibility, but we are thinking of 14 days in March and want to avoid the Easter crowds. Should we travel within the first two weeks of March or are we fine going later into March? Will we need reservations long in advance or can we book as we go along.

Please shed light on my thoughts for an itinerary. I have yet to book flights, but I’m guessing that we will be flying from the US to Auckland and then on to Christchurch.

Day 1 - Christchurch, explore and work off jetlag – spend night
Day 2 – Go to Kaikoura - probably no whaling trip since too prone to seasickness, but want to see the coastline here as well as the wildlife. Stay overnight in Kairkoura or return to Christchurch?
Day 3 – Take Arthur’s Pass over and try to time Punakaiki for best tide times. Not sure where to stay.
Day 4 – Stop over Franz Josef or Fox – probably not do a guided hike, overnight location?
Day 5 – 6 Wanaka (two nights)
Day 7-8 Te Anau (two nights) Milford Sound boat trip and hiking
Day 9 – 10 Queenstown (two nights) possibly stay in Glenorchy – Day hike Routeburn, possibly a jetboat ride
Day 11 – 12 Mt. Cook (two nights)
Day 13 – overnight Oamaru
Day 14 – return rental car to Christchurch and make return trip to Auckland and US

It appeals to me to not reserve lodging ahead of time, making the most of good weather when we find it, and allowing our bodies to recoup when we need it to. But then I also like knowing that I have a good place to sleep at night.

Are we on the right track or is this overly ambitious?

Warbirds over Wanaka is from the 25th to 28th of March. So everything in Wanaka, Queenstown, and Cromwell will be booked up. So plan your trip to be well out of the area before then.

Kaikoura is a long way to go for a day trip and Kaikoura to Punakaiki is a long drive. Since you aren't going on a whale-watching trip, I think the payoff is low compared to the effort involved. Oamaru wouldn't be on my must-see places and the drive between Oamaru to Christchurch is considered the least scenic in the country.

Have you considered a couple of nights in Dunedin? With a full day there, you could venture out to the peninsula and have opportunities to see wildlife. If you rejig your itinerary a bit, you could avoid the boring east side drive up to Christchurch and travel Lindis Pass, which IS scenic, in my opinion.

This is what I would do:

Day 1 - Arr Christchurch
Day 2 - Drive to Punakaiki
Day 3 - Drive to Fox Glacier
Day 4 - Drive to Wanaka (2)
Day 5 - explore
Day 6 - Drive to Dunedin (2)
Day 7 - explore
Day 8 - Drive to Te Anau (2)
Day 9 - Milford Sound day trip
Day 10 - Drive to Queenstown (2)
Day 11 - explore
Day 12 - Drive (Lindis Pass) to Mount Cook (2)
Day 13 - explore
Day 14 - Drive to Christchurch, fly out

Do be aware that when coming from the USA, you cross the dateline. So you leave on Day 1 and arrive on Day 3. The good news is that when returning, you arrive the same day you depart.

Any interest in multi-day hikes?

We did a great 2-day self-guided hike at Kaikoura called the Kaikoura Coast Track. One of the great things about this walk is that you overnight on farms and get to meet and eat with the farm owners.
http://kaikouratrack.co.nz/

A couple years later we went back and did the guided Hollyford Track. We aren't fans of group walks (and we did go off on our own sometimes), but the guides and the staff at the lodges were amazing!
http://www.hollyfordtrack.com/

The scenery on both walks was out-of-this world!

Thank you for your responses.

I hadn't explored Dunedin, but just now reading about all the wildlife around the Otago Peninsula, that does sound like a great destination to consider.

I don't think multiday walks are for us. I usually need a day to recoup after a lengthy hike.

Do you think that it would be best to go ahead and book our lodging ahead of time?

I always think it's best to book lodging ahead of time. You might be fine waiting until you get there, but small places like Punakaiki, Fox Glacier, and Mount Cook have limited accommodation. Besides, why waste precious vacation time looking for a place to stay the night? Better to have an address and know a bed and a hot shower is waiting for you.

Thank you. Booking ahead of time does fit my comfort level more.