Sapphire

We will be in Auckland on business for several days in April before going on to Perth and then Sydney. My husband just told me that there is time to spend about 3 days on the South Island, but we would need to figure out where to go. His idea is that we would fly from Auckland to Dunedin or Christchurch, spend a couple of days in the area and then fly back to Auckland to catch a flight to Perth. We would love to sample the natural beauty of the country and perhaps take a tour with the hope of seeing some wildlife. Is there a destination - and perhaps a resort or bed & breakfast - that you might recommend?

I have read some of the New Zealand threads but see that most people have 2-3 weeks for exploring. It is hard to figure out what might be a reasonable for us to do with just a couple of days. We bought a guide book yesterday but are still at a loss and hoping that the helpful folks on Fodors will have some recommendations! Thank you.

Melnq8

Hi Sapphire -

With such limited time I'd suggest you choose Queenstown, Christchurch or Dunedin. Queenstown would be my personal choice, but for wildlife you might prefer Dunedin, where you can see penguins (http://www.penguinplace.co.nz/) and the albatross colony (http://www.albatross.org.nz/).

If you select Christchurch you can see penguins and dolphins in Akaroa, which is about a 90 minute drive from the city, or you can drive to Kaikoura (2.5 hours north of Christchurch) for a whale watching trip.

Queenstown is a feast for the eyes, with some pretty spectacular scenery and a boatload of adventure activities. I can't think of any wildlife activities off the top of my head, but you might consider the all day bus trip to Milford Sound, where you might see dolphins, seals and penguins.

Regardless of where you choose, you'll leave wanting more...a lot more.

Diamantina

You can also do a Monarch Wildlife Cruise out of Dunedin.
http://www.wildlife.co.nz/tour_three.html
The full day tour would include a cruise during which you likely see NZ fur seals, sea lions, and sea birds, a tour of the Albatross Colony and Penguin Place, which is a fantastic privately owned sanctuary for the endangered yellow-eyed penguins.

I visited Penguin Place in November and saw quite a few penguins. We saw chicks, juveniles, adults. We saw a baby penguin getting fed, watched penguins swim onto the beach, heard the ecstatic cries of a penguin couple reuniting for the night.

You view the penguins from a network of trenches that are covered/camouflaged/hidden from the penguins. They work like bird hides--you peak at the penguins though eye-level openings in the trench. You can get fairly close without disturbing them, or even being seen by them. The penguins are spread out across a large area; they swim onto the beach and walk inland a good distance.

Penguin Place is also still a working farm with livestock. The owner has spent about 20 years restoring part of the farm to native bush so that it will provide the perfect habitat, and breeding/nesting site for the Yellow-Eyed Penguin. The owner has also built nest boxes. Our tour lasted about 90 minutes or longer.

Endangered Hooker Sea Lions and Yellow-Eyed Penguins can also be spotted on some of Dunedin's local beaches, such as Sandfly Bay. Regrettably on such public beaches, where wildlife viewing is not monitored, members of the public often get too close to the wildlife. The penguins, in particular, can become seriously stressed. Consequently, the penguins on these easily accessible beaches are becoming fewer and fewer. Still lots of seal lions, though.

You could actually fly into Queenstown, see it for the day, spend the night there, and then drive three and a half hours to Dunedin early the next morning, arriving in time to visit Penguin Place in the afternoon, which is actually very close to the Albatross Colony. Note: the number of birds in the albatross colony vary depending on what time you visit during the breeding cycle. When I was there in August I saw only seven chicks (I was thrilled to see them), no adult birds. Nearby, there were hundreds of shags. At certain times of the year, you can also see Royal Spoonbills, but not while we were there.

Or you could take the drive from Queenstown to Dunedin at a more leisurely pace, stopping at some award-winning wineries along the way. (Mt. Difficulty and Chard Farm wineries are my favorites. Mt. Difficulty also has a good restaurant with incredible views.) You would still arrive in Dunedin by the late afternoon/early evening, having time for a nice dinner (I like Dunedin's Plato Restaurant, which has good food and allows you to bring your own wine. Pier 24 at the St Clair Hotel/Resort is right at the beach and offers beautiful views, though no BYO.) On the following day you could take a full day tour with Monarch to spots seals, penguins, and albatross. You can fly from Dunedin to Auckland the next morning.

Or you could reverse your direction: fly into Dunedin, see wildlife, then drive to Queenstown, see the scenery and then fly out of Queenstown to Auckland.

jhnrbrts

take a look at this http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...th_Island.html

Sapphire

Thank you all for your input. It was great to have the links and get a feel for these places. I think we have it narrowed down to flying into Queenstown or Dunedin. We are leaning toward using Queenstown as our base because of the spectacular scenery and how little time we will have on South Island, but like the idea of driving over Dunedin and perhaps spending the night there if that seems like a reasonable idea.

One thing we are wondering is how the timing of our trip (mid-April) might affect the wildlife viewing in Dunedin and the weather overall - since we will be there in autumn?

Many thanks!

Melnq8

April is generally a good time to visit weather-wise. It's one of the more "settled" months. I'd avoid the long Easter holiday if you can (April 22-25)- very busy. NZ school holidays fall from April 15-May 2, also a very busy time, so you'll want to book any activities/accommodation in advance to avoid missing out.

Sapphire

We will be heading to Australia on Friday, April 15th so it sounds like that will work out. We are checking whether it would be more expensive to fly into Queenstown and return to Auckland (on our way to Perth) from Dunedin but it sounds like there is plenty to do without going all the way to Dunedin.

My husband says that he might like to visit a couple of wineries but primarily wants to enjoy the natural beauty of the area. I enjoy photography and he enjoys seeing birds that aren't found in the USA, so I think we would be happy whether or not we see a lot of other wildlife. I hope that we will be able to visit NZ for a much longer visit sometime.

Diamantina

I find the weather to be highly unpredictable in both New Zealand and Australia.

Last week, they had heavy rains in Otago, in both Dunedin and Queenstown. In Dunedin, the storm was so bad, huge waves crashed into St. Clair pool, an outdoor pool right above the city's St. Clair beach, causing extensive damage. And it's still summer. Yet two weeks ago they were enjoying sunny days. Even in winter, one day could be sunny, the next day rainy and grey.

Yellow-eyed penguins are waterproof, unless they are moulting, which happens in February-March. So I don't think the weather affects them so much. I think you can see adult penguins at Penguin Place year round. Their website says they offer tours year round. http://www.penguinplace.co.nz/tour2.htm

You might also check air fares on Pacific Blue, which flies between NZ and Australia. They fly from Dunedin to Perth via Brisbane, for example. Or from Queenstown to Perth via Sydney.
http://www.flypacificblue.com/

Sapphire

We will staying in Queenstown for 3 nights in mid-April before the school holidays start. I was looking at hotels and wonder what folks might recommend. I am looking for something under $200 night USD and wondering whether anyone has stayed at the Novatel, Rees, or Garden Court Suites? Or is there another place you would recommend? We are planning on renting a car, and it would be a plus to have breakfast available. Many thank!