rosalie24

Hello!
We are excitedly planning our honeymoon in NZ for this coming February. We plan to take the ferry from Wellington into Picton, but are curious whether it would be too much to pick up a rental car and then drive to Christchurch that same day (with a stop in Kaikoura) or if there is somewhere inbetween that is worth staying a night to break it up?

Thank you in advance for your help! We've been referencing various threads on here to help plan our trip, finally realized we could just sign up ourselves and post our own question

Melnq8

It's a long drive day and YES there's plenty to see and do in the Picton/Marlborough Sounds regions.

You might get a few ideas from my most recent trip report.

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...uth-island.cfm

Songdoc

Picton/Marlborough Sounds is one of my favorite areas. I did the mail boat run and several walks. The area is stunning and deserves at least a couple of days if you can fit it in.

rosalie24

Thank you Melnq8 and Songdoc for your feedback! Good to know there is plenty to be seen in the Picton/Marlborough region. Instead of driving straight out, we may spend some time there to explore.

My question is, if we were to leave Picton to Kaikoura and then to Christchurch in the same day, is it best to stay a night in Kaikoura, or is there another place along the way to Christchurch that we should consider?

Thank you!

Melnq8

I think it's best to break up the drive from Picton to Christchurch as it's a bit of a haul. Kaikoura is a very good option for an overnight as is Hanmer Springs(thermal pools). Kaikoura is about 2.5 hours from Christchurch, Hamner Springs is about 1:45. Kaikoura would be the more popular option - seals - whale watching tours - coastal scenery. Hanmer Springs is a small alpine town with thermal pools, beautiful forest with lots of walks. Just depends on what you want to see and do.

Thelittlestkiwi

http://www.hapukulodge.com/kaikoura/

I've always wanted to stay here....and I hope that one day I will!

rosalie24

Thank you Melnq8 for your suggestions! We will take a better look at both spots and see which fits best!

Thelittlestkiwi that looks like an amazing stay!!

annhig

if like us your budget doesn't run to the hapuku lodge, you might like to look at this place:

http://www.brookhouse.co.nz/book-online.html

in the end we didn't stay there as we decided to go to the glaciers via Nelson instead, but we had some very friendly e-mail correspondence with the owners, and on our travels in NZ, our favourite accommodations were the BnBs.