South Island New Zealand experiences + tips

[lyonhibs]

I'm all booked up to spend a month over in Oz and New Zealand from mid January on a delayed honeymoon (apart from a 4 day jaunt to Iceland straight afterwards we've not really done anything just the 2 of us to celebrate, so this is it)

After a few days in Brisbane we've got a few days in Wellington and then a bawhair over 2 weeks to zip around as much of the South Island as possible.

Rough plan, assuming the transport links down the east coast get sorted by mid-Jan is to take the train from Picton to Christchurch, then the train cross country to Greymouth before picking up a hire car and driving to Franz Joseph Glacier, then Wanaka, Queenstown, Fjordland National Park then Dunedin and back up to Christchurch from where we fly back to Brisbane and then homewards.

Anyway, I know we're a fairly well travelled and urbane bunch so if anyone has any inspiring ideas for places to go/stay and things to do then don't be shy in sharing them.

We'll not be staying anywhere longer than 2 or 3 nights owing to time constraints but all suggestions/opinions etc welcome :thumbsup:

[Mr White]

Personally I'd give Dunedin a miss and spend more time at the glaciers and the fjords. The west coast is pretty stunning in good weather. On the east coast there are also some nice wee places along the banks peninsula towards akaroa which is accessed from Lyttleton, Christchurch's port.

I'm sure there are residents and others who've spent more time there than I did that can probably come up with better advice though :greengrin

Enjoy your trip, it's a truly wonderful country. Sometimes I wish I'd stayed on...

[Jack]

I'm in New Zealand as part of my round the woruld trip at that time!

Auckland 13 and 14th derby (Rotorua inc), Napier and Wellington the following days. Moving on to Sydney for for a few days starting the 19th.

Anyone got a deal for doing Sydney harbour bridge? The price I'm getting online is outrageous, like £350 for two of us!

[overdrive]

I'm in New Zealand as part of my round the woruld trip at that time!

Auckland 13 and 14th derby (Rotorua inc), Napier and Wellington the following days. Moving on to Sydney for for a few days starting the 19th.

Anyone got a deal for doing Sydney harbour bridge? The price I'm getting online is outrageous, like £350 for two of us!

Be careful in Napier if you get there on a Sunday which it sounds like you will. We went to NZ in 2010 and had spent the Friday and Saturday in Rotorua and then set off very late afternoon on the Sunday for Napier. We arrived around about 7.30, checked into the hotel and went out for something to eat. Everywhere was closed by 8pm! We ended up with a not very nice, lukewarm Chinese take-away and that was only because we begged them to serve us as they were closing up. It was my now-wife's birthday that day. She wasn't impressed.

Do a bike ride round the wineries in the Napier area. That was the highlight of our trip.

[500miles]

I'm all booked up to spend a month over in Oz and New Zealand from mid January on a delayed honeymoon (apart from a 4 day jaunt to Iceland straight afterwards we've not really done anything just the 2 of us to celebrate, so this is it)

After a few days in Brisbane we've got a few days in Wellington and then a bawhair over 2 weeks to zip around as much of the South Island as possible.

Rough plan, assuming the transport links down the east coast get sorted by mid-Jan is to take the train from Picton to Christchurch, then the train cross country to Greymouth before picking up a hire car and driving to Franz Joseph Glacier, then Wanaka, Queenstown, Fjordland National Park then Dunedin and back up to Christchurch from where we fly back to Brisbane and then homewards.

Anyway, I know we're a fairly well travelled and urbane bunch so if anyone has any inspiring ideas for places to go/stay and things to do then don't be shy in sharing them.

We'll not be staying anywhere longer than 2 or 3 nights owing to time constraints but all suggestions/opinions etc welcome :thumbsup:

There was a brilliant adventure package that had skydiving, jetboat, helicopter ride and whitewater rafting in Queenstown. Apparently comes with a free Brazilian Football legend :wink:

[lyonhibs]

There was a brilliant adventure package that had skydiving, jetboat, helicopter ride and whitewater rafting in Queenstown. Apparently comes with a free Brazilian Football legend :wink:

Enough of this cryptic pish - what's it called :greengrin

[500miles]

Enough of this cryptic pish - what's it called :greengrin

Combos.co.nz is the company I booked through.