lakeflyer

Hello! I'm hoping to get some advice from any New Zealand experts. I'm trying to plan my first (and hopefully not last) journey there. I will be traveling there mid-to-late November, arriving in Auckland in the morning. Initially, I was going to drive both the North and South Islands (one week in each) but the more that I've read, the more it seems that I would be spending lots of time driving, which I don't mind. However, it seems as if maybe I should focus more of my precious 2 weeks in the South rather than the North. I'm looking for easy day hikes (max of 10km per hike) that don't require technical skills (rock or ice climbing), gorgeous scenery where I can use up all of the memory card in my camera, perhaps some wine tasting, and wildlife viewing. I'm planning on renting a regular car as I'm not confident in my ability to drive a big campervan so I would need to be able to find hotel/motel/cabins on my itinerary.

So here's my thought, do I completely skip the North Island except for my arrival and departure in Auckland and concentrate completely on the South Island this trip (and if so, does anyone have recommendations on my itinerary there based on my interests?) I also know that the recent floods may impact where some of the other threads and bloggers recommended so looking for advice on that as well.

Thank you so much!

Melnq8

However, it seems as if maybe I should focus more of my precious 2 weeks in the South rather than the North.

Excellent plan!

Do I completely skip the North Island except for my arrival and departure in Auckland and concentrate completely on the South Island this trip .

I would do exactly that, especially as you only have two weeks.

With two weeks you can make a figure eight and hit several of the highlights of the SI.

Such as:

Arrive Auckland - take flight to Christchurch
Drive Christchurch to Tekapo
Drive Tekapo to Mt Cook
Drive Mt Cook to Te Anau
Drive Te Anau to Milford Sound
Drive Milford Sound/Te Anau to Queenstown
Drive Queenstown to Wanaka (can also visit Arrowtown)
Drive Wanaka to Fox Glacier/Franz Josef
Drive Fox or Franz to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass
Depart Christchurch for Auckland

How much time you spend in each area depends on you, but I'd suggest something like this (and this assumes you have 14 nights on the ground).

Christchurch - one night to recover from your trip
Mt Cook (visit Tekapo enroute) - two nights
Mt Cook to Te Anau - three nights - good base for exploring Milford Sound as a day trip, plus all the wonderful hikes around Te Anau
Drive Te Anau to Queenstown/or Wanaka/or Arrowtown - based on your preferences - 4 nights
Drive QT/Wanaka/Arrowtown to Fox or Franz - 2-3 nights
Drive Franz to Christchurch - 1-2 nights

To give you a few ideas of all there is to see and do, and how much time is needed to get from Point A to Point B, I'll refer you to a couple of my trip reports... and I suspect you'll come away wishing you had two or three more weeks to work with (click on title and it will link to the report).

Sweet As - A Month in God’s Country - South Island, NZ

Seeking Serenity on the South Island

The Earth Makes Music for Those Who Listen; Siblings on the South Island

At the Mercy of the Weather Gods: A Winter Trip to the SI of NZ

Keep in mind that it's very difficult to incorporate both the south of the SI and the north of the SI in less than three weeks...unless of course you just want to see this beautiful country from behind a windshield.

lakeflyer

Thank you so, so much for the feedback and the excellent itinerary suggestion (not to mention the links which I'm settling in to read now!). I wish I had more than two weeks because it looks like such an amazing country to explore but sadly I'm from the U.S. where I'm getting side eye for even a two week holiday. At least now I'll feel that I'm not wasting an entire week in one area only to regret it once I reach the South Island.

Melnq8

Yeah I get it, Americans (of which I'm one, but thankfully retired) never seem to get enough vacation time!

The best advice I can give is take your time, and enjoy whatever you have time for. NZ is a beautiful country, and rushing through is definitely not the way to go. Less is often more.

I hope to get back the the SI myself in the coming year or so. I've missed it terribly.

lakeflyer

I greatly enjoyed your trip reports and now I'm bookmarking all sorts of places on the map of South Island! Thank you ever so much for the wonderful detail on every stop. I feel like I was along for the ride with you (but grateful maybe not during that intense storm when you were with your brother!). I was fortunate to find a reasonable one-way car rental from Christchurch to Queenstown that will give me even more flexibility to slow down and meander a bit more. Do you have any recommendations as I adjust your proposed itinerary to one-way between Christchurch and Queenstown?

Melnq8

Glad you found the reports helpful.

Regarding one way between Christchurch and Queenstown, your biggest decision will be which route to take - the inland route via Lindis Pass (Geraldine, Tekapo, Mt Cook), or down along the West Coast via Greymouth, Hokitika, Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. They both have their good points, but my personal preference is the West Coast, which is also longer. It is possible to see a bit of both if say you head down the West Coast to Queenstown/Wanaka and then spend a day driving a bit of the inland route towards Mt Cook from QT/Wanaka/Arrowtown, but it's not really a day trip.

Hence the suggestion to make a quasi figure 8 loop of sorts.

It's all good, you really can't go wrong.

Happy to help further as questions arise.

lakeflyer

Melnq8, thanks so much for your help on nailing down my South Island itinerary! Based on me and my traveling style, I realized that I would be more happy getting out of the car and not having super long driving days so I could get out into the nature that I don't have at home. Plus 13 days of solo driving can be very draining. Here's my proposed itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive Christchurch, pick up car and drive to Geraldine (I'll be coming off the long flight from the States through Auckland so wanted to just get halfway to Aoraki)
Days 2-3: Lake Tepako/Aoraki/Mount Cook - see the lakes, do some stargazing, and hopefully hike the Hooker Valley Trail and maybe some other easier walks (any recommendations?)
Days 4-5: Wanaka - wander the lakefront, spend some time in the town, sample some of the local wines, maybe find a trail with a pretty view - (do you have any easyish trails you recommend, maybe three hours or less? I'm not sure I'm in good enough shape to tackle Roy's or Isthmus)
Days 6-7: Cromwell - I like wine, what can I say? Planning on spending an entire day walking Felton Road (thanks for the Bannockburn House recommendation, noted about the awkward parking situation lol)
Days 8-9: Te Anau/Milford Sound - question: any trails you recommend for a novice hiker? And have you ever done the glow worm cave in Te Anua?
Day 10: Glenorchy - hopefully Paradise hasn't been lost yet
Days 11-12: Queenstown - no idea yet what to do here but hoping to find some pretty walks and eat a FergBurger or two; my bungee jumping days are long past
Day 13: Fly out of Queenstown to Auckland to catch my flight to the US the next day

I hate that I know I'm missing out on so much but am trying to tell myself that if I'm lucky I can return for a more leisurely exploration someday. Is there anything as you look at my proposed route that I should make sure to see/do? I took as many notes from your TRs as possible so I know I want to see the movie in Te Anau lol!

Thank you again so much for sharing your knowledge. I really do appreciate it.