NEW ZEALAND - Help me organise a tour of the south Island for Xmas hols

[slim22]

Good morning all!

We live in Singapore and DH just annouced we have 2 full weeks over Xmas.

We would like to see as much as possible but have DS nearly 5 and baby DD will be 8 months.

So we want to see as much scenery as possible without doing any extreme hiking.
So driving/train journeys/lake cruising would suit us best.
I was thinking of being based in Queenstown.
Can we easily drive to fjordland from there?

We like food and wine so a visit to something like the marlborough estate would be good I guess.

We would fly to/from christchurch.

Any suggestion greatly appreciated.

[slim22]

bump
please?

[MrsJohnCusack]

hello
you can drive from Queenstown to fjordland, but it's a bit of a way : 5-6 hours to Milford Sound (the only bit of Fjordland you can really drive to), so you might like to overnight at Te Anau to break it up a bit.

also bear in mind that to drive from ChCH to Queenstown is a good 7-8 hours. a good stop of is to go via Lake Tekapo, it's lovely. There's loads to do in and around Queenstown, plus Wanaka, Arrowtown etc.

Driving from ChCh to Blenheim, centre of the Marlborough wine region, is a good 4 hours, so it really might not be practible to do both depending on how much time you want to spend driving about. However, a good place to break ChCh to Blenheim is overnight at Kaikoura, to do the whale watching etc. If you do choose to do a trip up there, it's well worth going a bit further than BLenheim and having look at the Sounds, they're beautiful. It's about 40 mins to Havelock (my parents have a holiday house there) then there's a lovely drive along Queen Charlotte Sound to PIcton. You can also take a (lengthy) detour to have a look at the Kenepuru sound.

there's also stuff to do in ChCH itself so a couple of days here wouldn't be wasted. And there's the beach! And a day trip to Akaroa, tbhe Antarctic centre, the museum/art gallery, Orana wildlife park etc.

in 2 weeks I reckon you can do Queenstown/Milford SOund etc. and BLenheim, but it will be quite a bit of driving so it depends on how much you can face. Also bear in mind that it's peak season so you'll need to book ahead on accomodation and also on things like whale watching and possibly boat trips etc.

it'll be great though! My friend from China is coming over to us for Christmas and so we've been planning her trip too.

[MrsJohnCusack]

Fiordland even. I've gone all SCandinavian

[slim22]

oh it sounds great!
thanks I have a clearer picture now.

All that driving is bit daunting though. Is there a bit we could do by train?

[MrsJohnCusack]

um
we don't have many passenger trains! but there is one that goes from Christchurch up to Picton, which looks quite pleasant actually. I imagine it stops at Kaikoura (not entirely sure actually though so do check)

the only other train there is is the scenic one through Arthurs Pass.

[Weta]

Just something to note about the whale watching in Kaikoura - you can't take a baby on the boat, and I think children can only go from age 5.

Otherwise I agree with MJC... though personally I'd think very carefully about the amount of driving with 2 wee kids and make sure it's not too much!!

[RaspberryBlower]

Hi the train does stop at Kaikoura, which is quite nice anyway without the whale watching. See if you can get hold of a Rough Guide or a Lonely Planet as loads of info in these.

[thehairybabysmum]

The train over Arthurs Pass is v. beautiful, you can just go halfway, get off for a walk/cuppa etc then get the train back to christchurch.

The penguin watching at Dunedin (and the Albatrosses) were fab.

Wanaka lovely (the drive from Wanaka to Queenstown has the most amazing view). Lake Tekapo also amazing. Go and see a glacier too, there are two and one of them (fox i think) is not a long walk to its snout and is a decent path so do-able for a 5 yr old and buggy.

We hired a camper van and pottered round...all the campsites are well equipped so easy to shower/laundry etc. Also motel rooms are good as they had washer/driers in so you can pack v. light.

Enjoy!

[elsiepiddock]

Difficult as you're so spoiled for choice!

Would second Queenstown, Milford Sound and also Fox & Franz Josef glaciers. Try to get to Lake Matheson for the 'view of views'!

[MrsJohnCusack]

oh I meant to say that about the whale watching as well - wasn't concentrating.

Also forgot to say, you don't need to go all the way to Blenheim to do a vineyard. There are plenty less than an hour's drive north of Christchurch, in the Waipara wine making region, and plenty of places there to go and do tasting/have nice meals/have a look at the winery etc.

you can take small children on the boat trips at Akaroa (90 mins from ChCh) and nearly always see Hectors Dolphins (smallest kind in the world or something). DD, 3, was thrilled, DS (then 11 months) obviously couldn't give a monkey's and sulked in the sling.

really think about the driving. sometimes distances don't look much on the map, but there are no proper motorways and lots of roads are v.twisty and there are loads of hills/mountains and you can get stuck behind a sheep lorry/tourist bus etc for a very long time. Lots of it is so scenic though.

the Arthur's pAss train is lovely but second the idea to only go halfway; the other side you go to Greymouth and it is NOT interesting. The penguin thing at Oamaru (on the way to Dunedin) was fab, although I believe it is a much bigger operation now than when we went.

forgot about the Glaciers, not sure how seeing as have planning trip there fro my friend!

thbere is bags to do. we've been living here for 2 years and still haven't headed south, last time I was in Queenstown was in 2000! . We are going to try and do it this summer.

[slim22]

MrsJC thank you so much.
I looked at your profile....Gorgeous babies! fresh air and rosy cheeks it must be a dream to live in such an unspoilt environment.
It's so humid and stuffy here!

Thanks to all of you. I think we need sit down and plan road trips with great detail. And plan overnight stops every 2-3 hours on the way to and from Queenstown.

Have a lovely day

[MrsJohnCusack]

oh thanks!

my brother lived in Singapore for about 4 years and had his first child there - he said the same.

my only other tip is, the sun BURNS like few other places on earth, even on what might seem like a cloudy day. bring many hats and sunscreen (and wear at all times, including when in the car) + rash suits for the beach etc. (now I've said that it'll probably piss down for your holiday!).

[twentypence]

Loads of very lovely vineyards in central otago - so I would give the Blenheim thing up if you only have 2 weeks, and just combine with Queenstown.

Arrowtown is much nicer than Queenstown at night as Queenstown gets a bit backpacker and vomitish once the sun goes down.

The transalpine train is a very long day with small children. What about the Taieri Gorge Railway near Dunedin? They should like the TSS Earnslaw though in Queenstown.

If you have the budget then fly to Milford Sound, it is a seriously long drive.

A nice loop is Christchurch to Queenstown via Dunedin, coming back through Lake Tekapo. Or vice versa.

Remember our very slow speed limit of 100kph.

[robinpud]

We loved Wanaka- didn't make it as far as Queenstown. Also we loved the penguin at Oomaru and the comedy festival in Christchurch as contrast to all the outdoor stuff.. but think that's later in January.
I would be tempted if I were you to get really organised and book cabins on the campsites and then you can travel with just a car. THe cooking facilites are fab and the people are incredibly friendly. THe kids will love the sites. Obviously it is a busy time so you need to plan ahead. We also liked Kaiteriteri in Abel Tasman National Park.

[MrsJohnCusack]

ledt me know if you need to borrow a travel cot. I have an almost unused Phil & Teds one (DS loathed it) or a larger Graco one with an extra mattress (or you could get a new mattress for $30 if you preferred). Save you lugging one over or worrying about cots in rooms. (I am in ChCh)

[slug]

If you are up for a bit of driving, Hamner Springs on the Lewis Pass are great for a stopover. When I was a student in Christchurch we would go for picnics there, it's about a 3 hour drive. The point of hamner Springs is it's a hot water thermal springs area. You can book into a motel (we stayed in a lovely Swiss mountain cottage type) and veg out in the springs. The pools complex has been redeveloped since I was a student, there are lots of pools with different temperatures and water slides for the kids. It dosen't matter if it's raining (or even snowing, we used to go there in the winter), the water is always warm.

[twentypence]

Hanmer is 1.5 hours each way from Christchurch.