New Zealand South Island with an 18 month old DD

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My husband and I are planning a trip to NZ in February next year, hoping to mainly tour around South island (as DH has already 'done' North Island) and also stay on North island for a short time at the beginning or end of the trip with family living near to Wellington.
By then, our DD will be 18 months old. I understand for the South Island touring there will be a lot of driving and accommodation will be basic.

I wondered if anybody has experience of touring around South Island with DCs and could give any advice on places to go/stay/things to do/ anything to avoid? Thanks in advance!

I'm a kiwi and would recommend travelling in a campervan with 18 month old. Will give you more flexibility and providing meals etc will be easier. South Island esp west coast is very isolated so you can travel long distances between places which isn't a problem as an adult but could make a fraught journey with a toddler!
I would say most activities were geared more towards older children (basically because of danger level) but there are endless beaches. The larger places like Queenstown/Christchurch etc will have things for toddlers but North Island has more purely because the population is much larger there.

South Island is stunning, I've travelled extensively and it's still my favourite place in the world so enjoy!

Thanks, I'll do some research about campervans!

at that age the child doesn't care beyond room to toddle, somewhere to sleep, a few things to play with and you.

so what would YOU like to do - then we can advise if suitable. How long have you got? What are you interested in?

accommodation isn't that basic -plenty of excellent fully equipped motels!

We are looking at around 2 weeks on South island.
We are not massively into outdoorsy activities, but like gentle walks, looking at scenery, pottering around quaint towns. We love looking at wildlife.
I'm guessing we'll need to plan the itinerary so not too long traveling between places for the LO.

Accommodation isn't basic! Look at the Greenwood Guides places.

'quaint' is a little tricky to find in a place as young as NZ, but try Arrowtown and Oamaru. Wanaka doesn't have history but is a lovely spot.

wildlife - well, there isn't much! Birds are the thing so you need to find suitable walks and keep QUIET. Te Anau would also suit as there's a bird park there so you can stroll round the lake and definitely see some of the unique NZ birds. You could even continue on to the Kepler track (the flat sections) to see more.

I have spent 2 weeks or more just in the Te Anau area on longer trips, lovely spot. I think your kid is too young to do the Milford trips though, even from there.

Look on doc.govt.nz for everything you need to know about walks in NZ, there are hundreds of all lengths and you'll find something wherever you go.

Hi, I lived in NZ for a few years. We didn't have any children at the time but my DS is now 20 months. At the moment DS loves toddling round outdoors and seeing animals, buses, trains and boats. Things that we did in the South Island that I think he would like are:
-Queenstown (boat trip, cable car ride),
-Milford Sound (stay in Te Anau the night before for a shorter bus ride),
-Akaroa harbour boat tour (we saw dolphins in the harbour on our trip)
-Wallabies at EnkleDooVery Korna (if you're driving through Waimate and it's still open).
There were a lot of long drives involved but there are a lot of opportunities for coffee stops and letting your DD wander round (e.g. Franz Josef, Pancake Rocks, Moeraki Boulders, seal colonies).
Hope you have a great trip!

Also don't forget the top of the south - Nelson and Takaka are both interesting towns and Golden Bay has endless lovely beaches and walks. For fantastic native bird song try the Nelson lakes national Park - also trips on the lake and lake swimming here. Founders Park in nelson is a lovely collection of heritage buildings and Tahuna in nelson has a great collection of playgrounds, a lovely beach, a model railway on a Sunday, good fish and chips, old fashioned beach cafe, a mega slide and so on. The Saturday market in nelson is also great for pottering.