H and I have finally booked his dream trip of sailing in Tonga. We are adding on 10 nights on the South Island of NZ.
Flying in and out of Queenstown. I know our time is limited and we can’t see everything. I have some hip issues which means no long hikes. We will have a car. Also have a day in Christchurch before flying to Queenstown.
Time of year is mid September due to best sailing conditions for Tonga.
Tentatively I am planning- 3 nights Wanaka, 2 nights Te Anau with one of those being overnight on Doubtful Sound cruise. A few nights near Dunedin and last 2 nights in Glenorchy.
Place that has been on and off list is Fox and Franz Josef. If I put that back I will probably have to take off Dunedin area.
Would love suggestions for lodging. Also opinions on itinerary.
Several years ago we stayed at a lovely little hotel in Queenstown called The Dairy. We took a fun flight out to Milford Sound and then a boat trip when we got there. Just outside Dunedin you should definitely go to the Otago Peninsula and see the Albatross Centre and Penguin Place. Both are best visited near sundown. I would choose that over the Glacier but the town of Dunedin itself was not especially interesting. Oh, and our daughter went bungy jumping at Queenstown’s original Kawararu Bridge site. It was surprisingly safe but probably not the best thing for your hip!!
Thank you Puzzled. Where did you stay on the Otago Peninsula? Penguin Place and Albatross Centre both look interesting.
Anyone else?
We stayed at some B & B that wasn’t very nice and I don’t remember the name. Sorry, I wish I could help.
Our trip to NZ was wonderful!
I thoroughly agree with Puzzled’s recommendation of the Otago Peninsula. It may be too far away from your route but if you have some time to spare we found the Moeraki boulders fascinating, http://www.newzealand.com/uk/article/stop-by-the-sleepy-settlement-of-moeraki/. They are probably not worth a specific visit unless they can be incorporated into your planned travels. I am assuming that the glow worm caves at Te Anau are on the itinerary - well worth a visit. We had a fantastic trip, but were staying with NZ friends at that point of our visit so I have no information about places to stay, sorry.
mom60, I want to go back there! Stick me in your suitcase!
TOTALLY agree on doing the overnight Doubtful Sound cruise. We had sun, rain and snow, all within a day! We were there in October and it was peaceful and spectacular. We drove to Milford the following day (the drive is beautiful), but the Sound was disappointing after our experience on Doubtful. As one poster on Trip Advisor put it, Milford’s cliffs are more vertical and steeper, and the sound narrower. Gets you spectacular views. But Doubtful is peaceful, deserted and largely tourist-free.
If you re interested in astronomy, I will suggest the Mount John Observatory in Tekapo (about 2.5 hours SW of Christchurch). There is a group called Earth and Sky that does star gazing tours. I did a nighttime one and it was incredible. A professional astrophotographer is on staff and will help with taking night sky shots. (You’ll need a camera with a “bulb” setting – so that she can do 1-2 minute exposures. (It’s also extremely cold and windy, but that is part of the gig.) The Astro Cafe at the top of the mountain is open during the day and serves great coffees and has a 360 panoramic view. In September, you’ll still see a lot of snow on the mountains.
We were in NZ for nine days and we should have doubled it. I drove about 2000 miles. Agree with idea of basing on one place for 2-3 days and working from a home base. We stayed in 19 place in 20 days on our trip to AUS/NZ last fall and it was too much. We stayed at a lot of campgrounds in their self-contained units. We liked having access to kitchen facilities and the cost was less. Be aware that internet coverage is erratic in many places and non-existent in others (i.e., Doubtful Sound). This is a lifestyle choice on their part and they are proud of being disconnected.
In Queenstown – take the gondola up to Bob’s Peak. Go for a inner seating and catch the sunset. The buffet is really good and has lots of fresh seafood. There’s a combo price for gondola plus dinner that winds up being a good value, though I blanched a bit at first, since we have had mixed experiences with buffets in other locations.
Will go through my itinerary and notes and see what else I can come up with for you. We didn’t get to Dunedin – focused mainly on the west side. To actually see Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, you have to hike (somewhat rocky) trails with some elevation gain. A (pricey) alternative is to take a helicopter tour out onto the glaciers.
Thanks for all the feedback.
My only reservation so far is the overnight on Doubtful Sound. Due to time I don’t think we will do both Doubtful and Milford Sound.
I’ll keep Otago Peninsula and leave off the glaciers. I’d read about the glow worms but didn’t have them on the for sure to see list.
I’m going to check out the gondola in Christchurch. I don’t have any clue yet what we will do with our day in Christchurch.
I think H would enjoy a jet boat trip but how do you decide what area to take it in?