[quote:caaa9170d0="river"]
Glenda , I've now been instructed we must must visit BOI so 4-5 days around AUK it has to be, at this rate we'll end up on the NI for 3 weeks. I do intend on visiting Nelson (is this a bit of an OAP area?) as it appears to be a pretty good area, I'm 38 and very active (no disrespect OAPs), so it may be a bit too quiet, there be a few more posts as I get to grips with my route plan, knowing it's feasible.
R[/quote:caaa9170d0]
The BOI is nice (if you recall we are headed there) but you are talking about small towns up there. If you want population Whangarei is the nearest small city, though it would be classed as a big town in UK standards. Nelson is not an OAP area - it is a compact and expanding city. For an active lifestyle you can go skiing in the Nelson Lake area and there is tramping, kayaking etc. in the Abel Tasman Park - both just an hour or two's drive away. It does feel a little isolated there, being 4-5 hours from Christchurch, but the S.I. is a big place with only a quarter of the N.I.'s population and in some places you can travel for an hour without seeing a petrol station. And it is so scenic.
Could reminise all day ... :icon_rolleyes:
:icon_lol:
P.S. If you like looking at travel brochures to get an idea - the best I've found is from
www.anzcro.co.uk - they have good driving maps (well ours did from last year).