South Island Holiday

Hi,
Going to visit South Island in September. First time in New Zealand. Any tips would be grateful.
Thanks
Mark

Dolphin watch cruise in Akaroa, Milford Sound tour, TranzAlpine
train ride Christchurch to Greymouth. I'd recommend at least all
these and a 3-4 day stay in Queenstown.
All these can be checked out via a "Google" search on the internet.

Hi Mark,
I'd recommend Mt Cook (awesome), Queenstown (beautiful- lunch at Bob's Peak Restaurant, Arrowtown (fascinating), Te Anau (perfect small town), Doubtful Sound over Milford Sound, Gore (if you like fly fishing) Kaikoura (whale watching - spiritual), Nelson (another lovely town - lunch at The Boat Shed) and the drive from Nelson to Picton (along the coast road) is just heavenly. I'd very much recommend that you consider
"multi-modal" transport - i.e mix car hire with train and plane journeys. That will save you valuable time in getting between places and also give you a different perspective of the country. Hope that helps :)

Hello - I spent almost a year in NZ in 2000, primarily on the South Island. Some of the things that I really enjoyed and that I would highly recommend:
3 day kayak trip in Doubtful Sound - I went with Fiordland Wilderness Adventures, and it was incredible. Absolutely stunning scenery, tonnes of wildlife including penguins and seals, camping in beautiful temperate rainforest, and fantastic, friendly guides. All the necessary equipment is provided, and by all standards it has to be considered great value for your $$. Definitely top of my list of things to experience while in NZ. Just watch out for those sandflies.
Dolphin swimming in Kaikoura - my group got lucky, the boat operators managed to find a huge pod of dusky dolphins the day I went out and we were able to get in front of their path multiple times; snorkelling in the ocean with those hundreds of silver flashes going by beneath and beside you, seeing them jump and flip, words can't describe the experience.
Hopefully you can avoid getting seasick as I did.
Picton, Marlborough Sounds - a beautiful, quaint town in which to spend a day or two. Great scenery, a necessary stop if you are taking the ferry to the North Island.
Skydiving - if you are going to do it, do it in NZ. It has got to be the cheapest in the world. I went in Taupo for around $140 NZ for a jump from 12,000 feet. Ditto bungi jumping, which I never did and have lived to regret. If you are in Queenstown and are into that sort of thing, do the jump.
Some of the areas of New Zealand the I most enjoyed were the least commercial - tourist oriented. A slow drive down the west coast from Nelson to the glaciers and farther south reveals lots of interesting and unique stops, ie. the hippie communes, forgotten outposts, etc.
Go walking anywhere - there are paths/tracks everywhere, by every town, often leading to hidden and majestic vistas. Just be careful and prepared, use a map. The Canterbury highlands, the southern lakes region, also both magnificent.
I could go on for pages. If you enjoy the great outdoors, even if you are not experienced in it, the country offers something that will make your visit enjoyable and memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

Also, IF you get into Wellington (I know you said South Island, but
the InterIsland ferry is a neat experience, too) go to the wildlife
preserve in Karori. You can find this with a Google search (or
any other search engine). A bus can take you from downtown,
Lambton Quay, to within a short walk to the preserve. Just tell the
bus driver to alert you where to get off. :o

Hey WilsonM2,

I would highly recommend the Top Ten Holiday Parks for a place to stay all over the South Island. The one in Kaikora is particularly good. They are great as they offer a range of accomodation from camping to deluxe cabins and most things in between. Their website is: Top Ten Holiday Parks

Otherwise I can't argue with Whale watching and Dolphin swimming in Kaikora. We did a white waterrafting trip in Hamner which was pretty good too. Not too hairy and quite intimate. Great fun. There are many more things but too many to mention :roll:

Hope you have a great time.

Dan-ish :P

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