New Zealand, South Island

[lou1661]

Hi guys,
Im looking at spending three weeks in October/November traveling around the South Island. Has anyone got any recomendations of places to visit or must see?
Cheers
Louis

 

[Cyclingrelf]

Tramping is excellent fun - it's the New Zealand term for hiking. The longer routes have huts to aim for every days walk with basic facilities. Google them to get an idea of what's out there. The most popular tracks are known as the great walks and need booking in summer http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/great-walks/

Milford sound is awe inspiring

Mandeville airfield if you fancy flying in a rare biplane http://www.croydonaircraft.com/CAS.html

Moeraki boulders

Stewart island http://www.stewartisland.co.nz/

Arthur's pass to bathe in hot springs, hunt for red deer et c. et c. http://www.newzealand.com/travel/destinations/national-parks/arthurs-pass/arthurs-pass.cfm

There is LOADS to do - you'll have a fabulous time!

 

[marooned]

Beautiful place! For stunning mountains you'll want to get to Wanaka, Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo. If you like bushwalking, there's some good forest on the West Coast or around Fjordland. I personally love the region of Otago (includes towns of Clyde and Cromwell) and would recommend cycling the Rail Trail between Clyde and just outside Dunedin - you can get your gear shuttled to your accommodation. The glaciers are beautiful - Franz Josef and Fox (Fox is the quieter less touristy place) but another glacier is the Tasman Glacier which you can access from the village of Mount Cook. There are so many fantastic places that it depends how you chose to get around. Hope you have a great time!

 

[TeeDee]

You may want to drop Johnboy a PM , although he lives in the North Island , Im sure he will be able to give you a top class sit/rep and suggestions.

 

[jamie18thmo]

Kia Ora!,
I live on the South Island in Otago. What sort of things are you into (besides Bushcraft, I guess!)? A helicopter flight up onto one of the glaciers is an amazing trip. Heaps of good trout fishing opportunities practically everywhere. If you like hunting, there are lots of options for that too. "The Catlins" is a good place. The Caples and Greenstone valleys near Queenstown are popular walking routes and Stewart Island and Fiordland are amazing. A scenic flight somewhere over Fiordland or the Southern Alps would be awesome. Wanaka is a nice place with lots to do and not so busy as Queenstown. The Marlborough Sounds are lovely. The Shotover River jetboat ride is good fun! Oamaru (where I live) has lots of Victorian heritage. Too many things to list really! I'm sure you'll love it here. As a Kiwi said to me when I first arrived "I'll bet you ten cents to a tonne of fish you'll want to stay". Drop me a PM if you want.
Cheers,
J

 

[marooned]

Yep, Oamaru was one of my favorite towns when I visited. Go and see the blue penguins and yellow-eyed penguins.

 

[baggins]

Iused to live and work at Franz Josef, down the west coast. It really is a beautiful area. You have unspoilt coastline, 10km of lush green rain forest then snow capped mountains. Truely gorgeous. Take a guided trip up one of the glaciers or a heli flight over the top.
If you are into adventure stuff, Wanaka and Queenstown are good fun too.
Baggins

 

[johnboy]

Hi guys,
Im looking at spending three weeks in October/November traveling around the South Island. Has anyone got any recomendations of places to visit or must see?
Cheers
Louis

Hi Louis,

Firstly I hope your trip to NZ runs smoothly. 3 weeks will go very quickly I'm sure.

I'll offer a few bits of advice so your trip goes well .

Number 1 is to ensure all of your outdoor kit and especially your boots are clean and free of mud etc before you leave from the UK. On arrival you will need to make a MAF declaration if your kit is dirty MAF generally will clean it for you but this will hold you up on arrival. If it's clean you get through quicker.

Take a couple of days after arrival to adjust to the time differance. Especially if you are planning on driving long distances. Every year we have a lot of RTA's involving visitors who get off of a 24hr flight in cattle class and then expect to drive for several hours. NZ has a particularly bad RTA record and our driving rules and regulations are similar to the UK but have some quirks that are particular to NZ. Be advised...

If you are heading off into the backcountry say tramping get advice on where you are going from the local DOC office and heed the advice they give, leave clear intentions on your trip using the MSC intentions form, Stick to your intentions. Walking conditions here are a LOT different to the UK. It's totally possible to dissappear in the bush for good. It took 3 weeks of intensive searching a couple of years ago to find a helicopter that went missing here in the NI.

As you are visiting in our Spring be aware that there maybe snow on the hills at higher elevations. Any plans you have may need to take this into consideration..

As for where to visit... We'll the SI is all good I'd personally avoid Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill they are ok but you dont come to NZ to look at cities... All of the suggestions you've been given are good.

The Milford Track needs prebooking as it's VV popular. Millford sound is stunning but it is a tourist honey pot so don't expect peace and quiet.. Ditto Queenstown and Wanaka...

Jamie's suggestion of Greenstone / Caples is a good one...

enjoy your visit spend lots of money and support our economy take heaps of photos tell all your friends so they come as well. But most of all stay safe in our Backcountry..

Cheers

John

 

[swyn]

There's Stuart island too. Trails,(some truly amazing wire bridges) huts to sleep in and bird life fantastica...If you like that type of thing. You need to get to Bluff and there are several ways to make the crossing. Some official, some not. All V outdoorsy.
The hospitality of the Kiwis is unrivalled as well!
Swyn.