Two weeks on New Zealand's South Island

From World travel guide

This is an itinerary for a two-week trip to the South Island of New Zealand.

• Arrive from Wellington (North Island) by ferry at Picton and the beautiful Marlborough Sounds.
• Visit vineyards near Blenheim.
• Go whale watching in Kaikoura.
• Backtrack to the beaches of Nelson and Golden Bay.
• Travel down the west side of the Southern Alps to Greymouth and Hokitika for greenstone (jade). Stop off and watch the blowholes spout at Punakaiki if the tides and sea are right.
• Travel further south down the West Coast to Franz Josef and Fox glaciers.
• Continue past primeval forests to Haast.
• Cross the Southern Alps via the Gates of Haast or, for the hardier types, the Hollyford track.
• Do all the adventure activities and skiing in Wanaka and Queenstown.
• Or perhaps a day trip to cruise on Milford Sound - take the bus and enjoy the scenery - or fly there if you are in a hurry.
• A quick trip to Te Anau and visit the underground Manapouri power station that any bond villain would love and the "Sound of Silence".
• Drive to Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula to meet seals, sea lions, penguins and albatrosses.
• Make a short stop at Moeraki and take a walk up the beach to see big round boulders emerging from the cliff.
• Pass through Oamaru and detour inland past the dams and manmade lakes to Omarama and through the Mackenzie country to Twizel to see Mount Cook. Press on to Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepherd, the on through Fairlie to Timaru.
• Finally, travel up to the Canterbury Plains for souvenir shopping in Christchurch and catch your flight home. If you can bring yourself to leave, of course.

See also: Driving in New Zealand

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