melodyc

My fiance and I are heading to the South Island of New Zealand for our honeymoon in a little over a week. We have almost three weeks to spend there, all in the South Island, so we'll have time to explore.

A few initial questions:
1.) Is the Trans-Alpine train worth it? We fly into Christchurch and could take the train over to Greymouth, rent a car, and zig zag around (down to Queenstown/Fox Glacier/Milford Sound, up to Mt. Cook, back over to Nelson and Abel Tasman, down again to Christchurch). Or we could rent a car from Christchurch and do a loop starting south and going around the island.

2.) What are some "must pack" items that I might not think about bringing? I know it's winter now, and so I'll need to bring my jacket. Any other suggestions?

3.) Any "Must see" things that we should plan on working into our itinerary? We like nature, some adventure activities, and relaxing as needed (it is, after all, our honeymoon).

Thank you!

AAFrequentFlyer

Congratulations!

Here is my recent trip report. I do talk about Christchurch, Tranz Alpine, Franz Josef Glacier and Milford Sound.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34591969

Kiwi_acct

Hi There,

Congratulations on your pending nuptuals.

You ask what to bring for your trip to the South Island. Bring warm clothing as winter has arrived early in the South and in full force. The Ski resort owners are smiling ear to ear. There has even been snow to sea level in Dunedin. Usually it is not down that low until August if at all.

BTW when it snows at low level here it does not last, usually gone within a day.

If you are driving make sure you pick up a set of chains with your rental car. Relatively easy to fit these days but get your rental agency to demonstrate how to put them on if you are unsure. You will only need these if you are going into the mountains or going over the mountain passes. If it is a clear day, be careful about ice on the roads where there are shadows over the roads, especially in the morning.

As you will be outside of the car at times I would suggest you invest in a decent pair of gloves, and depending on how much you feel the cold, a warm hat.

Places to see? Well you have highlighted several good spots. The Tranz Alpine should be well worth it especially as the mountains now have a dusting of snow.

Accomodation wise, if you have not already it may pay for you to check availability of accomodation in Queenstown as the Ski season is their high season.

Best of all, enjoy your trip and have a great time. After all it is your honeymoon.

Steve

melodyc

Thanks so much! I'm going to post our tentative itinerary as a new post to see if people have any suggestions.

Thanks again!

MissMag

There were two highlights from our trip to the South Island.
The first was the Old Schoolhouse Cottage which is in Kina Beach, between Abel Tasman and Nelson. It has a huge bank of windows which look out to the surrounding vineyard, a wonderful warm fireplace (which is magically burning when you return from your day's adventures) and a deck with views of the inlet on one side and the ocean on the other.
The second is the Dolphin Encounter in Kaikoura - unbelievable.

Enjoy your trip. It is a beautiful place with beautiful people.