Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - New Zealand - Christchurch & Queenstown

I will be traveling to New Zealand (Christchurch and Queenstown) in November. I'm only going for about 8 days only. I have a bunch of questions, hopefully you guys can provide some insight.

1) Should I spent more time in Queenstown or Christchurch? So far, I'm planning on stay in Christchurch for 4 nites and Queenstown for 3 nites.

2) Is there anything or anywhere around the area that is a MUST-SEE? I just saw that Fiordland National Park seems to be a good place to see.

3) Where else should I go around Christchurch and Queenstown?

4) I want to go swimming with the dolphins, where is the best place or best price to do so? I was debating between Kaikoura or Akaroa.

Any other useful info will be greatly appreciated!

Personally for me the MUST SEE of this trip would be the Antarctica Museum in CHC. But that will only take 2 hours and can be done on a layover if you wanted.

CHC is one of the smaller airports I've been to and the town is easily accessible. Sounds like a great trip you have planned, but I think CHC for 2-3 nights max would do it unless you're heading into the country side. Other can comment on that.

I agree with tenmoc in that 2-3 nights in CHC is plenty. From CHC it takes around 1-1/2 hours to get to Akaroa where you can swim with the dolphins. It's a cute village on an inner harbor and not as touristy as Kaikoura.

As a suggestion, you could also do the Transalpine train trip through the Southern Alps to Greymouth on the West Coast. The roundtrip will take all day.

In the city itself you have the Botanic Gardens which will be very pretty in November, Art Gallery, Museum, etc. and all within walking distance of each other. As tenmoc mentioned, there is the Antarctic Centre which is a five minute walk from the airport.

There is much to do in and around Queenstown and if you're an adrenaline junkie, the sky is the limit! Bungey jumping, paragliding, whitewater rafting, thrilling jetboat rides, luge, to name a few.

In Queenstown you can take the Earnslaw steamship to a working sheep station, and also ride the gondola up the hill behind the town where you will have a wonderful view of the town, Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables (mountain range).

Arrowtown, an old mining town, is about 20 minutes away from Queenstown and worth a visit.

From Queenstown you can visit Milford Sound which is quite spectacular. By bus the roundtrip will take all day but you can also fly. Be aware, however, that the weather can close in fairly quickly in both Queenstown and Milford Sound so if you plan to fly, have a Plan B in place.

Hope this helps and I'm happy to try to answer any other questions you may have regarding your travel to the South Island.

Fiordland is a definite must see. I recently went to Milford sound and the road itself just to get there is spectacular and has several hikes. If you have your own car, makes it easy to stop wherever.

I understand Doubtful Sound is similarly magnificent, but you can't drive there yourself.

We did an overnight cruise on Milford Sound, and I believe the overnight on Doubtful has now also begun for this season.

I have mixed reviews on that. The overnight was worth it, taking our time driving from TeAnau (or add a few more hours if leaving from Queenstown) and stopping at a number of hikes and getting on the boat around 4:30pm. However, we had a group of Aussie high school students that took up over 1/2 the boat. They were okay until after dinner (you anchor for the night - it is not that long of a sound and you see the whole thing in the morning); then they got LOUD.

My understanding is that normally school groups and such go on a separate boat with less capacity and only bunk sleeping. However, the overnight cruises were just beginning for the season and the other boat was not yet up and running. So ... probably not an issue during regular season cruises.

It was wonderful getting up in the morning and going out on deck in a very peaceful (yet quite chilly last month) and beautiful setting -- before the loud kids were up!

Didn't have much time in Queenstown, but indeed there are many active adventures to do in the area. Very pretty setting. Also, by the way, there are vineyards in the area and you can do 1/2 day or day tours of them. We stopped at one that was probably about 20 minutes out of town -- with a "cheesery"!:D

Also, how about stopping at Mt. Cook on the road between Queenstown and Christchurch? I unfortunately didn't get to go there, but really wanted to!!

Also, how about stopping at Mt. Cook on the road between Queenstown and Christchurch? I unfortunately didn't get to go there, but really wanted to!!

Definitely worth a look if possible, and a scenic (fixed wing plane) flight from Mt Cook Airport (a few kms from Mt Cook Village) was a fantastic experience incorporating a landing on, and a wander around, a glacier. Not cheap :( - but I'm pleased I did it and would probably do it again some time.

At the risk of unfair generalisations, Queenstown is probably better for outdoors/sport/adventure, while Christchurch is better for art, museums, gardens. We also went in (mid-to-late) November and it was colder than we expected, even though it's late Spring.

The high point (literally) of our NZ trip was a helicopter tour out of Queenstown airport. Not cheap, either, but well worth it.

We also had a nice afternoon at Deer Park Heights on the outskirts of Queenstown. Great views of the lake and city, interesting array of animals and film locations. Link here: http://www.lakevista.co.nz/deer_park.htm

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

I think I will stay 2 nights in CHC (taking a day trip to Akaroa). Should I stay in Kaikoura overnight? Is this a worthwhile trip? Can this be a day trip?

I will spend the rest of my time in Queenstown since I love the extreme sports. I will take a day trip to Arrowtown and Milford Sound.

Well here's another question: What's the weather like in early November?

Weather will be unpredictable. :)

While you probably won't face big snow storms, it will be a tad chilly once the sun is gone, especially if you head towards Queenstown. During the day, it can be quite warm.

It can also be quite windy.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

I think I will stay 2 nights in CHC (taking a day trip to Akaroa). Should I stay in Kaikoura overnight? Is this a worthwhile trip? Can this be a day trip?

I will spend the rest of my time in Queenstown since I love the extreme sports. I will take a day trip to Arrowtown and Milford Sound.

Well here's another question: What's the weather like in early November?

Kaikoura is known for whale watching (by helicopter or boat), swimming with the dolphins and great seafood - especially crayfish. However, if you are planning on a day trip to Akaroa, you may not wish to do both. If you do decide to go, it's not worth staying overnight (IMHO). It is about a two hour drive so can easily be done in a day trip.

Thanks chchkiwi! So do you think I should go to Kaikoura instead of Akaroa? The only reason why I wanted to go to Akaroa is because I heard that the dolphins there are rare and one of a kind.

Thanks chchkiwi! So do you think I should go to Kaikoura instead of Akaroa? The only reason why I wanted to go to Akaroa is because I heard that the dolphins there are rare and one of a kind.

Yes, in Akaroa you will see Hector's dolphins, an endangered species. Here's a little info on them

http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/hectors-dolphin/

They are small and quite unique.

Kaikoura has the dusky dolphin but also has the whale watching and the albatross encounter. The following link will give you a little more info

http://www.encounterkaikoura.co.nz/

Both places make good day trips and it's difficult to recommend one over the other.

A couple of differences which may help you decide -

Kaikoura is on the Pacific Ocean whereas Akaroa is in an inner harbor so the water is likely to be calmer in Akaroa.

The scenery from Christchurch-Akaroa is very rural and you will have an incredible view of Akaroa Harbour from the Hilltop (weather permitting).

The scenery from CHC-Kaikoura is mainly rural including sheep, cow and wine country. Further on in the trip, however, you will follow the very rocky coastline for a few miles prior to Kaikoura. It's one of my favorite drives in NZ.

There are more organized activities in Kaikoura and it's very popular with the backpacking crowd. In addition to the boat ride in Akaroa there are some lovely hiking trails if that interests you.

Decisions, decisions!