We spent 3 weeks in NZ this Christmas and New Year and stayed in lots of great places as we toured around (10 different places in total over the 3 weeks) some pretty high end, some simpler.

Loved everywhere we went, but worthy of mention in this forum especially were Edenhouse (near Abel Tasman), Hapuku Lodge (near Kaikoura), Wildwood Lodge (near Rotorua), and Millbrook (wonderful location in Arrowtown near Queenstown).

Of these Edenhouse, Wildwood Lodge and Prospect Lodge are very small (just with 2 or 3 rooms, operating like super-lux bed and breakfasts, albeit with amazing dinners thrown in too) with astonishing levels of service and pampering from their owner hosts, Hapuku Lodge was a beautiful set of luxurious treehouses with a fantastic husband and wife team of chef (winner of NZ masterchef) and manager, and Millbrook is much larger and more corporate, but again it was well run and very enjoyable (with fabulous golf courses and other facilities attached should you want them - reminded me of a Southern Hemisphere Gleneagles).

We enjoyed all of these places very much, and completely fell in love with new Zealand!

We also did an overnight cruise on the Doubtful Sound (certainly not luxurious but a great experience), plus lots of fantastic adventures (white water rafting, jet boating, helicopter rides etc etc). It was an amazing trip and the weather at that time (Dec and January) was perfect everywhere we went, both on North and South Island. Have to say though, the weather is always unpredictable there - and although we had great weather throughout, pretty atrocious weather was going on in other parts of the country throughout our trip (big storms, bridges being washed away, friends having their itineraries changed because some of the mountain passes became inpassable etc!!!). Don't let that put you off though - i think we would have had a ball even in pouring rain.