<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Kiwi Flyer:
You can avoid this by taking the train to Greymouth (of course it limits the options on the west coast itself but as you dont have much time anyway it may not matter too much) - which is a very scenic ride across the plains, over mountains and through gorges.</font>
This train trip (Christchurch to Greymouth) keeps making the lists of "best 5 train trips in the world". I haven't taken it but have driven the route and it is really spectacular. The west coast of the south island is very unique (but also a rain forest, so expect weather to match). Of course the best parts are the Fox and Franz Jozef glaciers which are a day's drive south of Greymouth (if you go, be sure to take the guided walks upon the glaciers, those are amazing trips which are much more adventurous than anything offered in the US).