Originally Posted by
Eltham
Definitely visit Mt Cook Salmon Farm just north of Twizel. It’s a nice drive from there to QT. Dunedin is OK but the weather can be fickle, even in January. Catlins is way south and would add at least a day to your trip to QT. But Invercargill and Bluff are also worth a detour if you like small provincial towns. Nothing exceptional to see though.
Thank you for Salmon Farm recommendation, I will be doing QT to CHC in Dec and was on a lookout for things to do/pit stops. Current plan with your Salmon farm rec is QT - Mt. Cook Village - Pukaki - Tekapo - via inland roads (
https://goo.gl/maps/ck92t3syqF52) - CHC by about 8 - 10pm. We will have an entire day so time is not an issue and our flight departs from CHC next morning at 8. Any other recommendation/ideas of things to do in middle would be great, Heli tours of Franz Galciers/Mt Cook etc are weather dependent so I can't bank on those.