Thursday, October 20, 2011

Question for South Island Kiwis!

We are going back to New Zealand in December this year and are planning a short trip around the top of the south island. I am finally getting around to making some bookings and discovering (as I knew was going to happen) that traveling between December 27th and 31st limits the places that are available to stay at! At the moment our basic plan is to stay at Hanmer, Nelson, Blenheim and Kaikoura for one night each. Does anyone have any "must stay places" or "must do" things around this area? It is not really an area that I have spent a lot of time in, but is an area my husband wants to visit..... Any advice welcomed!
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2 comments:

  1. Beth8:27 am

    Hey Jo,

    When you are in Kaikoura i would highly recommend you do the Kaikoura peninsual walkway from South Bay around to Kaikoura (or vice versa), this is a really great walk they have developed that takes you through some farm land and around the coast and then through to the seal colony! It's pretty cool, and lots of interesting things to see on the way (wildlife, rockpools etc) Check out this link (they have a brochure you can download too) http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/marlborough/south-marlborough/kaikoura-peninsula-walkway/

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  2. Nathan6:27 pm

    Ah Jo, my fav thing in the world...trip planning! For a small fee of $4.99 plus the cost of a flight to Fukuoka I can come over and help you plan! I'll bring the map!

    You should have a look at these sites:

    http://www.rankers.co.nz/respect - a map of all NZ campsites and holiday parks etc

    http://www.aatravel.co.nz/101/ - the 101 (maybe 202 now) best things/places in NZ

    I'd go:
    - Chch to Hanmer, hot pools, walks, minigolf
    - Hanmer to Nelson via SH 7, 65 and 6 (the lewis pass). Maruia Springs if you miss the Japanese Onsen, stop at Maruia Falls, beautiful drive (will take you the whole day with a few stops).
    - Nelson to Blenheim via the Queens Charlotte Drive and Picton. If you have time do a boat trip in Picton out to Ships Cove for an awesome day walk.
    - Blenheim to Kaikoura, only 1 road there! Do the short 5min to the waterfall with the seals (we'll give you the secret details later!)

    If you have longer than that spend it in Nelson and do a day trip to Abel Tasman National Park...amazing.

    x0x0x0x0x

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