When visiting New Zealand's south island, what are the must-do activities?

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Definitely the heli/climb on the Franz Josef Glacier. Also Milton Sound tour. We went on an eco tour (can't remember the name of the tour company, but it was a smaller boat, much more intimate, closer to the wildlife, would full recommend). If you have time (and the energy), stop over in Milford Sound for a couple of days and do some walks.

Queenstown is a must if you are into a bit of adventure. We did the Shotover Jetboat, rafting on the Shotover River (the bus trip is the scariest thing you may experience in your life, but it is so worth it), the gondola to the Skyline Restaurant, you can parasail from there too if you are into it), Mount Cook, stay up there at the resort, we wish we had a little more time to do some stuff there, but we only had a week in NZ. Queenstown is also the "Home of Bungy" but we just aren't into it, but we went and watched and it was interesting, so you really can't miss Queenstown, regardless of your interests.

If you are on a self drive tour, allow plenty of time to enjoy the scenery (and make sure your petrol tank is full when you leave Franz Josef, don't ask!!). The country is so beautiful, you don't want to pass it by. It is slow travelling in NZ, so don't expect to travel as many kilometres as you normally would. There are so many opportunities to stop and take it all in that rushing it is not the way to go.

Have fun, believe me, we will go back there one day, absolutely loved it!!

Edited to Add: Make sure you do take warm clothes, even though it was summer. It snowed in the hills around Queenstown when we were there in early February this year!! We were glad we took plenty of warm clothes as well as our summer stuff.

mareeclara

It depends on what you want to see.
I personally also love the West Coast eg Franz Josef/Fox glacier. I used to work in the infomation centre there and loved it....its isolated but the scenery is stunning. There are lots of little walks or longer walks, you can go on the glacier either by walking or helicopter/plane.
Lake Matheson near Fox glacier is the most photographed lake in NZ...it has great reflections ( if you get the right day) of Mt Cook /Mt Tasman. Just drving along the road its stunning and there are lots of places to stop..i personally love a place called Ship Creek between Fox Glacier and Haast..in the middle of nowhere and it has a couple of simple walks, the beach one and the forest one is just lovey....especially on a rainy day!

Queenstown is the tourist place around NZ and there are lots of things to do eg jet boating, paragliding, bungey jumping...lovely setting and worth a look.

I also love the Mt Cook National Park which is quite different to the West Coast being dry, but its stunning and you can walk to glaciers... set in a completely different setting...i think its the mueller ( the Tasman is also there) and there is anotherone in the mt cook village area.

Abel Tasman is wonderful and the Marlborough Sounds are great...Fiordland is wonderful ( but i have not made it down there myself even tho i am a south islander.
Anyway look at the websites for some info

The original FISHMAN

looking around takaka, collingwood and farewell spit would be cool they do a bus tour and have lots of good cafes, walks and activities

Sue

January is our summer in NZ and the South Island is famous for its beautiful scenery. There is bungee jumping and white water rafting. Queenstown is lovely and nearby Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town and is beautiful. The mountains, lakes and plains are beautiful. Mitre Peak is superb at the south of the south island. The TransAlpine rail trip from Christchurch to Hokitika is a day trip and a wonderful trip across the South island. Christchurch and Dunedin are lovely old cities - Christchurch is very English and Dunedin is known as the Edinburgh of the south. Larnach Castle is near Dunedin and a must-see. A boat trip through the Queen Charlotte Sounds at the northern part of the South Island is also wonderful. Enjoy your trip! I know you will!

travel_stories

It really depends on what your interests are.It will be mid summer so plenty of beach activities possible - Nelson and Kaiteriteri are beautiful South Island Beaches.Queenstown is a must and there are a wide range of activities from bungy, to jet boating, wine tours, back country 4WD, Lord of the Rings tours,etc.You can go down to Wanaka and Milford Sound from here.(overnight tours)There won't be a lot of snow.The West Coast and glaciers are also something you should do.I also love the kotuku sanctuary(New Zealand white herons.)If you arrive at Christchurch you could go either way but either north via Kaikoura, via Nelson, West Coast down to the Glaciers, across to Queenstown, Wanaka and Milford sound and back via Mt Cook.Or go through Aurthers Pass to the West Coast if you feel that is too much for 10 days- which it probably is. Have a look at http://www.holidays-in-newzealand.com/queenstown.html and http://www.holidays-in-newzealand.com/west-coast-new-zealand.html to decide what activities interest you.
The South Island is very scenic, has many adventure activities, wineries, walks, etc - you will need to be selective and plan well if you only have 10 days.It will also be the peak of the season with locals on their summer holidays.You don't say how you plan to travel.You may need to try and arrive early afternoon to get a camp site.Or book a day ahead.You will also want at least a day in Christchurch, which is a lovely city.

fashonion

You will have lovely weather as it will be summer time there. You must visit Abel Tasman National park. This park consists of a number of beautiful golden sandy beaches. You will get to see New Zealand Fur seals and wild dolphins. You can also go for walks through the rain forest or Kayak the coast. It is located on the northern part of the south island.

You can go wine tasting in the many vine yards around.
http://www.nzwine.com/regions/

Also http://www.hanmersprings.co.nz/ is a great place to relax.

Don't forget insect replant as there will be lots of sandflies about.

DanZidane

You must climb/heli tour the Franz Josef Glacier. visit Rotorua and it's hot springs best of all is just to drive down the west coast, the scenery will take your breath away. enjoy, I'm jealous

samdawsoniow

I visited New Zealand this time last year and it was fantastic. Here are some suggestions for you based on what I did on the South Island,

We started off in Picton for a few days and took a boat tour to see some of the wildlife including dolphin watching and to a small island to see all the native birds. The Malbourogh sounds are also nearby which are spectacular. We then went to Kaikoria which is famous for it's whale watching (you can go by boat or plane) but we couldn't afford that so we went horse riding along the mountains which was amazing.

You must visit Queenstown, but it does get very busy so make sure you book a hostel or hotel before you get there. The scenery is absolutely beautiful, take the chair lift up to the top for some amazing veiws of the Remarkables. We then spent a few days at Mount Cook, just taking some walks and enjoying the scenery before going down to Dunedin which has some wonderful wildlife tours (we went to the Albatrose centre which again was great). We also stopped off in Christchurch and Otago but didn't really do too much there, just relaxed.
One of the things we didn't get time to do was go to the Franz Joseph glazier which I have heard great things about but I will have to save that for my next trip.

I hope this may have been slightly helpful, have a great time :)

Skibabe

We did a 10 day tour of the South island a couple of years ago and it was fantastic. We started in Christchurch and drove across Arthur's Pass - amazing mountain scenery and gorges. You could also take the Alpine Express from Christchurch (a train that goes through the mountains and is stunning, I hear - if you're not driving). Then we drove down the West Coast which is so beautiful - Alps on the left, ocean on the right. Very unpopulated down there too - I can really recommend Lake Moeraki Lodge. It's set by a gentle stream, near a lake and you can fish and kayak on the lake. Or you can kayak 10 minutes down the stream to the sea. They have greenstone on the beaches that you can pick up (otherwise known as jade or pounamu in Maori). There are other semi-precious stones down there too. Explore the beaches around there as they're stunning.

Then we drove down through Hokitika and eventually to Queenstown, where we stayed for several days. There's loads to do there during the summer, it comes alive. there's parapenting, mountain walks, but i highly recommend a few things: Take a flight to Mount Cook - it takes an hour and you get a tour of all the mountain peaks around there too. Even better and a real must - we flew to Milford Sound (you can drive too but it takes a lot longer) and took a tour of the Sound (like a fjord) which is spectacular. If you're lucky you'll see pilot whales and dolphins. You should also go to the underwater observatory there - it's well worth it. Look out for keas there - these pesky, and highly inteligent, parrots are great fun.

You should also take one of the tours up the Dart river on speedboat - either Kawerau Jet or the best is the Shotover Jet (it's higher up the river and skims the cliff faces - not for the faint hearted!). You can also bungy jump at the original bungy jump site in the world (I believe). Near Queenstown you also have Arrowtown where you can still pan for gold (I found some!!), which is extremely quaint, and the Gold museum is worth checking out to look at the nuggets! Taking the road out of Queenstown, towards Wanaka, is a major vineyard area, and you can stop off and taste (and buy!) some fantastic Kiwi wines.

Glenorchy, which I think is at the top of Lake Wanaka? (we're going there this summer in fact) is worth seeing, as is Wanaka and Lake Hawea (it's all amazing scenery, basically!). Doubtful Sound is also worth a visit too (another beautiful fjord).

If you have time, Lake Tekapo is worth an overnight visit as it has an observatory for looking at stars. They have night sessions and it looked amazing!

One other place i can recommend is Kaikoura - about 1 hour North of Christchurch. The town's not that attractive (though there are some good restaurants there) but the big pull is the whale-spotting tours. They're very well run, in nice warm boats, and it was a fantastic hour or so.

Even though it's our summer, it is worth taking warm clothes and waterproof ones too, as you're right next to our major mountain range, The Southern Alps, and just as in any country with mountains, the weather can change quickly and it can rain, even snow! also make sure you have a HUGE memory card on your camera, or lots of film as it really is outstanding countryside.

Oh, and one last - make sure you either bring or buy (we have some great Kiwi products for sale around there) a decent sandfly-repellent! They are real buggers down there and will happily munch away on your skin! Make sure you bring a hat and have long sleeves and trousers to tuck into boots/socks. Spray the bits that stick out and you'll be fine. They are a pain (literally!) but they're mainly by the coast and the scenery really does make up for it!

Above all, even if it rains for the entire 10 days (it won't though!), you will have a faaaantastic time. I moved here from the UK 4 1/2 years ago and very seriously considered moving down to the Sout

Driver T

There's the caves at Oparara; Farewell Spit; the big hole known as Harwoods Hole; Mt Owen caving system, Waiuta; Molesworth, Deniston; Maruia and Hanmer Hot Springs;Whale watching; Okarito Lagoon, The Glaciers (maybe last chance to see); Akaroa; Mt John; Richard Pearse Memorial (Temuka); Skippers; Glenorchy; Moeraki; Macraes; Nevis; Rail Trail; Doubtful Sound; Taiaroa Head; Chaslands; Bluff and Stewart Island.
That gives you a bit to look up.
I've been to all these places and found them completely out of the ordinary ---and very few tourists too (except for the Whales at Kaikoura).
You'll find all these places in the purenz site on the net.
Do a bit of Googling.
Have fun.

badspeller

in new Zealand this time is verry cold. you must be prepared to dress verry heavy. the activities there on January is practically nothing, is some fishing and some indoors activity. do not wine you self up.because is not much to do. also you going to gain some wait,about 10lbs

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