Guide to New Zealand's South Island
Catch the ferry to Marlborough where kayaking and bird spotting are musts if there's time. Otherwise it's cycling around more than 50 superb wineries and on to Kaikoura for a meal of fresh crayfish, whale watching, and swimming with dolphins, seals and sharks. (Sperm whales in September to October and orcas, December to March.) Then Christchurch beckons with the charming French town of Akaroa and the TranzAlpine rail journey across to the west coast for the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. You can walk on them or do a hell-hike to really appreciate the splendour. If there is time, call into Aoraki, Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand for more mighty glaciers and good walks.
If you are driving, take your time down the west coast to the wild Fiordland area, where the calm waters of the 22km long Milford Sounds reflect the sheer peaks and on through to Doubtful Sounds where you need to stop for a cruise in this majestic country. Watch out for the biggest sandflies you will ever see!
Next is Queenstown for skiing, wonderful food, and bungee jumping and a few days are needed to explore the picturesque and historic Arrowtown and Cromwell. Then on to Otago for the wildlife and, of course, Bluff for the oysters if there is time.
