1

If you are spending 48 days in NZ, why only spend 21 of those days on the South Island?
There's so much more to see and do on the South Island. I'd spend more like 33 days on the South, 15 on the North.

In any case, it's a long enough trip and ahead of the peak season that you don't really need to plan the details now. You'd be fine to basically just go one day at at time and decide when you're there based on weather, how you feel, who you meet, etc. It's not as though there are any bad areas on the South Island that should be avoided.

Nevis Bungy is good. Skydiving at Wanaka was also good. However, the Shotover Canyon Swing was my favourite of the "extreme" things (I recommend "The Chair" or others where you fall backwards), and also the cheapest .

2

Are you travelling by car or bus? You do realise that if this is your itinerary (not just a "wish list") that Mt Cook to Franz Josef is about 500 Km by road!! Unless you especially want to see Oamaru, I'd start with Mt Cook, then Dunedin ... Then on the way north it would become Wanaka-Franz Josef.
I agree that you don't need to micro-plan in November-December. By late December (say 20th onwards) is the peak season when the schools close for the summer.

3

I disagree tch7. I think the split is pretty good especially at that time of year when the North Island will (hopefully) have some nice weather and be at its best without all the domestic tourists cluttering up the place. If you're active, then you should definitely thing about doing some hiking - especially some of the multi day hikes. On my wish list is hang gliding in Queenstown if you're there at the right time of year. As for the 'to do' list - its way too long.

4

Hi looking to spend some days in south myself and thinking of camper vanning and travelling from Hokitika down to Franz Josef or Fox Glacier (which is best?) then carry on down to Queenstown (where would be a good over night stop off on this route?) through to Te Anau and up to Milford Sound. Can anyone advise of rough driving times between each place as its difficult to judge the distance on maps and calculate how long the journey would take without knowing the road speeds, expected traffic etc. We would then plan to fly out from Queenstown so would have to do a route back, would be nice to go a different way to Te Anau, any suggestions?

Thanks
Sorry to butt in on your post! Enjoy your travels! :)

5

Thanks for all the posts! I didn't know the way from Mt Cook to Frans Jozef was that long. On the other hand I'm not in a hurry. But you think it's better to go the other way around. From Christchurch to Mt Cook via Burkess Pass, then Wanaka, Queenstown etcetera?

I am going to do some hiking, any advise which one I have to do?! Kepler and Milford Track seem nice, the book says ;)