Nov/dec itinerary for South Island 2 weeks

Thanks so much harry :) I will check on all 3 glaciers for the prices. Obviously Franz is now out so ill check fox and tasman. I guess i will do the penguin tour then. Yes akaroa is definately on my list. Thanks for the tips on Milford, Te Anau and Avon :) cheers !! Also i was wondering about car rentals. I wish to hire one from chch and return at chch.
I got a deal on omega for 21$ a day plus cdw of 12$ so 33$per day in all. Its an old sedan a yr 2000 model. I wanted to ask are these old cars in a good condition ? also are there any gps apps which i could use on my phone instead of renting a gps in the car which turns out to a big amount of 150$ for my whole trip. If there is an app like that could you suggest one please ?

you don't need apps or satnav to get round NZ. Buy a cheap map, in fact they give a lot away free which will be perfectly adequate. On the south island there isn't much choice of roads!

make sure there is breakdown cover for the car and drive it with respect. Trouble with rental cars is that they get hammered.

Yeah that sounds like a good idea to buy a cheap map. Thanks neverwinter :).

Yeah there is a collision damage waiver included in that cost. Do i have to get a cover for breakdown separately ? About the car being old was my apprehension ... Should i pay some more and get a more recent model rental car?

Maps are only needed if you're trying to find an exact street in Christchurch or Queenstown, everywhere else there's pretty much only one road to take.
Not sure I'd risk the cheapo car rental - breakdown and you could be off the road 2 days. Go mainstream, with back up.
If you're planning a helicopter drop, then it doesn't matter than FJ has receded - they'll still drop you on the glacier. FJ only matters if you are just planning (as we did in 2010) to walk up to the terminal to see it. Today that's not possible.

Hey Harry ! Thanks again. I have a lonely planet travel guide on me for the internal streets of chch and QT so I think that would suffice :) yeah I'm thinking I'll hire a newer car to avoid breakdowns. Don't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere ! Good to know the input on the Fj glacier and heli.

Rental cars are a very competitive market in NZ. All cars have to pass a 6 monthly WoF test. Omega are one of the top 2nd Tier companies. I'm surprised they are offering cars over 10 years old, but have used then several times & will do again.

Thanks kereru :) Yeah i was just wondering if I should rent a 10 year old car. Is it advisable? Because a lot of people are doubting that I should take that chance and suggest to go for a newer rental car instead.