Northern half of the South Island

Hi,

We will be travelling to NZ at the end of August and would like some ideas on what's worth seeing around the Northern half of the South Island. We did a trip last year which covered the Southern half of the South Island (Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Wanaka). We are eager to get across to Franz Josef and then up the West Coast (ran out of time last year), heading up to Nelson, Picton etc. We have 2 weeks, a car and a road map! We were even thinking of catching the ferry across to Wellington for a couple of days. Any ideas on what to aim for, or what to pass up?

Thanks
Jim

This is a great region to explore, because the landscape is so varied. You will also have the place to yourself in August!

The weather in August is very changeable, so you'll probably get as many rainy days as you do fine days. Because that time of year is very much the off season, you really don't need to book your accommodation more than one day ahead. So I would suggest checking out what the weather is going to do, and then either going clockwise or counterclockwise around the island. When the western side of the island is rainy, it is often beautiful in Kaikoura, so you can often avoid the worst of the bad weather by heading east.

A great circular route is:

Nelson > Blenheim > Kaikoura > Lewis Pass > Westport (with sidetrip to Karamea) > Nelson Lakes > Abel Tasman > Nelson. The Marlborough Sounds are another great place to spend a couple of days during winter, or you could also head out to Golden Bay and Farewell Spit if the weather is good.

At the end, grab the ferry to Wellington for a couple of days in the city and fly out from the airport. Two weeks is a great amount of time to do all of this. You could even go south from Kaikoura to Christchurch and then through Arthur's Pass if the weather is good. Should be very scenic with lots of snow on the mountains.

Just re-read your post and saw that you want to see the glaciers. It's about 3 hours drive south from Greymouth to Franz Josef, but I would highly recommend waiting until the weather is good for this excursion. If you end up on the west coast with rain, head up to Karamea for a day, and then down to the glaciers when it clears.

You really must see the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki, they're incredible. It's near Greymouth.

Up at Farewell Spit at the DOC hut there is a walk along the hills/cliffs that goes along the ocean and ends at Wharariki beach. The walk and the beach are gorgeous. Try to get to the beach for low tide.

hey jim

i recently went on a moatboat camping holiday with my family around queen charlotte sound/perlorus sound/ etc
it is really beautiful that whole area
catching the ferry can be good on a good day- but going in a small boat around the sounds- even for a day trip i think is well worth it
take plenty of warm clothes- no matter what the season!
farewell is spit is incredible- definelty do that too
have fun!
z

Kaikoura is beautiful with the black sand and fat seals lazing about on the beach. Is it whale season then? And over on the west coast, all along the coast is beautiful from the glaciers up north to punakaiki (and beyond of course).
What about the hot springs? I haven't been cos I was pregnant at the time we went but my sister who lives there loves them. I think Hamner Springs is up north of the south? and there is another one as well that is not as popular and so therefore not as crowded - don't know the name though, sorry!
Wellington is a COOL city. I really liked it. It's got a good vibe.
Have fun!

In the Nelson area you should check out Golden Bay or Kaiteretere (in Maori) beach, its is really beautiful, even though it will be too cold to swim unless you are brave it is worth checking out.
Kaikoura is beautiful - I did a really good whale watching trip there a couple of years ago, it was quite expensive, but worth it if the weather is okay.
The Malborough Sounds is really great too, but if you have already been to Milford Sounds then you could miss them if you are short on time.
I think a trip to Wellington could be a great idea, the ferry trip itself is really nice as you go through part of the Sounds on your way out from Picton. You could leave your car in Picton, you won't necessarily need it in Wellington and its quite expensive to take it across. Wellington is a nice city, and if the weather is bad it might be good to have the opportunity to do some indoor activities. Te Papa museum, art galleries, shopping, cafes... often some good theatre in Wellington too, especially if you there on a friday or saturday night.