Early last year, the Bergen Street Goods team was planning a White European Christmas…and then I got a full-time job, and hubby changed jobs…no one could get enough time off to do the trip justice, so we looked at the map, chose a close overseas destination and rerouted our plans to two weeks in New Zealand. My initial planning had us considering a whirlwind tour of both islands, but it soon became apparent that it would be too fast-paced for our little team (us and Miss 8 and Miss 6), so we chose the South Island.
This was our itinerary - it gave us enough time to see a lot without feeling rushed. With older kids, you may move at a faster pace, but with two young ones, this pace was great. We were also all pretty tired being the end of a busy school year, so the slower pace was good for us.
Day 1 Queenstown
Day 2 Milford Sound
Day 3 Milford Sound
Day 4 Queenstown
Day 5 Queenstown
Day 6 Queenstown
Day 7 Queenstown
Day 8 Lake Tekapo
Day 9 Lake Tekapo
Day 10 Lake Tekapo
Day 11 Oamaru
Day 12 Dunedin
Day 13 Dunedin
Day 14 Wanaka
Day 15 Home
Day 1 - Melbourne to Queenstown
A bright and early start (out of the house before 6am!) and a 3.5 hour flight from Melbourne to Queenstown. The flight was quick and painless, it didn’t take long to get through security and customs in NZ and the two-hour time difference (gaining two hours) meant we were at our hotel by midafternoon. We rented a Toyota Fortuna (a 4wd was essential and super handy for the driving we have coming up), which we fondly nicknamed The Great White (tuna/fish/shark/great white - you can see the thought process here).
We rented The Great White through Sixt, and after an initial hiccup with horrendous car seats being provided, and then swapped for ok ones, we were on our way. Always stand up for yourself if something isn’t right. The first seats we were provided with the kids couldn't sit in for two mins as they were so uncomfortable - and we were planning on doing a lot of driving. Our first night we stayed at the Queenstown Rendevous Heritage. We needed some rest before our big drive the next day. The hotel was decorated for Christmas which was lovely. Some of the staff were really nice (concierge especially) but some at the restaurant had a pretty terrible attitude. Dinner was ok, but not somewhere I would recommend if you weren't staying there. The convenience of being close to our beds suited us. The room was nice, the beds were comfy and the Family Deluxe room had enough space for the four of us for a one-night stay.