You can also take tours out of Queenstown. Queenstown is not so far from Te Anau Milford Sound, Lake

I am trying to find a way to fly from the states in January to meet up with my adult daughter in Sydney for a couple days and then fly over to New Zealand for two weeks before a return to the US. My daughter's perth serviced apartments australia work has her leaving out of Christchurch to Antarctica so she has a ticket to New Zealand on Qantas by way of Sydney perth serviced apartments australia from work.
Logistically, perth serviced apartments australia I am trying to figure out if we should fly straight to the North Island from Sydney and work our way back down south to the South Island. If you had 14-16 days with a couple days in Sydney, what cities would you see in NZ before going to Christchurch? She is a marine geologist so Rotorua with the geysers are a must-any other suggestions?
Does your 14-16 days include Sydney? I ask, because there's so much to see and do in NZ, that it's hard to spread two weeks across both islands, perth serviced apartments australia let alone include a visit in Australia. In fact, it's quite easy to spend two weeks on one island and still just scratch the surface.
I usually suggest people spend all of their time on the SI because there's perth serviced apartments australia just so much to see and do; but because Rotorua is a must see for you, I suggest you fly to Auckland, see what you want on the NI, and then perhaps fly to Queenstown perth serviced apartments australia and work your way back up to Christchurch and then depart from there.
Many people choose to make a loop, flying into Christchurch, and then working their way up or down the SI, and then back to Christchurch, but this will involve more driving and thus, require more time.
A possible driving perth serviced apartments australia route of the SI: Christchurch-Arthur's Pass-Greymouth-West Coast/Glaciers-Wanaka-Te Anau-Queenstown-Mt Cook-Lake Tekapo-Christchurch. It's a route that includes most of the "must see's" that first time visitors like to include.
If you enjoy hiking and think you could take a few days out of your schedule for a hiking trip, I can highly recommend the guided Hollyford Track trip. The scenery on this trip was absolutely amazing; the food in the lodges was delicious; and the guides and staff at the lodges could not have been better.
Thanks for the replies! Because my daughter's company is routing perth serviced apartments australia here first to Sydney and then over to Christchurch she thought it would be nice to see Sydney for a day or so,get rid of some jet lag before heading to NZ.
Regarding NZ: If your daughter is a marine perth serviced apartments australia geologist, she would probably enjoy Kaikoura, on the northeast coast of the South Island, which is close to the Hikurangi Trench, an important deep ocean trench that attracts whales and dolphins. Kaikoura is also a good place for spotting fur seals and sea-going birds. You can go on whale watching tours (this concession is Maori-owned), or go swimming with the Dusky Dolphins. Kaikoura is also very scenic, with high mountains as a backdrop.
You will probably also enjoy the Marlborough Sounds, which you pass through when traveling on the ferry between Picton (on the South Island) and Wellington (NZ's capital on southern tip of the North Island).
Yes, Rotorua is very touristy and it smells of sulphur. If you still want to see the geothermal activity, then you can lessen your exposure to the tourist tackiness, by staying outside of town. The first time we visited Rotorua, we stayed perth serviced apartments australia in town, the second time we stayed here:
This made all the difference. If you cannot make it to the more remote Eastern Cape of NZ's North Island, then Rotorua is also a great place for learning about Maori culture, though, this too, has been quite commercialized in Rotorua.
Are you looking to stay in towns because you do not want to drive around through the countryside and prefer to do day trips from town? If so, I would recommend visiting perth serviced apartments australia Dunedin and Queenstown (which, like Rotorua, is also touristy and busy, but sits at the hub of some stunning alpine and lacustrine scenery). The area around Dunedin is rich with coastal scenery and wildlife. perth serviced apartments australia Plus, you can do a lot of tours out of Dunedin.
You can also take tours out of Queenstown. Queenstown is not so far from Te Anau Milford Sound, Lake Wanaka, the Central Otago wine country perth serviced apartments australia (around Cromwell and Bannockburn). You can probably get a tour from Queenstown to Lake Tekapo or Mt. Cook, or to the glaciers.
Nearly forgot, Dunedin is home to the University of Otago, NZ's oldest university (founded in 1869), which has a Marine Studies Program. I don't think it can compare to the programs at Australia's universities, but it is a good one. Dunedin's Aquarium is closed for earthquake proofing.