[Frogfish]

Excellent - just the information I need, I'll look at rearranging the schedule as that is the type of scenery we are most interested in. Thanks Ross !

[Kiwizinho]

Guys - would appreciate you commenting on my draft itinerary (many many hours of pouring over a hundred NZ websites have gone into this - I guess I still have a lot wrong though) !

We decided to stay in NZ and forego Aus on this trip.

Arrive AKL - spend next day there too.
AKL to Tauranga - CAR - 2 days.
Tauranga and Rotoraura - CAR - 3 days
Keri Keri - CAR - 5 dys
Keri Keri to AKL - FLY 1 day
AKL - Wellington - TRAIN 1 day
Wellington & Picton - 2 days
Picton - Kiakoura - CAR - 1 day
Kiakoura - another 2 days
KK to Christchurch - CAR 1 day
CCH to Greymouth - TRAIN - 1 day
Greymouth area - CAR - 2 days
Greymouth to Queenstown - FLY - 1 day
QT and Milford Sound - 4 days
QT to CCH - CAR - 2 days
CCH - Keri Keri - FLY - 4 days.
KK to AKL - FLY - 1 day

For day read night

Is that too much traveling and not enough time stopping to smell the roses ?

It looks like you've got 14 days in the South Island. I did an 8 day circumnavigation of the South Island when my brother-in-law was visiting from Brazil. He'd been here almost a year so there were some places he'd already visited, and I live in the South Island, on the other hand you've got a few more days so don't need to be quite as rushed - and we missed out one or two places I'd like to have been to.

Here's the itinerary we used, with 1 day each leg, all driving. We stopped off at a lot of spots in between. I only had a bridge camera at the time, and managed to get through around 700 photos, after culling the worst ones. It was a lot of driving - I think we clocked up over 3000km, but a few extra stop overs would have made it quite reasonable.

Blenheim - Greymouth via SH63 Buller Gorge, quick stop in Westport. We didn't stop at Lake Rotoiti/St. Arnaud since we'd my brother in law had already been there, but we stopped at various other minor picnic spots, so could have stopped at Lake Rotoiti instead. (Picton is only 25km from Blenheim so that would work for you)
Greymouth - Haast (went to both glaciers along the way, and stopped at lots of lakes)
Haast - Queenstown (Actually stayed at Glenorchy which is almost another hour's drive around the lake from Queenstown)
Queenstown - Te Anau (missed Milford Sound - this would have added a day)
Te Anau - Dunedin via southern coast including detour out to Bluff, and Caitlins. A stopover in Invercargill, though not that exciting, would add time to explore the Caitlins better, which could be worth it, what with the petrified forest, and other interesting landscape items.
Dunedin - Twizel(included trip out to Albatross colony on the Otago peninsula before leaving Dunedin)
Twizel - Christchurch. On the way, we drove up to Mount Cook, and stopped at Lake Tekapo (an extra day to take the train from Christchurch to Arthur's Pass, or possibly right through to Greymouth I'd have included if we had more time and money.)
Christchurch - Blenheim (In your case a stop over at Kaikoura would add a day and break up the trip, and on the way north from Christchurch, you'd have time for a slight out to Gore Bay near Cheviot where there are some interesting clay cliffs.

With the suggested extras, my itinerary would extend out to 12 days, still leaving an extra couple of discretionary ones if you have 14 days.
One thing to watch out for though will be the state of the roads. A bridge south of Hokitika was cut by fllooding recently cutting off the glaciers and Haast from the rest of the West Coast.

Roadwatch - AA Maps - New Zealand Maps, Addresses, Businesses, Driving Directions Is a must have link to check the status of roads, also National - MetService.com to get an idea of weather.
I'd been considering coming back up the West Coast after Christmas, but fortunately checked the metservice site before hand, and avoided some very nasty weather.

[Frogfish]

Hi Kiwizinho - I've got a plane to catch in a few hours after some zzzzz but I'll look at your itinerary in detail later. Thanks !

[Panteg]

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We also have a social group but the latter doesn't allow quoting and doesn't notify members about new postings. We are therefore using this thread to communicate about the troubles and joys of being a Pentax user in the land where the Kiwi roams.

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Are your cameras all black?

[zkarj]

zkarj - I agree totally with you on this, there was no way I was going to outpace this fella as he came in to land over my head. Assuming I got it right and the picture appears it was taken on Sunday from the layby at the northen end of the main Christchurch runway. There is a time and a place for everything but under these circumstances a prime doesn't cut it.

Sweet pic! I love all the extra 'stuff' the ski-planes have hanging out. Makes 'em look like real workhorses – which they are.

Christchurch gets a lot of interesting stuff for the Antarctic missions. Must find my way down there some day. Only ever been twice that I can remember, and one of those times was only transiting airport.

[NZ_Ross]

Are your cameras all black?

All of them, except for the ones that aren't

[Transit]

Are your cameras all black?

Everything is Black here now apart from the cricketers who have been forced to go back to beige

[CWyatt]

Just putting out those feelers again for anyone who can lend/rent out any lens around 15mm in 2 weeks for 3 weeks...

[Transit]

I've only got the 8-16 in that area and I'm too scared to use it, let alone lend out sorry !
There is a 10-17 on TM atm if that is any help, they have tried a couple of times, might take a low offer

[NZ_Ross]

Just putting out those feelers again for anyone who can lend/rent out any lens around 15mm in 2 weeks for 3 weeks...

Hi Camus - I note there is now a 15mm Limited for sale on TM if you are interested.

Cheers

Ross

[CWyatt]

Would be keen but on a real budget as I'm making exhibition prints for February!

[NZ_Ross]

I know why Camus wants a 15mm to use, it is such a sweet little lens.

I was out walking this evening, had my camera with me as a summer storm rolled in Zenfolio | Ross Waugh | Summer Storm Timaru

The photos linked to are all with the DA 15mm - which lives in my camera bag...

Very happy with it

Ross

[Diane]

Thanks for the link to zenfolio site I think it is - Love the first photo the most, beautifully captured

[ivanvernon]

Hey, look at this!

Wellington went crazy when the news about Obama's win broke.

Wish we could send you a few trillion dollars of this President's deficit spending!

[Transit]

Wish we could send you a few trillion dollars of this President's deficit spending!

that ain't real money Mate