New Zealand's South Island
by Campervan...

... and a rather small campervan at that. We thought having our home on our back would mean never having to unpack. We learned that the Toyota Hiace model we rented was so small that we had to repack the van every time we went to bed or got up. Live and learn!

We picked up the van in Christchurch and drove straight to Mona Vale, an estate-turned-public-garden and restaurant, where we were punted on the diminutive Avon by a loquacious local. Grace loved the rose garden.

 
The first night's destination was the holiday park in Akaroa, a scenic town first settled by the French on the Banks Peninsula just south of Christchurch. The views were stunning, and made for a great panorama the next day.

We spent the next night at Lake Tekapo en route to Queenstown. The weather was beautiful but the attractions were few. The Church of the Good Shepard was the local stop on every bus route to Queenstown

Lake Pukaki with views of Mt Cook in the distance. Watched the bungy jumping and recovery over a gorge just out of Queenstown

 
That night we caught up with my cousin Sonia and her family. According to Grace, Ryan and Sam were the high point of New Zealand.

 
The next morning I went by myself up Ben Lomond, a nice and grueling 4,500 ft climb above Queenstown with views over Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables.

 
Later that day we went rafting in Skipper's Canyon. The rafting was fun, but the road down the canyon, made by gold rush miners in a hurry to get to the bottom, was positively exhilarating. Met a nice family from Vanuatu with a very brave 4-year-old girl.

 
A morning walk around the lake.

 
En route to Milford Sound. The last shot is the entrance to the dark, narrow, 1 km long tunnel at the end of this road. Meeting a tour bus inside this tunnel is highly recommended if you need a little excitement in your life.

 
Milford Sound. We spent the night about the Milford Mariner, cruising the sound in the afternoon, then mooring in Harrison Cove for the evening.

 
I went kayaking while Chris and Grace took a tour around the cove in a tender. Note our ship in the distance below the 3,000 ft cliffs in the 3rd photo. The scars on these cliffs are apparently from "tree avalanches".

Evening came on. We had dinner, and helped an exuberant New Yorker celebrate his 80th birthday. Chris and Grace did watercolors after dinner.

 
Up early the next morning to catch the beautiful misty sunrise over the fiord.

We got a display of dolphins (first photo), and another tour of the sound before docking in view of Mitre Peak at 9:30.

 
Dunedin. Great holiday park with trampoline, but not too much else to see in that town, with the exception of some great local jewelry. The mansion is Larnach Castle, an historic house on the Otago Peninsula--worth a visit. The peninsula's scenery and wildlife is the real reason to include Dunedin on your South Island itinerary.

 
Later that afternoon at "Nature's Wonders" on the end of the Peninsula. We saw cormorants, kelp, fur seals, penguins, albatross ... and sheep!

 
Charming boathouse on the way back to Dunedin.

 
On our way back to Christchurch we stopped in Oamaru for lunch. With its interesting architecture and vibrant atmosphere, we regretted not having more time there.

 
We spent our final day in Auckland. A little shopping in the Parnell St district, then taking in the view from Mt Eden, one of the 19 volcanic cones that ring the city.

Chris' Tips for a Great NZ Vacation:

• Optimize your vehicle for comfortable driving; you'll be doing a lot of it nearly every day (3 to 5 hours between most destinations, much of it on seriously curvy roads).

• Make sure you have a CD player and a ready list of car games.

• Consider a one-way journey--fly into Christchurch and out of Queenstown, for instance, and take the east coast road between the two. Folks visiting from the Pacific Northwest probably don't need the mountain/glacier fix you get from Mt. Cook and the western side of the island.

• Allow several days for Queenstown--the beauty is as breathtaking and varied as the options for adventure (rafting, 4WD tours to Lord of Rings settings, hikes/climbs, plus the adrenalin-rush stuff).

• Milford Sound is a must; the overnight cruise (by Real Journeys) was a worthy splurge, if only to see it without a squadron of other boats around. The Te Anau Glowworm Caves, on the other hand, (also offered by Real Journeys) are a total waste of time and money.

• As for campervan alternatives, we did enjoy staying at the family-friendly Top Ten holiday parks where Grace could jump on the trampolines and play in the playgrounds; all of these parks offer motels or "units" (like a little apartment) on the premises. They are simple but clean, usually well located, and extremely well priced. Best of all, because they are co-located with campgrounds, it supports the romantic notion of having gone camping in New Zealand without all the sacrifice (and ensuing family bickering).  We will definitely do more road trips in NZ, but as far as I am concerned, the campervan itch has been scratched.

• Perhaps most importantly, give yourself time. We had eight nights for one quadrant of the South Island, and started off with what seemed like a reasonable itinerary, but constantly felt in a rush. If you can only tack on say, five or six days to an Australian trip, then just do Queenstown and Fiordland, and save the rest for another time.