South Island Travel Forum

Hi, where's a good place to visit in the South Island right now? It has just turned autumn (though I swear it's more like winter).

I'm currently visiting Dunedin and would like to travel but it's too cold for summer activities and yet not cold enough for winter stuff!!

Where should I go?

Thanks in advance.

You might like to think of driving to Wanaka (which is beautiful in the autumn) and then over the hast pass to the glacier which I have just read is melting at an alarming rate and may not be there for much longer.

Just my 2 cents worth

STEVE

Arrowtown is famous this time of year for it's autumn colours, but check with locals as to present progression of colour. Seems to be a bit out of kilter at the moment. Wanaka is lovely in autumn too. Drive up the Matukituki valley if the weather permits :-) And of course there is the Caitlins, closer to Dunedin.

I would travel inland, so towards Queenstown/Wanaka via Middlemarch and Alexandra.

The melting glacier another poster mentioned is the Tasman Glacier. To see that you have to travel to Mt. Cook Village, which would be the logical way north if you continue from Wanaka.

Autumn colours in Arrowtown should be fine. Yesterday we were in the Arthurs Pass region, all the poplars etc. were yellow-golden, so further down in the south it will be no different. The whole drive from Wanaka to Twizel/Mt. Cook is magic in autumn, as the Lindis Pass area is also dotted with those yellow leaved trees.

We have very nice temperatures in Christchurch at the moment. Sure, some days (and the nights) are chilly but mostly it is nice. Tomorrow (Monday) we should have above 20°C. In Arthurs Pass we had about 17°C, and in the sun it was really hot. We sat outside in t-shirts.

And if you freeze, get over it and put on another layer of clothes, and you will be fine ;-) They even sell gloves in NZ LOL