Rediscovering the South Island

This was a trip to rediscover the South Island and all its beauty. As New Zealanders, we tend to take a lot of it for granted. It has been 20 years since Alan and I toured the South Island with our three children; we decided that we would take another good look. We left Nelson and drove down the west coast as far as Franz Josef Glacier, where we stayed the night. There are two ways to go down the coast; one is through Reefton (the inland route) and the other is through Westport (the coastal route). Both journeys have great views, and if the coastal route is taken ,there is the added bonus of Punakaiki. After a night in Franz, we went up to the glacier. There are numerous bus trips from the town, with all types of adventure helicopter flights, or just take your vehicle out and go for a walk. After leaving Franz we headed for Countrytime Resort in Omarama, which would be our base for the next 5 days. The resort is a hotel that has timeshare facilities, from a studio to a two-bedroom apartment with its own facilities. The staff at Countrytime is extremely friendly, there is an excellent restaurant for breakfast and dinner, and there are views that are superb. Omarama is a very central spot for daytrips to Queenstown, Wanaka, and Mt Cook. Central Otago is a well-known wine area, which specialises in pinot noir. On a trip to Queenstown we stopped at a couple of wineries. The roads are excellent, and at this time of the year, traffic is fairly light. After a wonderful week, we will be keeping our eye out for another bonus week.

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