Please suggest places to visit in South Island for good food and good scenery.?

Question

We (two 40+ femaile) plan to go there in early December. We have never been to NZ before, and we are not sporty. Please tell us what are the must see/visit places? And what food/restaurant we should try.

Thanks

Answer 1

I can't tell you about food, but I'm all about the scenery of NZ's south island.  You can't top Fjordland for spectacular vistas (take a boat-ride out on Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound).  Or head west from Christchruch and into the foothills of the Southern Alps and marvel at the "Middle Earth" beauty.  Or take a stroll around Nelson.  Or visit the resort capitol of the world--Queenstown.  Or take a load off at the Hanmer natural hot springs.  Basically, you can't go wrong!

Answer 2

I lived in the south island for many years  My must do lists are:

Top of the south island is a great city called Nelson (New Zealand's sunniest spot) A must with the great beaches, vineyards, outdoor adventure and art centres. http://www.nelsonnz.com.   The Honest Lawyer is a must for dinner!  Take at look at nelsonnz.com and search the restaurants online you will see it there.

See Abel Tasman National park http://www.abeltasman.co.nz -about 1 ½ from Nelson  - very much worth it.  You can walk a part of the trek along the coastline and at anytime take a aquataxi back .. the walk is EASY and not hilly. http://www.aquataxi.co.nz  Plenty of gorgeous beaches to stop off, even a spot to swim with the seals.  You can also kayak around the shoreline too.

Marlborough / Picton – The Sounds - http://www.destinationmarlborough.com The wine capital of NZ – have some wine tastings at Montana.

Whale watching is in Kaikoura. http://www.kaikoura.co.nz

http://www.whalewatch.co.nz http://www.whales.co.nz or http://www.worldofwhales.co.nz Kaikoura is a real fishing town ... so if you needs crayfish...you'll have plenty to choose from.

Christchurch Best attractions are http://www.chchattractions.co.nz

The Gondola is great - http://www.gondola.co.nz You can dine at their restaurant up the top.

Christchurch's International Antarctic Centre - http://www.iceberg.co.nz is right by the airport.

Franz Joseph Glacier - http://www.franzjosefglacier.com for something different.

Queenstown – Milford Sounds, http://www.fiordland.org.nz again amazing scenery.  Wanaka – Lake Wanaka - http://www.lakewanaka.co.nz/index.cfm/Ho...

Queenstown – the adventure capital of NZ.  Costly little place with all the attractions on offer. (has been refered to as like Aspen) You can't pass up a bungy jump though, but you said you are not sporty LOL .. but nothing wrong with watching!.  The restaurants in Queenstown is amazing.  I’ve had my best meals there.

Enjoy your trip.

http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/activities...

Answer 3

Canterbury. Its very scenic. try visiting a Robbies. They're very good.

Answer 4

A cafe and a lookout would be a good start.

Answer 5

Wanakas puzzle world its got really cool stuff

ummm thats all i can think of sorry

Answer 6

Go with Jim Bob, Zee Prime and K Bear's answers.

But for good food with a good view, try Fleur's Place at Moeraki - just 5 minutes from the famous Moeraki Boulders.

Answer 7

The South Island is the most fantastic place to visit.!

I was there myself this summer.

Even if you are not the sporty kind a visit to Queenstown is a must.

Might I recommend the Shotover Jet and a trip to the nearby gold-mining town, Arrowtown.

If you are flying into Christchurch, take a train or hire a car to Queenstown, and take in the spectacular views along the way.

Make sure an bring a camera with a huge memory!

Another must see is Franz Josef Glacier.

( http://www.franzjosefglacier.com if your interested )

Go on a guided tour, it's Spectacular!

You could also go Whale watching in Kaikoura.

( http://www.whalewatch.co.nz )

As regards where to eat

Definitely visit the Vudu Café on Beach Streen in Queenstown, they serve lovely food, some of the best I had on the South Island!

( http://www.vudu.co.nz )

Above all enjoy your trip.

New Zealand is magic and I hope you enjoy it!

Safe Journey and Good Luck!

Answer 8

Hi, I live in Christchurch, and there are some great restaurants and cafe's. For a great meal, lunch or dinner, and a lovely setting with beautiful wines, go to ANNIE"S winebar in the art centre. This is really great in the weekend as there is a market, and foodstalls around the art centre, lot's happening. My favourite place to "hang out" in the weekend on a sunny day. Annie's is lovely to sit outside but inside is really cosy too ! Great atmosphere.

Answer 9

The South Island has some excellent winegrowing areas, seafood and cheese.  As for the scenery, the further south you go, the better it gets.  Whitebait, crayfish and Bluff oysters are probably our finest seafood, and they're available frozen even out of season.  Google 101 must see places in NZ. It was a competition run by the AA.  Most of these places are in the South Island.