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<\/a><\/p>\n1. Chrstchurch to Lake Tekapo<\/strong>You will want to include 2-3 days in and around Christchurch at one end of your holiday. Saturday Farmers Market (best market ever!) and see their Botanic Gardens, also spend your days going for a trip to Akaroa and the bays around. Lake Tekapo\u00a0\u2013 is in the middle of the MacKenzie country. See the little stone church with the sheep dog monument overlooking the lake and if you are interested in astronomy do the night visit to\u00a0Mt St John or just a hike there. On the way to Dunedin stop by the Salmon farm and enjoy the views of Lake Pukaki. Twizel is also a funny little town that serves amazing coffee. Moeraki Boulders is a place to stay overnight if you have a bit of time.<\/p>\n \u00a0 2. Dunedin\u00a0<\/strong>This is NZ\u2019s biggest \u2018Student town\u2019, with the local university being home to thousands of \u2018scarfies\u2019 (Otago University Students) \u2013 needless to say there\u2019s always some form of craziness happening. Visit the Catburry Chocolate Factory and some of the best breweries around We did a bit of tastings of different beers at Speights.<\/p>\n Take a day tour on the\u00a0Otago Peninsula\u00a0to the Albatross Colony and visit Larnach Castle. You can also visit penguin colonies. We explored the Sandfly beach and Tunnel beach.<\/p>\n 3. Kaka Point<\/strong>Beautiful farms and countryside all around you. The highlist there is definetly the Nuggent Point light house, the beautiful Cannibal and Surat Bay.<\/p>\n 4, Purakanui Bay<\/strong>This spot is incredible! You drive right to the beach park you campervan and watch the beautiful bay from your window. We spent two nights there and our New Year\u2019s Eve.\u00a0 While you are there visit Cathedral Caves and Purakaunui Falls.<\/p>\n 5. Curio Bay<\/strong>For some reason the Catlins region on the south-eastern coast never seems to rate much of a mention in the \u2018must see\u2019 lists of New Zealand.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 I have absolutely no idea.\u00a0 It seems that most visitors make it as far as Dunedin, then hightail it for Queenstown and Milford Sound and miss the Catlins entirely \u2013 which is a crying shame.\u00a0 This place has it all \u2013 dense rainforests, windswept beaches, seal and penguin colonies,\u00a0 caves. waterfalls \u2026 there\u2019s even a few people around as well.\u00a0 Not many, though, and even fewer of them are tourists.\u00a0 Despite that, there\u2019s enough eating, drinking and sleeping options in the area to allow for a leisurely couple of days spent exploring, though it wouldn\u2019t be a bad idea to book ahead just in case. Curio bay is the spot to see wave surfing dolphins and yellow eyed penguins right next to the camp! Stay tuned for week 2 (part 2)!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n