20 days in new zealand?

can anyone give me tips?i have 20 days to spend in the south island(already did the north one few yrs back).i'll be arriving in Christchurch and would love to go to Queenstown and Milford Sound,but i had a look on the net and saw that Abel Tasman N.Park is a MUST(but it's so up north).so my question is...with just 20 days to spend,should i head north or south of CHC?should i drive or fly?any help is much appreciated.thanks

20 days...depending on how fast you travel, should be enough time to see things....you can do a circuit perhaps from Christchurch, heading south ( via thru the Mackenzie county ( maybe visit Mt Cook National Park...)) to Queenstown.
Then via Haast Pass up the West Coast to Nelson ( and Abel Tasman) and then maybe thru Marlborough ( Marlborough Sounds) to Kaikoura ( Whalewatch) and back to Christchurch....that gives you a direction and you can do some side trips to eg Mt Cook, Wanaka etc while doing that.

I love the West Coast..the glaciers ( Fox and Franz Josef are cool as is the native bush...its just stunning...I love an easy walk called Ship Creek with amazing bush!)...
Driving will give you more flexibility and ease to travel to more out of the way places ( and flying can be VERY expensive here!!!..its often cheaper to fly to Australia and back than within NZ..one way) ...you can stop for as long and little as you like...
Its around 4hrs from Blenheim to Christchurch ( thats with no stops and driving speed limit), less from Chch to Westport, about 4hrs from Chch to Dunedin etc so this may give you some ideas as to travelling time....buses will take longer.
There are a couple of really good train journeys eg THe Tranzalpine ( chch to Greymouth) and Coastal Pacific ( Picton to Christhurch via Kaikoura) and maybe something you might consider doing...but thats about it for train travel in the south island!!

We rented a camper and went all over. It offers you the chance to stay whever you want to for as long as you want.

Ok I was born in NEw Zealand so I know where to go. Auckland and the sky tower is great. Go to one tree hill. Have a great time there. Go to the marina!

Yes Abel Tasman is a MUST ! Don't miss it.
http://www.abeltasman.co.nz
A must to walk the track, kayak http://www.seakayaking.co.nz down there or even water taxi. http://aquataxi.co.nz Swim with the seals. http://sealswim.co.nz Stay at http://www.awaroalodge.co.nz - Gorgeous place . . .and must see !!!!

Now Nelson, Abel Tasman and Queenstown are on opposites ends of the island you can do it if you grab a bargin airfare to save travel time.

Go to http://www.grabaseat.co.nz - they have so many great deals.
It even tells you how many seats are left at the special price!
Check in twice a day as fares can change so often. eg: for today there are fares from Sydney to Queenstown for $169 - and others throughout NZ are only $39. I have seen heaps of fares for only a $1.

Have a great trip - I was there in January.

Maybe I'm biased because I live almost as far south as you can go, or maybe I chose to live here because it's got so much going for it, but if you look at the Automobile Association's 101 Must Do Things in NZ website, you'll see that the far south of the South Island has more than its fair share. Come down here and, if you've got any time left, go to Abel Tasman as well. You'll need a car and the drive from Christchurch through Geraldine, Tekapo and over the Lindis Pass is great. State Highway 1 is boring. Driving from Dunedin through Balclutha, Owaka and Curio Bay to Invercargill is good value.

Go south for 15 days then when you return to CHCh it is only 6 hours to able tasman National park. you have a choice of ways to go so do the return to CHCH on a different route. You really need to see the west Coast around Fox glacier and Haast Pass. i think you have plenty of time

dam, 20 days? thats nearly 3 weeks dude!! you can definitely do the whole south island if you wanted to, unless of course you are not the type to go all over

It takes less than one day to drive the full circle of the south island, so it is not really that far. Christchurch to Queenstown is about 5-6 hours, depending on stops. There is not actually much to do in Christchurch itself. If you are flying out of ChCh, I would save it for last. Head North through Kaikoura, beautiful little town with heaps to do (shark diving, whale watching, fly a plane, horseback riding). If you happen through Nelson during the Wearable Arts Awards, punt for tickets, it is worth it. Then head over and down the West Coast ending up in Queenstown. From QT, head South through Invergill and drive the Otago Pennisula, beautiful drive but get a drive guide from a tourist centre to make sure you don't miss the best parts. Ends in Dunedin, beautiful quaint town, where you can do the Twilight Tours penguin watching. Then head North again into Christchurch. Stop at the Christchurch Tourist Centre the first day and have them help you with your itinerary. I have found all NZ tourist centres to be great help.