Hey,

Just my two cents worth - I'd rather go see whales than swim with the dolphins. For one thing, you can swim with dolphins in Batam for cheaper, and they let you touch the dolphins there! The only really cool difference is that in New Zealand, there are a LOT of dolphins. My friend said there are easily a hundred of them around you.

But personally, I'd rather see whales. Up to you guys, we don't all have to do the same thing. We can split up. Anyway, the links for dolphin swimming / watching and whale watching are in my previous post, but here they are again:

Whale Watching
Swimming with Dolphins (offers a watching-only option)
Guided Kayaking Trips

Go to the webpages for updated prices and timings, if you guys are sure what you want to do then let me know and I'll work it out.

Picton, 28th May
We probably won't have all that much time, just to let you know. Of course, we could set off from the Lady Karen really early so that we reach back to shore at 12pm, latest. That's fine by me, but that would mean that we'd have to wake early. The shark cage dive sounds AWESOME haha and I really don't mind.

When you guys arrive (on the 25th, right?), I wasn't intending to head back to hall, but I can if you want. We can even do some grocery shopping before we leave. It just means we'll reach Kaikoura pretty late. No problem, we'll just take it easy the first day.

About Christchurch, we'll arrive back late on the 31st, if all goes to plan. My group project is on the 2nd, which means you'll have the 1st to spend in Christchurch. After my group project, I was actually intending for us to leave straight away. That would mean we'd leave Christchurch on the 2nd of June at around 12pm. If all goes well lah.

The drive from CHC to the next destination is long and cuts through a mountain pass, so I don't want to be on it when it gets dark.

Just to let you guys know, please get yourselves mentally prepared for the cancellation of any activity. The weather is really unpredictable, and most (if not all) our activities are outdoor ones. Because we're on a fairly tight schedule, shitty weather (like we're having now) means that we might not be able to do things. Also, I really hope that the weather doesn't cause the roads to be closed, because that would mean we'd be stuck somewhere behind schedule. Hopefully nothing goes wrong, but just be prepared. That's why you guys should bring lots of things to do on the way :P

I'm not sure about the Canterbury factory outlet... never heard of it, but I can ask around. I'm not sure if it'll be cheaper than Singapore... So far the full-priced Canterbury stuff hasn't been cheaper.

I need to know about the ski plans. The cost should be something like this:
Rental skis/boots/poles - $39
Full lift pass (full day) - $52
Return transport - $25
Rental jacket / pants - (from CHC store website)

As you can see, it's actually pretty expensive. For lift pass and rental equipment alone, it will cost $92. Mario and I are probably going to take the 1-day snowboard lesson, which is $102 and includes a beginner lift pass and rental equipment. That's only $10 more and includes lessons.

It's up to you, I understand if you don't want to go ahead for a 4th day on the slopes. Thing is, I need to know if you guys are going or not, because if you're not then we have to head back to CHC and return your rental clothes. That way, we also have to settle accommodation in CHC for the 14th, 15th and (for Mario) 16th.

You don't have to go up the mountain on the 15th. There are other activities in Methven. (Like horse riding, etc)

So to clarify, right now there are 2 options:

Option 1:
Ski package on the 12th, 13th, 14th
All 4 of us continue skiing/snowboarding on the 15th
OR Syl and ML head off and do something else in Methven while Mario and I snowboard
We head back to CHC at night, and Syl and ML leave the next day

Option 2:
Ski package on the 12th, 13th, 14th
Head back to CHC on the night of the 14th
Spend the 15th either in CHC or Akaroa or wherever
Stay in CHC at night, and Syl and ML leave the next day

Yep that should be it.
I have a rough idea of the itinerary for the 2nd half of the trip, but it's really unfinished so far. Here it is:

2nd June
Finish group project, head off at 12pm
1pm stop for lunch at Castle Hill (you guys have to prepare a packed lunch in the morning)
Continue to Franz Josef (approx. 4.5h more)

3rd June
Glacier climb
Stay the night in Franz Josef

4th June
Drive early in the morning to Wanaka (approx. 4h)
Spend the day in Wanaka (there are cool paddle boats and stuff there, we can go out on the lake and it's pretty cheap I think)
Spend the night in Wanaka

5th June
Drive in the morning to Queenstown (approx. 1.5h)
Spend the day in Queenstown
Drive in the evening to Te Anau
Spend the night in Te Anau

6th June
Cruise on Milford Sound
Spend the night in Te Anau

7th June (optional)
Drive back to Queenstown if we still have things to do
Spend the day and night there

8th June
Queenstown to Dunedin (approx. 4h) if you guys want.
Otherwise, we can head straight to Dunedin from Te Anau, or skip Dunedin completely.

Whatever it is, we'll head up back to CHC via the east coast (passing Oamaru and Timaru)

As you can see, the end of the trip is pretty open to suggestions still. I figure that at this point we'll almost be out of money, so I'm trying to avoid high-priced activities. Queenstown is pretty much full of expensive and exciting things to do, there are way too many to list but all should be available to read about in any guidebook.

There isn't much to do in Dunedin, in my opinion. We can see the steepest street in the world, or visit the (overpriced) Cadbury factory, or visit another overpriced brewery. There are all pretty low-key activities, and can be covered in one day.

I'm leaving things open in case of bad weather, and also so you guys can add your input as to what you want to do. I'm pretty sure that the only thing that needs to be booked in advance is the Franz Josef glacier trip. So the rest of it can actually be planned when you guys are here.

We should probably pick a day with excellent weather to go out on Milford Sound. In the meantime I'm guessing we can bum around Queenstown and do expensive things, or whatever.

So we'll have time until the 10th, when hopefully the ski fields will open. If all things go well, we can even push forward the ski dates. But whatever it is, we'll be free and easy until the 11th, and the last date we can start skiing will be the 12th.

Hope this is clear.