thanks for the added input. Millford is indeed booked up thru March but we will try to do day hike on millford and/or routeburn- both look incredible. The Akaroa route does look pretty climby- we'll see how I do with it as I am still getting back into shape following injury. I am taking lower gears than usual and we;ll be doing it towards the end of the trip (so hopefully some fitness gains from riding during the trip).

New Years in Central Otago sounds fabulous- how cool is it to have a father in law with a vineyard in a beautiful location!

Hey, another question if you don't mind:

1) I know Jan is the high season for holiday travel. I've been getting mixed advice about the need for bookings in advance. We are hoping to camp, hopefully in DOC sites. We'd prefer to do some booking in advance (the first & last couple of days, key spots that are very popular), but then try to use DOC sites that don't accept reservations or do some short-term booking in advance while we are on the road. Folks at TripAdvisor (more car culture focused) think that I'm crazy to not book out the entire trip in advance. Folks on ThornTree (lonely planet, so more backpackers) seem to think that we'll probably be able to find places, eg at DOC or less popular campgrounds.

Any thoughts on necessity for booking in advance are appreciated!

2) also, I can't figure DOC site bookings. I've found some very popular sites can be booked on the DOC website (eg, campgrounds near the beginnings of the great walks). Then, DOC says that some OTHER sites can be booked at the local DOC office, by going in in person or calling, but I can't tell which ones and there is no info on how far in advance one can book and the like. Is there a way to figure out how the bookings work?

thanks again!
NM