Kiora Chris,
Nice to see you are visiting the South Island. Way prettier than the NI if you like mountains, rivers and stuff like that. The West Coast of the South Island should definately be on your itineary. Its a visual symphony. Westport, down through to Haast through to Queenstown area is a stunning drive. Personally, I would give Napier (a hassle to get to), the Otago Peninsular and Stewart Island a miss, unless you are really after a whirlwind trip. They are all nice, but nothing amazing. Abel Tasman is awesome, as is the Kaikoura Coast and Ta Anau / Fiordland. Just remember, its a lot to fit into three weeks. Let me know if you need any other info. I am based in the 'munted' city of Christchurch. Its a nice city, but following out seismic events of late, I am not really sure what their is to see apart from the International Antartic Center and a lot of broken buildings.
Michael.
