South Island or Tasmania?

Neither island is a beach trip, and the two are close, but they suit different uses. On the South Island the swimming is at the northern tip. Kaiteriteri, the Abel Tasman coves and Golden Bay have sheltered, slightly warmer water, and Nelson's sunshine makes a good base.

Tasmania's beaches are better to look at, with the curve of Wineglass Bay and the white sand and orange boulders of the Bay of Fires. The water off the east coast is colder, though, so expect a quick dip followed by a walk along the sand in a fleece.

Both islands eat from cold, clean water and cool-climate vines, but Tasmania gets more onto the plate. Menus name the farm or bay the food came from, Hobart has the Salamanca market and fish punts on the waterfront, Launceston has serious restaurants, and single malt whisky and cider sit alongside the pinot and sparkling wine.

The South Island's strength is its wine regions more than its restaurants. Lunch at a Marlborough or Central Otago cellar door, roadside crayfish at Kaikoura and Bluff oysters are the highlights. Outside Queenstown and Christchurch, small towns can mean pub meals and fish and chips.

Tasmania is well ahead here. MONA, cut into its cliff above the Derwent, is a reason to fly in by itself, and the convict story runs through Port Arthur, the Cascades Female Factory and the estates near Longford. Hobart's Battery Point and Salamanca warehouses are some of Australia's finest Georgian streets.

The South Island has pleasant colonial heritage rather than major sights: Dunedin's railway station and university quadrangle, Oamaru's limestone harbour quarter, and Christchurch's museums in a centre reshaped by the earthquakes. These make good stops on a road trip but are not worth planning around.

Both are quiet at night, and the difference is in where the late nights happen. On the South Island it is Queenstown, where skiers, backpackers and adventure-sport visitors keep the lakeside bars busy late in both winter and summer, with Dunedin's student pubs as a smaller second. Tasmania's going out centres on the old sandstone pubs and wine bars of Salamanca and North Hobart, which suit an evening out but mostly close around midnight.

Both are among the world's great wild places, but they feel different. The South Island is about scale: the Southern Alps rising to Aoraki/Mount Cook, the turquoise lakes Tekapo and Pukaki, glaciers on the West Coast, the fiords of Milford and Doubtful Sounds, and skiing from June to October.

Tasmania packs its wilderness closer together. The Overland Track runs through rainforest and beneath dolerite peaks from Cradle Mountain, the Three Capes walk follows high sea cliffs, and Hobart has trails on kunanyi/Mount Wellington right behind the town. Wildlife is plentiful: wombats and pademelons are common, while devils are seen mostly in sanctuaries and platypus take patience at dawn or dusk.

On both islands the day trips go to small places, but Tasmania's are closer together and more varied. From Hobart, Richmond is half an hour away, and the Bruny Island ferry, the Huon Valley orchards and Maria Island fill whole days. Launceston has Georgian villages and the Tamar wine route within an hour.

The South Island's day trips cover more ground: Arrowtown and the Gibbston Valley vineyards from Queenstown, or Akaroa and Hanmer Springs from Christchurch. Most of the long drives are to landscapes rather than towns.

The South Island is the easier choice with children. It has campgrounds with playgrounds and kitchens, the gondola and luge in Queenstown, boat trips to see dolphins from Kaikoura and Akaroa, and the Antarctic Centre and Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch.

Tasmania's main draw for children is its animals: the wildlife sanctuaries, penguins coming ashore at dusk, and the chairlift and pool at Cataract Gorge. But it has fewer attractions built for families, and the sea is too cold for long beach days. Neither island has a theme park, and both involve long hours in the car.

Both islands need a hire car or campervan, and both have winding roads that take longer than the map suggests. The South Island covers more distance: Christchurch to Queenstown takes most of a day, and Milford Sound is four hours from Queenstown each way. Without a car, its intercity coaches and the TranzAlpine train give you a little more to work with.

Tasmania is more compact, though Cradle Mountain is still four hours or more from Hobart, and buses miss most of the parks. A ferry up the Derwent to MONA is the one easy trip without a car.

Neither island is a place for serious shopping, and both are best for things made locally. The South Island's buys are merino and possum-merino knitwear, outdoor gear in Queenstown, and pounamu carved in Hokitika's workshops. Tasmania's highlight is the Saturday market at Salamanca Place, with woodwork in Huon pine and ceramics, and its cellar doors and farm gates sell leatherwood honey, cheese and whisky to take home.

Both are expensive, and the costs come from similar places: rooms in high season, eating out, and a hire car for the whole trip. On the South Island the bill rises most with the paid excursions, such as fiord cruises, scenic flights and jet boats, and around Queenstown at its peak.

Tasmania adds park passes, and rooms near Freycinet and Cradle Mountain are scarce in summer. On either island, cabins, campsites and self-catering bring costs down, and the scenery is free to walk into.

Neither island is a place to plan around performances, but Tasmania offers a bit more. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra plays on Hobart's waterfront, the Theatre Royal has staged shows since 1837, and the arts season peaks in midwinter with choirs and fire-lit performance.

On the South Island, live performance comes mostly from Christchurch's orchestra and the Isaac Theatre Royal, plus Dunedin's indie gigs in the student quarter.

The South Island has the hot water. Hanmer Springs has been built around its thermal pools since the late nineteenth century, the pools at Tekapo look out over the lake and the night sky, and Franz Josef and Maruia add pools in rainforest and beech forest.

Tasmania's relaxation comes more from its slow pace and lodge spas at Cradle Mountain and Freycinet. Its only thermal pool, at Hastings Caves, is warm rather than hot, though cold sea swims and saunas by the water are popular around Hobart.