I took roughly the same trip back in 2004 and I would highly recommend hiring a guide for at least one day in an area you plan to spend some time. We stayed at a sheep station on the Mataura river called Nokami, about an hour or two outside of Queenstown, for a few days. By hiring a guide for the first day, he provided us info on what flies to use, showed us fishing lies in various parts of the river that we could go back the next day and fish, and gave us a crash course on NZ fishing rules and etiquette. We used Best of New Zealand Fly Fishing (http://www.bestofnzflyfishing.com/) to make the arrangements to stay on the station and hire the guide (which gave us fast access and permission to fish areas off limits to outsiders). They also rented a car for us and gave us some good logistical support.
If you're looking for trophy fish (what they call anything over 6 lbs), you need a guide and possibly a helicopter ride into the wilds. If you will be satisfied catching "smaller" fish (we caught 4 pounders on the Mataura) it could be done without a guide, but you need time to scout out and find fish.
If you can't afford a guide, there is a book available that identifies all the rivers on the South Island (there may be one as well for the North, but I never bought one). You can also stop by sporting goods stores/fly fishing shops in country and buy one page maps of each regions fish able rivers and there legal access points.
Finally, leave your waders at home and wet wade, especially on the South Island. Bring thermal pants since sometimes the rivers are cold. If you can, buy new wading shoes before you go and you will breeze through customs. Otherwise, they may insist on sterilizing your equipment before you clear customs.
Finally - soooo jealous! NZ is awesome.
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http://www.tpfr.org
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