This region is not considered to be the "must visit" place in New Zealand. Hence, most of the first time travellers to NZ would not include this region in their itinerary. Well, they just don't know what they've missed out.

The best time to travel is during the summer months. Try to avoid weekends and public holidays if you hate crowd.

The best way to travel in this region is by car because most of the attractions are in the middle of no where and public transports are expensive and inssuficient.

I would certainly recommend Cathedral Cove as a "Must Visit" destination. In my opinion, it's one of the most pretty beach I've visited in NZ.