New Zealand South Island

New Zealand | South Island

New Zealand South Island

The South Island of New Zealand has spectacular mountain scenery, fjords, beaches, wine regions and adventure tourism. This two-week trip hits some of the highlights.

Length: 15 days

Transportation: Car

Guide Book: Fodor’s, National Geographic

Day 1 – Nelson

Day 2 – Abel Tasman National Park walk

Day 3 – White Water Rafting

Day 4 – Glaciers in the Rain Forest

Day 5 – Lake Wanaka

  • Haast Highway
    • Roaring Billy Falls (1h54m drive)
    • Thunder Creek Falls (15m drive)
    • Haast Pass (6m drive)
    • Blue Pools (7m drive)
    • Cameron Valley track (3m drive)
  • Lake Wanaka (56m drive)
  • Via Ferrata waterfall climb
  • Lodging – Lime Tree Lodge or Lakeside Apartments (night 1/1)

Day 6 – Mt Cook

Day 7 – Queenstown

Day 8 – Queenstown

  • Routeburn Track Day Hike (Routeburn Track trailhead, 1h6m drive)
  • Return to Queenstown (1h6m drive)
  • Cruise on the Yvalda or TSS Earnslaw
  • Stay – same place (night 2/2)

Day 9 – Te Anu to Milford Sound

Day 10 – Queenstown

Day 11 – Dunedin

Day 12 – Christchurch

Day 13 -to Hanmer Springs / Kaikoura

Day 14 – Blenheim

Day 15 – Fly home

  • Drive to Nelson (1h45m drive)
  • Return rental car
  • Fly Home

In Depth Itinerary

Welcome to New Zealand’s South Island where you’ll experience all the incredible scenery the country has to offer! Pack your hiking shoes – this is an adventurous trip.

Day 1 – Nelson

Realistically Day 1 will not put you in New Zealand. Depending on where you’re coming from and the International Date line you will most likely have a loss of a whole day. Plan accordingly. We had a great experience on New Zealand Airlines.

Arrive in Nelson and pick up your rental car and head to lunch at Seifried Estate Vineyard and Restaurant before tasting their delicious wines. Consider trying a few more wineries along the way including Waimea Estates, Moutere Hills Vineyard, and Ruby Bay Vineyard.

Get an ice cream at Penguino Ice Cream Cafe and for dinner head to Urban Oyster Bar and Eatery, The Styx, Hopgoods, Harry’s Hawker House, or Cod & Lobster.

Drive to your lodging at Ah House B and B.

Day 2 – Abel Tasman National Park walk

Today drive about an hour to Kaiteriteri where you will grab a boat taxi to take you up the Abel Tasman National Park coast. You can then get dropped at a beach and walk back as far as you wish along the coastal track. When you’ve had enough grab the taxi back.

For lunch head to DeVille Cafe or Morri Street Cafe.

On the way back stop by Neudorf winery.

For dinner pick a place you didn’t try the night before.

Day 3 – White Water Rafting

Today you’re going white water rafting! Start by driving to Nelson Lakes National Park St Arnaud which is an incredibly beautiful set of lakes. There are many options for short walks around the lake. Consider the Bellbird walk or Honeydew walk.

Next drive to Murchison and go rafting with Wild Rivers rafting in Buller Gorge.

Once you finish rafting drive to Paparoa National Park and select (or do all) from the Pancake Rocks and blowholes walk, Porarari River track or Truman track.

After you hike drive to Hokitika. Grab dinner at Stumpers Bar and Café or Ocean View Restaurant and check into your lodging at Rimu Lodge or Hokitika Sunset Lodge.

Day 4 – Glaciers in the Rain Forest

Start today by visiting the famous greenstone carving workshops including Westland Greenstone and Hokitika Craft Gallery Cooperative where you will learn about the famous stone of the region from local craftsmen.

Drive to Hokitika gorge and enjoy a 2km walk along the stunning gorge in the nature reserve. After this, drive to Fox Glacier and opt either for a quick walk to the glacier or a guided glacier walk to actually get out on the glacier and experience all of its magic.

From here drive a quick few minutes to Lake Matheson where you will stay for the night. Get dinner at Matheson Cafe or Plateau Café & Bar and stay at Westwood lodge or Te Waonui Forest Retreat.

Day 5 – Lake Wanaka

Take the Haast Highway and visit stops along. Start at Roaring Billy Falls a 0.9 mile out and back hike to a waterfall located by the Haast River in the Mount Aspiring National Park. Next head to Thunder Creek Falls, a 96 meter waterfall, easy 10 minutes walk from Thunder Creek Falls Walk leads to the waterfall’s viewing platform. Afterwards head over Haast Pass for remarkable views. Next stop at the Blue Pools. Wander through beautiful native forests of beech/tawhero and over a swing bridge to experience the pristine waters of Makarora River’s Blue Pools. Follow the boardwalk to a viewing platform over the Blue Pools then cross the Blue Pools bridge for great views up the river gorge (0.9 miles). Finally stop at Cameron Valley Track. You can determine how far you want to go. The Cameron Valley’s entrance is a spectacular gorge with towering bluffs and a cascading waterfall (4.3 miles in its entirety).

Head to Lake Wanaka to do an afternoon Via Ferrata waterfall climb.

Stay tonight in Wanaka at Lime Tree Lodge or Lakeside Apartments.

Day 6 – Mt Cook

Drive to Mt Cook. You should get there in time to take a spectacular hike up the Hooker Valley. Mt Cook is only around 12,000 feet but you are quite far south and the mountain is very alpine – Sir Edmund Hillary climbed here training for Everest. Popular activities include glacier flights.

Check into the Hermitage for one night. There are limited dining options in the village here but the Panorama restaurant at the hotel is good.

Day 7 – Queenstown

After breakfast at Old Mountaineers take a short walk to the Tasman glacier terminus and then drive to Queenstown.  Along the way stop at alpine lavender fields for a quick photo op.

Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand – as you walk around town look at the signs for all the activities available. Today you have options. You can wine taste and have lunch at Amisfield winery. You can wander the cute town on the lake with tons of bars and restaurants. You can take the cable car up the mountain where there are activities like bungee jumping, luging, and hikes. Or you can simply enjoy a drink with a view at the top. You can soak at Onsen Hot Pools. The gardens across the small bay are small but pleasant. You can hike the Moke Lake Loop Track or Bob’s Cove Trail. If you are so inclined consider bungee jumping, this is where the sport began.

For drinks head to Atlas beer cafe, Reds Bar, or The Bathhouse.

For dinner check out Public Kitchen, Botswana Butchery, The Lodge Bar, Rata, Eichardt’s Bar and Dining, Madam Woo,  Bespoke Kitchen,  Fergburger, or Jervois Steak House.

Trelawn place is a good option to stay, just south of town on a bluff over the Shotover river where you can watch the jet boats roar up the river below. Other good options include The Spire, Matakauri Lodge, and Eichardt’s Private Hotel.

Day 8 – Queenstown

With extra time you can opt to do the entire Routeburn Track which is an awesome (but NOT a leisurely) walk – it is definitely a challenging hike. However, for purposes of this itinerary we recommend a one day hike to get the feel of the Track.

The Routeburn Shelter is the most popular starting off point for day hikes on the Routeburn Track. It’s approximately 1 hour from Queenstown. The first day hike option is from Routeburn Shelter to Bridal Veil Falls (about 5-6 miles round trip). The second day hike option is to the Routeburn Flats Hut (a little over 9 miles) with an only gradual incline. If you want the epic mountain views from above the valley you’ll need to hike to Routeburn Falls (a little over 12 miles) where you’ll get those classic Routeburn Track views. The longest day hike option from your starting point is to Lake Harris which (about 15.5 miles).

Once back in Queenstown consider soaking in a hot tub either at your lodging or at Onsen Hot Pools – you earned it. Take a nice boat rides on the lake on the Yvalda or TSS Earnslaw around sunset.

Day 9 – Te Anu to Milford Sound

It’s about a 4 hour drive to the Milford Sound but it is quite scenic much of the way. Stop at Te Anau for a break, snack, or lunch depending on the time.and take a trip out to the glowworm caves via boat. You need not rush because you’ll get on your boat at 16:30. There are plenty of marked stops along the road. Paradoxically, pray for rain: Milford sound is gorgeous anytime but after a rain water pours off the granite walls in thousands of waterfalls. Within a few hours of the rain stopping most of them go away and there are 5 fixed waterfalls in the bay. Head to the boat terminal where you will board your overnight boat trip with Real Journeys (reservations essential). You will sail out in the sound with stops for kayaking, swimming (if you are very brave), or a walk.

Day 10 – Queenstown

The next morning the boat continues to explore Milford Sound and briefly cruises out into the Tasman sea before heading back to port.

After that, continue your drive back to Queenstown. In the afternoon it’s a very short drive to Shotover Jet. It’s a lot of fun to blast up the gorgeous river at high speeds.

After this head back to Queenstown to poke around and do an activity you haven’t yet done (time permitting).

Day 11 – Dunedin

Start your day by driving to Dunedin and taking a walking tour.

The Otago Peninsula is home to breeding colonies of Little Blue Penguins and rare Yellow-eyed Penguins, who reside here year-round. Join a tour (100% New Zealand, Blue Penguins, or Elm Wildlife Tours) to best see these remarkable birds.

For lodging, stay at Ebb-Dunedin,  Fable Dunedin, Distinction Hotel, Chamberson, Larnach Lodge, or Hotel St Clair.

Day 12 – Christchurch

Drive to Christchurch (a lengthy drive, but scenic). You will likely want to stay in or near Christchurch because of the distances / driving times , but be aware, the heritage buildings in the center of town that the city was famous for, were badly damaged in severe earthquakes more than a decade ago. The famous cathedral is in ruins and they’re in the process of rebuilding it. Christchurch’s downtown has an abundance of empty lots where buildings once stood. For quite a while many businesses operated out of shipping containers – less so now, but some are still active.

The Botanical Gardens are lovely, you can take the plucky little trolly that runs through the old historic district, and you can punt on the river Avon in high victorian style (or do Waka paddling instead).

For dinner, try Fiddlesticks or Otahuna Lodge.

For lodging stay at The George or Otahuna Lodge. 

Day 13 -to Hanmer Springs / Kaikoura

Drive to Hanmer Springs, a beautiful park with many hot springs and pools you can enjoy for part of the day.

From Hanmer Springs drive to Kaikoura where you can swim with the famous dolphins from the comfort of a boat trip. If you don’t want to swim with dolphins, you could opt for whale watching instead.

Tonight stay at Hapuku Lodge, The Factory, Nikau Lodge, or The Hamptons.

Day 14 – Blenheim

Today drive to Blenheim where you can enjoy plenty of wine tasting.  Opt either to do a Winemaker tour or visit a few on your own. There are many, but some good options include Huia Vineyards, Te Whare Ra, Wither Hills, Brancott Estate Heritage Centre, Auntsfield, Saint Clair Family Estate, Hunter’s Wines, Cloudy Bay Vineyards, Framingham, No.1 Family Estate, Saint Clair Family Estate, or Rock Ferry’s Cellar Door and Cafe. During your day you may want lunch and multiple wineries offers both tasting and lunch.

For dinner head to Arbour or Scotch Wine Bar.

Stay at Infinity View B and B; Marlborough Lodge, French Fields, or Riverstone Lodge.

For lodging check out Infinity View B and B; Marlborough Lodge, French Fields, or Riverstone Lodge.

Day 15 – Fly home

Drive back to Nelson and drop your rental car. Say goodbye to New Zealand and fly home.

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