Our New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary: South Island

In the March of 2017, we were in New Zealand! NZ is beautiful and it turned to be an amazing holiday. Being on the road in NZ is an incredible experience in itself and in this post we are sharing our road trip itinerary and some FAQs to help you get started on planning your own adventure.

The map below shows black markers and blue circles (A-G) to mark our base locations and orange markers to denote places we took day trips to from the base location or stopped at on our way between bases.

Here is a summarised version of our 11 days in South Island, from Christchurch to Christchurch.

Day 1 – 2: Christchurch to Franz Josef

We had arrived in Christchurch the previous evening and left for Franz Josef early the next morning i.e. on Day 2. Christchurch to Franz Josef is about 386 km and it took us almost the entire day, ~8 hours to drive there. Just driving around in South Island is a pleasure in itself and it took us longer than usual as we took several pitstops along the way to admire the views, take pictures and for coffee breaks.

We arrived at our YHA hostel stay in Franz Josef in the evening. Once we had changed and dropped off our luggage, we walked around the small little town and settled in for a comforting and satiating dinner at one of their al fresco cafes.

Day 3: Franz Josef

This day was earmarked for a Glacier Heli Hike at Franz Josef Glacier, the main reason why we had driven all the way to this small town. To our great disappointment, this activity was cancelled due to bad weather. On looking up options of things to do, we realized that Fox Glacier had better weather and as it was short distance away, we had time to drive up there and go for a Scenic Helicopter ride. This activity was not as adventurous as a Heli Hike but we were still glad we could ride in a helicopter to the top of a glacier and back. As our first ever chopper ride, this was still special.

Later in the day, back in Franz Josef we settled in for a relaxed time at the hot pools and then a walk up to Lake Matheson.

Day 4: Franz Josef to Te Anau

This was a fairly long drive of about 511 km and it took us an entire day, ~10 hours to drive down to Te Anau. Once again driving in South Island treated us to beautiful panoramic views and we took several pitstops to admire them and take photos. One of our longer pitstops was a lunch break at the picturesque Lake Wanaka.

We arrived at our hostel stay at Te Anau Lakefront Backpackers late evening, changed and went in for an amazing dinner at this italian restaurant in town.

Day 5: Te Anau – Milford Sound – Te Anau

This day was entirely dedicated to spending time at Milford Sound located inside the Fiordland National Park. After an early breakfast, we drove down to Milford Sound from Te Anau and went in for a Cruise with Southern Discoveries and admired captivating scenery with mountain peaks in the backdrop, waterfalls, birds and fur seals basking in the sun. We were lucky with the weather here and the place was absolutely breathtaking with blue skies and rainbows. Back in Te Anau, we spent the evening strolling by the lake followed by cooking a simple dinner at our hostel.

Day 6 – 8: Queenstown

On day 6, we drove from Te Anau to Queenstown, a distance of 171 km which took us about 3 hours driving time. Here we checked into a cozy and comfortable Airbnb stay and then went out to explore the town.

Our days in Queesntown were spent visiting nearby lakes such as Moke Lake and Lake Hayes, visiting Arrowtown, enjoying a wine tour at Gibbston Valley Wines and indulging in delicious burgers at Fergburger. The highlights here though were the two adventure activities – the nerve wracking Kawarau Bridge Bungy with AJ Hackett and the thrilling Shotover Jet boat ride. See our NZ adventures blog post here and bungy jump video here.

Day 9: Queenstown to Mount Cook

On day 9 morning we left for Mount Cook from Queenstown, a distance of 263 km which took us about 4 hours drive time. Here we picnicked at the beautiful Lake Pukaki and also did the Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier Hike inside Mount Cook National Park.

Day 10: Mount Cook to Tekapo

Mount Cook to Tekapo is a short drive of about 100 km which took us about 2 hours. This was an uneventful day for us as the weather was overcast and we mostly spent time hanging out at our Airbnb stay.

Day 11: Tekapo to Christchurch

Tekapo to Christchurch is about 230 km and took us about 3.5 hours driving time. We spent our last day exploring Christchurch where we enjoyed lunch at Re:STRAT container mall and later window shopped and picked-up some souvenirs to bring back home. And also just strolled around and took in the sights and smells of the town. Later in the evening, arrived at the airport to catch our flight back to Singapore.

Frequently Asked Questions and Travel Tips

• When did we Visit: we chose to visit in March as it’s autumn so it’s neither too hot, nor too cold. We did get a couple of cloudy/rainy days though. On the whole, 70% of the time the weather was excellent. Blue skies and cool breezes.
• Car Rental and Cost: we rented a Toyota Corolla Compact from Go Rentals. It costed us approx. NZ$ 600 for 10 days with insurance.
• Accommodation: we mostly stayed in hostels (links included above) and in Airbnbs. Get USD 35 off on your very first Airbnb stay using this link, click here.
• On the road fuel up at the next gas station you come across if your tank is less than half-full, as there are no fuel stations for miles on certain stretches.
• Stock up on food and water: eating out in New Zealand is not only expensive you may not find many options on the road. We always brought along sandwich spreads and fillings, bread/buns and croissants, instant noodles, mac and cheese, hot water + tea/coffee bags. We also carried groceries like milk, oats, tomatoes, baked beans etc. to prepare our breakfast at our stays.

Finally, New Zealand is too beautiful to miss so please go! :D. And if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and we’ll try to answer as best as we can.