Travel Itinerary:
New Zealand South Island 14-Day Itinerary

Now that New Zealand is open to international tourists, it’s a great time to start planning that classic Kiwi road trip!

This New Zealand South Island road trip, starting and ending in Christchurch, will take you to some of the South Island’s best spots, from the world-famous Milford Track to snorkelling with dolphins in Kaikoura.

The Itinerary

Christchurch is a great to start a New Zealand South Island road trip, with cheap flights, car and campervan rental. Returning to the same location should allow you to save money for other, more exciting activities, such as a helicopter ride to Franz Joseph Glacier, bungee jumping in Queenstown, or diving in Milford Sound.

Our recommended accommodation is also geared towards immersing yourself in the outdoors. To truly maximise on a trip like this, it’s worthwhile staying in places that allow you to be at one with nature, and not let your exploration stop once the sun sets.

Lake Hawea from the shore of The Camp (Day 8 to 10)

TRAVEL ITINERARY

A DAY 1 Christchurch to Lake Pukaki

B DAY 2 Lake Pukaki

B DAY 3 Lake Pukaki to Queenstown

C DAY 4 Queenstown to Milford Track

D DAY 5 Milford Track

D DAY 6 Milford Track

D DAY 7 Milford Track

E DAY 8 Milford Sound to Wanaka

F DAY 9 Wanaka

F DAY 10 Wanaka to Franz Joseph

G DAY 11 Franz Joseph to Hokitika

H DAY 12 Hokitika to Kaikoura

I DAY 13 Kaikoura

J DAY 14 Kaikoura to Christchurch

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 1: Christchurch to Lake Pukaki

Distance: 285 Kilometres

Time: 3:20 Hours

Hop off the plane at Christchurch International Airport and soak in the small scale of New Zealand. With 2 baggage claim areas, navigating this airport should be seamless.

For your wheels, we recommend Bargain Car Rentals, as they’re affordable and friendly. Avoid the big international car rental companies as they are unnecessarily expensive; there are plenty of good local options.

Christchurch is also the best place on the South Island to hire a campervan. Jucy is usually the cheapest, but there are plenty of others to choose from.

After an international flight, you might feel like doing little besides getting to Lake Pukaki. However, if you’re feeling ambitious, you should head into town to visit the Christchurch Cathedral. Or visit the Quake Museum, to understand the seismic activity that shook the city to pieces more than a decade ago.

Once you’re ready to leave New Zealand’s second-largest city, grab a coffee and brace yourselves for one of the flattest parts of the country. But don’t worry; the scenery will improve once you turn onto State Highway 8 and into the mountains.

The area around Lake Pukaki is a Dark Sky Sanctuary and a fantastic place to stargaze. With glass walls and ceilings, at SkyScape, you can watch the Milkyway from the comfort of your bed or the outdoor tub. The perfect end to a long day of travel!

Recommended Stay: SkyScape

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 2: Lake Pukaki

Distance: Day Trips

Time: Day Trips

Once you tear yourself away from the glorious vistas at SkyScape, you can start to appreciate New Zealand’s great outdoors.

Known for its beautiful glacial-blue waters, Lake Pukaki feels small next to the towering mountains of the Southern Alps. This is where Mount Cook is located, New Zealand’s tallest mountain, standing at 3,724 metres.

Take the day to explore the area, either visiting the Hobbit Film Laketown location on one side of Lake Pukaki, or Mount Cook Village on the other. Either way, make the most of the rugged mountain scenery surrounding you, with options ranging from scenic flights to casual lakeside strolls.

Recommended Stay: SkyScape

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 3: Lake Pukaki to Queenstown

Distance: 220 Kilometres

Time: 2.5 Hours

If staying at the SkyScape, we recommend sleeping in and making the most of the morning at the accommodation. Once you’re ready, grab a coffee and take the short 2.5-hour drive further south to Queenstown.

Known as New Zealand’s premier ski town, Queenstown is also the adrenaline capital, with bungee jumping, white water rafting, jetboating and a whole host of other activities on offer.

Queenstown is also a great base for heading out into the South Island wilderness, with many tours and track transfers leaving from the town. One such company is Tracknet, which specialises in transfers to and from some of New Zealand’s ‘Great Walks’. This includes transfers to and from the Milford Track, next on our South Island itinerary.

One alternative to track transfers when doing the Milford Track is to pay a company to relocate your car, so it’s ready and waiting for you at the end of the trail (the Milford starts and ends in different places). This can work well but means a lot more driving for you.

Tahuna Pod Hostel is a centrally located hostel with accommodation in semi-private pods. Tahuna has limited parking in the back and front, and Tracknet pick-up is only a 4-minute walk away. However, if you have a vehicle, we recommend parking at the Airport Parking Queenstown and being picked up there, as it has more affordable long-term parking.

Recommended Stay: Tahuna Pod Hostel

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 4-7: Milford Track Great Walk

Distance: 200 Kilometres

Time: 3 Hours

Once you’ve done your shop for the hike (Pac N’ Save is the cheapest option) jump aboard the Tracknet shuttle, sit back and enjoy the stunning scenery. The meandering road along the lake is beautiful, so best to sit on the right side of the bus if you have the option.

Tracknet will take you to Te Anau Downs, where the ferry departs for the Milford Track. The ferry ride is spectacular in fine weather.

The Milford Track is one of New Zealand’s most popular hikes and tickets sell out within minutes. So if this is on your bucket list, make a note of the ticket release date and be ready with the refresh button. The effort is worth it for four days of stunning mountain and valley scenery, gushing waterfalls and unique New Zealand wildlife.

Once you reach the end at Sandfly Point, it’s a short ferry ride back to civilisation.

Milford Lodge is a 20-minute walk from the ferry wharf. During your stay, make sure to take a boat tour of Milford Sound to take in the stunning scenery and sheer walls of the fijord. There are also scenic flights available from the Milford Sound airstrip, but its good to have a backup as the flights are weather dependent.

Recommended Stay: Milford Sound Lodge

View from shore at the Milford Sound

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 8: Milford South to Wanaka

Distance: 340 Kilometres

Time: 4.2 Hours

Whether you do a car relocation service or take Tracknet, this next part of the journey will be beautiful. This day is a big drive, so once you pick up your car in Queenstown, grab some snacks and a good playlist, as you’ll have another hour to get to Wanaka. Our recommended route is via the Cardrona Road, a winding road through stunning scenery, with view points along the way.

Once you cross over into the Wanaka region, you will notice that it is rather dry compared to rainy Fijordland. The Camp at Lake Hawea is only a 15-minute drive from Wanaka, and the entire area is quite accessible. We chose to visit the Wanaka Lavender farm and spend the afternoon hanging out next to the lake.

Recommended Stay: The Camp Lake Hawei

Roys Peak just outside of Wanaka

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 9: Wanaka

Distance: Day Trips

Time: Day Trips

Whether you wish to hang out by the lake or explore some vineyards, the Wanaka region also has a lot of activities to choose from. Be sure to plan ahead, as some spots, such as Roys Peak, are popular thanks to social media. Some top spots are:

Roys Peak
Wanaka Lavendar Farm
Rippon Vineyard
Wanaka Tree
Isthmus Peak (alternative to Roys Peak)
Wildwire Wanaka
Mountain Biking
Puzzling World (rainy day activity)

Recommended Stay: The Camp Lake Hawea

Wanaka tree from the shore in the morning

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 10: Wanaka to Franz Joseph

Distance: 290 Kilometres

Time: 3.5 Hours

From The Camp, continue north along Lake Hawea towards the West Coast via The Neck. This drive has many quick scenic stops, all clearly marked along the way. While we did not plan our stops and just went with the flow, we do recommend stopping by the Blue Pools Track.

As you will see on Google Maps, two West Coast towns have glaciers, Fox Glacier and Franz Joseph. Franz Joseph town is a little larger, but both offer similar activities. We recommend you visit Lake Matheson; on a fine day, the short walk around the lake offers unrivalled views of Mount Cook reflected in the mirror-like water. Continue onwards to Franz Joseph for accommodation.

Rainforest Retreat has everything from deluxe accommodation with hot-tubs to dorm rooms and campervan sites, all set within native bush.

Recommended Stay: Rainforest Retreat

Lake Matheson in the morning

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 11: Franz Joseph to Hokitika

Distance: 160 Kilometres

Time: 2 Hours

It’s a short drive to Hokitika so we recommend spending most of the day in Franz Joseph. Either do a helicopter tour, a glacier walk with crampons, or the Franz Joseph Glacier Walk for the more grounded traveller. See the effects of climate change first-hand on this short walk to view the glacier, small signs denote the previous extent of the glacier as you go.

Once the day’s activities are complete, journey on to the coastal town of Hokitika. Best known for Hokitika Gorge and the beach art, this small seaside village is quaint. We decided to walk along the rugged beach to admire the driftwood art.

A deluxe safari tent set amid native forest, Hurunui Jacks is a place to savour.

Recommended Stay: Hurunui Jacks

Franz Joseph Glacier walk

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 12-13: Hokitika to Kaikoura

Distance: 360 Kilometres

Time: 4.4 Hours

Brace yourself for another beautiful drive, crossing the Southern Alps via Lewis Pass. This drive will be a complete relocation from the West coast to the East coast of the South Island. Alternatively, take the more famous Arthurs Pass, which should only take an extra 20 minutes

Kaikoura, on the east coast, is one of our favourite places in New Zealand. As such, we would recommend maximising time here as much as possible, especially if you love the ocean

There are plenty of ocean-going activities on offer here. We decided on a trip with Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura to swim with the local dusky dolphins, which was spectacular with the dolphins swimming within arm’s length of us. While sightings aren’t guaranteed, Dolphin Encounter offer another complimentary ticket should your trip fail to spot wildlife.

With glass walls, ceiling and floor, you can really immerse yourself in the great outdoors while still sleeping in luxury and the Kahutara PurePod. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth the hefty cost for the uninterrupted mountain views and the ceiling of stars at night.

Click HERE for a short weekend travel itinerary to Kaikoura.

Recommended Stay: Kahutara PurePod

View from the PurePod glass accomodation in the morning

New Zealand South Island Road Trip Day 14: Kaikoura to Christchurch

Distance: 180 Kilometres