South Island Road Trip

South Island is arguably one of the most beautiful places on the planet. No matter what the season is, there is always something to see and do in South Island. I have prepared a travel plan to guide you through what you need to do to have the most memorable experience. This article is based on 1-2 weeks trip however you can extend a few extra days to your trip. It is all depends on how long you want to spend the time at each location as every place I have been to feels as if it is a painted picture on canvas.

Christchurch to Greymouth via Arthur Pass

We began our South Island expedition from Christchurch to Greymouth with our Motorhome which was our home on wheels for 2 weeks. Christchurch to Arthur pass is around 150 Km. Allow plenty of time as the majority of the route is single lane. Take extra care if traveling during winter as it often rains very heavily in the Alps.

This coast to coast to route crisscrosses the Southern Alps and other natural wonders. The scenic beauty of the famous Arthur pass is unbeatable. The route is full of magnificent mountain passes, lakes, and rivers. You will find adventure enthusiasts rock climbers around the rock formations of the castle.

Our 3.5 hours’ journey ended in a blink of an eye and we decided to park at Greymouth for the night. Greymouth is approx. 100 Km from Arthur pass. Next morning, we visited the Punakaiki & Pancake Rocks watching its incredible limestone formations and blowholes.

Greymouth to Franz Josef Glacier

After having delicious local delicacy whitebait fritters for lunch at Greymouth. We headed to our next loop for the journey Franz Josef Glacier. We took a few stops along the way. We stopped at Hokitika. It is a little cool town and you will find locally inspired artisans and jade carving. We stopped at one of the famous galleries to get some Pounamu souvenirs, also known as New Zealand Jade or greenstone, local says it has a treasured spiritual significance and it is more than a souvenir.

After few stops here and there we reached our final stop Franz Josef Glacier in around 4 hours. We spend the night at Franz Josef glacier and the next morning decided to explore the beauty of the glacier.

There are a wide range of activities you can do in Franz Josef glacier such as Helicopter ride to get spectacular views of the glacier, Glacier country kayaks, quad biking, walking trail at Franz Joseph valley, sky diving over the glacier –fly and land on the glacier and most incredible Heli hike and explore hot spring pools

Franz Josef Glacier to Wanaka

After a day full of adventures at the glacier, we headed to Wanaka to explore the mountainous landscape of Wanaka. Scenic drive along the way stunning cliffs, rolling hills, running rivers and stunning views of Lake Hawea. We parked in Wanaka for the night.
Best places to visit while you are in Wanaka.

- Roys peak
- Blue Pools of Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea
- Makarora to Haast Pass

Wanaka to Queenstown

Queenstown is just an hour away from Wanaka so after exploring Wanaka in the late evening we headed towards Queenstown to stay overnight in Queenstown at the Top Ten campervan park. In the morning, our adventure began with a Bungee Jump followed by Sky diving and ended with the Luge Route burn Track. Take the gondola to the mountain top soaking the stunning views and make your way down the hill through the Luge track. Queenstown has so much to offer. After a day filled with adventures, we ended our evening with beautiful on-sen hot spring spa and then dinner at skyline admiring stunning the Remarkables Mountain range views.

Along with stunning picturesque landscapes, Queenstown is also known as the adventure capital of New Zealand. From bungee jumping to sky diving, from parasailing to jet boating, this town has everything the adventure seeker in you.

After dinner, we headed to Manapouri to spend the night (near TeAnau) campervan park. It is around 2 & half hours’ drive from Queenstown.

Queenstown to Milford Sound via TeAnau

In the morning from Manapouri we headed to the Milford Sound expedition to see one of the natural wonders of the world. We arrived at the Milford Sounds boat terminal approx. 1.5 hours. We took a 90-minute return ferry to explore the surrounding area. When you get to the Milford Sound, at first it looks like a lake however as you get towards the sea you get feel of wonderland surround by picturesque mountain ranges and running waterfalls meeting to the sea.

It is a good place to spot some wildlife if you are lucky sometimes you can spot some Whales and Dolphins. We saw some Seals chilling around the rocks. You can explore walking and hiking trails or try some Kayaking if you have some more time.

After spending a whole day at Milford Sound, flattering mirror lake, and the boat ride we returned to TeAnau to stay overnight in the park. The next morning we explored Glowworm caves. It was a breath-taking experience. After spending two nights at TeAnau we headed to Dunedin.

TeAnau to Dunedin

We left the town of TeAnau and headed to Dunedin, New Zealand’s first city that started the European settlement in early 1800s. In this city you will find many examples for ancient Victorian and Edwardian architecture. Dunedin was built on the riches of the gold rush. It is a very popular destination for international students seeking Education. It is bit of a university town but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything for tourists to see and do. I have listed few things to do you can do while in Dunedin:-

Settlers museum – Visit Settlers museum if history is your thing and you would like to learn about the early settlers of this the city.
Speight’s Brewery – Speight’s Brewery started in 1876 and is one of the oldest breweries in New Zealand. The guided tour takes you through the history of the brewery and takes you to all parts of the brewery. You will get to see the old and new versions of the Brewery. As any good brewery tour, you always end with some beer samples.
Go and hike to the top of Balwin Street which is known as the steepest street in the world.
Cadbury World factory tour -Get your sugar fix at the Cadbury World factory tour & you can experience what a large scale factory production looks like.

Dunedin to Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook

From Dunedin, we headed towards Lake Tekapo. A huge and spectacular lake surrounded with snow cap mountains. Things to do you can do while in Lake Tekapo

Capture moment with The Church Of The Good Shepherd
Hike up to Mt. John
Stargaze in a Dark Sky Reserve
Tour of Scenic Flight Over the Southern Alps
Rejuvenate at Hot Pools
Go Snowboarding/ Skiing

Lake Tekapo to Christchurch

Last stop on our South Island adventure expedition was Christchurch. We took city day tour of Christchurch on the hop-on and hop-off bus tour to get to know city at glance.

Please do check our other posts on North Island Road Trip