25-day Epic New Zealand Adventure - Part 1 | South Island
Between 2017-2019, I was lucky enough to call New Zealand home. This was my first working holiday visa, and the longest time I had been away from the UK. After just under 1 year away, my mum and brother organised to come and visit me, and we had one of the most epic road-trips of our lives. I have always enjoyed planning itineraries, but organising an itinerary for a country you love, when everyone agreed they want to experience almost everything the country has to offer, was incredibly exciting to me. In total, we had just over 3 weeks of time to pack in as much as we could. However, we designated some days to relaxing, so this itinerary can be adapted or condensed depending on your time constraints.
Looking for Hector Dolphins at Akaroa Harbour.
Day 1 & 2: Akaroa & Christchurch
Our home on wheels for the next 3 weeks
At the time of my family’s arrival, I was based in Queenstown in the South Island. My brother had been on his own travels in Southeast Asia, so was due to arrive a few days earlier than my mum who was coming from the UK. I hired a car and met my brother in Christchurch. We decided to utilise the car on day 1 of the trip and visit Akaroa, as it was only a 1.5-hour drive. Akaroa is a small town on the Banks Peninsula, southeast of Christchurch. It is nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano and is the only attempted French settlement in New Zealand. Because of this, it still holds French resemblance around the town. As my brother was still adjusting to time zones and long flights, we spent the day exploring the town, sampling the local fish and chips, and trying to spot the rare Hector Dolphin’s in the harbour.
The next day we picked my mum up from Christchurch International Airport along with a nice emotional reunion. As the journey from the UK can easily take nearly 2 days at best, the motivation to explore New Zealand’s oldest city and largest in the South Island wasn’t at an all time high. However, Christchurch has a lot to offer including the local ski field Mount Hutt, previously mentioned daytrip to Akaroa or even a daytrip north to Kaikoura.
Day 3: Christchurch to Queenstown
The Church of Good Shepherd over Lake Tekapo.
For this trip we decided to go with the Campervan hire company Britz and we booked a 4 Berth Discovery. New Zealand is an extremely camper-friendly country compared to others I have visited, but having a self-contained vehicle, which is a vehicle that can function without outside resources, makes your overnight parking choices that much easier. We picked the camper up from the location just outside the airport, and off we went around the first roundabout where every piece of crockery and cutlery fell out of the cupboard! Tip: check all cupboard doors are locked before setting off!
The aim for today was to make it to Queenstown. I had done this journey in the winter when I visited the ski resort at Mount Hutt, so I knew the good stopping points that were popular amongst visitors. We opted to stop in Tekapo to see the view of The Church of the Good Shepherd over the lake.
Me pretending to not be cold infront of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown.
My family were visiting at the end of October, which for me in New Zealand was the end of winter and the start of the warmer months. However, don’t make the same mistake as me and tell them to pack for ‘summer’. My brother was stepping off the plane from Bali to what felt like the depths of the English winter, and my mum was arriving from the end of the summer months and hurtling herself into Winter. New Zealand is similar to England in that it has the visible four seasons, but the colder climate of the southern hemisphere is deceiving. I was prancing around in shorts to prove a point but as you can see from the image, the others were cold. In New Zealand, you need to pack for all seasons no matter what time of year.
Day 4 & 5: Queenstown
12,000ft skydive over Queenstown
The adventures really began on day 4 with a tandem skydive with NZONE. Prior to the trip, we had all agreed that we would book one activity for each person, and mine was the skydive. This was my first skydive and I fully convinced myself it wouldn’t happen because of the weather. I woke up bright and early to clear blue skies and instantly thought to myself ‘shit, this is really happening!’. I had chosen to jump from 9,000 feet as this was the cheapest option, but I soon became aware that everyone else in my plane had chosen 12,000 feet and it was likely I would be getting a free upgrade to that! At 12,000ft you freefall for 45 seconds at speeds of 200km/hour with the most amazing scenery that Queenstown has to offer. It was truly one of the best, most exhilarating experiences of my life. Just don’t expect to look too good in the pictures!
Mum checking she’s tall enough to ride the Luge!
The next day we had a day tour booked to Milford Sound. This is a full 12-hour day trip as the journey to Milford Sound itself can take almost 5 hours, but the views along the way are meant to be spectacular. Unfortunately for us and those involved, there had been a crash on the road in. As there is only one road in and out, there was no way for us to get there that day and as we had to leave Queenstown the next day, we didn’t get to go. I was lucky enough to do a scenic flight over Milford Sound, so I had seen it from above, but I was very excited to view it from sea level this time. If you are planning to add Milford Sound to your road-trip, factor in an extra day for any circumstances that could arise out of your control!
Our bus took us back to Queenstown and as we hadn’t got very far, we were back early with a full day and no plans. I decided to take them up the Skyline to do Queenstown Luge. You take a gondola ride up 480m over Lake Wakatipu to the top of Bob’s Peak. From here, you can luge around 1,600 metres of man-made course in a part go kart part toboggan whilst looking over incredible scenery. In the afternoon, we headed to Arrowtown which is a short drive from Queenstown. Arrowtown is a picturesque living historic settlement which was established during the height of the Otago Gold Rush in 1862. From here, we hired bikes and did the Gibbston Winery Ride. The trail starts in Arrowtown and follows the Arrow River all the way to the Gibbston Wine Region where there are plenty of amazing wineries to chose from. Just don’t get too overexcited as you have to cycle back if you haven’t opted for a shuttle (the sensible decision)!
Day 6: Queenstown to Franz Josef
Day 5 was a big travel day, travelling around 5 hours from Queenstown to Franz Josef to arrive on the wet West Coast! Along the way we stopped in Wanaka to see the infamous ‘That Wanaka Tree’ and then onto the Blue Pools in Haast Pass, where there is a short 1.5km return track taking you through the native forests and over a swing bridge.
‘That Wanaka Tree’
The Blue Pools in Haast Pass.
Day 7 & 8: Franz Josef to Abel Tasman National Park
Embracing the wet on the Franz Josef Glacier Walk.
When I mentioned earlier that you need to pack for all seasons, the West Coast is the example why! The West Coast of the South Island is the wettest area of New Zealand as the Southern Alps act as a barrier to the westerly airstream, causing heavy and prolonged rain. We didn’t let this dampen our spirits though and we spent our first morning in Franz Josef doing the glacier walk which is a 5.4km walk to view the everchanging glaciers. Make sure to check the latest conditions before your trip as access roads can sometimes be closed due to rock falls or flooded rivers. In the afternoon, we headed to the West Coast Wildlife Centre to meet New Zealand’s rare kiwi bird. You can take a self-guided tour and see live young kiwi in their natural bush walkthrough. Unfortunately, the Rowi and the Haast tokoeka are the two most endangered kiwi in the world, with less than 600 remaining in the wild. The Wildlife Centre is working tirelessly to save the world’s rarest kiwi and you can help by sponsoring a kiwi chick.
We spent the following day making our way almost 500km North to Motueka which is the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park. Within one day our views changed from what felt like Jurassic Park, to arriving in a summer haven of warm weather and beautiful beaches. Along the way we stopped in Punakaika to see the pancake rocks and blowholes and to check out the local Wekas, which are a flightless bird endemic to New Zealand.
Pancake Rocks in Punakaika.
New Zealand’s infamous Weka.
Blowholes in Punakaika.
Day 9: Abel Tasman National Park
Our day in Abel Tasman National Park was mainly spent defrosting and drying ourselves off from the West Coast. Later in my New Zealand journey I did return to Abel Tasman to do the Abel Tasman Coastal Trek which I will speak about in another blog. This time however, we did the ‘Split Apple Classic’ guided kayak tour which is a half day tour to see the renowned Split Apple Rock and explore some of the surrounding inlets and beaches.
Abel Tasman National Park.
Half-day guided Kayak tour to see Split Apple Rock.
Day 10 & 11: Abel Tasman National Park to Wellington
Just about catching a whale in the Wellington Harbour.
Our final day on the South Island was spent travelling to Picton to take the Interislander Ferry via the Cook Straight to Wellington, North Island. Although this ferry is necessary to get to the North Island with your vehicle, it is more than just a ferry crossing. The 96km journey takes around 3.5 hours with two-thirds of the journey spent drifting through fjord-like channels and inlets of the Marlborough Sounds. There are ample opportunities to spot wildlife including whales, dolphins and albatross. If you get as lucky as I did, you’ll even spot a whale in the Wellington Harbour.
Once the ferry docks in Wellington you are officially in the North Island and onto your next adventure! Make sure to check out Part 2 of this blog post to find out what we got up to in the North.
HEY, I’M LOZ!
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This is an insight into the life of a girl who likes to get lost. I write about all things travel and the outdoors. If you like my content please subscribe and if you really like it, please buy me a coffee so I can continue making content for you!