Do you have any pictures of the glow worms from your road trip? So if you go, go early. You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. Privacy Policy – Mount Cook online shopping website with free shipping in Auckland, Queenstown to Christchurch via West Coast, Two-week Northland and Coromandel campervanning trip report, First time group visit to NZ with 7 days to explore. If coming from further afield we do not recommend driving anywhere within 24 hr. So give yourself some flexibility. But the majority of this day will be stopping at beautiful spots along the way. Coastal lighthouses, waterfalls, cathedral caves and penguins; despite not being a well known spot in New Zealand, there is a ton to see and do. Highlights include a 4WD experience in Mount Cook National Park, wildlife experience on a remote island in Lake Wanaka, a helicopter flight over both Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, a spectacular cruise on Milford Sound with a Scenic flight over Fiordlandand much much more... You and your family will fall in love with the South Island's magnificent mountains, giant glaciers, untouched wilderness, and delectable cuisine. If the country, at least the south island as that was all we had time for, is not the most beautiful location on this planet, it is definitely as close to the top of that list as it gets. Keep browsing if you're happy with this. 5th. Tuesday 2nd - Arrive Christchurch 12am, check into, Drive to lake Pukaki (free ground) w/ stop off at Lake Tekapo (3 ½ hrs to Pukaki), Wednesday 3rd - Drive to Mount Cook, approx 30min hike up the mountain, Thursday 4th - Stay Queenstown again, explore area, activities eg stargazing, loge, Guided tour at 2:20PM ($60PP) stay in fox glacier, Drive to Hokitika (2hrs) visit Hokitika Gorge, tree top walk (maybe, $38) glow worms at night, stay hokitika, Drive to Hamner Springs (3hrs), go to the actual Hamner Springs ($32PP for private pool + outdoor pools, $10PP for water slide), stay Kaikoura Peketa Beach Holiday Park ( 1 ½ hrs). From here, you more or less have two options of where you’d like to go. So you’ll want to make sure you plan accordingly. This trip includes the rugged West Coast, some time to relax in Hanmer Springs, the opportunity to go hiking on the stunning Franz Josef Glacier and then finish up in Queenstown - New Zealand's Adventure Capital. In New Zealand, traffic drives on the left side of the road. Drive Time: 1:15. The map below shows the 14 day New Zealand South Island itinerary starting and ending in Queenstown. You've come pretty far north, and now it's time to begin making your way south to Queenstown. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Any way to get around without driving ? We heard that was a good route too. Car Rentals - Do NOT Use Apex Car Rentals. We have no doubt we will be back, and will likely hit every single one of these spots again. We offer great flight prices when booked as part of your New Zealand vacation package. And to be honest, no matter where you end up going in this remarkable country, it’s hard not to have the same reaction. So we scurried, packed up our gear and hit the road. Whether you are looking to do activities like bird, dolphin and orca watching, hiking to see glow worms, kayaking in the bay, or simply to relax and enjoy the views with some incredible wine and food, this place has it all. How would you suggest we do MS instead? If you’re renting a vehicle, and you’ve never driven a vehicle on the right side, or on the left side of the road, we’d recommend you take some time at the rental facility to acclimate yourself to this change as it can feel quite odd. Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, We're Open: Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Great Blog! Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences! ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-79125011', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Te Anau, parked the car at our motel, and then took the Real Journeys day trip to MS via glass-roofed coach inc. cruise on the fjord. *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That’s the end of the road here, quite literally. (We paid $90 USD total for 2 people with light lunch included.) I will definitely look into the hot pools and stargazing in tekapo, I didn't realise there was much to do there, from what I've read there wasn't a whole lot. With some tips and recommendations along the way, hopefully it will provide you with some inspiration. Apparently many of the weather apps track the summit of Mt. Is it difficult to drive a big campervan in New Zealand? You can either start this day in the village or in Tekapo. If you're especially keen on tramping, consider walking up to Alex Knob - an eight hour tramp that leaves you with incredible views of the glacier and as far away as the Tasman Coast. Ocean to cold ? Cook National Park, Arthur’s Pass National Park, Bay of Many Coves/Queen Charlotte Sound. Day 6: Marahau - Kaikoura (Driving time: ~ 4 hours). The Chch to Chch loop alone takes 9-10 days (depending on whether you take a tour or self drive) but you are including Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura which needs 11-12 days - and you have 8 days!!. Spend the night in Marahau again, or continue south as far as Nelson for a different place to spend the evening. Contact us or fill out our FREE Travel Planning Service form below. And if this has helped you in any way, let us know! You've left the sea behind for the alpine lakes of Tekapo. From here you really only have two directions you can go, north or south. Did you get to do any of the Lord of the Rings filming locations? It still surprises us to this day how diverse the landscapes are on this island. 15 - 21 days New Zealand South Island itineraries Visit the iconic South on the great tour ideas 2 - 3 week NZ South Island Itineraries & Tours. We looked around at other peoples trips and that seemed the best option. more, Continue your visit to www.tripadvisor.co.nz, Get answers to your questions about New Zealand, Rental Car Insurance - when it all goes wrong. This trip includes the rugged West Coast, some time in sunny Nelson Tasman, the opportunity for Whale Watching in Kaikoura and the stunning glacial lakes of the Mt Cook Region. The driver-side of the vehicle is on the right side, and speed limit signage is in kilometers per hour (km/h). Also, the good news is that almost all of the places I mention above do not have an entrance fee. You can continue along Highway 8 going past Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Mt. Are you over 80? So you need 2 full days for this leg. If you plan to do the whole hike, you’ll also want to make sure you’ve brought some water to stay hydrated. You have a variety of options for visiting the Franz Josef Glacier - everything from a guided Franz Josef heli-hike to a walk up the valley to see its terminus. Home Thorn Tree Country forums Australia, New Zealand & Antarctica New Zealand South Island Itinerary - 8 Days. I have a full post about it coming up soon. And what better way to experience all of this than by taking a road trip around the island. The waters of this lake are an insanely blue/green color from the number of glaciers the feed into its waters. Is it the matter of advertising Waitomo is everywhere on the net? Arrive in Christchurch early in the morning, or better yet, the evening before to really maximise your time.Christchurch is rising from the rubble of the devastating 2011 earthquakes and turning into one of the world’s most creative cities. IS. Our recommendation though, if we were doing this trip again and had more time, we’d spend a full 2 weeks here. But one of the many amazing things about this country, is that the entire island is incredibly beautiful. There are fabulous hikes in Aoraki NP. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-79134693', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');lake Tekapo area and there are tours from that area....so better than dark sky at QT. sanctuary for native animals of New Zealand. I had only planned it as it was a suggested stop on the NZ website. Quite honestly, covering the South Island of New Zealand in 8 days is a lot. We've reversed the trip, starting in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? This Classic 14 Day Highlights of New Zealand Itinerary takes a comprehensive look at both the North and South Island of New Zealand. Also if you're staying in Tekapo skip Hamner Springs and do the hotpools at Tekapo instead (I know they are different but you are so tight on time that that's an easy one to skip). Please contact us for a final price, Select from one of the options below to filter the available tours, We can customise any of our online itineraries, Classic 14 Day Highlights of New Zealand Tour, Classic Two Week North and South Island Self Drive Tour, The Classic 14 Day North and South Island Tour, 14 Day Highlights of NZ Honeymoon Package, find out why FLT has been honoured with NZ's highest tourism accolade. Ultimately, we decided to wake up early still and check the reports to see if anything had changed. But we did what we could with the time we had and, without a doubt, we absolutely loved every day of our stay. Experience the must-do activities and excursions on this very popular 14-day easygoing and fun self-drive itinerary. You won’t regret it. rental or booking the perfect tour. This day is a lot of driving. Mind u the magic is if the weather prediction shows a sunny day in Punakaiki. So we showered and started getting ready expecting to have to do something entirely different with the day. Need to add it to my bucket list, Thanks! You don’t want to find yourself turning down the wrong sides of streets. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-79108550', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura which needs 11-12 days - and you have 8 days!! Then we did a Timaru sit for 10 days and now it’s 2 weeks of Air BnB’s. Milford Sound Experience Full Day from Queenstown, Half-Day Milford Sound Flight and Cruise from Queenstown, Cruise Milford NZ Small Boutique Cruise Experience, Thrifty Car Rental......$35 to drive one way on a toll road. Packed Full of Information About How to Make The Most of Your Time in New Zealand. Learn about New Zealand from experienced travelers - all the does and don't of each destination! That was our epic New Zealand South Island itinerary. Super helpful in planing our trip….but we land in Christchurch so would be doing something similar in reverse. I really want to go to the south, and this will be so helpful when planning my trip! The North Island is home of the capitol of the country Wellington, and Aukland the country’s largest city with a population of 1.5M people.