This is the second part of our travel plans for New Zealand, showing the details of our South Island driving route, with part one discussing our North Island driving route.
As I explained in the previous post, we started planning our route by pinning the places we want to go on our giant map. The route’s been refined a bit since then, but the general spine of our South Island driving route is still the same.
Plenty has been added since our initial plans and we’ve now got a pretty solid idea of when we’re going to each place and how long we’re staying there. So, the route…
Our South Island Driving Route!
We have now amended our South Island driving route to include the south-easterly region of the South Island. Read more
Where and Why?
Planning the South Island driving route was much more difficult than the North Island, as we knew we wanted to finish in Queenstown, but there are places we want to see on both the east and west coasts! Also, the mountainous terrain makes it difficult to get from place to place in some areas; for example, after a glance at the map it seemed sensible to go from Franz Josef to Lake Tekapo, but on further inspection it seems that a wall of glaciers and mountains stand in the way, making it a 6 hour journey around them! Therefore, we’re going down to Wanaka from Franz Josef, then up to Lake Tekapo and then back down on ourselves to Cromwell. Anyway, here’s a full rundown of our South Island driving route…
- Wellington to Picton (Cook Strait Ferry)
Firstly, we need to get from the North Island to the South Island! For this we take the Interislander Ferry which has been described as one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world, with views of the Marlborough Sounds as you approach the South Island. Because of this, you should definitely travel in the day time and you’re advised to book well in advance.
Photo: Julie Laurent / Creative Commons- Kaikoura 2 nights, 12/13 Jan
We made a big effort to work Kaikoura into our route, mainly so we can see the seal pups that live at the Ohau Waterfall! It’s described as one of the best hidden gems in New Zealand, so we’re spending our first couple of nights in the South Island in Kaikoura, a couple of hours down the east coast from the ferry terminal in Picton. However, the main reason people stop there is for whale watching!
Photo: Christopher Hynes / Creative Commons- Nelson 1 night, 14 Jan
Our main route is down the west coast, so we’ll be going back on ourselves from Kaikoura up to Nelson for a short stop in the picturesque looking town on the north coast.
Photo: Stephen Murphy / Creative Commons- Abel Tasman 3 nights, 15/16/17 Jan
A bit further up from Nelson is Abel Tasman National Park, arguably the most beautiful part of New Zealand with its stunning scenery and golden beaches. Looking forward to the scenic drives this area has to offer as well as soaking in the stunning coastlines and hopefully getting in on some of the water activities. I’d love to do my skydive here, but it’s a fair bit more expensive than the Taupo option unfortunately!
Photo: Frank Meeuwsen / Creative Commons- Punakaiki 1 night, 18 Jan
From there, it’s a long drive south to Punakaiki where you will find the famous Pancake Rocks and blowholes! I’ve seen this general area described as an ‘end of the world type coastline’ where pretty much everything looks like you’re in Jurrasic Park! Sounds good to me.
Photo: Florian Dietrich / Creative Commons- Christchurch 2 nights, 19/20 Jan
Just 20 minutes south of Punakaiki is Greymouth, where we will be catching the frequently recommended Tranzalpine, a 4.5 hour scenic rail journey to Christchurch! It is touted as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world, travelling alongside stunning lakes and snow-topped mountains. With a couple of nights away from the campervan, we’re looking at staying in the Jailhouse accommodation in Christchurch, which is an old prison converted into a hostel! It’s a unique place to stay and it has won several continental awards for best hostel, so should be an interesting one.
Photo: Geoff Wilson / Creative Commons- Greymouth 1 night, 21 Jan
Then it’s time for the return leg of our much anticipated Tranzalpine journey, back to Greymouth and our trusty campervan! Aside from the Pancake Rocks which we will have seen previously, I’m not sure what else Greymouth has to offer, but it looks like a very nice sea-side town regardless!
Photo: webmink / Creative Commons- Franz Josef 2 nights, 22/23 Jan
We will then be resuming our progress along state highway 6 down the west coast and onto Franz Josef, home to the extremely impressive looking Fox, Tasman and Franz Josef ice glaciers. The ice treks and scenic helicopter rides on offer look pretty awesome, but they’re also really expensive (over $800 for us both), so we’ll probably opt for one of the nearby walks that offer the views if not the experience of actually walking on the glacier.
Photo: Andrew / Creative Commons- Wanaka 2 nights, 24/25 Jan
From there, we continue south down to Wanaka (careful how you say this one); a small town which seems to be surrounded by absolutely stunning scenery, with the southern alps filling the horizon. Looks like a lovely little spot worthy of another two night stay.
Photo: Jim Berry / Creative Commons- Lake Tekapo 2 nights, 26/27 Jan
Due to the wall of glaciers, it’s then back up north a couple of hours to Lake Tekapo. This beautiful spot in the heart of the South Island is famous for star-gazing, offering spectacular views of our Milky Way galaxy if you’re lucky enough to catch it on a clear night. Hopefully we’ll get that bit of luck during our 2 night stay.
Photo: Rob Packer / Creative Commons- Cromwell 1 night, 28 Jan
From there, we drive back down on ourselves just past Wanaka to Cromwell. I’m not really sure what’s there apart from more stunning views, but it seems like a convenient place to stop on the way to our next destination…
Photo: sleepcreature / Creative Commons- Te Anau 3 nights, 29/30/21 Jan
The penultimate stop is in Te Anau, another beautiful South Island location on the edge of the Fiordlands. During our stay we’ll be doing the coach & cruise tour of the incredible looking Milford Sound, which is near the top of my list of places I’m most excited to see!
Photo: Arjan Veen / Creative Commons- Queenstown 1 – 21 Feb
Finally, for the last few weeks of our stay in New Zealand, it’s the tourist capital of the country; Queenstown. Whilst here I’ll be cashing in my ‘bungy bucks’ voucher on one of the massive canyon swings, we’ll be paying a visit to the Below Zero ice bar, enjoying a bite at the infamous Ferg Burger as well as countless other things that Queenstown has to offer! We’ll also need to use this time to try and sell the campervan (if it’s all still in one piece!) and we were also hoping to nip over to Fiji for a few nights if at all possible!
Photo: Neil / Creative Commons
We’ve taken advantage of an Air New Zealand offer and booked our flights back home to the UK already with a departure date of 21st Feb, so we know exactly how much time we have to play with! Hopefully this South Island driving route will progress without any unforseen hiccups and we’ll do and see everything that we’re hoping to.
It’s still a couple of months until the real adventure actually begins, but we absolutely cannot wait!