🌿 You have a short time in New Zealand – two or three weeks – and you want to make the best out of it.
🌿 You live in New Zealand and you want to fully enjoy this beautiful land; exploring places off the beaten tracks.
🌿 You are a traveller and you want to live the country fully.
Whenever you are on your journey, this short guide with the most remarkable road trips in the South Island of Aotearoa is here to help you.
We drove all these routes, so we are sharing the best hidden gems and our best tips so that you can truly experience this incredible country!
Best Road Trips in the South Island, New Zealand
- Northern South Island, NZ
- Southern South Island, New Zealand (2 weeks)
- Do I need to book accommodations?
You may also like Best Trips in the North Island, New Zealand
Do you need help to plan your trip? Contact us!
Northern South Island, NZ
Picton to Wharariki Beach (7 days)
This road trips takes you across beautiful fiords, valleys, and beaches giving you a taste of the stunning Abel Tasman National Park.
We had our tent so we always slept in campsites and caravan parks. You can find alternative accommodations for every stop.
We did this trip in 7 days starting off in Auckland and driving all the way to Picton. We split the journey and spent a night at Flat Hills Cafe and Tourist Park catching the ferry from Wellington in the early morning. However, you can also do it in one day if you leave Auckland very early in the morning and catch the latest ferry in the evening.
Here are the main stops:
- Picton to Pelorus Bridge Campsite
- French Pass – a gravel, stunning road along a fiord which takes you to a little campsite. Don’t miss the French Pass Lookout Track to see the whirlpool.
- Piwakawaka Track at Elaine Bay (1h30 minutes return) – an easy and calm track to explore the French Pass area and go for a swim in a quiet beach at the end of the track
- Nelson. Don’t miss a delicious dinner at the Boat Shed
- Neudorf Vineyards, to enjoy a glass of wine and some snacks surrounded by vineyards.
- Mārahau, Abel Tasman National Park. Such a paradise!! We did a day trip and walk from Bark Bay to Anchorage Beach (crossing with the low tide Torrent Bay). We were dropped off and picked up by a water taxi. You can find all the information and many different trips on this website.
- Tata Beach. This is a cute and calm bay where you swim and enjoy an easy kayak experience! No need to book, just talk to the staff of Golden Bay Kayaks on the spot.
- Puponga – Wharariki Beach. So far one of our favourite beach in New Zealand thanks to its stunning silver sand, its elephant-shaped rock, and the seals sleeping on the beach.
- The walk to get there is also quite remarkable as you feel like you are in Scotland (green hills and sheep everywhere) but then a silver beach suddenly starts and you find yourself sliding down super soft sand dunes overlooking a breathtaking view.
From Puponga we drove all the way back to Nelson, drop our friends off at the airport and continued with the following road trip.
Nelson to Picton passing from Kaikōura (5 days)
This is a very nice and easy road trip. We did it from Nelson to Picton because then we had to go back to Auckland from there, but you can easily consider some of the stops on a road trip from Picton to Christchurch or Queenstown.
Here are the main stops and activities:
- Kaikōura – swim with dolphins with Dolphin Encounter, or simply enjoy a cruise. Swimming in the ocean is not as easy as it seems, but seeing the dolphins in their natural environment is priceless.
- Hanmer Springs – enjoy one of the many walks there and then chill out at the spa!
- Drive back to Picton via Lewis Pass (65) and St Arnaud (63) or, if you have a lot of time, adventure through the gravel road crossing Awatere Valley (we haven’t done it, but it’s in our bucket list!).
If you combine these two road trips, you can have a 2-week journey from Auckland, return.
@mignon_travels
That’s exactly what we did in December 2022.
Southern South Island, New Zealand
This is a 2-week road trip to explore the South part of the South Island. You can follow our steps or take what you need to organise your own trip. We adapted our trips to weather conditions, so as to chase the sun!
If you need help, we can tailor your trip for you! Contact us here.
We flew to Christchurch, where we highly recommend a visit to the Botanic Gardens, the Transitional Cathedral, the Art Gallery, and a delicious dinner at Hali. We spent one night in Christchurch and then we set off for our road trip!
The first stop we recommend while driving south is Akaroa Peninsula. It’s a very scenic drive and we stopped at Pigeon Bay, Little Akaroa, and Okains Bay. There is a shop there where you can grab some water and an ice-cream and then drive to the beach to chill out a bit. In Akaroa, we stayed at Akaroa Criterion Motel and had a delicious dinner at Ma Maison Restaurant.
The day after we had a long drive all the way down to Dunedin stopping at Ashburton and Oamaru. In Dunedin, you can relax on Saint Clair Beach or go fro a stroll in town to see Baldwin Street, the Steepest Street in the World!
Otago Peninsula is the best trip you can do from Dunedin. Must-see: the Royal Albatross Centre. The conservation project there is great and the albatrosses are spectacular birds to see. Make sure you include Fort Taiaroa in your visit there, to learn more about local history and see a rotating cannon from 1886. Near the Albatross Centre there is a small beach where you can see some fur seals chilling or fighting around!
After two nights in Dunedin, we continued south to Brighton Beach and then we followed the road to Kaka Point for a quick picnic. Then, we drove to Nugget Point Lighthouse and we walked to the lighthouse enjoying a stunning view over the ocean – and some seals far away!
After that, we drove to Cannibal Bay to see the sea lions, but we saw none. You can skip this bay and drive straight to Surat Bay – there is actually a path linking the two bays, but we don’t know how long it could take.
Surat Bay is so wide and wild and it’s worth a walk! We saw sea lions sleeping on the beach and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. We stayed at Surat Bay Lodge, recommended.
On the way to Invercargill, take some side roads, some of them are unpaved, and drive to Jacks Bay. Then, drive along Lake Catlins and reach Pukakaunui Falls, where you can stretch your legs with a short walk. Stop by the Lost Gypsy Gallery and admire some genius 😀 Please bear in mind that there are no places to eat around, so pack some food!
Keep going and enjoy a stunning view, and some history, from Florence Hill Lookout. Then, we recommend taking a break at Curio Bay – where you can even swim if you don’t mind the cold water! We chilled out there for some time and then we head to our last stop: Slope Point, the Southern Most Point of the South Island.
When in Invercargill, you can’t miss the Bill Richardson Transport World!
From Invercargill, we head to Te Anau. On the way there, we stopped at McCracken’s Rest, Tuatapere, and, most remarkably, Lake Hauroko. The side road to the lake is just stunning and the spot at the lake is great for a picnic, despite some mosquitos…We also stopped at Brunel Peak Cafè before driving to Te Anau, our base for our trip to Milford Sound.
Then, we drove to Queenstown and the day after we went to Haast via Wanaka, planning to drive along the west coast. Unfortunately, the weather was so bad that the road to Fox Glacier was closed, so we drove back to Wanaka to go to Twizel.
On the way we stopped at the Clay Cliffs and in the evening we had a delicious dinner at Poppies Cafè in Twizel.
The day after we flew over Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki on a Cessna 172 from Aoraki Mount Cook Aviation Services – we phoned the same morning due to good weather conditions. It was a breathtaking experience!
As a valide alternative, you can drive to Aoraki / Mount Cook and go for a walk – or you can do both if you have time 😉
After the flight, we went to the beautiful Lake Tekapo for one last night and the day after we drove back to Christchurch.
- We did this trip together with Guido’s parents and we always stayed in apartments or lodges with a kitchen.
Do I need to book accommodations?
The general answer is YES.
Kiwis (people from New Zealand) love booking everything in advance, so you better do the same if you are travelling during peak seasons – that is, December and January for summer, and August for winter.
However, if you are travelling in other months of the year – for example, in February – you can leave some spots open and find a last-minute accommodation everywhere you go (we did that for Twizel and Lake Tekapo). Check on Google Maps for availability as well as on booking websites.
Booking your accommodations in advance means that you don’t have to worry about finding one last minute, but it also reduces you road trip flexibility. So, it’s up to you and your travelling style 🙂
Are you thinking to go camping? Read our short answer about booking campsites here.
Do you need help to plan your trip? Contact us!
