A road trip of New Zealand in 8 days? Yes please! Waterfalls, glaciers, fjords, crazy blue water lakes, snow-capped mountains, pristine clear water coastlines… There’s not much more you can ask for from one island. And what better way to experience all of this than by taking a road trip around the island? We put together an itinerary that will cover almost the entire island, hitting most of the major hot spots and destinations. With some tips and recommendations along the way, hopefully it will provide you with some inspiration. So here’s New Zealand in 8 days: south island road trip itinerary!
START: Christchurch
END: Christchurch
DURATION: 8 Days
TRANSPORTATION: Rental Car
HIGHLIGHTS: Queenstown, Catlin’s Forest Park, Milford Sound, Lake Wanaka (Wanaka Tree), Lake Pukaki, Mt. Cook National Park, Arthur’s Pass National Park, Bay of Many Coves/Queen Charlotte Sound
WHY THE SOUTH ISLAND?
New Zealand consists of two major islands, the North and South Islands. The North Island is home to the capitol of the country Wellington, and Aukland which is the country’s largest city with a population of 1.5M people. The South Island as a whole has a population of only 1.1M people. But what drew us to the South Island was Milford Sound and the incredible landscapes. Rolling hills, deep valleys, and high cliffs. If you are a nature lover, then this needs to be added to the top of your list of travel destinations. So let’s get in to it.
TRANSPORTATION
If you’re not a Kiwi, traffic drives on the left side of the road in New Zealand. The driver-side of the vehicle is on the right side, and speed limit signage is in kilometers per hour (km/h). 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. You don’t want to find yourself turning down the wrong sides of streets. The good news, is that after a day of driving, it gets much easier.
DAY 1: CHRISTCHURCH TO QUEENSTOWN
TOTAL DRIVING TIME: 6 hours
When flying in to the South Island, you will most likely arrive in Christchurch as this is where the largest airport is on the island. Christchurch is on what you could consider the north-eastern coast of the island. From here you really only have two directions you can go, north or south. Most of the places we’ll cover are in the central and north part of the island, so we opted to head south to Queenstown as a starting point.
The drive from Christchurch to Queenstown, depending on which of two routes you might take, is roughly a 6 hour drive. So depending on when you land, you may want to spend a night in Christchurch before hitting the road. We landed in the late morning, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat at The Grater Goods plant-based cafe in Christchurch (try the KFT Burger!), and then hopped on the road. We took the more central route starting along Highway 1 and then up passed Lake Tekapo and Pukaki. We’d heard and seen much about these lakes that we felt we had to take advantage of the opportunity to see them on Day 1. We arrived at the Hilton Queenstown just in time to grab some dinner and get situated in our room. The next 7 days will be jam packed, so a good nights rest is important.
DAY 2: CATLINS FOREST PARK
TOTAL DRIVING TIME: 6 hours
From Queenstown, Catlins Forest Park is just under a 3 hour drive. Much of our trip and this itinerary is concentrated around the central and northern portion of the island, and we wanted to make sure we got to see some of the southern coast as well. 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. We spent only a few hours here as we knew we had a big day ahead of us in Milford Sound, but the few hours we did spend, we loved!
DAY 3: MILFORD SOUND
TOTAL DRIVING TIME: 8 hours
Milford Sound was the absolute number one thing we had been looking forward to. We had booked a cruise through Southern Discoveries to go through the sounds, along with a kayak ride which sounded like an epic once-in-a-lifetime experience. The entrance to Milford Sound from Queenstown is a little over a 3 hours drive, and then from the entrance to where the cruise lines are located, is another 45 minutes to an hour. So you’ll want to make sure you plan accordingly. And this is under ideal weather conditions, which you should never expect.
We had quite a scare when we found out the night before that the one road leading in and out of Milford, was closed due to snow and avalanche. Unfortunately, our itinerary would not allow for us to go on a different day, so panic instantly set in as we began to debate on what to do. Ultimately, we decided to wake up early still and check the reports to see if anything had changed.
So at 5:00am, we woke up and sadly the reports still show closed. IF the road were to open, we would need to leave at 6:30am in order to arrive on time for our cruise departure. So we showered and started getting ready expecting to have to do something entirely different with the day. At 6:30am exactly we checked the reports one more time, and OPEN! So we scurried, packed up our gear and hit the road. We arrived JUST in time for our cruise and it became the absolute highlight of our trip. If there is ONE thing you do on this island, it needs to be a cruise through Milford Sound. There is NO picture or video that will do it justice. We promise.
DAY 4: QUEENSTOWN TO LAKE WANAKA, LAKE PUKAKI, MT. COOK AND ARTHUR’S PASS
TOTAL DRIVING TIME: 9 hours
This day is a lot of driving. And depending on how much you want to see of each stop, you’ll want to get up real early. But one of the many amazing things about this country and this island, is that the entire island is incredibly beautiful. The views and scenery never get old or boring. You’ll be staying in Arthur’s Pass National Park, and with all the driving, it’d be wise to do most of your packing the night before. But the majority of this day will be stopping at beautiful spots along the way.
LAKE WANAKA
Stop number 1 is Lake Wanaka. The Wanaka Tree is a super popular spot on social media and being only an hours drive from Queenstown, it’s a no-brainer. We spent some time talking with some locals. One of them noted that he and his dog come down to the lake every single morning for a walk. And no matter the time of year, if you don’t get to the lake early enough, you’ll be surrounded by 100 people all trying to get the prime time spot for photos of the tree. So if you go, go early.
The town of Wanaka is actually incredibly cute and quaint. So we made a judgement call and decided to find a spot for some breakfast before hitting the road again. We opted for the Kai Whaka Pai Bar and Cafe since they had a number of vegan/vegeterian options. It turned out to be this super cool pub and cafe. We’d recommend you do the same and stop here. You won’t regret it.
FORK IN THE ROAD
From here, you more or less have two options of where you’d like to go. You can continue along Highway 8 going past Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Mt. Cook and on to Arthur’s Pass, or you can take Highway 6 up and around to see Franz Josef. We debated long and hard about what we wanted to do and see, and we ultimately chose to continue on Highway 8. You CAN do both, but as there is no direct path between Franz Josef and Mt. Cook, you’d have to double back or circle around which adds 5+ hours to your day. So keep that mind.
LAKE PUKAKI
THIS. LAKE. IS. INCREDIBLE. It is massive, and one of the brightest blues we’ve ever seen. Just under 2 hours drive from Lake Wanaka, combined with the epic views of the mountains in the background, it is a must-stop. The highway runs right along the southern portion of the lake and has a number of pull-offs and scenic lookouts to get some great views.
MT. COOK
Do some google searching of Mt. Cook and you’ll instantly see why you should make this a stop on your trip. From Lake Pukaki, it’s only a 45 minute drive to the visitor center of Mt. Cook, so it’s an easy next stop.
TIP: If you are keeping an eye on the weather in Mt. Cook, and thinking you’ll need to bring heavy duty winter clothing, ignore this. We made this mistake, watching the weather in Mt. Cook and seeing temperatures around 15ºF/-9ºC and snowy. So we wore clothing in preparation of being freezing cold only to arrive and find that the weather was actually around 45ºF/7ºC. Apparently many of the weather apps track the summit of Mt. Cook. So our recommendation, search Tasman or Tasman Valley Road which is where the visitor center and trailheads are.
We opted to hike the Hooker Valley Track, which is a 6.8 mile/10.9km1 roundtrip hike that ends at the edge of Hooker Lake where you can view icebergs left behind from Hooker Glacier. The hike is moderate and should be doable for most people, but you’ll want to make sure you have good hiking boots/footwear as the terrain is a bit rocky at certain points. If you plan to do the whole hike, you’ll also want to make sure you’ve brought some water to stay hydrated. But the views are incredible and well worth the hike!
ARTHUR’S PASS
Arthur’s Pass was an unknown for us, but it was an ideal stopping point as we continued to head north from Mt. Cook and on to Bay of Many Coves. Being a National Park, we felt no matter what we’d be pleased with our decision, and pleased we were. From Mt. Cook, Arthur’s Pass is a 5 hour drive, so this is the longest stretch of the day. By the time we arrived at Arthur’s Pass Motel & Lodge, it was late evening and we basically had just enough time to arrive, and settle in for the night. You’ll only be staying this one night and then heading out early in the morning, so don’t get too settled in.
DAY 5: ARTHUR’S PASS TO BAY OF MANY COVES (QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND)
TOTAL DRIVING TIME: 6 hours
A 60 minute roundtrip hike from Arthur’s Pass Lodge where we stayed is the Devil’s Punchbowl Waterfall. The first portion of the hike is primarily flat ground and gravel, but as you continue on and get closer to the waterfall, it becomes much more steep. Here it was MUCH colder, and probably the coldest temperatures we’d experienced on the island at around 18ºF/-8ºC, and windy. So plan accordingly. But as you can see, totally worth it.
From Arthur’s Pass, it’s another 5-6 hour drive to Picton which is the where the port is to take a ferry over to the Bay of Many Coves. The ferries run on a pretty strict schedule which you need to book in advance. So you’ll want to make sure you plan accordingly and have some buffer time scheduled as the drive from Arthur’s Pass to Picton is mostly a one-lane road. And if you find yourself behind a semi-truck or cautious driver it may take a bit more than 6 hours. So give yourself some flexibility.
PICTON & BAY OF MANY COVES
You made it! Are you tired yet? You probably should be. The good news though, is from here on out, it’s mostly relaxation. The ferry ride from Picton to Bay of Many Coves is about 45 minutes depending on how many other stops the ferry is making before arriving at Bay of Many Coves.
DAYS 6 & 7: BAY OF MANY COVES
TOTAL DRIVING TIME: None. Relax.
Bay of Many Coves is an incredible resort part of the Small Luxury Hotels brand (SLH), which sits right on the edge of the literal Bay of Many Coves. Here you will find a number of private apartments perched high up on a hill overlooking this incredible bay. 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. We opted to spend 2 nights here and to be honest, we easily could have spent 8 days or more just here alone. The couple who runs the resort (Graeme and Kim) were absolutely amazing and obviously take a lot of pride in making sure those who are staying truly enjoy this luxurious experience.
To see a full review of Bay of Many Coves, check out our Perfect Day at Bay of Many Coves article.
DAY 8: BAY OF MANY COVES TO CHRISTCHURCH
TOTAL DRIVING TIME: 5 hours
The drive from Picton back to Christchurch is around 5 hours, so depending on your flight timing, and when you leave from Bay of Many Coves, there is a high probability you’ll want to stay a night in Christchurch before your flight out. But if you book an evening flight, you could very easily make it back to Christchurch in time to drop off your vehicle to depart. We took this opportunity to stop in Marlborough and visit a couple of wineries which if you’ve ever sipped Sauvignon Blanc wine, it’s likely that it came from Marlborough. We’d highly recommend visiting Villa Maria. We absolutely loved their Pinot Gris, but to be honest, all of their wines were delicious!
From Marlborough, you’ll head down the coast along Highway 1 again towards Christchurch. We were super surprised to see some of the most beautiful blue waters along this coast. It still surprises us to this day how diverse the landscapes are on this island. Once back in Christchurch, we stayed at The George, which similar to Bay of Many Coves is part of the SLH brand. We couldn’t have picked a better way to end our trip.
CONCLUSION
Quite honestly, covering the South Island of New Zealand in 8 days is a lot. The island is SO big, and there is simply SO much to see. You could easily spend months here and not feel like you had enough time. That being said, if you’re like we were, and have limited time off from work, we hope this has given you some inspiration and confidence that you CAN cover A LOT of ground in one week. Our recommendation though, if we were doing this trip again and had more time, we’d spend a full 2 weeks here. We’d likely add in Franz Josef and spend 2-3 days at each location we noted above to spread things out a bit more and not be quite so rushed.
We hope this itinerary covering the South Island of New Zealand in 8 days has helped you in preparing a trip of your own. It’s an incredible place and a place that stole our hearts. We have no doubt we will be back, and will likely hit every single one of these spots again.
Have you been to the South Island and have other recommendations to add here? Feel free to comment below. And if this has helped you in any way, let us know!
