New Zealand
Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → New Zealand
New Zealand (sort of) flew under the radar until the whole Lord of the Rings/Hobbit thing happened (the movies, not the books). The good news is that even though the secret is out, the frenzy has died down somewhat and people have moved on to a new “it” destination (Iceland, for example) so it doesn’t seem quite so much like everyone you know is heading to New Zealand this year. Regardless, most people who are visiting will go to a handful of oft-visited destinations and think they’ve seen the country. They would be wrong.
There’s so much to see and do here that we didn’t even think of attempting it in one go. It simply wouldn’t have done it justice. Thus far, we’ve really only spent time on the South Island – and have completed neglected the northern regions! It’ll take us at least two more trips to see/do all the things on our current list, and I’m sure the list will grow while we’re there. Rest assured we’ll be adding more adventures to this section in the future. Click on any destination on the map for more information, or click on a region below if you know the area you’ll be visiting.
Destinations by Region
Where to stay
We’ve tried these places and found they suited us nicely, but there are certainly many available options in most of these places and I’m sure there are loads of nice ones. Luckily the internet is full of reviews to help you find a place. I also wouldn’t necessarily advise some of these places depending on your precise itinerary – some of the B&B’s and nice lodges will be a bit of waste if you’re planning on a very early start, or could be awkward if you think you might get in very late. When we have that type of schedule, we usually opt for some kind of extremely basic motel-type accommodation where the night staff don’t care what time you’re coming and going.
Lake Tekapo – Lake Tekapo Lodge
Mount Cook – Aoraki Court
Dunedin – Larnach Castle
Curio Bay – Curio Bay Accommodations
Invercargill – Beersheba Estate
Doubtful Sound – Fiordland Cruises overnight
Te Anau – Te Anau Lodge
Fox Glacier – Heartland Hotel Fox Glacier
Queenstown – The Rees Hotel
Kinloch – Heritage Lodge
Cardrona – Cardrona Hotel
Wanaka – Black Peak View
Haast – Collyer House B&B
Suggested Itineraries
There are countless possible itineraries for exploring the area, including additional destinations we haven’t visited yet. But here are two ways to see most of the places listed here in around a week to a week and a half. You’ll be very busy, but they’re absolutely feasible for the motivated and you’ll get a lot in!
8 Day Rough Itinerary (Christchurch to Queenstown)
Day 1: Fly in to Christchurch, arriving in the morning. Drive to Lake Tekapo and spend the afternoon there enjoying the views, hopping on a mountain bike, or going up to Mt. John (or all of the above). Stay the night in the Lake Tekapo area.
Day 2: Leave after breakfast and return to the east coast, stopping in Oamaru to stretch your legs and then heading down to spend an hour at Moeraki Boulders. Drive down to Dunedin and check out Larnach Castle in the afternoon. Stay in one of the castle’s accommodations and join them for dinner that night at the castle.
Day 3: Leave as early as possible and drive down to the Catlins, squeezing in as many stops as you can while still making it to Curio Bay in time for “hoppy hour” (when the penguins come in) and enjoy sunset there. Stay the night in the area.
Day 4: Leave the Catlins, driving north and stopping at Clifden Cave. Continue north and drive the road to Milford Sound, stopping at various places along the way, and arriving at Milford Sound in the late afternoon in time to enjoy sunset. Return to Te Anau after sunset and stay the night.
Day 5: Get up early and be in Manapouri by 8am for an overnight Doubtful Sound cruise. Spend the night on a boat in Doubtful Sound.
Day 6: Arrive back in Manapouri mid-day, and immediately start your journey north to Fox Glacier via Haast Pass. Stop and enjoy as many sites on Haast Pass as you can fit in. Stay the night in Fox Glacier Village.
Day 7: Arrive at the meeting point for your helicopter ice-climbing trip at 7:45am. Have the time of your life on the glacier, returning to Fox Glacier Village around 4pm. Return south to Haast, checking in at your hotel there before driving down to Jackson Bay for sunset. Return to Haast for the night.
Day 8: Return to Queenstown for your return flight from Queenstown Airport.
10 Day Rough Itinerary (Christchurch to Queenstown)
Day 1: Fly in to Christchurch, arriving in the morning. Drive to Lake Tekapo for lunch and to enjoy the scenery, including the amazing panaromic views from the top of Mt. John. Continue on to Mt. Cook Village, arriving in time for sunset, and spend the night.
Day 2: Explore the Mt. Cook area in the morning (if you get up early, you’ll have time to complete the Hooker Valley Track, otherwise you can always do one or more of the shorter tracks), grab an early lunch and leave around noon to drive on to Oamaru to stretch your legs and explore the historic streets. Drive to Moeraki Boulders and spend some time exploring the beach. Continue on to Dunedin and check out Larnach Castle in the afternoon (if you arrive in time). Stay in one of the castle’s accommodations and join them for dinner that night at the castle.
Day 3: Leave as early as possible to drive through the Catlins (I would recommend hitting Nugget Point for sunrise – but it’s an hour and a half from Dunedin so many people won’t be that motivated). Squeeze in as many stops as you can along the way, arriving in Curio Bay for “hoppy hour” (when the penguins come in) and enjoy sunset there. After sunset, drive an hour further north to Invercargill and spend the night.
Day 4: Drive to Clifden Cave in the morning, then continue on north to Milford Sound, stopping at various places along the way, and arriving at Milford Sound in the late afternoon in time to enjoy sunset. Return to Te Anau after sunset and stay the night.
Day 5: Get up early and be in Manapouri by 8am for an overnight Doubtful Sound cruise. Spend the night on a boat in Doubtful Sound.
Day 6: Arrive back in Manapouri mid-day, and start your drive to Queenstown, stopping at the Kepler Track Day Walk. Drive over to Arrowtown and explore some of the area’s history before returning to Queenstown to enjoy sunset over Lake Wakatipu.
Day 7: Leave Queenstown in the morning and drive to Fox Glacier via Haast Pass. Stop and enjoy as many sites on Haast Pass as you can fit in. Stay the night in Fox Glacier Village.
Day 8: Spend the morning exploring Fox Glacier, then return to Queenstown for the night.
Day 9: Spend the day enjoying Queenstown, taking a jet boat ride on the Shotover River and/or a helicopter flight to see the area and explore Mount Aspiring National Park. Run the luge course at the Skyline Gondola and have dinner at the Stratosphere Restaurant at the top of the gondola. Stay the night in Queenstown.
Day 10: Depart from Queenstown Airport.
Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → New Zealand