Our 3 week route of New Zealand’s beautiful South Island covering mountain passes, glacier trails, rainforest exploring and incredible whale watching!

If you’re reading this from The Essential 2 Week North Island Route, well hi! If not, I’ll catch you up briefly! Planning a road-trip around New Zealand is so exciting but it can also be very overwhelming. So I’ve summarised our routes into 2 blogs to hopefully get you on your way with planning. I’ve got the North Island route linked here and all the essential campervan details here (I also reviewed our camper too).

---

This route starts you in Picton, heading down the West Coast and round to Christchurch. If you’re starting in Christchurch, before heading to the North Island, you can just reverse the route.

Day 1

Arrive in Picton on the ferry, say hi to the South Island! if you’ve arrived earlier in the day you might want to get going on the route, but the ferry is around 4 hours so it can be nice to take it slow, have a look around Picton and take in the sights. We arrived fairly late and we had seen campsites were quite pricey around here, so if you are happy to take a little detour then head to the Kiwi Camp in Blenheim. It was fairly cheap and we were able to do washing and have hot showers. If you want a list with a bit more info on the South Island campsites we stayed at, you can look at that here! 

Day 2

If you’ve stayed in Blenheim, it’s a good chance to get petrol & food supplies before heading back in the direction of Picton. We also took the opportunity to dump our waste water in Picton & refill. If you’re wondering how to find the dump stations, you can find them on the CamperMate or Rankers Apps. 

Once you’ve headed through Picton, head out on the Queen Charlotte Drive which takes you around the most beautiful windy roads, with incredible views. There are loads of options to stop off at viewpoints, bays and inlets to have a better look at and small walks here and there. Around lunchtime, you should aim to be in Havelock which is the Green Mussel Capital of the World. If you like shellfish, this is absolutely the place to stop. The mussels are incredible and there are a few nice spots to enjoy them at. We went to The Captains Daughter and it was so nice. 

After some delicious dins, head over to your campsite of the evening. Elaine Bay is a bit of a drive but completely worth it. Head there, and enjoy an evening in a secluded bay on a lovely campsite. It is a Department of Conservation site, so book ahead on their website. We are so glad we made the trip to the site because it was so beautiful. 

Day 3

Wake up and head back from Elaine Bay, out of the sounds and towards Nelson. Nelson is a really nice town to spend some time in exploring. There’s a fair few nice eateries, a few shops and a museum so it’s definitely worth stopping at. Theres also Pic’s Peanut Butter Factory if you fancy that too! We stayed in Nelson over night, as it was NYE. It was a really good spot for NYE and our campsite of choice was the New World supermarket car park. It was ok for a night, but there are also lots of other campsites too. 

If you want to add an extra couple of days to your route, detour off to Abel Tasman National Park before heading south via Nelson. This is somewhere to go if you’ve got lots of time. It’s accessible by water taxi only – I just did a day tour/walk when I visited in 2020 and it’s amazing for wildlife, beaches and hikes! We stayed at a campsite outside, drove and parked at the water taxi place, did the tour and got dropped back. You can do over night camps to really explore the National Park as well. 

Day 4

Head out from Nelson after breakfast towards St Arnaud for the Lakes Rotoiti and Rotorua which are situated in the Nelson Lakes National Park. We detoured through Wakefield to pick up one of their famous pies, and then we had them at the lake and enjoyed them with a view. The lakes are worth a visit as they are really beautiful and a popular spot for boating and swimming. Have a look for the HUGE eels too! 

If you’re out of the summer season, a good campsite would be the freedom site at Lake Rotoroa. It’s a really nice spot but it is a hotspot for sandflies in the summer. It was too much for us, so we ended up moving on in the direction of Greymouth which is fairly far down. As Greymouth is a quite a distance from the Lakes and a good middle spot to stay is Murchison. There are some lovely campsites to stay at and have a relaxing afternoon. 

Day 5

Another day with a fair bit of driving through the beautiful NZ sights. Still heading in the direction of Greymouth, from Murchison head out to the coast to Westport.* From here, you can take a coastal route (the SH6) via Punakaiki for the famous pancake rocks. We stopped off to look at the rocks, as at high-tide there are quite impressive blow holes. We tried to take the coastal route as much as possible, as it makes for a much better road trip. 

*If you’ve got some extra time, it’s worth heading Cape Foulwind in Tauranga Bay as there is a seal colony there. It’s a good spot to spend an afternoon.

Once past Punakaiki, keep heading towards Greymouth. We paused in Greymouth, but I wouldn’t hang around too long. It’s not the nicest spot! It does have a maccies though, which is great for planning. It is a good place to get petrol, use the maccies WiFi and do some food shopping. 

We made it to Arthurs Pass in the early evening, but you can stop outside the National Park or head in to a campsite. Lake Pearson is a great site to stay at and is a nice distance into the National Park so you can drive and see some of it before parking up. 

Day 6

Wake up and enjoy your morning in the National Park. Explore Arthur’s Pass with walks, hikes or a nice drive. We did a big loop, stopping in more spots to do some Kea spotting before headed back towards the village with one last stop at the famous National Park sign. 

When you’re finished exploring, head on to Hokitika. This is a cute township that is nice to stop off in for food or jade carving. Theres loads of shops to buy jade in or for  completing a jewellery making class. If it’s nice and warm, Hokitika is on the beach so perfect for a beach picnic or chilled afternoon. It’s a good spot to pause for a couple of hours, and for petrol, and there are some nice sites around to stay in. We carried on down south of Hokitika as we wanted to get within distance of Franz Josef before day 7. Camping options, we stayed in a freedom site in Whataroa instead as there are no free camps in Franz Josef. 

Day 7

Arrive in Franz Josef! Explore the glacier from the walking trail and have an activity based afternoon. If you have a big budget, a popular activity is a helicopter ride over the glaciers. We didn’t have the best weather so we didn’t want to spend a big part of our budget on a ride, if the weather wasn’t great. Instead, we did a kayaking tour which was more reasonably priced and we really enjoyed. You can book tours & excursions in Franz Josef at the Visitors Centre or in the individual tour company office’s. We booked our kayaking in the office, but also used the visitor centres WiFi to book later excursions such as one in Kaikõura. 

Stay a night in Franz Josef. We stayed at Orange Sheep, one of the cheaper options. A great opportunity to wash clothes and have a hot shower – possibly needed after an excursion. 

Day 8 

Today is a good chance to explore more of Franz Josef. If you arrived yesterday, you might have wanted to book your heli-hike for today or if you’re ready to move on, you can drive round to see Fox Glacier. We headed on, stopped to see Fox Glacier and then headed further down the island. As you can tell, we didn’t have the best weather over these couple of days which made glacier activities a little difficult, so we moved on but I would have liked to have spent a little more time around here. 

We made it down to Paringa as we were looking for a freedom camp to wait out the rain! 

Day 9

Whether you’re waking up in Franz Josef, Paringa or somewhere else, start heading down towards Haast. Once you’ve reached Haast, this is a good spot to stop and stretch your legs before you start heading inland or alternatively, you can crack on and start driving the incredible Haast Pass. The pass is another beautiful drive in the valley of mountains with stops here and there. One spot I’d recommend is the Roaring Bill Falls. They were really impressive and to get to them, it’s a nice walk through a rainforest. There’s plenty of places to stop off, so it can be nice to take a whole day exploring the pass and viewpoints. 

You can stay in a site around Haast Pass, but we got down to Wanaka in the afternoon which was perfect for an explore of the town, visit the famous tree, have a lake swim and we squeezed an evening meal at the food market. There is a lot to do in Wanaka, so it can be good to spread it out and have a full day or 2 here. 

If you want to stay on a freedom site, you’ll have to head out of Wanaka. We stayed in Bendigo instead. 

Day 10

If you’re ready to move on from Wanaka, then wake up early and head on to Queenstown. The traffic in and out can be heavy but once you’re in, there are a lot of carparks. We got straight into a spot – they are some campervan ones too, if you’re in a bigger vehicle so just check which carparks can accommodate you! 

Have a day exploring Queenstown. We really liked it! We, of course, had to get a Fergburger and I recommend you to do. You won’t be disappointed. There is also so much to do in Queenstown, from a luge over looking the city to a sky dive. This city is renowned for it’s adrenaline filled activities, so if you’re wanting to do something big, this is a good place to get that booked in. 

If you’re wanting to spend more time around this area, somewhere that came recommended was Glenorchy. It looked beautiful, but is quite a detour and we didn’t have the time so we had to skip it. Because we knew we weren’t going to stay in Queenstown for longer than one day, we headed out in the evening and stayed in Kingston. The freedom camp was lovely & I’d definitely recommend.

Day 11

Today was another big drive day. If you’re hanging about in Queenstown or Glenorchy for a couple more days, you can just push the route back but if not, today head on to Te Anau. You can either stay in Fiordland National Park, but to keep costs down we stayed in Te Anau as it hd cheaper sites. We had the rest of the day in Te Anau, there is a beautiful lake to swim in and we used the free time to catch up on washing on our paid site. If you’re heading to Milford Sound tomorrow, book your trip today! 

Day 12

If you’re in Te Anau, wake up early and head to Milford Sound for a boat cruise. The drive takes a long time so allow plenty of time (at least 2.5 hours) and have a full tank of petrol before you head out of Te Anau as there are no stations in the Fiordland National Park. 

To get to the sound, there is only one road in and out. It is beautiful and scenic so absolutely stop on your way back to see the sights. We were even lucky enough to see a Kea up close! 

The cruise will take most of the day and I recommend exploring on the way back so you should arrive back in Te Anau in the early evening. If you’ve got time to spare, I’d recommend booking another night here before moving on. We didn’t book an extra night and ended up driving all the way down to Clifden and staying at a freedom site there. 

Day 13

If you’re coming from Te Anau, set an early alarm and get going south. You have a bit more time if you headed to Clifden at the end of Day 12! 

This day was another big drive day but it ticked off a lot of spots which are good to see. From Clifden (or Te Anau) head to Te Waewae continuing on Highway 99 and you’ll come round back the coast again. 

We followed SH99 through Waihoaka pausing in Orepuki and Riverton, before heading on to Invercargill. I wouldn’t worry about allowing a lot of time for Invercargill, we didn’t find it particularly appealing and although we had allowed a full day for here, we didn’t need it but it is a good spot to use maccies WiFi, refuel or to take a trip to the supermarket. You can add time by exploring here, but if not carry on to Bluff for the famous sign at Stirling. Again, there isn’t masses to see in Bluff but you can spend time on the hiking trails that take you to Lookout Point and Bluff Hill Lookout. 

If you’re ready to move on from Ivercargill and Bluff, head on to Curio Bay*. It’s a beautiful area famous for it super rare Yellow-eyed Penguin colony, a petrified forest and dolphins! Spend the afternoon penguin spotting before heading to a site for the evening. We stayed at Waikawa Recreation Reserve freedom site. 

*(An additional detour before Curio Bay is Slope Point! This is the most Southern Point of the South Island of New Zealand and a perfect way to extend your route. It’s a pretty cool thing to see and is likely to give you a cracking sunset.) 

Day 14

As you’re in Curio Bay, it’s only right that you head back to have a morning of penguin spotting. Also not far from here in Waikawa is Niagara Falls, if you want to squeeze that stop in too. Once you’re ready to move on, head towards the Catlins National Park. Here you can drive through lots of small towns like Chaslands, Papatowai and Owaka before detouring off the main road to the coast for Nugget Point! Nugget Point is also a really nice walk and it’s a good spot to stretch your legs and visit one of the oldest lighthouse’s in NZ. 

This whole area is so beautiful and as soon as you reach the coast, there are signs everywhere for seals so definitely head this way if you want to see lots of lounging seals. We saw about 30 seals! There is also a chance to see more penguins, as a colony called Roaring Bay Penguins can be found here too.

We headed to Brighton for our campsite as we wanted another freedom site. 

Day 15

Head from New Brighton in the direction of Dunedin. If you fancy it, there is the Royal Albatross Centre. It’s a nice drive out to a colony that nest on the headland. If not, head into Dunedin and have an explore. It’s a busy city, with quite a large student population. If you’ve got extra days, it could be worth spending an evening around Dunedin to explore a bit more. 

After you’re done with Dunedin, head onto Evansdale Cheese Factory. The factory is family run and been around since 1977, they now sell 20-30 different cheeses! From the cheese factory, head on Moeraki.

Pick up some fish n chips for dinner in the the Moeraki Tavern. If you’re in Moeraki between Friday and Sunday, I’d try to visit The Fishwife. It was closed on the day we went but The Moeraki Tavern was still delicious! Either enjoy your fish n chips in Moeraki, or head to the site to enjoy them there. We went back to the site as we had our fish n chips for an early dinner and then could spend the evening relaxing at The Katiki Beach North Reserve Rest Stop. This was one of my favourite sites as you can back your van right up the edge of the beach and lay in bed listening to the waves. 

Day 16

Have an easy day today. If the weather is good, the beach is nice to spend the day on! This area is great for visiting the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony. We booked on to the Evening General Viewing which is the best time to visit as it gives you the highest chance of seeing the penguins as they mostly fish during the day before heading back to their nests at sunset. If you don’t fancy the penguins, Oamaru is still worth a visit as it is a really quaint town with Victorian style architecture and is also the Steampunk Capital of the World. 

If you visit the penguins, the tour can finish quite late so we headed to All Day Beach Reserve which is another freedom site and isn’t too far from Oamaru. It’s pretty big and we were able to get a spot with no issue late at night. 

Day 17

Coming through Oamaru, we’re heading in the direction of Christchurch. We wanted to divert off first, by heading inland on Highway 83 towards Mount Cook National Park. This is only a couple of hours drive which is perfect for getting there in a nice time to see Aoraki for the first time. I’d recommend making sure you leave Oamaru with a full tank, as it’s more expensive further inland but if you don’t get the chance, you can find petrol, shops and restaurants in Twizel. 

Arriving in Mount Cook National Park early afternoon gives you a chance to explore the area today, if you’re wanting to do a hike tomorrow on Day 18. We spent the afternoon at our freedom camp – Lake Wardell, which I recommend visiting. You can only stay at this site for one night, so keep this in mind. 

Day 18

Wake up and have breakfast with views of Aoraki. Head down State Highway 80 to Mount Cook / Aoraki Village as this is where the trails round the mountain start. There’s a few options here of what to do. We tackled Hooker Valley and Kea Point, but if you want more info the visitors centre was great. I’d recommend heading there anyway, as the VC has loads of information about Aoraki. 

P.S. on the way to the village, take your time on the road (it’s one way in & out) as it has the best views & photo spots as you approach.

For tonight’s campsite, I would recommend the White Horse Hill Campground. It is paid, and fairly expensive, but it is a 50 minute drive from Aoraki village to Twizel. So I’d recommend saving yourselves the journey and spend the time soaking up the views. If you don’t fancy the paid site, there are freedoms back in Twizel. 

Day 19

Spend the morning around Aoraki Mount Cook Village. There is loads more to see and do! It is possible to spend more than just a couple of days here, a great way to spend extend your route.There are days of trails and other activities to do. If you’re ready to move on, head on to Lake Tekapo. Head to a site and get comfy for the rest of the day. We stayed at Sawdon Edwards Stream Overnight as it was free, but if you’re fancying a paid site there are many. 

Day 20

Today is another fairly big drive day. We got from Lake Tekapo to Christchurch as we had one more important activity to do before returning our van. If you’re not fussed about heading north just yet, there’s plenty more to explore between Lake Tekapo and Christchurch. Likewise, if you’re on a time limit, you can cut the route here and head straight to Christchurch. 

Our route’s destination is Kaikõura. This is a fair drive, so we aimed for a stop in Coes Ford. It took us a few hours, but the drive was really nice and we took our time and stopped off in different places before arriving at the freedom camp. You can’t really get anywhere too quickly in a van, and we learnt that google maps route timings were not achievable in a heavier & slower vehicle. So it’s best to do less and take your time!

Day 21 

Head out from Coes Ford nice and early as the drive to Kaikõura is a good few hours. There are plenty of places to stop along the way and you can follow State Highway 1 (which is pretty scenic) all the way north. We took our time having lunch at a nice picnic stop and arriving into Kaikõura by mid-afternoon. This was a perfect time to arrive and see Kaikõura town centre. There are plenty of cafés, restaurants, shops and bars to sit and enjoy the seaside town in. Getting here early is a good idea as the freedom sites are small and get full quickly. If you can’t get onto the seafront sites, head up to the Scarborough Street one. It was nice and secluded and had lots of spaces. 

Day 22

Today is the whole reason for driving north; a whale watching tour! We booked this through the Whale Watch Kaikõura website as they were the best reviewed and seem to be the ‘original’ tour. They are also a conservation team which was really important to us when looking to book. This was top of our list when researching NZ and I would consider adding this to your itinerary if you haven’t already. 

The tour was incredible, and I would recommend again and again. The trips start early in the morning, so we did the first one around 7am and got back before lunch which gave us a chance to have another wander round Kaikõura before we needed to start heading back to Christchurch in our own time. If you don’t have this time restriction, the tours run later in the day and there is also more to do and see in Kaikõura too. If we had had the time, I would have considered a tour out to see dolphins too. 

After we had had lunch, we made our way back to Christchurch down SH 1. As we could make it back in a few hours, we didn’t rush back too quickly and enjoyed a few stops here and there to stretch our legs. Our aim was to be on the outskirts of Christchurch, in New Brighton by the end of the day. There are plenty of paid sites and freedom sites and we wanted to squeeze one last freedom before returning the van the next day. 

Day 23 

If you’re following this route, you’ll be heading back to the depot today to drop your van off. We wanted to fit in as much as possible, so we headed to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve as it was something that we wanted to do and it was easier to get to in a car, than on the bus. 

After finally seeing some Kiwi’s (!) at Willowbank, we headed to the local carwash in Christchurch to clean up our campervan and pack up our final few bits, before driving our camper back and returning him. Then, we ended the day at our hostel ready for a few days in Christchurch. 

---

    CHRISTCHURCH

(2-3 Days)

If you’ve ended your campervan roadie in Christchurch, I’d definitely say to leave a couple of days on the end of your trip to explore. It is a really fab city and there is plenty to see and do. I’ll pop a few bits below!

Things to do in Christchurch: 

• Ride the original tram on the City Tour 
• Punting on the River Avon
• Visit Willowbank to see a real Kiwi (omg!)
• Explore Riverside Market 
• Visit the Air Force of New Zealand Museum
• Take a trip on the Christchurch Gondola 

Where to see:

• Visit the Christchurch Cathedral 
• Explore the Botanical Gardens
• Walk down the historical New Regent’s Street

---

Fingers crossed this blog has been helpful if you’re booking a trip to New Zealand – apologies for the length of it, kudos to you if you’ve made it to the end! If this has got you eager to learn more, my Essential 2 Week North Island Route is linked at the top, but also some more tips for campervanning can be found here!

If you have any questions, pop me an email or find me on Instagram.

lots of love,

Han x