Can’t-Miss Destinations on New Zealand’s South Island
Before I even got to New Zealand, I realized everyone and their mothers seemed to think the South Island was so much better than the North Island. And after two months touring the country by bus, split about half-half on each island, I must say I agree! While the North Island was good, the South Island was spectacular, with unique scenery at (literally!) every turn. While planning your own trip to New Zealand, you’ll definitely want to hit all the epic places on the South Island I recommend below.
Abel Tasman National Park
They say North Island is better if you want beaches, and the South Island is better if you want hiking. But what if you want both? Hiking and beaches? Well, your answer is Abel Tasman National Park. Located at the top of the South Island, it’s New Zealand’s smallest national park and known as a pristine destination for hiking and kayaking. You can visit on a single day trip into the park from as far out as Nelson, or you can hike and camp through the park over three to five days.
Punakaiki
Not many would consider Punakaiki a “can’t-miss” destination in New Zealand, but I think it’d be a shame not to stop here while driving down the South Island West Coast. It’s known for its pancake rocks and blowholes, but there’s enough to do here to warrant an overnight stop. I go into more detail on how to spend half a day in Punakaiki here.
Franz Josef Glacier and/or Fox Glacier
After hiking on a glacier and exploring ice caves while road tripping through Iceland, I questioned how Glacier County in New Zealand would compare to the hype. Well, I’m here to report back that it did live up (even considering I forwent doing a helicopter-hike!). Though I didn’t get up as close as normal due to heavy rainfall in the months before my visit, it was still incredible to hike through lush, green rainforest in contrast to the icy Franz Josef glacier hanging up above. Equally as incredible was watching the sun set over the vast Tasman Sea from the mountains while driving back from Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson.
Wanaka
Once getting here, I immediately understood why everyone loves this place. Wanaka is such a cute town with a lively atmosphere. Plus, who doesn’t love being right on a lake and surrounded by mountains? There are lots of water activities to do here when the weather is warm, and of course, there’s hiking the infamous Roy’s Peak – home to one of New Zealand’s most-famous viewpoints. If you do attempt this tough hike (tougher than the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in my opinion) definitely check out my tips to know before hiking Roy’s Peak.
Queenstown
As home to the first ever commercial bungee jump, Queenstown is rightfully dubbed the adventure capital of New Zealand. But besides all that adrenaline stuff, Queenstown is just a really pretty place. The town’s buildings are super cute, it sits on gorgeous Lake Wakatipu, and it’s surrounded by mountains. I didn’t have a desire to bungee jump, sky dive, or jet boat while there, but I still kept perfectly entertained in Queenstown with non-adrenaline activities (post coming soon on these!).
Milford Sound
As the eighth natural wonder of the world, Milford Sound is the most popular spot to visit in New Zealand’s Fiordland. Visitors from all over the globe plan up to 18 months in advance just to secure their spots to hike the Milford Track, a 33.25 mi (52.5 km) 4-day hike from Te Anau to Milford Sound. In recent years, however, the larger Doubtful Sound has been increasing in popularity as well, as a slightly less-crowded alternative. Both Milford and Doubtful Sound offer overnight or day cruises, kayaking, and the chance to see wildlife such as dolphins, penguins, and seals. I only had time for a day trip to Milford from Queenstown (which I absolutely enjoyed), but I’d love to experience an overnight cruise at Doubtful the next time I’m in New Zealand.
Mount Cook National Park
This is hands down my favorite spot I visited in all of New Zealand. I still can’t get over stepping out of my hostel kitchen to eat my 2-minute ramen in front of Huddleston Glacier, or how the Hooker Valley Hike was the single best views-to-effort ratio of any hike in my life. I really can’t recommend a night or two in Mount Cook Village enough. Be sure to check out my hiking guide to Mount Cook National Park if you decide to go!
Other South Island Destinations
My time exploring New Zealand was rushed short due to the novel coronavirus. So I’m including some spots I wanted to visit but couldn’t, because I think you should look into visiting these places as well.
- Te Anau: Gateway into Fiordland and starting point of the Kepler Track.
- Tekapo: Home to Lake Tekapo, lupin flowers in November, and stargazing capital of New Zealand.
- Kaikoura: East coast town with gorgeous mountains and home to whale and dolphin activities.
What Do You Think?
Any questions? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll respond.
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My wife (74) and I (80) are planning a 50th anniversary trip in January ‘27 to visit our son and his family in Melbourne and want to tour New Zealand for ten days on the way home to the USA. I’m thinking of a driving tour from our arrival in Queensland to departure in Auckland. Can you help us map out a route and rent a car (a “hire car”) that won’t put us in debt for the rest of our lives? She now refuses to sleep in a tent, but a camping van may be just the ticket. I think your knowledge and expertise will be worth the cost to us! Rory White, Toledo, Ohio. USA
Hi Rory,
Sounds like a great idea! There’s a lot to see on both islands, so it really depends on your interests.
Milford Sound is probably the “biggest deal” attraction on the South Island, so that could be a day trip from Queenstown.
I really loved Mt Cook National Park, and it’s not far from Queenstown, so I’d personally recommend that. The Hooker Valley trek is the best effort-to-views ratio I’ve ever experienced in my life! That would be heading east from Queenstown, so may something like a day in Queenstown, then a day trip to Milford Sound, then heading to Mount Cook National Park on day 3, before heading up the east coast to Picton, where you catch the ferry to the North Island.
If you don’t want to miss the glaciers (Franz Josef), you could do a helicopter day trip from Queenstown. So something like:
Day 1: land Queenstown
Day 2: Franz Josef heli-hike tour
Day 3: pick up car and day trip to Milford Sound (or join a tour)
Day 4: leave Queenstown for Mount Cook National Park, hike (walk, really) the Hooker Valley trek, overnight nearby
Day 5: head towards Christchurch, stopping by Lake Tekapo first.
From here you have a choice. You would likely save a lot of money (and time) by simply dropping off the car at Christchurch, taking a flight to Auckland (or Wellington, if you prefer to start there), and renting a second car in the North Island. The other option is to continue up the east coast from Christchurch, maybe stopping at Kaikōura which is known for whale watching, before ending in Picton for the ferry to the North Island. Abel Tasman park is a day trip option from Picton, if you are interested in beaches with light hiking options.
On the North Island, if you take the ferry and start in Wellington, you’ll have to make your way north to Auckland. If you go west, you can pass Mount Taranaki. If you go east, you can pass Napier, known for wine. If you go through the middle, you can head straight to the most popular spots on the North Island, like Lake Tekapo (from which you can hike the Tongariro Crossing if you feel fit and interested), Raglan (geothermal activity), etc. Any of these drives will take quite a while.
Then on the final stretch to Auckland, you can stop at Hobbiton and/or glowworm caves if interested.
If it were me, I’d do:
Day 1: land Queenstown
Day 2: Franz Josef heli-hike tour
Day 3: pick up car and day trip to Milford Sound (or join a tour)
Day 4: leave Queenstown for Mount Cook National Park, hike (walk, really) the Hooker Valley trek, overnight nearby
Day 5: head towards Christchurch, stopping by Lake Tekapo first. Drop off car. Evening flight from Christchurch to Auckland.
Day 6: pick up second car, explore whatever of North Island most interests you for the next 4 days. In addition to what I listed above, there is the Bay of Islands up north, and also Coromandel (both beachier spots).
Hope that helps!
– Em
I’m definitely saving this for my future New Zealand trip! 🙂 I want to see and experience hiking on a glacier! Such wonderful view and shots by the way! 🙂
The heli-hike excursions on the glaciers sounded cool even though I decided to pass!
What a wonderful post! Just what I was looking for. Very well written and explained. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks!
New Zealand looks beautiful. I would absolutely love to visit. Thank you for sharing this post! These photos are absolutely stunning.
Thank you so much, Brittany!
New Zealand is my No. 1 bucket list destination. These places are so amazing and I really cannot wait to be able to travel again!
I feel like so many people are waiting to get back into NZ!
I have not been, but hope to get there some day, so pinning! Gorgeous photos!
Thanks so much, Denise!