South Island, NZ
A visit to the South Island in New Zealand is a must. It’s truly ridiculous how stunning the scenery is. I used to tell people to go stay in Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, but now I say you must visit and stay in Arrowtown. Before I get too carried away and only make this blog about Arrowtown (spoiler alert, decided to make that topic a separate blog) lets talk about how you can make your way down the South Island and which coast to travel down. There’s no easy answer, either choice will provide stunning views.
How do you get there?
You can fly from the North Island to many cities in the South Island. Christchurch and Queenstown are the most well known. At the very north tip of the island is Nelson and Blenheim (think famous NZ Sauvignon wine are of Marlborough and Abel Tasman National Park). Or further south is Dunedin ( known for its Scottish heritage and has a large student population) or Invercargill (where NZ plumb juicy Bluff oysters are harvested) and you can catch a ferry to Stewart Island).
The other option if you don’t fly is to catch the Interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton with a duration of over 3 hours. It’s a daily ferry that takes passengers and cars.
Planned group tours are another option and that can be a great choice as you don’t have to think or plan anything!
West or East Coast?
Assuming you are starting at the top of the South Island which coast line should you travel down? My vote is the West Coast. To be honest I have never traveled the East Coast from Picton to Christchurch. If you decided to take that route you must include a stop in Kaikoura which is famous for Whale watching. Arriving into Christchurch on the East Coast does give you the option of taking the TransAlpine train to the West Coast to Greymouth. The trip takes you past the Southern Alps and the stunning mountains.
West Coast Route
We chose to fly from Wellington to Nelson and pick up a rental car from there. We headed straight to Westport, a 3 hour drive, as Abel Tasman National Park was a destination on our return trip. If you decide to do this park check out the town of Motueka to stay in (40 mins from Nelson) or Kaiteriteri (1 hour from Nelson) is super cute but tiny and more popular in summer time.
When you are in Westport take a drive out to the Tauranga Bay Fur Seal Colony and Cafe Foulwind. The Star Tavern on that road is good local pub food.
Punakaiki pancake rocks and blowholes is where you want to stop off the next day as your head south to Greymouth. 50 mins south of Westport you will come across an impressive site with several vertical blowholes amongst a heavily eroded limestone area.
Continue on for 45 mins and you will arrive in a small town of Greymouth. It’s a town who history stems from jade hunting and gold mining. We stopped off for a lunch at a local pub but decided to press on to the Glacier area which is a 2 hour 20 minute drive. I would recommend you have your accommodation booked for Franz Josef Glacier as it’s popular all year around. You can take a glacier hike to view 2-3 waterfalls, a HeliHike tour, soak in hot pools, hike to Alex Knob (8 hours!) or a more leisurely 20 minute walk to Peter’s Pool. There’s lots to do.
We stayed 2 nights in this area and then choose to head back up the South Island but for you I say press on and head down to Wanaka ( 3 hours 50 mins) or Arrowtown (4 hours 40 mins). Get to Wanaka for lunch and then you have less than an hour to Arrowtown. Lake Wanaka and the stunning alps make it a must for many travelers. I just want you to press on and get to my favorite area of Arrowtown and Lake Hayes.
Arrowtown will have it’s own separate blog. A visit to the South Island in New Zealand is not complete without enjoying this quaint little mining town. It gets you away from the hustle and bustle of the extremely touristy city of Queenstown.
What about Skiing?
I’m not a skier, so I won’t pretend to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. The ski fields near Wanaka and Queenstown are plentiful (as well as one near Christchurch called Mt Hutt). Check the links below re where to go.
Mt Hutt – near Christchurch (East coast of the South Island)
What you need to know about Skiing in the South Island
Ski fields near Wanaka and Queenstown (the best of NZ skiing)
Coronet Peak, Cardrona, Treble Cone and the Remarkables ski area.
What about Hiking?
August or winter in NZ is not the right time to walk one of the South Islands great walks. I was lucky enough to complete the Milford track (5 days/4 nights) and Routeburn track (3 days 2 nights in November 2014. The Milford is 54 km (33.5m) and the Routeburn is 32km or 20.1m). You can hike these between November to April and if you want inspiration on why to book a trip during this time check out Ultimate Hikes.
A visit to the South Island in New Zealand – Read about the top ten things at this blog.
Make sure to read my previous blogs on Visit New Zealand, How to Master the long flight to New Zealand and Visiting New Zealand in Winter, The North Island, Part 1 of 4 and Wellington, the Capital City, Part 2 of 4.
Leave a comment below if you have a specific question on visiting New Zealand. You can connect with me on Instagram @kiwlizb