New Zealand

Two weeks is exactly enough time to loop the South Island. It is not enough time to do it slowly. The route below runs about 2,800 km (1,740 miles) from Christchurch, up the east coast to the whale country of Kaikōura, across the top through the Marlborough Sounds, down the wild West Coast to the glaciers, into Fiordland for Milford Sound, then back north through Queenstown, the Catlins, and the Mackenzie Basin. It is the classic circuit, and it works because it never doubles back. One thing will ruin it if you get it wrong: the drive times. New Zealand roads are narrower, windier, and slower than the distances suggest. A 300 km day is not a two-hour drive. It’s four and a half hours, and that’s before you stop for the view that made you come here. Illustrated map of the 2-week New Zealand South Island road trip route, a loop starting and ending in Christchurch New Zealand Road Trip Idea: Route overview Stop Distance from previous Drive time Nights Christchurch — — 1 Kaikōura 180 km (112 mi) 2h20 1 Marlborough Sounds 156 km (97 mi) 2h15 1–2 Nelson Lakes 129 km (80 mi) 1h45 1 The West Coast 158 km (98 mi) 2h15 1–2 Glacier Country 135 km (84 mi) 2h 2 Wanaka 262 km (163 mi) 3h15+ 1–2 Te Anau & Milford Sound 227 km (141 mi) 3h 2 Queenstown 172 km (107 mi) 2h10 2 The Catlins 265 km (165 mi) 3h10 1 Dunedin 180 km (112 mi) 2h30 1 Moeraki Boulders 75 km (47 mi) 55 min — Aoraki / Mount Cook 250 km (155 mi) 3h 1 Lake Tekapo 104 km (65 mi) 1h20 1 Christchurch 225 km (140 mi) 3h — Drive times are no-stop estimates. Add 20 to 40 percent for a real touring pace, and plan no more than four to five hours behind the wheel on any given day. Here are all the stops that are part of our New Zealand road trip idea: Stop 1: Christchurch Stay: 1 night · Book ahead: nothing Most people land here, collect a car, and leave the same day. Give it a night instead, mostly to sleep off the flight before driving on the left. Stop 2: Kaikōura Drive from previous stop: 180 km (112 miles), about 2 hours 20 minutes · Stay: 1 night · Book ahead: whale watching, 1–3 weeks in summer A seabed canyon drops away just offshore, which is why sperm whales are here year-round and why the town smells permanently of crayfish. Every boat tour here is weather-dependent. Book the earliest slot of your stay so a cancellation still leaves you a second chance. One correction worth having: the Ōhau Stream waterfall walk, where seal pups famously played in a pool, has been closed since the 2016 earthquake. Only the roadside lookout remains open. Plenty of blogs still send people up the track. Stop 3: Marlborough Sounds Drive from previous stop: 156 km (97 miles), about 2 hours 15 minutes · Stay: 1–2 nights · Book ahead: water taxis in summer The road from Kaikōura runs the coastal cliffs and takes longer than the distance implies. Base yourself in Picton. Stop 4: Nelson Lakes Drive from previous stop: 129 km (80 miles), about 1 hour 45 minutes · Stay: 1 night St Arnaud is a village on the edge of Lake Rotoiti, and the jetty there is the most photographed piece of timber in the country. It costs nothing and takes five minutes. Stop 5: The West Coast Drive from previous stop: 158 km (98 miles) to Westport, about 2 hours 15 minutes · Stay: 1–2 nights The road through the Buller Gorge is winding and has several one-lane bridges. Fuel at Murchison. From Westport the coast road runs south past Punakaiki to Hokitika. The West Coast is where the one-lane bridges get serious. A red-bordered circular sign with a small red arrow means you give way. A blue rectangle means you have priority, and you should still slow down. Stop 6: Glacier Country Drive from previous stop: 135 km (84 miles) from Hokitika, about 2 hours · Stay: 2 nights · Book ahead: heli-hike, essential Franz Josef and Fox Glacier sit 24 km apart, half an hour of driving. Here is the fact that most itineraries omit: you can no longer walk onto the glacier unguided. The free valley walks reach a viewpoint and stop there. The only way onto the ice is a guided heli-hike, and it costs around NZD $700–800 per person. It is also weather-dependent to a punishing degree. The West Coast cancels roughly half of all flights. You need a four-hour clear window. That is why you stay two nights, book the earliest slot, and keep the second morning as a spare. Fox sometimes flies when Franz is grounded, so ask. Stop 7: Wanaka Drive from previous stop: 262 km (163 miles), about 3 hours 15 minutes without stops, closer to 4 with them · Stay: 1–2 nights This is the longest driving day on the route, running the wild coast to Haast and then climbing over Haast Pass. Fill the tank at Haast. The next certain fuel is Wanaka, more than 100 km on. Break the drive at the Blue Pools near Makarora. Then: Stop 8: Te Anau and Milford Sound Drive from previous stop: 227 km (141 miles) to Te Anau, about 3 hours · Stay: 2 nights in Te Anau · Book ahead: the cruise, and the overnight cruise months ahead Sleep in Te Anau, not Queenstown. The Milford day-trip from Queenstown is a 12- to 13-hour ordeal, and people who call Milford Sound overrated are almost always describing that day. Milford Sound is 121 km from Te Anau and takes 2 hours 15 minutes each way. Give it the whole day. The road is the other half of the experience: Mirror Lakes, the Eglinton Valley, the Chasm. The Homer Tunnel is single-lane on timed lights and the