Destinations & ItinerariesBy Clever Tourists · Published
With 10 days on the South Island, drive a loop from Christchurch: 1 night in Christchurch, 1 at Lake Pukaki, 1 in Glenorchy, 2 in Te Anau for Milford Sound, 1 in Wanaka, 2 at Fox Glacier and 1 at Arthur's Pass, flying out of Christchurch on day 10. This is our suggested cut of the 23-day road trip we actually took in February and March 2023. It keeps the big four (Mount Cook, Fiordland, Wanaka and the glaciers) and drops the extra nights. Expect 2 to 4 hours of driving on most days.
• Day 1, Christchurch: land, pick up the car, and sleep off the flight.
• Day 2, to Lake Pukaki: roughly 3.5 to 4 hours via Lake Tekapo. Peter's Lookout in the afternoon, and dark skies at night.
• Day 3, Hooker Valley and on to Glenorchy: the Hooker Valley Track at dawn (about 3 hours return), then about 4 to 4.5 hours to Glenorchy.
• Day 4, Glenorchy to Te Anau: the wharf at first light, then about 3 hours via Queenstown.
• Day 5, Milford Sound: a full day on the Milford Road and a cruise, back to Te Anau.
• Day 6, to Wanaka: a little over 3 hours via Queenstown and the Crown Range.
• Day 7, Haast Pass to Fox Glacier: about 260 km and 3.5 to 4 hours without stops.
• Day 8, Fox Glacier and Franz Josef: Lake Matheson at dawn, then the Franz Josef glacier walk, half an hour north.
• Day 9, to Arthur's Pass: about 3.5 hours up the coast and over SH73.
• Day 10, to Christchurch and fly out: Castle Hill on the way, about 2 hours to the city.
On our 23-day trip we gave Te Anau 3 days, Wanaka and Fox Glacier 2 each, and added Rakaia Gorge, two Milford Road campsites, Haast and three days on Banks Peninsula. The full route is in our 23-day South Island road trip.
Christchurch is the cheapest gateway for a South Island loop and avoids one-way rental fees. Keep the first evening simple: the Botanic Gardens and the rebuilt center are walkable, and our New Zealand guide covers them.
The drive southwest crosses the Canterbury Plains to Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepherd, then on to Lake Pukaki. Stop at Peter's Lookout on SH80 for the classic view up the lake to Aoraki / Mount Cook. Sleep in Twizel or at Mount Cook Village, which our Lake Pukaki guide suggests as bases.
Start day 3 early on the Hooker Valley Track: flat, about 3 hours return, three swing bridges and the glacier lake below Aoraki. Then drive over the Lindis Pass to Cromwell and Queenstown, and 45 minutes more along Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy. Our Pukaki and Mount Cook road trip guide has the stops.
Glenorchy's red boatshed and wharf face the head of the lake, so the calmest water is at first light. After that, back through Queenstown and about 170 km (2 hours) to Te Anau.
Give Milford Sound a full day. DOC says the 120 km road from Te Anau needs at least 2 hours 15 minutes of driving without stops, and there is no fuel after Te Anau, so fill up the night before. Stop at the Mirror Lakes and the Homer Tunnel approach, and expect up to 20 minutes at the tunnel lights in summer. Book a morning cruise if you can.
Two nights in Te Anau gives you one spare day if Milford is closed or socked in; the road can shut after heavy rain. If you want to be on the road before the coaches, the DOC campsites at Henry Creek (23 km from Te Anau) and Cascade Creek (71 km) are where we stayed on our longer trip; both need a booking.
From Te Anau, return to Queenstown and take the Crown Range road (about 68 km, a little over an hour) to Wanaka. Walk the lakefront to the lone willow and, if you have the legs and the weather, start Roys Peak early the next morning before driving on.
The Haast Pass (SH6) runs about 140 km from Wanaka to Haast, then about 120 km up the coast to Fox Glacier. Allow most of a day with stops at the lookouts and waterfalls, and check NZTA Journeys for closures before you leave; the pass shuts for slips and flooding a few times a year.
At Fox, the Lake Matheson circuit (4.4 km, about 1 hour 30 minutes) is best at dawn for the reflection of Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. Franz Josef is half an hour north; its valley walk is 1.7 km return to a viewpoint. Both glacier valleys close after floods or rockfall, so check the daily access update.
Drive north past Hokitika (about 2 hours from Fox) and turn inland on SH73 over the Otira Viaduct to Arthur's Pass village. Walk to the 131 m Devils Punchbowl Falls before the afternoon cloud comes in, and keep car windows shut around the kea. Our Arthur's Pass guide has the details.
On the last day it is about 150 km and 2 hours to Christchurch, with Castle Hill's limestone boulders about an hour from the city. Our Highway 73 guide covers the stops and the fuel gap between Springfield and Kumara Junction. Book an afternoon or evening flight.
December to March is the main road-trip season. We drove in late February and March, after the school holidays, with long days and settled weather on the passes. Fiordland and the West Coast are wet in any month.
With 7 days: drop the West Coast. Fly into Christchurch, go Pukaki, Te Anau and Milford, Wanaka, and fly out of Queenstown, accepting a one-way rental fee.
With 2 weeks: add a second night at Pukaki and in Wanaka, and finish with two nights on Banks Peninsula near Akaroa, as we did at Little River.
Before you go: the NZeTA and IVL, driving rules for visitors, and the planned park access fees at Milford and Mount Cook, not before summer 2027/28.
Yes for a loop that covers Mount Cook, Milford Sound, Wanaka and the West Coast glaciers, with 2 to 4 hours of driving most days. You will need to keep stops to one or two nights each.
A loop from Christchurch avoids one-way rental fees and lets you finish over Arthur's Pass. If you skip the West Coast, flying into Christchurch and out of Queenstown also works.
One full day from Te Anau, but book two nights in Te Anau so you have a spare day if the road closes or the weather is poor. The drive is about 120 km and at least 2 hours 15 minutes each way.
Yes. In this plan you see Lake Pukaki and the Hooker Valley on days 2 and 3, then reach Te Anau on day 4 and Milford Sound on day 5.
About 260 km over the Haast Pass, roughly 3.5 to 4 hours without stops. Check NZTA Journeys for SH6 closures before you set off.
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