The Ultimate Guide to New Zealand's South Island

The South Island of New Zealand is probably the most beautiful place we have ever visited. It’s so gorgeous that I don’t think any pictures or videos could do it justice. We visited in early March, and thought it was the perfect time of year to go. It was the tail end of Summer so the weather was still really temperate and nice, but there weren’t that many tourists around. The only negative was that we had just missed lupin season (the really pretty purple flowers you can spot around the country). We spent about a week in New Zealand in total, and spent about 4-5 days on the South Island. If we had more time, there was more we would have wanted to do & see, but we feel like we saw a lot with the time we did have there. We did a lot of research before visiting New Zealand and it felt really overwhelming, so we want to help you in any way we can plan your trip to the South Island!

How to Get Around New Zealand’s South Island

The best to get around New Zealand is by renting a car. Please keep in mind that they drive on the left side of the road there! This was our first time driving on the left side and it was much easier than we expected. We rented our car through Expedia from the Queenstown airport, and dropped it off there again when we went to our next destination. You will want to rent a car because a lot of things in the South Island are off the beaten path, and you can only access them by car. It’s also fairly easy to drive on the South Island, there isn’t any traffic and there aren’t a lot of other cars around either. We loved the freedom of having a car and think it’s definitely necessary when visiting New Zealand!

Find a car to rent for your trip to the south island here on expedia!

Where to Stay on the south island

We used Queenstown as our base on the South Island and stayed at the Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa. We thought it was in a great location and close to everything we wanted to do. There was also a parking garage for the car, I believe it was $10 extra a day. The hotel was a little outside the main town area, but we didn’t mind that since we had a car. We loved staying in Queenstown because there was a lot to do in the town, nearby, and also great restaurants & bars in the town as well. If you want to check out other hotel options in Queenstown, we would recommend looking on Expedia.

Find other Queenstown hotels here on Expedia

Best Things to Do on New Zealand’s South Island

Queenstown

Explore the town of Queenstown - lots of cute shops, restaurants, bars, & cafes! The town is walkable once you get there, so it’s fine to park somewhere for a few hours and then walk around.
Views from the One Mile Car Park - One Mile Car Park was one of our favorite photo spots of the whole trip! It’s absolutely gorgeous and worth the stop.
Try some Extreme/Adventure Sports - Bungee jumping was invented in Queenstown, so adventure sports here are no joke! We didn’t try any but you will see signs for Bungee jumping, parasailing, etc. all around Queenstown.
Kiwi Bird Life Park - Kiwi’s are flightless birds local to the country & the national bird of New Zealand. However, they are protected so it’s hard to spot them in the wild. At Kiwi Bird Life Park in Queenstown, they are practicing conservation & rehabilitation with the Kiwi’s so that they don’t go extinct. You can spot Kiwi’s here & they are so cute! A must see if you’re in New Zealand.
Bennetts Bluff - a pull off point between Queenstown and Glenorchy with amazing views!
Lindis Pass - another gorgeous pull off point between Queenstown and Lake Pukaki. A must-stop if you are passing by!
Skyline Gondola/Queenstown Overlook - you can take the Skyline Gondola to the top of the mountain to see an amazing overlook of Queenstown. I believe it was $19 per person, and not entirely worth the money, but if you have nothing else to do it is cool to see.

Glenorchy

Glenorchy is a small village about 45 minutes from Queenstown, on the north end of Lake Wakatipu. Glenorchy is so beautiful that’s been used featured in many popular movies, most famously Lord of the Rings. The town itself is small, but the views are spectacular and you’ll quickly why it’s a popular filming location.

Lake Wakatipu - A gorgeous lake in Glenorchy surrounded by mountains
Insengard Lookout - about 15 min from the town is Insengard Lookout, another beautiful filming location used in the Lord of the Rings movies.

Arrowtown

Arrowtown is another small village about 30 minutes from Queenstown. It’s located on the Arrow River and is a historic old mining town that was popular during the gold rush in the late 1800s. Here you will find cute local shops, restaurants, & cafes. It’s nestled between the mountains and is surrounded by beautiful views. We spent a few hours here, and it’s a great little pit stop while driving through the South Island.

Lake Pukaki + Mount Cook

*Hooker Valley Track, Mount Cook National Park*

Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook/Aoraki are both near each other which is why we put them in the same section. They are both must-sees when visiting the South Island, and probably out favorite things we visited on our trip.

Lake Pukaki - almost a 3 hour ride from Queenstown, but it’s literally one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen. There is a little cafe & souvenir shop by the lake, and then most people continue on to Mount Cook which is another 30 mins away. On a clear day you can see Mount Cook from Lake Pukaki and it’s absolutely stunning.
Mount Cook/Aoraki Hooker Valley Track - The indigenous name for Mount Cook is Aoraki, and you will usually see both the indigenous name and the English name of place on all signs in New Zealand. If you want to explore Mount Cook, we highly recommend doing the Hooker Valley Track. It’s a fairly easy/flat hike, and you can turn around whenever you want. I believe the full hike is 3 hours long. We did about an hour and turned around because it started to rain haha. We weren’t sure if we would have time to visit Mount Cook, but we are so glad we went! Mount Cook National Park is also free to enter which is really nice!

Book other tours & activities in New Zealand’s South Island here on Expedia!