HI thought the South Island was really fantastic. It's certainly not the case that I only have this part of it New Zealand would recommend, but for me it was the most beautiful island. This is largely due to the rugged nature and the many mountains present. In this blog I will take you through the highlights of the South Island. At the end of this blog I will mention a number of places that you can add to your visit to the South Island.
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12x highlights of the South Island
1 Milford Sound
Milford Sound (location here) is perhaps the most famous attraction on the South Island. At the bottom of the South Island is the Fjordland and this is the most famous fjord. You can take a boat trip there and that is really breathtaking. Whether you have nice weather or a lot of rain, you will have a great experience with both. The experience with a lot of rain is that you will see a lot of waterfalls. When you have dry weather, this is a lot less, but still (and especially in the morning) a beautiful boat trip.
Next to Milford Sound you also have Double Sound and although this fjord is less known, this fjord is three times deeper and calmer than Milford Sound. I have only visited Milford Sound, but other travelers around me have recommended actually visiting both or at least Doubtful Sound. From my own experience I can say that Milford Sound was already amazing!
2. Fox Glacier & Franz Josef
Both Fox Glacier & Franz Josef are New Zealand's two most famous glaciers. In the past (and I'm only talking about 10/15 years ago) you could visit them from the villages at the bottom of the mountain by taking a hike. Because both glaciers are melting enormously, this is no longer possible, but you can still visit them in another way.
The Franz Josef Glacier (location here) you can visit in 2023 by booking a heli-hike. There is only one organization that offers this and it means that you are taken to the beginning of the glacier by helicopter. After putting on crampons, you take a hike over the glacier with a guide. Very cool and they check every day which route is safe, because as already indicated, the glacier is melting and changing every day. A fantastic, unique experience!
Fox Glacier (location here) is easiest to visit by taking a helicopter flight over this glacier. With many of these flights you also get off on a glacier and can therefore view the glacier up close. With this activity you will not be doing a real hike on the glacier, but you will be seeing the ice up close. When booking this activity, please note that you will actually land on the glacier if you wish, or that you will stay on the glacier for a certain number of minutes. This differs per provider.
You can only get a little closer with a hike, but as you can see in the photo above, that is quite far away. You can also see Fox Glacier quite well in another place, but that is further away. You can go to Lake Matheson (location here) see a reflection of this glacier in the water. You have to take a walk to get to the other side of the water, but this walk is also worth it!
3. Kaikoura
The place Kaikoura (location here) is actually known for whale watching, but you can also spot dolphins, seals, penguins and various albatrosses. Furthermore, it is a very small town, or actually more of a village and there are not many other things to do.
4. Abel Tasman National Park
This National Park (location here) is named after the Dutch Abel Tasman who discovered the country of New Zealand in 1642. It is an incredibly large National Park, which is largely located on the ocean. You can do a lot there, such as kayaking and hiking. You can go to the two most obvious locations for this, namely: Crazy en Totaranui.
It is good to know that the North of this National Park is really different from the South and is therefore definitely worth the detour. In the separate blog about the Abel Tasman National Park below I will go into more detail about all the options for discovering this park.
Also read: New Zealand | Discover Abel Tasman National Park
5. Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook
Besides Milford Sound, this is perhaps one of the most famous places on the South Island. The photos of the blue lake Lake Tekapo (location here), with the pink and purple lupine flowers in the foreground, which everyone has seen before. Although the lupines are certainly not there all year round, this blue lake is a fantastic place to visit.
Near this famous lake is also Lake Pukaki (location here). This lake also has very blue water, but is best known for the view of Mount Cook. You can make incredibly beautiful (both more difficult and easier) hikes at both Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook. In the link to the blog below I will tell you more about the different walks you can take.
Also read: New Zealand | Hiking at Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook
6. Wanaka
Wanaka (location here) is an incredibly nice and versatile town, but also a lake. So both have the name Wanaka and they are next to each other. You can do all kinds of things there and about an hour's drive around Wanaka, you can do a lot. The town even has winter sports options, where you can relax all year round.
Personally, I thought this was a fantastic town and watching the sunrise from the top of Roys Peak was literally a highlight.
Also read: The most beautiful sights of Wanaka + tips
7.Christchurch
The largest city on the South Island is Christchurch (location here) and, in addition to Auckland, also the city where many tourists fly into New Zealand. This is not necessary, because you can also easily take a ferry to the South Island from the North Island. Christchurch does not have any special sights, but it is a nice city to walk through. Personally, I found the markets very enjoyable to visit and of course also to have a bite to eat there.
8. Lewis Pass and Arthur's Pass
These are two beautiful mountain passes on the South Island. They both run from West to East (or the other way around, depending on how you look at it). If you are driving yourself and have enough time, I would definitely recommend riding both passes once. It doesn't really matter which direction you drive in, both views are phenomenal.
There are several beautiful viewpoints to visit on Arthur's Pass. You can also spend the night halfway along this route, near the train station of the same name. There are fewer viewpoints on the Lewis Pass, but we can highly recommend the Lewis Top Track hike, for example. We didn't have great weather that day, but it was still a really cool route. You walked the first part through the forest and the higher you go, the fewer trees and the more views of the entire area.
9. Marlborough
Marlborough is New Zealand's most famous wine region. You can find several wine regions in New Zealand, but none are as well known as this one. This wine region is located in the north of the South Island and the Sauvignon Blanc wine from this region in particular is extremely popular. You can visit different wineries and do tastings. This is of course possible with an organized tour, driving yourself, but you can also do this by bike.
10. Pancake Rocks & Blowholes
Most travelers who visit New Zealand briefly skip this part of the South Island. Yet it is very touristy and mainly large coaches drive continuously to and fro. The Pancake Rocks were created by various processes with the limestone.
There are also Blowholes at the Pancake Rocks. When the water level is high, the water enters the rock formations at high pressure. Because the surface area of the water does not actually fit, the water shoots itself up enormously and a kind of water spray is created. A very cool representation of nature. If, like us, you are here with nice weather, you may even see a rainbow in the rising water.
11. Dunedin
After Christchurch, this is the largest city in New Zealand's South Island. The city is known for the steepest street in the world. With almost 35% you can train your calves well here.
12. Hokitika Gorge
Hokitika is the name of a village, but also of this gorge. The gorge is incredibly beautiful, but the water does not always have to be as blue as it is known for. There is a place where you can also enter the water or just enjoy the view. There are several rocks here to sit on. It's a short walk from the parking lot. The walk is through a green area and at the end you walk over a suspension bridge. This bridge hangs over the water, so you can already enjoy the view of the water.
After visiting this place you can do two things. You can walk back the same way to the parking lot, but you can also continue. If you continue, you will first have a very nice route further along the gorge and you will eventually end up on another suspension bridge. From the route you often have small views of the gorge. Highly recommended to continue walking if you have time! The end of the route runs through a wooded area and eventually you arrive at the parking lot on the other side.
Tip:: Are you still orientating and/or planning a trip to New Zealand? Then read: Travel information New Zealand | Everything you need to know in advance.
Are you thinking of following our footsteps and renting a camper(van) with friends, your partner or with your whole family? Then ask free of charge and without obligation submit a quote to Travelhome from ANWB. They have both campervans and full-fledged family campers on offer.
- Large selection, low prices
- Independent or Customized
- Expert advice from specialists
- Full quote with no hidden costs
