For many travelers, Australia and New Zealand are dream destinations.  Filled with endless beauty, culture, and adventure, it is no surprise that Australia and New Zealand are featured so prominently in travel documentaries, magazines, and television shows.  They have been destinations on my bucket list for quite some time and I am beyond thrilled to be able to be checking them off this year. Next up in my planning is taking care of my New Zealand itinerary.

First, We Figured Out What We Wanted to See

In my first two articles on my travel planning for our Australia and New Zealand Trip, I discussed the first steps in planning this trip.  In the first article, I discussed how we decided when the best time to visit would be, and which locations should be on the top of our list to visit.  Using this information, I was able to take the trip planning process a step further in the next article on my trip planning process.

Then We Put Together Our Australia Itinerary

In the second article, I took the rough itinerary that I had developed and started to fill in the details for the Australian portion of our trip.  I laid out where we would be visiting, how long we would be staying, how we would get around, and what we would be seeing and doing.  If you would like to review these articles, I have linked to them below.

Now, We Need to Work on our New Zealand Itineary

In this article, I will be taking that same rough itinerary and filling in the details for the New Zealand itinerary.  I will be discussing which island we will be visiting and why, how we plan to get around, what we are planning to see, and which tours we are planning to book for this portion of our trip.

Flying from Australia to New Zealand

After we are done touring Melbourne in Australia, we will be catching a flight to Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island that Wednesday morning.  It is an early flight so we will have to get up and head to the airport quite early.  On the plus side, that means we will get to Christchurch in the early afternoon and will have a majority of that day to start exploring New Zealand.

We chose New Zealand’s South Island based on a lot of the feedback that we got from people we talked to and the fact that it lines up with our interests more than the North Island does.  Both islands are beautiful, but the South Island has the landscapes and adventures that we are really looking forward to. 

If we had more time to spend in New Zealand, we would have loved to fully explore both islands.  Unfortunately, we are limited to just 10 days in New Zealand on this trip so we will have to save the North Island for another time.

South Island New Zealand Itinerary

Because we only have 10 days to explore the South Island of New Zealand, we are going to have to make the most of our time on the island.  For an overview of our New Zealand itinerary, please refer to the map I included below.  Essentially, we are going to make a big loop from Christchurch, down to Te Anau and then back up the coast before heading back to Christchurch.

To assist in figuring out the logistics of our New Zealand itinerary, I created a time chart to map out our flights, drive times, sight-seeing time, and tours.  This made it much easier for me to conceptualize how much time we would have each day. 

I like to do this for all of my trips so that I make sure I am planning enough time at each stop.  I have included my time chart for our time in New Zealand below for you to review, as well as a link to my time chart in Excel if you would like to download it so that you can use this idea for trips of your own.

New Zealand Itinerary Time Chart

New Zealand South Island Time Planning Chart

NOTE:  The flight times I have listed in the chart are a little misleading as the flight from Melbourne to Christchurch is actually only 3 hours, but we lose 2 hours due to the time change.  I also made the bar for the flight from Christchurch to Sydney a little bigger so that I could fit the text in the box for this exercise.  That flight is also 3 hours long.

Day 1 – Drive from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo

After landing in Christchurch in the early afternoon, we will be renting a car at the airport and then heading to Lake Tekapo.  This beautiful lake will be the first stop on our New Zealand itinerary. It will be mid-Spring when we arrive so there may be a chance of snow when we visit. 

For this reason, we have reserved an SUV from the car rental agency.  It is a roughly three-hour drive to Lake Tekapo, so we should get there by late afternoon.  That will give us the rest of the day to explore Lake Tekapo and the surrounding area.

Things We Want to See and Do

When we are in the Lake Tekapo area, there are a number of things that we would like to see and do, which I have listed below.

• Visit the Church of the Good Shepard and the bridge over Scott Pond.
• Soak in the Hot Pools at Tekapo Springs.

Day 2 – Visit Mount Cook National Park

The next full day of our New Zealand itinerary we have reserved for exploring Mount Cook National Park.  It is roughly a two-hour drive from Lake Tekapo to Mount Cook village.  The plan will be to get up bright and early so that we have a full day in the park.

Things We Want to See and Do

When we are in the Mount Cook area, there are a number of things that we would like to see and do, which I have listed below.

• Hike the Hooker Valley Track, which is roughly 7 miles round-trip.
• Hike the short climb up to the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint.
• Stop at Peter’s Lookout for a view of Lake Pukaki and the mountains.
• Hike to Mueller Hut, which is roughly 6.5 miles round-trip.
• Photograph Mount Cook with reflection from HERE and HERE.

View Larger Map

Day 3 – Drive from Mount Cook to Queenstown

On the morning of Day three of our New Zealand itinerary, we will get up early and continue to venture South.  Our next stop on the itinerary is the city of Queenstown, where we will spend a few days exploring.  It will take us roughly 3-hours and 15-minutes to drive from Mount Cook to Queenstown so we will want to make sure we get up early and hit the road.

Days 3 thru 5 – Explore the Queenstown Area

Queenstown is a place that we are incredibly excited to visit.  In addition to being located in a stunningly beautiful area, it is also known as the adventure capital of New Zealand.  We will undoubtedly take a few adventure tours while we are in the Queenstown area.

Things We Want to See and Do

When we are in the Queenstown area, there are a number of things that we would like to see and do, which I have listed below.

• Visit Bob’s Cove.
• Take a day trip to Glenorchy and Mount Aspiring National Park.  Check out Bennett’s Bluff, the Glenorchy Wharf, and a popular Lord of the Ring filming location.
• Hike to the top of Queenstown Hill.
• Go Luging at Luge Queenstown.

In addition, below are some tours that we are considering while we are in Queenstown.

Day 5 – Drive from Queenstown to Te Anau

On the morning of Day 5 of our New Zealand itinerary, we will make the short 2-hour drive from Queenstown to Te Anau.  We will want to take our time on this drive as the views are supposed to be absolutely breathtaking.

Days 5 thru 7 – Explore Fiordland National Park

Te Anau and the adjacent Fiordland National Park is another area that I am extremely excited to visit.  With the mountains stretching out into the sea, the area is absolutely breathtaking.  We are going to spend a few days in the area exploring and taking a tour of Milford Sound.

Things We Want to See and Do

When we are in the Te Anau and Fiordland National Park area, there are a number of things that we would like to see and do, which I have listed below.

• Take a cruise in Milford Sound and hike in Fiordland National Park.
• Walk to the Chasm.
• Take pictures at Eglington Valley, Lake Gunn Viewpoint, and Pop’s View.
• Kayak in Milford Sound.
• Take a glow worm cave tour.

In addition, below are some tours that we are considering while we are in Te Anau.

Day 7 – Drive from Te Anau to Wanaka

On Day 7 of our New Zealand itinerary, we will get up early again and begin heading back up North.  We will head back thru Queenstown and then just North of it to the town of Wanaka.  Getting up early will allow us to have most of the rest of the day to explore the Wanaka area.

Days 7 thru 9 – Explore the Wanaka Area

Wanaka is another area that a lot of people recommended that we visit when on New Zealand’s South Island.  There are some absolutely breathtaking hikes that you can take in the area and a lot of really cool tours that are available.

Things We Want to See and Do

When we are in the Wanaka area, there are a number of things that we would like to see and do, which I have listed below.

• Hike to Roy’s Peak.
• Photograph the Wanaka Tree.
• Take the short hike to Glendhu Bay Lookout to photograph the lake. with Mount Aspiring as a backdrop.
• Isthmus Peak hike.
• Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain walk.
• The Outlet Track.
• Walk from Wanaka to Glendhu Bay.

NOTE:  I wanted to possibly do the Roy’s Peak track, but it is closed each year from October 1st until November 10th for the lambing season.

In addition, below are some tours that we are considering while we are in Wanaka.

Day 9 – Drive from Wanaka to Franz Josef Glacier

On the morning of Day 9 of our New Zealand itinerary, we will make one of the longer drives of the trip. On this day, we head further North towards Franz Josef Glacier.  The final stretch of the drive will be along the coast, which is supposed to be absolutely beautiful.  Again, we will want to make sure we get started early so that we have much of the day left to explore when we get there.

Day 9 – Explore the Franz Josef Glacier Area

I have seen many glaciers in my lifetime, but I have yet to walk on one.  When we visit Franz Josef Glacier, we may get the chance to do just that.  There are also some stunningly beautiful hikes to take in the area, which we are excited about.

Things We Want to See and Do

When we are in the Franz Josef Glacier area, there are a number of things that we would like to see and do, which I have listed below.

• Take pictures at the Blue Pools, Knight’s Point Lookout, and Jetty on Lake Metheson.
• Take a helicopter ride to Franz Josef Glacier.

In addition, below are some tours that we are considering while we are in the Franz Josef Glacier area.

Day 10 – Drive from Franz Josef Glacier to Arthur’s Pass

On Day 10, we will continue heading North along the coast before turning back East towards Christchurch.  We will stop along the way to explore Arthur’s Pass, which is supposed to be absolutely breathtaking.  We will need to get up really early so that we have enough time at Arthur’s Pass.

Days 10 – Explore Arthur’s Pass

The Arthur’s Pass area is supposed to be absolutely beautiful, and we cannot wait to explore it.  There are some very scenic hikes to take in the area and some pull-outs with some amazing vistas that we will want to check out.

Things We Want to See and Do

When we are in the Arthur’s Pass area, there are a number of things that we would like to see and do, which I have listed below.

• Take pictures at the Otira Viaduct Lookout.
• Hike the short hike to Devil’s Punchbowl Falls.
• Stop at Sunset Point to get some great pictures of the Hokitika River meets the ocean.

Day 10 – Drive from Arthur’s Pass to Christchurch

On the afternoon of Day 10, we will complete the final leg of our road trip as we make the 2-hour drive from Arthur’s Pass back to Christchurch.

Flying Back to Australia

That evening we have a 3-hour flight to catch from Christchurch back to Sydney, Australia where we will wrap up our trip.  The nice part about the flight is that we will be gaining back two hours so we will arrive in Australia with still some daylight available.  The next morning, we will catch a flight back to the United States so it will be nice to have the evening to get settled and repack our suitcases.

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