New Zealand South Island Itinerary

Day 1 : Christchurch (Botanical Gardens, Art Gallery, Hagley Park, Re-START, New Regent Street, Ko Tane The Maori Experience)

Day 2 : Christchurch – Greymouth (Via Tranzalpine Train or drive via SH73)

Punakaiki , Paparoa National Park, Lake Matheson

Day 3 – 4 : Greymouth – Hokitika – Franz Josef ( Hokitika Gorge – Fox Glacier – Franz Josef Glacier – Lake Mapourika)

Day 5 : Franz Josef – Haast – Wanaka ( Knights Point Lookout – Haast Blue Pools – Lake Wanaka Lookout )

Day 6 – 7 : Wanaka (Lake Wanaka, Lake Hawea, That Wanaka Tree, Mount Aspiring National Park )

Day 8 Wanaka – Queenstown via Crown Range

Day 9 – 10 : Queenstown (Skyline, Greymouth, Lake Wakatipu)

Day 11 : Queenstown – Te Anau – Milford Sound (Fiordland National Park, Milford Track)

Day 12 – 13 : Queenstown : Dunedin (Dunedin Art Gallery, Tunnel’s Beach, Street Art around town, Baldwin Street)

Day 14 – 15 : Dunedin – Oamaru – Timaru – Tekapo ( Moeraki Boulders, Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Lake Alexandrina, Mount John Observatory )

Day 16 : Tekapo – Mount Cook – Omarama ( Twizel High Country Salmon, Mount Cook National Park, Lindis Pass )

Day 17 -18 : Tekapo – Christchurch – Kaikoura ( Whale Watch, Lavendyl Lavender Farm, Kaikoura Dolphin Encounters, Kaikoura Beach )

Day 19 : Kaikoura – Nelson – Blenheim – Picton  (Abel Tasman National Park, Sea Kayak )

Day 20 – Picton – Wellington (North Island)

Halal Restaurants :

https://www.newzealand.com/assets/Tourism-NZ/PDFs/TNZ-Halal-Guide-2020.pdf

https://www.havehalalwilltravel.com/halal-food-in-new-zealand-south-island/

Where to shop for gifts and souvenirs :

Christchurch , Queenstown , Dunedin

Car rentals :

VroomVroomVroom is my trusted site for cheap(er) car / RV hire.

If you want an adventure but also comfort Wilderness has THE home on the road

Or if you are a solo traveler, you might want to check out bus passes such as Kiwi Experience

Driving tips :

• Best to rent a 4WD as you will encounter gravel roads, narrow, hilly and cracks on the road surface caused by earthquakes.
• I feel that a motor home is a bulky vehicle and to drive on that narrow, hilly roads is going to be a challenge, but most travelers prefer to do that anyway to save on lodging costs. However, you still need to park the van overnight at any camping grounds or holiday parks and other areas that are not illegal or prohibited. Read more about freedom camping HERE.
• Always get a travel insurance
• Most of the bridges are single lane, know how to read the one-way sign
• Always add 2 hours extra for each destination as you want to take your time and seize the beautiful scenery while driving. Also, you have to follow the speed limit.

Where To Stay

There are plenty of holiday parks, RV parks, hotels, camping grounds, lodges to choose from. Always find the ones with the best views (near the lakes) especially on AirBnb. Here are some places to choose from:

https://www.holidayparks.co.nz/

https://top10.co.nz/

https://www.kiwiholidayparks.com/