Three weeks on New Zealand's South Island

By Jack M · May 5, 2016

Origin
Melbourne, Australia
Destination
NZ South Island
Main mode of transport
Aeroplane
Cost per person
$2000 plus
Accommodation
I mostly stayed at boutique hotels or BnB's.

Our Experience

Jack in New Zealand's South Island

New Zealand’s south island is a magnificent place for thought and self-discovery. The town are beautiful and have interesting activities and the nature is unique. I just went day by day and tried not to say no to whatever activities looked interesting, fears and phobias aside. The south island is a great place for bungee jumping, helicoptering, hiking, glaciers, swimming with dolphins, wine-tasting and so much more. For the south island my itinerary was as follows:

  1. Landed in Christchurch
  2. Akaroa Peninsula
  3. Oamaru and Moeraki
  4. Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula
  5. Te Anau, Milford Sound, Fiordlands National Park
  6. Queenstown
  7. Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers
  8. Greymouth and surroundings
  9. Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura
  10. Christchurch

Jack in New Zealand's South Island

Best Bits

The nature on the south island is magnificent. The best moments were by myself, driving in rural areas, listening to music and taking in the amazing views. I would stop the car whenever I saw a view I wanted to absorb longer.

Jack in New Zealand's South Island

Worst bits

In some of the more well-established towns/sites there could be a chance of buses of package tourists from Asia who were a bit hard to deal with.


Jack in New Zealand's South Island

Trip Dates and Comments — March & April

Arrival Logistics — I landed at Christchurch airport, picked up a rental car and immediately set out on an hour and a half drive to spend my first night in Akaroa.

General Route — My plan was to decide day to day where I wanted to stay and where I wanted to go. I would look at a map, ask locals, read travel info and then pick a place along a circuitous route of the south island to stay/visit.

Main Activities — Hiking, Sailing, Cultural experiences, Food, Wine tasting, Historical visits, Wildlife, Relaxing , Sport and Exercise, Watersports.

Food and Drink Highlights — I used tripadvisor to see reviews of places in whatever town I was in and mostly ate at well-established restaurants that provided good, local fare.

Essential Packing for this Trip — Changeable clothing - at that time of year it could be sunny and warm in one place and cold and snowy in another.


About The Traveller

Gender & Age Range
Male, 36 - 45

I’m from
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

My favourite trip as of late
New Zealand, solo travel in lots of nature for a soul-refresher.

Travelling Style
Book the first night, then wing it from there!

I like to go on the following types of trips
Adventure, Beaches, Birthday Trips, Culture, Food, Gourmet, Wine, Wildlife, City Breaks, Relaxing, Luxury.

It’s a dealbreaker when
I’m stuck around large groups of package tourists.

Continent I know the best
Asia

First Last Name

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I’m from Perth, Western Australia

My favourite trip as of late is New Zealand, solo travel in lots of nature for a soul-refresher.

My travelling style is to Book the first night, then wing it from there!

It’s a dealbreaker when I’m stuck around large groups of package tourists.

Continent I know best is Asia.

See profile

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