Three weeks on New Zealand's South Island
By Jack M · May 5, 2016
- New Zealand
- ·
- 21 Nights
- ·
- Watersports, Food, Historic Sites, Hiking, Relax, Sport and Exercise, Wine, Sailing, Culture, Wildlife
- 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
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:
- Landed in Christchurch
- Akaroa Peninsula
- Oamaru and Moeraki
- Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula
- Te Anau, Milford Sound, Fiordlands National Park
- Queenstown
- Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers
- Greymouth and surroundings
- Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura
- Christchurch
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.
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.
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