New Zealand - South Island

A lakes and mountains stay

Some travellers want one place and a proper stay in it.

Queenstown or Wanaka works beautifully as a single base, with the lakes, the vineyards, walking, cycling and day trips to Milford Sound all within reach. It suits those who would rather unpack once, and it pairs easily with a few nights in the North Island at either end.

A scenic self drive route

Others come for the landscapes and expect to move through them.

A route from Christchurch through the Mackenzie Country to Queenstown and Fiordland, returning by way of the glaciers and the West Coast, is the classic loop, and usually needs two weeks to be enjoyable. The TranzAlpine railway is a fine way to cross the Southern Alps if you would rather not drive every leg.

A wilderness and lodge escape

A smaller number build the trip around remoteness.

Doubtful Sound, Stewart Island, the Otago Peninsula and the high country stations above Wanaka reward a slower style of travel, often with a boat, a helicopter or a single exceptional lodge at the centre of it.

The key is deciding how much of the island you genuinely want to cover.

New Zealand sits in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons are reversed, and they matter far more in the South Island than in the North.

December to March brings the warmest weather, the longest days and the best conditions for walking, the lakes and the Great Walks, and it is also the busiest period. March and April are quieter and especially rewarding, as Central Otago and Arrowtown turn gold and the weather is often settled. From June to August the mountains are under snow and Queenstown becomes a ski destination, with shorter days but wonderfully clear alpine scenery. September to November brings meltwater, waterfalls at their fullest and snow still sitting on the peaks.

Fiordland receives rain in every season, and a wet day at Milford Sound is often the most memorable, with waterfalls appearing down every cliff face.

The South Island is where itineraries most often try to do too much.

The drives are longer than they look and the roads are slower than the distances suggest, with several of the main legs taking five or six hours. That is no hardship, because the driving is part of the pleasure, but it does mean four or five bases with two or three nights in each will always feel better than a new hotel every evening.

Leaving room for a cruise on the water in Fiordland, a clear night in the Mackenzie Country or a day that turns out too good to spend in the car is what makes the trip. If the North Island is also on the itinerary, allowing a full week for each keeps both from feeling rushed.