The Best New Zealand South Island Itinerary 7 Days
7-Day Itineraries . Itineraries . New Zealand . Travel . Worldwide Travel
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The Best New Zealand South Island Road Trip
You are viewing the Best New Zealand South Island Itinerary 7 Days. We’ve planned the best 7 Day New Zealand Itinerary so you don’t have to! Check out each of the days below to put together your own holiday around the South Island, or customize a trip if you’ve only got a few days or a week. (Check out our “Itineraries” in the main menu for other New Zealand itineraries and trips to other countries, as well).
Click on any day below for full itinerary details!
This 7 Day South Island Itinerary has you flying in to Queenstown and then out of either Picton or Wellington, depending on domestic and international connections, rental car arrangements, and your time frame and schedule. If you only have 5 days, check out our 5 Day Itinerary from Wellington to Dunedin, flying out of Queenstown. It’s a fair amount of driving, but you’ll get a good combination of urban and rural, with landscapes ranging from sub-tropical and coastal to inland and mountainous, ending in Central Otago wine country at the center of the South Island.
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The Best New Zealand South Island Itinerary 7 Days
Click for Day 1: Queenstown to Arrowtown
- Arrive in Queenstown and get your bearings
- Drive to Arrowtown, dip your feet in the Arrow River, and eat at Tap and Cask, a local brew-pub
- If you have time, visit Gibbston Valley Winery or another nearby Central Otago winery
- Drive through Wanaka to Makarora West and spend the night in an A-Frame Tourist Cabin
Click for Day 1: Makarora West
- Stay in a rustic A-Frame tourist cabin near Mount Aspiring National Park
- Explore nature walks through native bush along the Makarora River and Makarora West
- Wander through native Podocarp forests
Click for Day 1 or 2: The Blue Pools
- Head to the Blue Pools for an afternoon hike and a swim in the Makarora River
- Hike to other scenic viewpoints along the West Coast highway toward Fox Glacier
The Best New Zealand South Island Itinerary 7 Days
Click for Day 2: West Coast Beaches
- Visit the town and beaches of Haast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Buy the best priced greenstone along the West Coast
- Watch the waves and frolic in the sand at Bruce Bay
- Continue on to Fox Glacier and set up camp for the night
The Best New Zealand South Island Itinerary 7 Days
Click for Day 3: Fox Glacier
- Get up early and be the first to hike to the glacier
- Read up on the receding glacier along the walking path
- Photograph the edge of the glacier from the elevated viewing area
- Read about unfortunate tourists who got too close to the edge
- Drive to Franz Josef and hike to the glacier after lunch in town
The Best New Zealand South Island Itinerary 7 Days
Click for Day 4: Hokitika and Ross Beach
- Drive to the Ross Beach Top 10 Classic Holiday Park
- Camp or stay in converted shipping container en-suite accommodations overlooking the beach
- Wander down the beach
- Explore Hokitika’s downtown shops and beach access
Click for Day 4: Brunner, Waiuta, and Motueka
- Tour Brunner, an historic site on the banks of the Grey River not far from Greymouth
- Walk across the Grey River on a massive wooden bridge
- View the British Beehive coke ovens and other artifacts at the site
- Walk through the mining ghost town of Waiuta in the mountains beyond Totara Flat
- Sit in the historic Blackwater School and tiptoe through the ruins of the Blackwater mine
- Head North to Motueka and drive through wine country before having dinner on the North shore
The Best New Zealand South Island Itinerary 7 Days
Click for Day 5: Abel Tasman Coast Track to Mutton Cove
- Drive to Wainui Bay and head out on the Abel Tasman Coast Track, one of the NZ Great Walks
- Enjoy the sounds of birds in native bush as you climb to the top of the North ridge
- Witness epic views of the Tasman Sea from the coast track before descending to the Whariwharangi Hut and Homestead
- Take a dip in the Tasman at Whariwharangi Bay
- Continue over the final ridge before dropping down to Mutton Cove
- Camp on the beach at Mutton Cove
The Best New Zealand South Island Itinerary 7 Days
Click for Day 6: Abel Tasman Coast Track to Wainui Bay
- Wake to the sounds of the surf and Weka birds trying to get in your tent
- Eat breakfast by the Sea before packing up and heading up the hill
- Spend time working on your tan at Whariwharangi Bay
- Finish the grueling 14th mile before heading back to Pohara Beach and Motueka
The Best New Zealand South Island Itinerary 7 Days
Click for Day 7: Drive through Wine Country to Picton
- Drive through Blenheim and wine country
- Stop at local wineries on your way to Picton
- Visit the Picton waterfront, museum, and EcoWorld Aquarium & Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
- Save a starfish
- Fly out of Picton or take the ferry to Wellington and fly out of the Capital
Parting Shot
I love love loved New Zealand. So gorgeous. Wish I had a little more time in Abel Tasman, but we spent a lot of time on the south of the south island.
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