The BEST one week New Zealand South Island itinerary
New Zealand’s south island is truly magical with jaw dropping scenery around every corner. I’m sharing my own tried and tested 7 day week itinerary of Queenstown and the South Island to inspire your New Zealand South Island holiday!
Lake Marian
My husband and I travelled to New Zealand’s South Island over the Christmas holidays and LOVED it! We can’t believe it took us this long to visit our neighbouring country. While there is definitely even more you can see and do, we felt a week was the perfect amount of time to make the most of the South Island’s major travel draw cards such as Queenstown and Milford Sound.
Day One - Explore central Queenstown
Queenstown is small and geared towards tourists so there’s a lot to see and do. While we recommend a self drive trip, you could make the most of the cheap and easy public bus system in Queenstown here if you’d rather for now. Start off easy with a wander around Queenstown Bay and Beach to get your bearings. Just off from the shoreline is the main shopping district as well which has a homey feel like what I imagine American ski towns to look like!
These are far from secret, but the must try eats in town are Patagonia Ice Creamery and Fergburger. Neither are revolutionary but very high quality. Patagonia makes their own fresh waffle cones and melting chocolate, and while I was prepared for the famous Fergburger to be overhyped - I actually thought it was great! That said, with Fergburger I would focus on the beef options here. It always looked packed too but it actually moves VERY fast. Most are waiting to eat in-store so order to take away - you can track it online and go for a stroll.
Within the CBD are some key attractions that are worth checking out too. This includes water activities like kayaking and a submersible thrill boat ride plus there’s a haunted house called Fear Factor! But the main draw is the Skyline gondola and queenstown luge which is perched up high overlooking the town. We chose to do the latter option. It was pricey (like most things in New Zealand) but really fun! Read my full review here.
Day Two - Adrenaline junkie in Queenstown
A lot of the best adventure activities in Queenstown - like bungy jumping, ziplines and jet boating - lay outside the main city limits however. There's a lot to pick from but I suggest just one or two so your adrenaline rush isn’t too intense! At this point, for ease and cost, I would hire a car for self drive the rest of south island but technically almost everything from this itinerary can be reached as part of organised tours.
We chose to do a jet boat adventure. We went with Shotover Jet even though it was a bit more expensive than other options as it offers exclusive access to Shotover Canyon which is an extra scenic location. We also loved that Canyon Brewing was on premises as well which was perfect for a post jet boat meal.
We also drove over to the Kawarau Suspension Bridge to the AJ Hackett Kawarau Bungy Centre. We weren’t brave enough to jump ourselves but even just watching others have a go was great fun. They also have a zipline which looks slightly less intimidating.
Days Three & /Four - Choose your own adventure day trips
We hired a car and loved exploring the South Island this way. While Queenstown is a great base, the town does get packed and is very touristy, so it’s nice to know within a short drive you can escape and be in the countryside!
We’ll be travelling even further later in the week so we’re trying to keep the distances here to a minimum. The following options are an hour or less drives so you can come back to QT or mix it up with new accommodation
Gisborne wine country: Just outside Queenstown is wine country. You can drive or do a tour, but one extra fun way is to rent a bike and enjoy the scenery between stops.
Cardrona: Cardrona is a tiny village with a famous 150 year old pub with great food and an award winning gin distillery which is surprisingly overlooked. The drive up there was the real highlight however. The roads are high and winding, lined with wild flowers everywhere (which we later found out are weeds, but who cares!)
Wanaka: About an hour north of Queenstown is the sweet lakeside town of Wanaka. We actually choose to stop in Cardrona instead but I hear it’s lovely. It’s also the gateway to yet another national park with lots of walks (the blue pools look especially scenic) - so get an early start if that’s your thing
INSIDER TIP: one of my highlights of the trip was feeding some goats by the roadside on our way out of Queenstown. For a coin donation you can feed the farm’s adorable goats. Just put “Arrowbelle Feed the Goats” in google and you’ll find it!!
Day Five - Take a break in Te Anau
Besides Queenstown, Milford Sound in the Fjordland National Park is the other must-see of South Island. It takes several hours to get there, however. They do offer very intense full day trips from Queenstown (early start, late finish) but I suggest instead to drive as far as Te Anau - the last real town before Fjordland. Take a slow day here and tackle Milford the next. This way you have a full day to not just cruise the Sound but also take in a hike and enjoy the rest of the impressive nature all around.
You’ll probably be pretty tired by this point anyway, so you can spend an afternoon doing, well, not much…For those not from NZ or Australia, you can experience the local small-town laid-back energy. Walk the main street, get some take away from the local “Fish and chippy” or savoury “pie shop” and catch the sunset. The town has hotels, AirBnBs and camping options available - something for all budgets.
Day Six - Milford Sound cruise + Marian Lake Track
It’s the big day - Milford Sound - a glass like body of water surrounded by huge cliffs and multiple waterfalls. It almost looks prehistoric in its natural wonder. We chose an 11am-1pm cruise to allow us time for a proper hike afterwards. We booked this cruise via Viator as it was the most affordable but also with excellent reviews. The boat was quite large when you’re on it but tiny compared to others. We had plenty of room to take pictures out on deck and inside was comfy and warm with snacks on offer.
After our cruise we tackled the Lake Marian Track hike. It’s a 3 hour round trip and often uneven and uphill. That said, we saw people of all ages make their way up. At the peak, you’re rewarded with an isolated mountain top glacier lake (and not too many people at once). I’ve never seen anything like it and it was worth the effort - and that’s from someone who would die doing a 30min gym class! I didn’t even think to bring a swimsuit but I still jumped in the water in my underwear for the experience. Depending on your fitness levels there are many other lovely viewpoints that are a very easy short walk or drive in the area + way more intense, longer hikes if that’s something you want to commit extra time to. Hikes are without doubt one of the best ways to discover New Zealand’s South Island and are totally free! What’s not to love.
Day Seven
It’s time to head back to Queenstown. We capped off our trip with a final sunset at the insta-famous Onsen Hot Pools. Again, yes, it’s pricey but it was the ideal way to relax after an action-packed week. There’s also a couple of lovely places for a final dinner within a minutes walk as well. Perfection!
What are you most excited to see in South Island, New Zealand?
