New Zealand Road Trip for 1 Week in the South Island

If you are strapped for time but want to do a New Zealand road trip, here is an itinerary that will be perfect. It compromises the Northern part of the South Island. Starting in Nelson of Tasman Bay, the route takes you down the east coast, through Lake Tekapo and up the west coast, ending in Carter’s Beach.

This itinerary gives you a good route for a shorter New Zealand road trip but includes many places you can see on this trip. It is the exact route I did for one week when I went in 2016 having been bit by the travel bug. I have included some of the activities and sights that I encountered and tips that make a New Zealand road trip so special. 

There is so much to do and see in New Zealand so this is only a snippet of one half of the south island. This itinerary doesn’t include places further south such as Queenstown but highlights the coastal options. I travelled with a group of 6: me, Scott, Scott’s cousin and his wife and their two children (under 10). All of the places included on this trip are suitable for kids and adults alike. If there are families reading this and if you’re wondering if it’s doable with kids, it is!

The Places

This is the list of stops we made on the one week New Zealand road trip. Not all of these places were overnight but some were for a coffee/lunch/dinner/shopping/sightseeing, etc. on the drive!

• Nelson 
• Kaikoura
• Hanmer Springs
• Lake Tekapo
• Ashburton (Through Arthur’s Pass)
• Geraldine (Through Springfield)
• Hokitika
• Ross 
• Cape Foulwind
• Carter’s Beach 

First Days of the New Zealand Road Trip

Leaving Nelson and heading toward the East, stopping in Blenheim in a supermarket would be a wise move. Here, you can stock up on supplies for the coming week such as drinks, snacks, picnic bits, alcohol and other supplies.

Read More: What To Do in Nelson

After the vehicle’s filled up (with petrol and food), is the first stop in Kaikoura. Home to lovable and cute seals, it’s a small walk following a guided trail to find mini waterfalls with dozens of seal puppies playing with one another. It is so adorable and well worth the stop! Back on the road for around 1.5/2 hours, you’ll stop for the first two nights’ destination in Hanmer Springs. 

In Hanmer Springs, we stayed in basic, holiday-park accommodation with shared showers/toilets. It was very close to the actual springs and activity centres, as well as restaurants and bars. In the actual springs, there were plenty of pools/springs/jacuzzis to relax in and slides to to enjoy. There are quaint shops nearby if you need souvenirs or supplies and nice spots for lunch. 

Hanmer Springs Fun Fact: There were lots of wild possums surrounding the area which you can spot at night. I seen about 4 adults and 1 baby while there.

Lake Tekapo and Ashburton

After a long drive you’re at Lake Tekapo. It was gorgeous weather while we were there in September (spring time in New Zealand). There’s lots of places around this area to go for walks and inhale the breathtaking scenery or sit in one of the cafes looking over the lake. Find the bridge and be stunned by the crystal-blue lake reflecting in your eyes. There is a famous spot here of the Church of the Good Shepherd and the Collie Dog statue. It is surprisingly small inside but a great spot for a stunning photograph.

If you’re here during Spring/Summer, look out for the gorgeous Lupins in Lake Tekapo which are flowers that bloom only at this time!

We stayed in Lake Tekapo for two nights which was enough for a short trip. If you have longer, perhaps explore the town more. Up early in the morning, our end goal this day was the town called Ross. We had a day of stops including our first in Ashburton where we explored a vintage car shop and strolled through this small town.

On the way to Ashburton though, we drove through Arthur’s Pass which is yet another stunning scenic route in New Zealand. If you’re on any New Zealand road trip, I’d highly recommend driving through Arthur’s Pass for those famous views of this brilliant country. One of the best places for a hike in South Island is Franz Josef Glacier, see here for more of the best NZ South Island hikes.

Lake Tekapo Fun Fact: It has been said that Lake Tekapo is the ‘window to the universe’. Once you visit, you’ll know why. The stars are beyond incredible and I cannot justify it with words or pictures. 

Geraldine to Ross

It was soon time for lunch so we stopped in a small town called Springfield and got an abundance of picnic supplies from a store. Yes, this place was called Springfield and they actually had a pink doughnut from The Simpsons on display. It was a nice touch. We stopped in a lovely campsite in Geraldine for our picnic with an impressive viewpoint. This was a wise stop because it didn’t have any flies buzzing past your food or biting you to smithereens (like a lot of the South Island).

Before arriving at Ross, we spent the afternoon in a town called Hokitika (New Zealand place names are the coolest). Here we explored the Kiwi Centre where we got to fish for fresh water crayfish, observe fascinating glow worms, frogs and extremely old long-fin eels. The highlight of the centre (its namesake) was actually seeing a real Kiwi bird. It was under a dim light and seemed quite shy in my opinion.

At last, we got to Ross where we stayed in a B&B with a homely feel which was comforting after several nights of budget accommodation. We enjoyed a perfect sunset overlooking a small lake where we panned for gold, hoping to strike it rich! With no such luck, we watched ducks and swans playing in the lake as the sun went down.

Ross Fun Fact: Panning for gold is a popular activity in Ross and has an interesting history which you can read about here.

 

Last Days of the New Zealand Road Trip

After one night in Ross, we returned to Hokitika where we had one of the most mouth-watering pies in Regent Theatre which is a theatre and cafe in one. Back on the road and heading to Carter’s Beach, we made a West Coast stop parallel to our stop on the East Coast to see another seal colony.

Cape Foulwind was a nice bookend to the trip to see so many of these incredible creatures. It is also a place where people pay to go whale watching. We could see there were boats out far and we all swore we seen a whale jumping (it could have well been our minds playing tricks though).

We also drove through Barrytown as a homage to home and it reminded me that this wonderful experience at the other side of the world was drawing to an end soon. Arriving at Carter’s Beach, we had some tea and let the driver sleep for a while. Before it got dark though, we went to the beach and collected materials to make our own fire. Due to the wind, it took a good 20 minutes to get going but we did it and it was so cosy with our beersies (beers). We also collected lots of twigs for two reasons:

1. We all drew pictures in the sand with half the twigs.

2. We put marshmallows on the end of the other half and roasted them over the fire.

Another gorgeous sunset in New Zealand and one of our last. The marshmallows and fire was the perfect end to our perfect road trip.

New Zealand Road Trip Tips

• Everywhere you drive is scenic.
• Eat as many pies as possible, they are essential for stops on a New Zealand road trip!
• The roads are super easy to navigate because they are large and there’s not a lot of other cars around.
• Stock up on beersies in the supermarkets to enjoy at sunsets.

I can’t wait to return to New Zealand and discover more of this wicked country. Next time, I’ll definitely go to Queenstown as well as the North Island.

If you have any New Zealand road trip itineraries, please let me know in the comments! 🙂

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