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Get Out of Your Comfort Zone with New Zealand South Island Road Trip!
A refreshing New Zealand South Island Road trip will make you want to seize the flashbacks and reminisce them endlessly; from the windy gravel paths in Christchurch to the darkest yet exhilarating paths in Mackenzie Basin, you'll discover the most unexpected gem places well beyond what you would have imagined for yourself!
Wade through the 10 Best Places to Visit in New Zealand South Island!
Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson
The protected bays of Abel Tasman National Park are perfect for both cruising and kayaking; you’ll get plenty of fantastic opportunities to see marine animals such as seals and dolphins playing around in these cool waters. If you prefer visiting through the land, the part entails a splendid track to walk around. While exploring the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, you will find yourself amidst the local bushes, beautiful sandstone cliffs, and glistening shorelines.
Tips for Travel
Stay back for the night at the park. To wake up to the sun rising across Tasman Bay would leave you awestruck; this will feel like the yellow bundle of fire changing to a tinge of orange, and then almost tangerine. Even though the day trips to Abel Tasman are splendid, but a night stay will leave even the toughest ones teary.
Plan out your voyage. You can opt for either one of the premium package trips or design one that’s an amalgamation of your favourite spots. A travel period of even a day ought to be enough for trekking and kayaking through Abel Tasman. One of the best features of this park is its accessibility to all disparate spots; this variety is what will add spice to your travel!
Discover your own spot; even during the peak tourism season, it won’t be hard for you to find a sequestered place in Abel Tasman. If it’s not the peak of the tourism season, you might find the whole park to yourself for exploration and amusement.
Stewart Island
If you are a bird lover, gear up because you’re going to find about your next favourite place to visit. Steward Island offers a home to New Zealand’s most diverse and exotic bird communities. On this island, you can identify Kaka, gooney birds, penguins, and even kiwis as you wade through the island. It is a safe dock for rare species such as brown kiwi, blue penguins, coloured-eyes penguins, or tokoeka among the island’s rocks. Within the first 200 kilometers of the track, you will pass through tropical rainforests and beaches to much of your surprise. You can also choose to visit any one of the numerous agencies and discover the island’s hidden diamonds. So if you’re a bird person, a hiker, or merely fans of exquisite diamonds, pack your bags for Steward Island!
Tips for Travel
Gaze over the birds in Ulva Island. Ulva Island is not the kind of destination spot that you would want to miss out on if you’re a wildlife lover. Ulva Island is a glamorous island with a tropical forest that wasn’t explored for millions of years. Because of this, it portrays a perfect picture of what New Zealand used to look like before the humans invaded. This also makes Ulva Island home to a wide array of bird species such as pigeons, kiwi, tui, bellbirds, among many others; the forest rings with the sound of nature!
Go for a hike in Rakiura National Park. This park makes up most of the Steward Island; therefore, the best way to explore your way through it would be to opt for one of the numerous hiking trails. One of the tracks that you can go for is the Rakiura Track that comprises striking huts and tracks. For a route with rugged yet thrilling topography, opt for the Northern Circuit. This is one of the best adventures for a dynamic person.
Fish for the blue cod. Talk to a native of New Zealand, and you’ll find out that the blue cod is the best thing New Zealand has to offer! Walking through the serene breezy island while having fresh blue cod and crispy chips is an experience you wouldn’t want to miss out on. To make the best out of this experience, you can fish for the cod yourself. There are a plethora of fishing charters all over the island. Furthermore, you can never be sure about the vista of wildlife you can discover here.
Cathedral Caves
These caves have a unique feature of low tides around them. The caves are both gigantic and startling; they can be up to 30 meters tall. You can also track from one end to another because they unite at the backs. Furthermore, the walk from the parking through the forests and then to the shoreline is astounding. It, however, should not be mixed up with the Cathedral inlet on North Island.
Tips for Travel
Even though you’d be astounded by the beauty of darkness in these caves, the coastal forest walk along with them should be on your bucket list on this trip. It is utterly lush with gigantic Podocarp trees all over the place. However, be prepared for the abundant rain that you may encounter.
Lake Tekapo
This is an ice-cold lake, produced from the meltdown of an iceberg, and uniquely turquoise blue. It is categorized as one of the ten largest lakes in New Zealand. There are two other lakes nearby Lake Tekapo. So, if you’re a fan of lakes, this should be your New Zealand travel bucket list. Lake Tekapo is found at the center of South Island and is about three hours’ drive from Christchurch.
Tips for Travel
Lake Tekapo is not only famous for its turquoise colour but also for the opportunity of stargazing that it entails. If you’ve ever felt like a tiny spec within a gigantic universe with endless stars, you’d not want to miss out on this. In Lake Tekapo, you’ll be awestruck by the immense sense of association with our universe. It is because the lake is so thinly populated that the sky is clear of any pollution you’d encounter otherwise in a city. It makes the clear star-filled sky even more amazing.
The Catlins
The first thing that crosses the mind of a person who has been to the Catlins’ is the green colour: exotic green rolling landscapes, green bushes, and gigantic green rocks around the waterfalls in the Catlins. The Catlins is also a natural home to animals such as seals, penguins, and numerous other birds. It has beautiful shorelines. The Catlin falls, seashores, and nugget points are some of the astounding spots to be visited. The beauty of these places will take your breath away!
Tips for Travel
If you daydream about sitting on top of a lighthouse with sun emitting radiant glow through the windows while you lay back with fresh lemonade and sandwiches, the Waipapa Point is a definite yes. It also houses various sea lions that you wouldn’t find otherwise. The Waipapa point always provides an abundant experience.
Franz Josef Glacier
Franz Josef Glacier has an interesting history. Julius von Haast led the first European voyage to this glacier and named it after the Austrian leader of the time. The glacier is five kilometers away from the town of Franz Josef. You can reach inside 700 kilometers of the glacier’s terminal surface. You’ll also find warm pools with premium pamper packages within this glacier. There is a wide array of natural wonders nearby Franz Josef Glacier town.
Tips for Travel
Within the town of Franz Josef, you will find plentiful spots to eat or stay. There is also a spot to rest at the Glacier Hot Pools. If you are a travelling fanatic, you can plan a travel to the wildlife center. Franz Josef Glacier offers you a chance to lose yourself within the exotic lakes, falls, and tropical rainforests.
And, if you're under budget-constraints for one of the guided treks at Franz Josef Glacier or helicopter trips, you can always opt from the numerous free trekking trails available around the iceberg. You can always go for a tropical forest hike on the Forest Trail or merely hike to the face of the glacier.
Cooking your food in Franz Josef is one of the best ways to both save up on the money and experience a unique feeling. There are confined restaurants in the region, and because Franz Josef is crowded during the tourism season, you should be prepared for the high prices you'll encounter. You'll be better off cooking your own meals here.
Christchurch
Christchurch is often recognized as one of the world’s most magnificent places to visit. It combines urban redevelopment and progress with tradition, culture, and thought-provoking movements. Christchurch provides an exciting amalgamation of both tradition and development; it’s about time the world discovered its exotic insights. The inner city is jam-packed with beautifully cut-edged architecture near a few of the prestigious buildings in New Zealand. The Hanmer Spring is your must-go spot for a warm soak or Kaikoura for discovering the diverse wildlife. You will find here every kind of beauty New Zealand has to offer!
Tips for Travel
Christchurch is famous as “Garden City” for a valid reason! This is why the Christchurch Botanic Gardens made it through to our travel tips list. It is not only easily accessible through the city but also free. Wade through the rose gardens in these gorgeous botanic gardens with your loved ones!
If you’re on a travel, we’d suggest you learn about the history of the region; it not only enlightens you but also enables you to soak the culture. For this, we recommend the Canterbury Museum; it is the perfect place to learn everything about the South Island’s largest city.
Wanaka
Wanaka is known for its utter, rustic beauty; and for the authentic alpine town along with Mount Aspiring National Park. These are the preferable destinations for navigating the Southern Alps. In winters, Wanaka becomes an energetic platform for skiers and snowboarders; this is because it comprises of four ski ranges within a small drive from the town. Lake Wanaka, on the other hand, is perfect for jet boaters, sailors, and kayakers to explore. Wanaka is a vibrant city bustling with carefree souls, picture-perfect spots, easy access to markets, and tourist location. This makes Wanaka the dream destination!
Tips for Travel
If you’re visiting Wanaka in February, participate in the Tuki Festival! It platforms some of the most exceptional musical talents in New Zealand in an exotic setting at Glendhu Bay.
If you’re at Wanaka, you might as well visit the famous Wanaka tree. The Wanaka Willow is a single tree amid the shore of Lake Wanaka. Talk about feeling isolated!
You can live the cowboy life at Wanaka. A horseback riding trip at the Gold Discovery Trail will reveal a lot about the rustic life in New Zealand South Island.
The Moeraki Boulders
These boulders are amongst the first enchanting terrestrial wonders in New Zealand South Island. These boulders are mostly up to 2 meters in size and can vary up to 3 meters. It took these boulders about 10 million years to develop up to the sizes they have today. Erosion uncovers them on the coastline. You can’t wade through Otago coast without stumbling to ponder over at the Moeraki Boulders - they’re stunning!
Tips for Travel
It’s another great place to have a blue cod. Regardless of your budget, you can make space for fish with crisps while sightseeing the gigantic boulders.
A great place to stay back if you're travelling through Moeraki is the Moeraki Village, Holiday Park. They have motels that are easily accessible to the boulders.
Queenstown
A paradise for travel fanatics, Queenstown could be the perfect way to end your trip along New Zealand South Island. You will be welcomed by the magnificent scenery, crystal clear lake of Wakatipu, among many other fascinating things. It will be the perfect place to set base if you want to explore the southern lakes region.
Tips for Travel
For those who love the adrenaline rush, there are a plethora of activities to take up here, such as bungy jumping, canyon swinging, jet boating, sky diving, to name a few.
With Queenstown's bus and coach services, you can conveniently travel to and around the whole southern lakes region.
If you want to try your hand out at poker, or blackjack, there are numerous casinos available here. So suit up and do experience the liveliness the casinos offer here.
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Be Extensive while Preparing Your Itinerary
If you're visiting New Zealand for the first time, we suggest you do thorough research about the places you can visit here. You will be blown away just to see the pictures of this beautiful country, and there are countless places to be explored. While planning your itinerary, be extensive, and try to cover as many places as you can.