one week new zealand south island itinerary new zealand travel

This is a New Zealand itinerary for travellers who are pressed for time and only have a week (8 days) to experience New Zealand, in which case you should focus on the spectacular scenery of the South Island.

It is for tourists who want to see beautiful landscapes, as well as enjoying a little wine tasting at New Zealand’s vineyards. There is quite a lot of driving involved in this itinerary but it will be worth it to see the best places to visit in New Zealand.

Here is my one week South Island New Zealand itinerary:

Day 1 – Fly to New Zealand and arrive in Christchurch and drive to Kaikoura (2 hrs). If time allows visit vineyards around Waipara on the way.

Day 2 – Whale watching/dolphin swimming in the morning. Drive to Blenheim (2 hrs) and spend afternoon visiting Marlborough Vineyards.

Day 3 – Drive to Franz Jozef (6 hrs) down the wild West Coast of the South Island. Take your time as you enjoy your New Zealand road trip.

Day 4 – Dawn photos at Lake Mathieson and then take a helicopter ride up the glacier in morning. Drive to Queenstown via the Haast and Cardrona passes in the afternoon (4 hrs) stopping at the historic Cardrona Hotel for a meal or a drink.

Day 5 – Spend two days in Queenstown. From here you can enjoy wine tasting, jet boating, the gondola up to the scenic viewpoint, take the historic steam boat TSS Earnslaw across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station.

Make sure you do a day trip to Milford Sound in Fiordland, where you can do a short cruise on the fjord.

Day 7 – Continuing your New Zealand South Island road trip, drive to Mt Cook (3 hrs), stopping for photos at the head of Lake Pukaki on the way. Take a scenic flight onto the Tasman Glacier.