Where to stop on a road trip from Christchurch to Queenstown
A short and sweet itinerary for a drive from Christchurch to Queenstown.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase by clicking a link (at no extra cost to you). This is a huge support to me, thank you!
You can drive from Christchurch to Queenstown in three to four days — two, if you’re in a rush, five if you like to take it easy. The route I’ve outlined below tracks across the Canterbury Plains to the feet of the Southern Alps, covers some of the highlights of the South Island. This is one of the most classic road trip routes in New Zealand.
There are, of course, other ways to join the dots between Christchurch and Queenstown (predominantly via the West or East coasts), but this four day road trip itinerary is the most classic route.
As well as the best places to stop on the drive between Christchurch and Queenstown, I’ve also included my favourite places to eat and get coffee — because without snacks, is it even a road trip?
Car or campervan?
This route is particularly well suited to travelling in a campervan; in some places, like Aoraki Mount Cook and Tekapo, accommodation is scarce and expensive. A campervan gives you much more flexibility (and lets you wake up in the most stunning locations). Check out Big Little Campers for well-designed campervans that are still small enough to maneovre with ease.
Having said that, these days I more often find myself travelling in a rental car. There is a lot to be said for a proper bed and a hot shower. If you’re in need of a rental car, use DiscoverCars to compare prices. I usually just go for the cheapest option, but have had great experiences with both Snap Rentals and Avis out of Christchurch.
Christchurch to Queenstown in five days
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
Driving from Christchurch to Queenstown covers roughly 480 kilometres and takes about 6 hours non-stop. That’s an ideal distance for a three day trip, but I would stretch it to five days — this is one of the prettiest road trips in New Zealand, so the more time you have the better.
Day 1: Christchurch to Lake Tekapo
Day 2: Lake Tekapo to Aoraki/Mount Cook
Day 3: Aoraki/Mount Cook to Wanaka
Day 4: Wanaka
Day 5: Wanaka to Queenstown
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island; as a key entry and exit point, it’s a logical place to start a South Island road trip. There are things to enjoy in Christchurch, but my personal preference is to spend more time outside of cities. Most of the time, if I fly into Christchurch I pick up a car and scoot straight out of town — the airport is on the edge of the city, so it’s relatively easy to make a quick escape.
If you land in Christchurch early, you could pick up a car and head straight out of town. But, if you land later in the afternoon, you might as well stay a night in Christchurch. The town is pretty enough, with some great restaurants, and even though it’s only a three hour drive to Tekapo — the first stopping point on this road trip — it’s nice to have plenty of time to stop.
Stay
Day 1 | Christchurch to Lake Tekapo
Drive time: 3 hours
Sunset by Lake Tekapo
The first leg of this road trip is the least interesting. Driving out of Christchurch you’ll be on long, straight roads without many interesting places to stop for at least the first hour.
The first place worth pulling over for is the Rakaia Gorge (located on the Inland Scenic Route, which adds a little extra driving time — around 15 minutes or so). If you’re in a campervan and unhurried, the Rakaia Gorge Campground is a pretty place to stop for the night. An overnight stay there would give you time to walk the Rakaia Gorge Walkway, a trail I have not yet found time to do (I seem to always be rushing to get to or from Christchurch).
If you’re not in a campervan and still want to stay nearby, there are some beautiful Canopy Camping places in this area; check out The Shepherd’s Hut or the Black Billy Hut.
The next worthwhile stop is Geraldine. I love to stop in at Cafe Verde, a cafe with a gorgeous outdoor seating area in a rose garden. Barker’s Foodstore is another fun stop, with samples for much of the local producer’s range of spreads, jams, relishes, and drink syrups. Then there’s the Humdinger Gin Distillery and the Geraldine Cheese Company — everything you need to put together a great picnic.
I also like dropping into the Susan Badcock Gallery, which is full of local art — you’ll see works by Badcock herself as well as other New Zealand artists. The gallery gift store is stocked with curated ceramics, homewares, and jewellery.
After Geraldine, the next stop is The Fairlie Bakehouse; a legendary snack stop, where you can try New Zealand’s famous pies. Then after Fairlie comes Burke’s Pass, a roadside wonderland that will make you feel as if you’ve landed in another country, in another decade. A handful of retro American stores and cars are clustered around a 1950s petrol station, and Kiwiana memorabilia — it’s as delightfully bonkers as it sounds. With various buildings, including a general store, a 1950s petrol station, a blacksmith shop and a trading store, there are eclectic collectables galore to discover.
Next stop is Tekapo village itself. It’s a three hour drive (without breaks) from Christchurch to Tekapo, so the small town by the lake is the ideal place to stop for the night. I think Tekapo is the perfect stopover town — you only need an evening and a morning there to enjoy it.
The little stone church on Tekapo’s lakefront
It doesn’t take long to see Tekapo’s highlights. Stroll around the lakefront, see the church, then head up to the Mt John Observatory for the best views of the lake and surrounding area. You have to pay to take the road up, or you can hike up for free. Sunsets in Tekapo can be absolutely phenomenal, with blush colours on the lake and mountains in all directions, so it can be worth setting out on this walk in the evening (take a head torch for the way down).
At night you can also join a tour of the pristine night sky — Tekapo is part of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.
Activities
Join a star gazing tour at the Mount John Observatory
Hike the Tekapo Mount John Walkway
Stay
Expect accommodation in Tekapo to be much more expensive than in other parts of the country; it’s a small town that gets a lot of visitors, so demand is high. There are no other towns nearby (except perhaps Twizel, which is less scenic) so Tekapo is the best place to stop in Mackenzie country, even with the higher price for a room. Try and book in advance if you can.
Day 2 | Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
Drive time from Tekapo to Aoraki Mount Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes
From Tekapo, the scenery just keeps getting better. Heading towards Lake Pukaki, you’ll have the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps on your right hand side. Then, when you reach Pukaki, you’ll have a view of the shimmering spire of Aoraki/Mount Cook — the cloud piercer, New Zealand’s highest peak — rising above the far end of the lake.
The drive along the edge of Lake Pukaki towards Aoraki is surreal on a good day; there are superb viewpoints of the mountains ahead, so allow plenty of time to pull over and take photos along the way (viewpoints are clearly signposted).
The national park lying at the foot of Aoraki is quite possibly the single most beautiful place in New Zealand, a land of rock and ice. The sound of rock and ice falls is almost always present, and even in summer ice bergs drift in the glacial lake below Aoraki.
For somewhere so wildly and dramatically beautiful place, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is surprisingly accessible (although it’s worth noting that this easy accessibility and stunning scenery together make Mount Cook a very busy place). One day is all you really need for visiting Aoraki Mount Cook. There are a handful of walking trails to choose from, depending on your fitness and enthusiasm.
If you’re very short on time, you could spend just a half day in Aoraki/Mount Cook; drive from Tekapo, walk one of the tracks, then continue on to Wanaka. However, it’s much better to either spend a night in the village, or close by (in Twizel).
Activities
The Hooker Valley Track is 3 hours return
Sealy Tarns track is around 5 hours return.
Getting up to Mueller Hut and back takes around 7 hours return
Stay
There are hotels and places to stay in Aoraki/Mount Cook Village, but rooms book out far in advance. If you see a room available — snap it up. If you miss out on rooms in Mount Cook Village, you can search for accommodation in Twizel (40 minutes from Aoraki).
I enjoyed Aoraki Alpine Lodge (although any available room in Mt Cook Village works)
FEATURED STAY
Aoraki Alpine Lodge
A basic but very serviceable place to stay, with a great shared kitchen and lounge area. With almost nowhere to eat in the park, having cooking facilities was perfect.
Day 3 | Aoraki/Mount Cook to Wanaka
Rocky Mountain at sunrise, Wanaka
You could use the morning in Aoraki/Mount Cook to walk a short trail you didn’t have time for the previous day. Early morning is when all of the walking tracks are at their quietest, before the day trippers flood the carpark from around 9am. The Tasman glacier lookout is a relatively quick stop on your way out of town; one last chance to enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery.
After enjoying the drive back along the shore of Lake Pukaki, it’s worth stopping in Twizel for coffee. Mint Folk & Co is a gorgeous little locally owned cafe with great food.
The road to Wanaka takes you through the Lindis Pass. The pass is visually stunning. It feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. Tussocked hills rise up around the road and ochre hills stretch into the distance. You can stop at the Lindis Pass Viewpoint to take in the scenery and take some photos.
From the Lindis Pass viewpoint, it’s only one more hour of driving until you reach Wanaka. Not too far, but even so — I like stopping by the Tarras Country Cafe for a snack. It’s a sweet little stop, and they have a few New Zealand classics like lolly cake and cheese rolls in the cabinet.
The Tarras Country Cafe
Stops and activities
Itinerary notes
You could skip straight through Wanaka to Queenstown if you’re trying to get from Christchurch to Queenstown in three days. But, Wanaka does make a beautiful place to break up the trip, and a night here means more time to explore Arrowtown and Cardrona the next day.
In fact, if you have more time, I would spend two nights in Wanaka at the very least, to give yourself time to take on one of the longer hikes in the area, or to simply relax and enjoy the lakes and mountains.
Wanaka is a cool, outdoorsy town, a little more laid back than Queenstown. There are lots of great hikes in the area, and it’s the ideal base for hiking up Roy’s Peak, or heading into Mount Aspiring National Park, to tackle Rob Roy Glacier.
There are also a few lake activities, including the Mou Waho island cruise, which could keep you busy for yet another day.
Stay
Day 4 | Wanaka
Mou Waho Island
Lake Wanaka
Like Queenstown, Wanaka has lake and mountain landscapes, easy access to hiking, skiing, wineries, and restaurants. Wanaka, however, is smaller and has a more laid back vibe. Where Queenstown is hopped up on thrills, Wanaka is more about the outdoors. Instead of Queenstown’s plethora of fine dining restaurants owned by hospitality groups, Wanaka has a swag of food trucks and owner-operated restaurants. Queenstown has a casino and a Louis Vuitton store; Wanaka is the birthplace of Mons Royale adventure clothing, and has an outdoor shop that also serves coffee.
I find Wanaka much more relaxing than Queenstown, so spending a whole day there is very easy to do. Head to Lake Hawea to swim and picnic on the peaceful lake shore, or tackle one of the many hikes in the area.
Stay
Activities
Hike Roy’s Peak, Isthmus Peak, or Rocky Mountain
Head into the Matukituki Valley to hike Rob Roy Glacier track
Take a detour towards the Blue Pools
Enjoy a sunset hot tub at LandEscape Wanaka (also a fantastic place to park overnight in a campervan)
Itinerary notes
You could, of course, skip spending this day in Wanaka and head straight for Queenstown. If you want to check off bungy jumps, jet boats, and other adrenaline activities, you might find more to do in Queenstown.
Day 5 | Wanaka to Queenstown
Drive time around 1 hour 15 minutes
Mt Rosa winery makes a nice place to stop for a platter lunch
Queenstown is only a little over an hour from Wanaka. You can choose from two routes. The first option is to go over the Crown Range Road, past Cardrona and the famous Cardrona Hotel. This is the more scenic route, but the road is trickier to drive – with many a hairpin bend – and often closed in winter.
The other option is to take the low road through the Kawerau River Gorge, which conveniently takes you past some great wineries in the Gibbston region. Some vineyards serve excellent food, so stopping for lunch is a nice option. Kinross is ideal for this, with a good bistro and the best wine tasting in the valley, or Mora Wines closer to Arrowtown has stellar food and a very pretty garden setting.
Arrowtown
Either way you choose to go, you can also stop in at Arrowtown before getting to Queenstown. Arrowtown is only small, and you can wander round the village in an hour or so before going for food or coffee at a local cafe — check out Provisions of Arrowtown or the Fork and Tap.
One of my favourite Queenstown activities slots nicely into an evening in Queenstown – the cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak on the TSS Earnslaw. The coal-fired steamship sails over to Walter Peak station, where we had a gourmet buffet dinner (surprisingly good) and then watched a sheep dog show (spectacular).
From Arrowtown, it’s only 20 minutes further to Queenstown.
Activities
Wine tasting — Kinross is my favourite
Visit Arrowtown
Check out Perky’s Floating Bar for a nice spot to sit with a drink
Stay
Scenic Suites Queenstown (Queenstown centre)
Driftaway Queenstown (Frankton)
Millbrook Resort (Arrowtown)
Queenstown, and beyond
The view from Picnic Point, Bob’s Cove
After road tripping through the centre of the South Island, Queenstown is a good place to settle for a couple of day. There are enough activities in and around the town to keep you busy for 1-2 full days. And there are enough sights in the wider area to keep you occupied for another 1 or 2 full days. If you’re willing to stretch the definition of close to around 2 hours of driving, then Queenstown is close to Glenorchy and Mount Aspiring National Park and Central Otago and all its glorious vineyards.
From Queenstown, you might wish to head to Te Anau for a couple of nights, to delve deeper into Fiordland. Or, you could head towards the West Coast of the South Island, to complete a full loop back to Christchurch (allow another 4 days to do that comfortably).
A quicker way back to Christchurch is to head to Oamaru and the east coast, to see penguins and the quirky steampunk town.
Thank you for reading
You being here is what makes my life as a travel writer possible, so thank you. I hope this has been helpful and you have come away with a better idea of where to stop between Christchurch and Queenstown.
All of the photos and words (and spelling mistakes and other errors) on this page are mine, created without help from either AI or other humans.
My goal is to try and make sure your travels around New Zealand are the best they can be, in exchange for your support. Reading my posts, clicking my links, sharing with your friends; all of this helps me keep doing what I’m doing.
Still have questions about where to stop between Christchurch and Queenstown? Feel free to get in touch to chat about an itinerary planning session. I offer travel consultations to answer all your questions and help design a custom itinerary just for you.
AUTHOR BIO
I’m a freelance travel writer from New Zealand with bylines in National Geographic Travel, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and more.
I’ve travelled up and down beautiful Aotearoa and I love sharing my recommendations for the best places to visit in New Zealand.
This post was about:
READ MORE
