Where to go in the South Island
Unforgettable destinations to add to your South Island itinerary
Disclosure: This page has affiliate links, which means I may make a commission if you buy via those links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support.
The South Island – where to begin. Maybe I’ll start with the mountains, the giant, raw mountains that form a rough seam down the middle of the island. I come from the North Island, where the highest points are the pointy tips of old volcanoes, so the size and sweep of the Southern Alps leaves me awestruck every time. There’s a raw sense of adventure I feel when I’m on the road heading towards those mountains, the tarmac unfurling through tussock-covered foothills towards the promise of rocky peaks and river valleys ahead.
After the mountains? There are the coastlines of course, running up and down the long, thin island. The West Coast is my favourite, beaches of pebbles and driftwood, which people scrape together into bonfires in the evenings, watching the sunset and embers glow. The golden beaches around aptly named Golden Bay and Abel Tasman are wonderful too, and although the East Coast beaches tend to be a little less dramatic, they are home to sea lions, penguin colonies, and Hector’s Dolphins. Kaikoura, in the north east, is where sperm whales skirt the coast all year round, and dusky dolphins put on acrobatic displays you can watch from the side of the road.
And I can’t talk about the South Island without bringing up the lakes. Queenstown is right on the edge of Lake Wakatipu, and just over the Crown Range is Lake Wanaka and its neighbour Hawea, a lake of pure crystalline blue which is one of my favourite places to swim in the whole country. Drive to Aoraki/Mount Cook and you’ll be blown away by bright blue Lake Pukaki. Lake Tekapo is a deeper cobalt blue and every bit as beautiful.
I could keep going, listing fjords and hiking trails and glaciers, but you probably get the idea; the South Island is all about the wild beauty of nature, each direction offering something different.
Hi, I’m Petrina, a New Zealander with a great love for road tripping my country. I haven’t done everything in the South Island, not even close — you will never get me to do a bungy jump or canyon swing — but I have seen a lot of Te Waipounamu. I’ve driven up and down the entire South Island and still can’t get enough of the hikes, lakes, forests, and camping.
This is a collection of my favourite destinations in the South Island, including must-sees and unique places to visit.
It’s not an exhaustive list of South Island attractions, but a curated look at what someone who loves food, culture, and the outdoors might enjoy.
Some of the best South Island adventures
Cruise overnight on Doubtful Sound, Fiordland
Doubtful Sound is, like Milford, actually a fjord. Its Maori name is better – Patea, which loosely means ‘place of silence.’ It isn’t completely silent there; it’s only devoid of human-made noise, aside from the occasional boat motors. But even those go quiet from time to time.
My most treasured memory of Doubtful Sound was on the second day of the overnight cruise, when the captain powered down the engines and asked everyone on board to stand still, to resist the urge to click a camera shutter, to not even whisper. For 10 minutes, the boat drifted in the still water and all we could hear was the sound of waterfalls making their way down the rock cliff faces, and birds singing their songs freely, joyously, across the water.
Reaching 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the head of the fiord to the Tasman Sea, Doubtful is three times the length and 10 times the area of Milford. It’s also much less visited, which makes it – at least to me – a more beautiful experience. The overnight trip on Doubtful Sound includes snacks, meals, kayaking, and swimming, as well as commentary from an enthusiastic nature guide. It’s an immersive adventure into wild Fiordland, and one of the best things I have done in New Zealand.
Kayak the coast in Abel Tasman National Park
With golden bays strung out along a coastline rich with native forest, Abel Tasman National Park is an epic place for camping, hiking, and kayaking. The Abel Tasman Coast Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks, runs along the coast. You can hike the whole thing in up to five days, but the coastal nature of the track means you aren’t limited to seeing it on foot. A combined hiking and kayaking trip is a great adventure; I went on a three day trip, with two days spent kayaking and one hiking, with nights spent in campgrounds right on the beach.
Hike on Franz Josef glacier, on the West Coast
The view of Franz Josef glacier, from Alex Knob
Franz Josef glacier and Fox glacier are twin rivers of ice on the West Coast of the South Island. The glaciers are unique as they flow into rainforest, once nearly to sea level. Usually, to see a glacier, you have to make it into alpine terrain. In Franz Josef, the glacier is visible is just a short walk from a tourist village right on the main highway through the region.
Despite the massive loss of ice in the past decade, both glaciers are incredibly impressive. The area is still one of my favourite places to visit in the South Island.
The premier activity in Franz Josef is hitching a ride on a helicopter up onto the ice. This was my first time in a helicopter, and first time walking on a glacier. Stomping in cramponed feet on the ice was surreal, with crevasses, ice caves and views out towards the sea.
Funyak the Dart River in Mount Aspiring National Park
A trip up the Dart River in a jet boat, then down again in an inflatable canoe, is one of the best days out you can have from Queenstown. Paddling down the river is a fun way of taking in the landscapes in Mount Aspiring National Park. The glacial blue water of the Rock Burn river, where you’ll stop for lunch, is vivid and shimmering. If you’re brave, jump in. The cold and beauty together will leave you breathless.
Epic landscapes and views in the South Island
Queenstown, the South Island’s adventure hub
Queenstown lakefront, early morning
Queenstown is New Zealand’s adventure town, located on the shore of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the Remarkables mountain ranges.
The town is famous for bungy jumps, jet boats, sky dives, and many other activities designed to get your heart racing. It’s not all adrenaline, though; I love visiting Queenstown for the excellent hiking nearby, the wineries in the region, and the sheer beauty of the mountains.
Queenstown is quintessential New Zealand, distilled into one wildly beautiful, fast-paced, and occasionally hectic place.
With a busy airport, Queenstown makes the ideal start or end point to your South Island trip.
Sealy Tarns in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
You could pick any walk in Aoraki/Mount Cook and be confronted with views of the grandest scale; the Hooker Valley Track, which leads to a glacial lake studded with icebergs, at the foot of Aoraki, is one of the most popular short walks in the country for a reason. But, if you’re willing to tackle the many, many steps up to Sealy Tarns, you’ll get what I think is an even better view of the mountains, the moraine, and the opaque green of glacial lakes.
View of Fox Glacier from Gillespie Beach
You can admire the twin glaciers of Fox and Franz Josef on the West Coast from walks, heli-hikes, and helicopter flights, but my favourite view is from Gillespies Beach. There’s something so incongruous about seeing a glacier (albeit in the distance) while standing on a beach.
Wanaka’s lake and mountain views
Located at the intersection of the roads to the West Coast, Queenstown, and Aoraki/Mount Cook, Wanaka is an ideal stopping point for South Island trips — especially for lovers of the mountains. Roy’s Peak is the most popular hike near Wanaka, but Isthmus Peak and the trails in Mount Aspiring National Park are equally enticing (and far less crowded).
Related
Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park
Laid out along the remote southwestern edge of the South Island, Fiordland National Park encompasses deep fjords gauged into the coast by glaciers of eons past, dense beech forest layered with moss that renders everything emerald green, and enigmatic lakes of unfathomable depths.
Fiordland is a wilderness so vast and deep I have no doubt there are many parts of this millennia old ground that have never known the tread of human feet, and almost undoubtedly never will. So wild and unknowable is this place, there are even rumours of moose roaming the mountains.
Milford Sound, a fjord at the end of a long and narrow highway winding through Fiordland National Park is the most accessible, and the most recognisable, part of Fiordland. It also might be the most famous place in the South Island.
The deep, dark sound, presided over by the iconic Mitre Peak, sets the stage for boat cruises on the inky water. Expect to see wild waterfalls, dolphins, seals, and penguins along the way.
The night sky in Tekapo
Tekapo is a small village alongside a lake of the same name; a lake of exceptional, striking blue. It’s an area of great natural beauty, but one of the most compelling reasons to visit involves looking up, not out. Lake Tekapo sits within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, making this the epicentre of stargazing in New Zealand. You can, of course, look up at a pristine night sky in many parts of our largely unpopulated country, but in Tekapo you can do so with a guide explaining what it is you’re looking at.
Hokitika Gorge, on the West Coast
The pastel blue water of the Hokitika Gorge is exceptionally pretty, flowing as it does between pale rocks and thick forest. A gentle loop track offers several viewpoints for admiring the gorge, including swing bridges and a small beach.
Wharariki Beach, Golden Bay
The Archway Islands, off the coast of Wharariki Beach
Wharariki, located on the northwest coast of the South Island, is a vast stretch of windswept beach. The beach is famous for its view of the Archway Islands just off the shore – you might recognise this view from a Windows 10 background. Seals clamber over rocks strewn along one end of the beach, and seabirds wheel overhead. It feels truly remote, and is spectacular at sunset.
The Catlins
The Catlins are the wild, wooded coastal corner of the lower south eastern South Island. On a road trip from Dunedin to Invercargill, you’ll get to see some of the South Island’s true hidden gems.
The area is famous for the picturesque Nugget Point Lighthouse, short walks to waterfalls, and remote bays.
Along this stretch of coastline you’ll find some epic campsites — if you’re travelling in a campervan, you’ll love the untamed feel of this part of the island.
A highlight is the Purakaunui Bay Campsite, a coastal campsite located at the foot of tall cliffs.
Punakaiki
For pancake rock formations and jungles that feel almost tropical
Punakaiki is a small village on the west coast of the South Island, right on the edge of Paparoa National Park.
The drive from Greymouth up to Fox River is one of the most scenic drives in the whole country. The Pancake Rocks are one stop, but it’s worth heading up this way to enjoy the incredible coastal scenery.
The Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes walk is a 20 minute loop around a well-maintained track. It can take a lot longer though, if you linger to admire the curious limestone formations.
The rocks have been weathered in such a way they resemble stacked pancakes. Set against the backdrop of the forested West Coast, these rock formations are an impressive sight.
The blowholes are fun too — at high tide, water surges through the rock caverns and bursts upwards into the air.
Another highlight of Punakaiki is the Porari River Trail.
The track follows the boulder-studded river through thick nikau forest. It’s a gorgeous walk, and you can stop and swim at a number of points.
The track eventually reaches the Inland Pack Track, and you can either turn around and head back or make a loop by following the Inland Pack Track around to where it exits by the Punakaiki River.
The Porari River Trail is the final section of the Paparoa Track, so you get to experience one of the main highlights of this Great Walk.
The best hikes in the South Island
The Routeburn Track
If only one walk could be singled out as perfect in New Zealand, it would most likely – in my eyes – be the Routeburn. How could it not be, when the trail traverses not one, but two national parks. It’s no wonder this is one of New Zealand’s 11 Great Walks. The 32 kilometre, 2-4 day track can be walked in either direction. The Routeburn Shelter trailhead is 1.5 hours from Queenstown, just beyond Glenorchy in Mount Aspiring National Park. The Divide is 1 hour from Te Anau on the road to Milford Sound, in Fiordland National Park. Between these two points, the trail encounters bright blue rivers of glacial melt, alpine basins ringed with craggy peaks, and glades of plush moss and trees draped in lichen veils.
Key Summit
If the weather is clear, Key Summit is easily the best half day walk in Fiordland. The views from the top are panoramic (but, Fiordland is not known for clear days). The track is the very tail end of the Routeburn track, so it’s very well graded and easy underfoot. Keep an eye out for the impressive tree fuschia (and occasional kaka feeding on them) at the start of the track. The trail climbs steadily to reach the view point, around one hour up, then loops around past alpine tarns and bogs. One thing to note is that the carpark from where the Key Summit track starts – known as The Divide – has mobile reception, which is scarce or non-existent for long stretches along the Milford Road.
Lake Marian
It’s a 3 hour return hike to Lake Marian, but it’s a more difficult hike than Key Summit, which is of similar length. The track to Lake Marian climbs over slippery rocks and through gullies. It’s a physically demanding hike. The view from the top makes it worthwhile, though; Lake Marian is a beauty, a deep green expanse cradled by rock cliffs. This is a good option if it’s too cloudy to appreciate Key Summit, as the lake is still beautiful even if you can see the very tops of the mountains.
Related
What to do in Te Anau
The most beautiful stops on the road to Milford Sound
Alex Knob
I recommend starting this hike early – at first light, if you can. The carpark right at the trailhead is small, and fills up fast. If you don’t get a park there, you’ll need to park in the main carpark (which now costs $5 an hour) and walk an extra 45 minutes to reach the trailhead. Starting early also means you have a higher likelihood of seeing the glacier sans cloud, as weather is generally better in the morning.
The Queen Charlotte Track, Marlborough Sounds
The Marlborough Sounds are a series of drowned valleys at the top of the South Island. The watery maze of sounds is divided by green ridges of land which shelter calm bays and hide beautiful walking tracks. One of the best ways to explore the Marlborough Sounds is to walk the Queen Charlotte Track. If you want to dip a toe into multi-day hiking in New Zealand, without needing any hiking gear and with the opportunity to sleep in a real bed each night, this might pique your interest.
The Queen Charlotte hike is a multi walk through the Marlborough Sounds. It’s a beautiful trek and accessible to hikers of different fitness levels, as you can send your overnight bag to your next stop via water taxi. You can also spend the night in lodges along the trail, instead of the typical backcountry huts you encounter on overnight hikes in the South Island. That means that after a day of walking through lush native forest and skirting around turquoise bays, you can have a hot shower, a real bed, and enjoy a meal at a waterfront restaurant.
FEATURED STAY
Hopewell Lodge
For a peaceful retreat before or after the Queen Charlotte Track, I highly recommend Hopewell Lodge. The setting is incredible. I loved swimming and kayaking from the lodge and enjoying the feeling of being away from it all.
Where to go to see wildlife in the South Island
See whales, dolphins, and seals in Kaikoura
If you want to spot wildlife, Kaikoura is one of the best places to go in the South Island.
Sperm whales live off the coast all year round, and from June to July you can also see humpback whales as they migrate north away from Antarctica’s freezing waters. Dusky dolphins also hop along the coast in great numbers, while on the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway you can see seals lounging around rocks in impressive numbers. Choose from whale watching flights or boat trips, kayaking or swimming with seals, and swimming with dolphins.
FEATURED STAY
Sudima Kaikoura
This hotel is right on the waterfront, opposite Dolphin Encounter and walking distance to both town and the seal colony. I loved the minimalist, scandi decor, and having breakfast while watching the sunrise from the dining area.
Spot the world’s smallest penguins in Ōamaru
The Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony (managed by Tourism Waitaki, the regional tourism organisation) is a conservation success story. This colony of little blue penguins made Ōamaru their home when they moved into an abandoned rock quarry. They weren’t immediately welcomed; in the 1980s, the town’s leaders wanted the intruders evicted.
Fortunately, passionate locals managed to convince the council to establish the site as a protected breeding area, and a tourism operation. The vision was to use visitor revenue to fund the ongoing protection and monitoring of the colony. And it worked. When surveys began in the early 1990s, there were only around 33 breeding pairs. In 2026, 263 pairs laid nearly 900 eggs – the total population is growing by around 8% a year.
The experience of watching the little blue penguins coming home after a day of fishing at sea is one of the coolest wildlife encounters you can have in New Zealand, made even more special knowing you’re helping to support such a successful conservation operation.
Visit the Royal Albatross Centre in Dunedin
Out on the rocky, exposed tip of the Otago Peninsula is the world’s most accessible albatross colony. The giant birds, with wingspans of up to three-metres, usually make the most remote islands their home; here, you can see them only an hour’s drive from the town of Dunedin. The Royal Albatross Centre runs a visitor centre and tours to the Albatross Observatory, which let you see the mighty royals from a glassed-in viewing observatory.
Kayak the precious wetland of Okarito Lagoon
Part of Westland Tai Poutini National Park, Okarito Lagoon is New Zealand’s largest unmodified wetland. It’s easy to see what a rare and special thing that is. More than 76 species of birds thrive on the lagoon, including the ethereally beautiful kōtuku/white heron.
To fully appreciate the lagoon, and the rich birdlife that lives there, go for a paddle around the lagoon with Okarito Kayaks. I loved gliding across the calm waters, and exploring the tree-lined creeks feeding into the lagoon, while spotting wading birds admiring views of the Southern Alps.
South Island wine
There are four main wine regions in the South Island; Nelson, Marlborough, Waipara, and Central Otago. My favourite of these is Central Otago, which has small-scale, boutique wineries in a stunning landscape. It’s also easily accessible on a day trip from Queenstown. Marlborough is more famous but wineries in that area tend to be large operations
Kinross, Queenstown
The gold standard of wine tasting in the Gibbston region near Queenstown, Kinross produces its own wine, but the cellar door incorporates tastings of five other boutique local wineries. That means you can journey through the region in one sitting. What really makes the tastings at Kinross memorable, though, is the passion in the delivery. The team at the architecturally beautiful cellar door are unfailingly enthusiastic, with deep knowledge of the area that they are keen to impart.
Rippon, Wanaka
Rippon has what must be one of the best views of any New Zealand vineyard, overlooking Lake Wānaka from a garden lined with lavender bushes. Tastings are free, but you’ll need to book well in advance via Rippon’s website, as spaces are limited and in high demand.
Arbour restaurant’s wine pairing, Marlborough
My favourite way of experiencing Marlborough’s wines was through the wine pairing at Arbour Restaurant. They chose exclusively wines from the region, and in many cases from vineyards walking distance from the restaurant. When matched with dishes equally focused on local provenance and seasonality, it made for a lovely way of getting to know the region.
A few of the best places to eat in the South Island
There’s plenty of game meat in the South Island – hunting wild deer, goats, and even tahr is a popular pastime – and also abundant seafood. Bluff, a tiny town at the very bottom of the island, is famous for oysters, Kaikoura for crayfish, and Marlborough Sounds for green-lipped mussels.
Dinner and a farm show at Walter Peak
A steamship more than a century old, the TSS Earnslaw guzzles coal on a cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station. Disembarking there is optional, but I highly recommend it. The buffet meal served at Walter Peak is excellent, and it’s followed by a farm show of smart and dedicated sheep dogs showing off their herding skills.
Hapuku Kitchen
At Hapuku Kitchen, owners Fiona Read and Chris Sturgeon teach and share the pleasures of growing, gathering, and cooking food. Cooking school students can harvest much of what they need for a cooking class from the property's impressive orchard of fruit and nut trees, alongside the herb and vegetable gardens. The rest comes from local producers. Half and full day experiences give guests the chance to cook and savour seasonal dishes that reflect Kaikoura’s food story.
Mapu
Mapu is a chef’s table type experience where you get to dine with Giulio Sturla, who prepares food in front of a small gathering of six guests, in a dining experience so exclusive you have to buy tickets months in advance. Sturla treats the kitchen as a creative playground; dishes change seasonally, and he tells stories about where ingredients have come from as he prepares each one.
Sheffield pie shop
Sheffield is a blink-and-you-miss-it town on the road to Arthur’s Pass, but it’s a favourite stop with locals thanks to the Sheffield Pie Shop, which has been slinging pockets of hot, flaky pastry for more than 40 years. It looks like a humble enough little bakery from the outside, but the steady stream of people pulling over and beelining for the door is a tip-off that these are some of the best pies in the South Island (I think they edge out famed Fairlie Bakehouse but the only way to decide for yourself is to try them both).
Hokitika sandwich shop
This might be the best place to get a sandwich on the West Coast, possibly even the South Island – they really are that good. The deli-style sandwiches are made with focaccia baked fresh by a local baker; fillings include free range and local meat, cheese from South Island makers, seasonal and organic greens, and condiments made in-house daily. There’s a good chance you’ll have to queue, but it’s worth the wait.
Quirky and unusual places in the South Island
Steampunk HQ, Oamaru
An interactive exhibition of retro-futuristic sci-fi sculptures crafted from repurposed industrial junk, Steampunk HQ is housed in a standalone stone building at the entrance to the Victorian Precinct. A coin-operated steampunk train sits out the front, ready to belch flames and steam on command. Inside things get even weirder, culminating in the transportive light display of The Portal.
FEATURED STAY
Poshtel
Each of Poshtel’s 16 quirky rooms is individually decorated to a different theme – mine was the fly fishing room, with vintage rods and fish memorabilia tacked to the wall.
The Lost Gypsy Gallery in the Catlins
Describing itself as “a fantastical museum of automata art,” the Lost Gypsy Gallery is an interactive artistic wonderland populated with creations by Blair Somerville. Winding handles and pushing buttons is encouraged; marvelling at the amount of imagination in the gallery is unavoidable. Entry to the gallery is the best $10 you can spend in the Catlins.
Takaka and Golden Bay
Tākaka, the main town in Golden Bay, has an artistic, bohemian vibe. Along the main street you’ll find art galleries, small shops selling locally crafted jewellery and ceramics, and hippie clothing stores. It’s an out of the way area – you have to drive over a steep and winding hill to get there – so it feels like its own unique slice of the South Island. Beyond Takaka, one of my favourite stops is the Historic Langford Store & Post Office, which has been open since 1928. Inside are shelves lined with retro and vintage homewares, along with classic lollies and homemade jams.
Maruia Hot Springs
Maruia Hot Springs are one of the few naturally thermal hot pools in the South Island, and easily my favourite to visit. The setting has an element of the fairytale. Something about driving the narrow Lewis Pass road, following twists and turns through the dark beech forest until the isolated thermal pools suddenly appear out of the mist.
Cut off from mobile reception and miles from the nearest town, the spa has a zen-like atmosphere that feels a little strange at times, but staying in the glamping pods, with 24/7 access to the springs; stargazing from the pools, or bathing first thing in the morning, feels like a forest spa retreat.
Thank you for reading
All words (and typos and other errors) are my own, based on my own travels.
During my time on the road, I’ve found many wonderful places — galleries, restaurants, viewpoints and more. I’m sure you’ll find others. If there’s somewhere you think I should know about, contact me at hello@petrinadarrah.com, so I can share with other travellers in future work.
If you’re disappointed with one of my recommendations, I’d love to know that too; places change, or close, so I appreciate updated information.
Thank you for supporting my work – you being here lets me keep doing what I love to do, which is explore New Zealand and share it with others. So a heartfelt thanks for reading.
READ MORE
