Best things to do on South Island, New Zealand- Ultimate Guide 2024
South Island Things to do
Updated on March 2024
I’m so excited to talk and share about South Island, New Zealand as I love this part of New Zealand. I fell in love with this place a few years ago when I got an opportunity to work and live in Mt Cook Village for 9 months. Also, South Island is where it got me (a city girl from Taiwan) hooked on hiking, nature, and everything outdoorsy <3
South Island has so much to offer, and a lot of it involves being active and outdoorsy. So many varieties that cater to all types of travelers. You can easily find things that are cheap or free to do, or you can splurge on some unique and amazing activities; which you will not regret, as the saying goes, “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”.
For people who are very active and energetic, there are tons of hiking trails and great walks for you to explore and conquer. And for those who are seeking some adrenaline rush activities, there are many options as well.
If you’re wondering, what if I’m not a good hiker, or what if I’m not the most active person. No need to worry, there are still so many trails and things that would suit you. As long as you enjoy looking at jaw-dropping landscapes, scenery, and surroundings; you will love and enjoy what South Island has to offer! There are too many things to choose from, the only thing you need to worry about is not having enough time!
*The easiest and most convenient way to travel around South Island is by driving, it allows you to be more spontaneous. Also, there’s not much public transportation in most parts of South Island, and flights or buses between towns/cities can cost a lot!
I have another post about Detailed Ultimate Travel Guide to New Zealand, it provides many tips for traveling around New Zealand!
In a rush? Save it to read later 🙂
Explore Aoraki Mount Cook
I absolutely love Mount Cook, like I mentioned earlier this is where I fell in love with New Zealand and everything outdoorsy. I highly recommend planning this in your South Island itinerary regardless of how long you’ll be on South Island, New Zealand.
Walk the Hooker Valley Track
It’s an easy 3 hours return track, with three spectacular swing bridges along the track. It is suitable for basically everyone. You will enjoy the view of Muller glaciers, Hooker Lake, and the majesty of Aoraki Mount Cook; bring a phone or camera as you will definitely want to capture everything you see here!
Also, be mindful that Mount Cook Village is very cold and rainy during the wintertime, so layers and layers of clothes, and a waterproof jacket are highly recommended. Even in summer, it can get chilly on some parts of the track, so it is always a good idea to have a jacket with you!!
The track starts on the White Horse Hill Campground, it is around 10 minutes drive from where your accommodations will be in the Mt Cook Village. Or there is a walking trail leading to the start point near the iconic Hermitage Hotel, which is around a 30-minute walk.
You don’t need to own a pair of professional hiking shoes, normal day running shoes would be more than enough. Bring a light jacket during Summer time with you as it can get quite windy throughout the walk, and bring plenty of water to stay hydrated!!!
Spend a night at Muller Hut
Spending a night up on the mount is a dream, waking up to the most breathtaking view and sunrise. And where better to do that than in the most beautiful place in New Zealand. Sadly, I’ve never gotten around to doing it due to a lack of good shoes and slippery track. 🙁 But everyone I know that’s stayed overnight at the Muller Hut has absolutely loved it!!
Explore more amazing things to do in Mount Cook Village 🙂
Glacier Heli-Hike
To access the Tasman Glacier you’d usually have to be an experienced mountaineer, but this tour allows mostly any healthy people that have basic fitness to join!! This is probably the only way you’ll be able to hike on the glacier and embark on this amazing adventure 🙂
So If you have some budget to spend on activities, then book this spectacular Tasman Glacier Heli-HIke. I was lucky enough to join the tour for free as it was part of the benefits of working in the village. But, I would not hesitate to splurge on this if I needed to! It was one of the best experiences I had. It is a 3 hours experience, which will suit you up with all the essentials and gears, and your experienced guide will take you on this unforgettable journey. You’ll enjoy a scenic flight first, and begin your hike to witness the spectacular ancient glacier treasure.
I can’t recommend enough of Heli-Hike, it is worth every penny!! There are also Heli-Hike tours in Franz Joseph or Fox Glacier. I haven’t done it myself but know for a fact that it is a huge thing there; and have heard lots of good things about it. Nicole here from Travels and Wandering has done the glacier hike in Fox Glacier, check out what she has to say about it 🙂
So you can choose to do it there as well; wherever you choose just make sure you do it somewhere!!
↓↓ Explore and book your adventure now ↓↓
Take a Scenic Flights
Enjoying the South Island, New Zealand beauty with a helicopter or ski plane is an experience that will wow you and imprint into you for a very very long time. What’s more amazing than admiring the view from above, and forgetting literally all the stress in your life for one moment. There are so many scenic flights on South Island to choose from, with different places, different lengths of time, or packages.
There are different destinations that you can choose to fly to from Queenstown, the popular ones including Milford Sound, Fiordland, or the west coast. You can choose to fly over to some beaches, or go up high to the alp and enjoy the thrill of landing on snow!
Awesome scenic flights that take you up to experience the glacier, and snowy mountains are where it’s not accessible by day-to-day hiking. One of the best ways to have an unforgettable experience in Mt Cook. On a helicopter or ski plane, you’d get a spectacular view and land on glaciers.
Franz Joseph/Fox Glacier Scenic flights
Another place where it offers amazing glacier landing flights, the spectacular views you’ll see are pretty similar to what you’ll see if you take the scenic flights from Mount Cook. As this trip will also take you around Mount Cook, as well as land on some glaciers.
↓↓ Book your scenic flights NOW ↓↓
Scenic Flights tours are heavily impacted by the weather conditions, and they can be canceled last minute if the wind/weather turns out bad. My recommendation is to arrange those tours in the early days of your itinerary, so you’d still have the chance to reschedule it to later dates of your trip. (As most of them would offer a reschedule if the weather condition isn’t good enough to operate.)
Stargazing
One of the best free things to do on the South Island has to be Stargazing. I mean all you need to do is to tilt your head up and you can enjoy a sky full of stars (obviously on a clear night lol). Lake Tekapo or Mount Cook is your go-to place if you want to see a sky full of stars and a clear milky way. They are inside New Zealand’s biggest dark sky reserve region, and wow you will be amazed by it; I know I did when I first witnessed it, I had no word. Just stared at the sky nonstop for 10 minutes!!! The amount of shooting stars I’ve seen within these 9 months living in Mt Cook is more than everywhere in my whole life.
You might even witness the Aurora Australis- Southern light if you are lucky enough.. This is mainly seen in the southern part of South Island which includes places like Queenstown, Dunedin or Lake Tekapo etc.. And winter is your chance, especially between June to August. So if you’re traveling to NZ during winter, this is something you should try catching! Head out in a clear night sky!!!
There are also many stargazing tours if you’re interested in exploring the night sky with a professional telescope, or learning about astronomy and Maori legends 🙂
Lake Tekapo: Chameleon Stargazing Tour
Small group
Affordable
Photographer service to take pictures for you
Tekapo Springs: Stargazing and Hot Pool Experience
A unique experience to explore the night sky with a soak in Hot Pool
Guided Stargazing tour with interesting storytelling
Mount Cook- Hermitage Hotel Stargazing Tour
Enjoy some fresh Salmon
Head out to the High Country Salmon Farm near Twizel. It is a popular stop to explore and stop over for road trips and enjoy some fresh salmon or varieties of salmon meals. I keep going back to this place every time I’m on South Island, if you love salmon; this is somewhere you need to visit. They raised their own salmon so it’s still extremely fresh when they sell it.
You can feed the salmon out on the deck while enjoying some amazing views!
Visit the beautiful lavender field
Wandering around fields of lavender, inhaling the smell while enjoying the lavender ice cream. Imagine how relaxing that would feel, and how many photos you’d be able to snap and show your friends or family back home. They also have a small gift shop where you can buy your souvenirs from 🙂
Open December- March
Price: $5NZD (Free if spend over $30NZD at their shop)
Located 30 minutes away from Mount Cook, and 40 minutes from Lake Tekapo.
Open year-round
Price: $7-$15NZD
Approx 5 minutes drive from Wanaka Lakefront, and an hour from Queenstown
Spot the world’s smallest penguins
Little Blue Penguins, also known by their Maori name “ Kororā ” are the world’s smallest penguins, they are only 30cm tall. They can be spotted in the coastal mainland or islands of NZ and Southern Australia.
They are only on land at night, between January to March they will remain ashore for around two weeks for their annual molt. They are the cutest. My heart melted when I saw them in Australia. Never got around to seeing them in New Zealand, and I will keep going back until I do.
You can spot them around Marlborough Sounds, Akaroa Harbour, Oamaru, Dunedin, and Stewart Island.
You will be guaranteed to see little penguins from a short distance 🙂
Learn how to fly in Wanaka
Looking for some unique experience or some thrill. Dream to become a pilot but reality got in the way? Don’t look further, this is where you want to visit! Have a chance to fly your very own aircraft. OMG, how amazing does that sound, forget the normal scenic flights!! You don’t need to have any prior experience, they will guide you through everything. So seriously what’s the holdback?
They have different lengths 20, 30, or 60 minutes options to choose from. If normal scenic flights are too mundane for you, then this is what you need!- Click here to check availability and book now
Hiking Roy’s Peak Track
One of the most popular tracks on South Island, New Zealand. I’m sure every hiker has Roy’s Peak on their bucket list before visiting Wanaka. It is considered a difficult track, where it takes patience as the whole hike is quite similar; there is not much change. And it’s after around a 1-hour hike you’ll start seeing the amazing view. The track is 16 kilometers (10 miles), and usually takes around 6-8 hours to complete.
I remember before I hiked Roy’s Peak, one of my friends told me that I have to continue after the famous viewpoint (which is where most people stop and turn back). Which I did, I climbed another 30 minutes to get to the actual summit point of Roy’s Peak. I am so glad I took my friend’s advice, as it is a lot less crowded up there and you can have the place basically to yourself.
Wear comfortable hiking shoes if you own one, me and my friend were wearing normal hiking shoes in the early wintertime. While it is possible as we finish the whole track, my nails were quite bruised up after the hike, and took us longer as there was snow on the ground; and it was too slippery for our shoes (Especially at the later part of the trials). The view is amazing as it is, the snow just made it 100% more amazing.
It gets windy on the top, so always carry a jacket regardless of the seasons you’re visiting. Wear like an onion, meaning LAYERS!! So you won’t faint from the heat, or freeze. Also, bring plenty of water and some food as you would need to stay hydrated and energized!! Imagine having a picnic while admiring the amazing scenery on the top of Roy’s Peak. What a dream!!!
Many people also go for the sunrise and sunset, which is on my bucket list to do!!
Explore the Omarama Clay Cliffs
Wandering off the beaten path, and admiring some unique, spectacular views is probably one of the best things to do on a road trip. This clay cliff is around 20 minutes drive away from Omarama and 30 minutes from Twizel. Come explore these ancient clay cliffs that were formed million years ago, sound pretty impressive aye!
The views are amazing enough from the outside, and which only takes you a few minutes to walk along a path that leads you to the clay cliffs. The exciting part is that you can venture into the cliffs and explore them, and have a little adventure yourself! I ventured into a few cliffs, and they were all very amazing; it takes you to different viewpoints so you can admire the cliffs from different angles. Regardless of how you would like to explore the clay cliffs, this is worth a visit!
Be mindful if you want to venture into the cliffs, those tracks are not the most maintained and most have loose rocks. As this was a spontaneous trip, I was wearing running shoes and jeans which wasn’t a good idea. If you know you’re going to come here, remember to bring shoes with a good grip, and wear good stretchy pants. It’s also a good idea to bring spare clothes to change into, as I was quite muddy after exploring the clay cliffs. (I think it has a lot to do with the fact I was wearing jeans, so some parts of the track I was sliding down with my butts lol).
To start exploring you would need to pay a donation of $5 in cash in the donation box before the entrance, which they use to maintain the area. So make sure you have cash with you when you’re visiting!
Blue Pools- Mt Aspiring National Park
Another gorgeous destination to visit during a road trip. As suggested by the name, the water is very very blue and clear- No filter is needed 😉 I always come back to this place when I’m road-tripping on the South Island. It’s an easy one-hour return track, leading you to this amazing Blue Pools; there are two swing bridges, and the second one is served as a “viewing platform”
You have to go down near the blue pools and try swimming in the crystal clear water. One thing to note before you dive in; the water is freezing!! I went in the water during January (mid-Summer), it was so cold my whole body was red when I came out hehe. But it is still a pretty cool experience, and I would not hesitate to dive in again 🙂 If you’re bold enough and seeking some adventure; you can jump off the swing bridge and dive into the Blue pools. I didn’t have enough courage to jump, so I was just looking at others and wishing I was that brave haha!
It is an hour’s drive from Wanaka, and along the way you will see Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea, making it a very pleasant drive! Before you know it, you would have reached your destination!
Big Swings in Queenstown
Looking for adrenaline pump activities, or want to test your limit. This is the best place for you to do so. Get ready to be amazed and experience the most thrilling things in life!! I’m currently still building up my courage to take on those activities, lol! It has been on my bucket list for as long as I have been in the country, which is 5 years now.
The most exciting thing to do in New Zealand.
Queenstown, New Zealand has the world’s biggest swing, the “Nevis Swing”; it’s big, it’s thrilling, and it will make you scream! I hope whoever’s reading this will have more courage than me to take on this challenge. Share how to find it below with me 🙂
Milford Sound Cruise
Well, no doubt this is one of the top tourist destinations on South Island, New Zealand. Famously described by Rudyard Kipling as the ‘eighth wonder of the world. It is freaking stunning, gorgeous, and just absolutely breathtaking. And one of the best things to do in New Zealand. I’m pretty sure everyone who has been here will recommend this destination, as I’ve heard so many good things about here before I went. And after I went myself, I instantly understood what the hype is about.
Take a cruise and explore the amazing wonder of the world. If you’re on a budget, a day cruise is amazing enough and will guide you to waterfalls, fiords, and spots some wildlife. The captain is very passionate and always announces it when there is wildlife. I’ve seen some dolphins and seals along the way 🙂 Most people choose to do a one-day road trip from Queenstown, which is around 3-4 hours’ drive each way; which a lot of people choose to do. There are tours run from Queenstown if you don’t feel like driving long distances within one day, the bus will take you to Milford Sound
If you have more budget to spend; an overnight cruise is pretty amazing too. I’ve never done that yet, but when I was working at hotels, a lot of guests told me how much they enjoyed the overnight cruise!
I went mid-Summer, and the cruise can get windy and chilly so wear layers; bring a jacket to be safe! Also, if the condition allows, the captain will drive the boat close up to the waterfall; you will get wet if you choose to stand outside while this happens! I chose to stay outside, and it was such an amazing experience.
↓↓ Explore and book your Milford Sound Cruise NOW ↓↓
Try the Trio “Ferg” Family
Fergburger, Mrs Ferg Gelateria and Fergbakery. Three iconic must-eat places in Queenstown, which I’m almost 100% sure if you know Queenstown, you would have heard of the famous Fergburger.
I’m not a burger fan, but it wouldn’t be right if I left this place out of my recommendation. So give it a try yourself and let me know what the hype is all about. One thing I do know is the burger sizes are bigggg! And it’s the best place to go when you’re out drinking as they open till very late, especially on the weekends!
What I can really recommend is the Fergbakery, I LOVE IT!!! They have varieties of pies, croissants, sweets, etc… I really liked their chocolate almond croissants. And unlike other bakeries, they open till late to fill your late-night cravings!
Road trip around South Island
The perfect way to travel around South Island, New Zealand is by road trip, you can either rent a campervan or a car to drive around. There are so many awesome South Island road trip itineraries. And the scenery along the way is breathtaking, and will make you want to stop many times to capture the moment!
A campervan is the best friend for people on a budget, as you save the cost of accommodation. There are many overnight campervan/ tent sites. And it is a very popular style of travel in New Zealand. I don’t have much experience camping on South Island, but I love camping on North Island!
Driving is definitely the easiest and most convenient way to travel around South Island, renting a car is a super easy and fast process. There are many options to explore, and many websites like Rentalcars to compare prices. I really recommend snap rental, as they have very good deals and insurance packages. Always go with the most comprehensive insurance to save possible headaches on the trip; this is coming from personal experiences!!!
Summary and Travel Tips
I try to only recommend things and places I’ve experienced personally, so I can share my most honest thoughts! Traveling to New Zealand is one of the best-unplanned things I’ve ever done, especially on the amazingly beautiful South Island. I loved my time living on South Island, and once you’ve been there you will understand why I love it so much 🙂
At least spend 1 week on South Island, so you have time to drive around one part of the New Zealand Christchurch-Queenstown Road Trip (or the other way around), it is going to feel very rushed though with only one week, but still possible as I did it twice!
Two weeks is a good amount of time to explore South Island and appreciate its beauty. And you can add in more stops in-between, to reduce the drive per day.
And if you get a chance to spend more than a month on South Island, then you’re in luck; you will be free to explore this amazing destination and wander off the beaten track. If you’re traveling internationally, starting your road trip from Christchurch or Queenstown is the most common as that’s where the international flight lands on South Island. There are so many things to do on South Island, you’ll never run out of ideas!
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