New Zealand South Island is one of the most beautiful places in the world. My hubby and I did a 9-day road trip in late November with our two kids, my mom and my younger sis. My daughter was just 7 months old then. Despite having three generations of family members on this trip, it was not difficult at all to plan a trip suitable for all of us because New Zealand is such a great place for family vacations.
Here is our New Zealand South Island itinerary. Click on the links for more photos and details.
New Zealand South Island Itinerary
Arrive in Christchurch and check-in at Antonio Motors Lodge. Groceries shopping at Countdown supermarket. See family accommodations in Christchurch.
DAY 2: CHRISTCHURCH – DUNEDIN
Drive through the sublime landscapes of Canterbury, picnic at Caroline Bay in Timaru and see the Moeraki Boulders in Oamaru. Check in at the New Zealand Farm stay in Dunedin Silver Peaks Lodge.
DAY 3: DUNEDIN
Visit Cadbury World to see how chocolates are made and go ga-ga over the variety of chocolates available for purchase. Enjoy a spectacular scenery at Larnach Castle and Gardens. See the colony of Royal Albatross at the Otago Peninsula.
DAY 4: DUNEDIN – CATLINS – TE ANAU
Depart Dunedin and drive along the Southern Scenic Route to see Kaka Point, Nugget Point, Surat Bay, and Purakaunui Falls. Drive to Te Anau and check-in at Anchorage Motel.
Take a boat cruise to see the Milford Sound Fiordland. Drive through the Hommer Tunnel and stop by Lake Manapouri before heading to Queenstown to check in at Sherwood Manor Hotel (see Accommodations in Queenstown).
DAY 6: QUEENSTOWN
Have a fun day out in Queenstown. Take the Shotover Jet for the ultimate jet boat experience. Stroll through Arrowtown and enjoy delicious scones. Visit Kawarau Bridge to watch people bungy jump. Dine and shop at Queenstown Mall.
DAY 7: QUEENSTOWN – TEKAPO
Bungy Jump…yes, I was crazy enough to do it. Picnic at the crystal clear Lake Wanaka and visit the Puzzling World. Visit 2 more stunning lakes – Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo. Check-in at Tekapo Holiday Homes. (Accommodations in Tekapo)
DAY 8: TEKAPO – CHRISTCHURCH
Visit The Tin Shed for shopping and farm animals before heading to Christchurch. Check-in at Antonio’s Motor Lodge. In the evening, get a glimpse of Maori Culture at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.
DAY 9: CHRISTCHURCH – SINGAPORE
Quick tour of Christchurch on the Christchurch Tramway before heading to the airport.
View 9 day New Zealand South Island in a larger map
Hi, I am thinking of doing a very similar itinerary to your 9D South island trip with my family (2 kids 5 and 3 yo). We are looking at 12-14 days in total. In ur opinion, for a family w kids, will it be better to spend more time in queens town (& surrounding places like arrow town, wanaka) or in lake tekapo & christchurch? Thanks!
Hi Rebecca, there are a lot more activities and places to eat and shop in Queenstown. You should take a look at the activities that you want to do together as a family and then see how many days it will take to complete them. However, if you just want to relax with your kids while enjoying amazing landscapes, I suggest spending more time in Tekapo. I love how serene and peaceful Tekapo was and I wished I had spent an extra day there. You can see stars at night and even the milky way! If I had 12-14 days, then I would want to spend 3-4 nights in Queenstown, 2 nights in Tekapo, and 2-3 nights in Christchurch. The rest will be the same as my itinerary.
I just saw ur reply. Thanks! From my search online, it does appear queens town and tekapo region has more for the family. 🙂 Now it seems my in laws will be coming along too! U had a large group travelling together also, what car did u rent? We would need a 8 seater MPV, do u have a car rental company to recommend? Sorry for all the questions!
Hi Rebecca, Apologies for the late reply. I had to dig through my albums to see whether I still kept the information. I booked the car rental from http://www.anzed.co.nz.
Hi,
Which month did you do your NZ South Island roadtrip?
I am going in mid Dec and is worried on the amount of cold clothings to bring along.
Thanks
hawk
Hi, New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere, which means that it will be summer in December. Temperature will be about 20-25 degrees Celsius. We went in late November which was towards the end of Spring.
dear rosie
thank you for sharing your trip. it was inspiring! my husband and i are planning to travel with our 2 yo and our folks to south next march. may i know if the gas station and restaurants are available all places while on the road? we will be driving from Christchurch to Dunedin but concern about running out of gas and food to feed the little one.
happy holidays!
Hi Chai Ling, there are definitely petrol stations along the way especially in towns, but not so close together. I would recommend using a GPS device or smartphone, or Google maps to find the stations.