The South Island

Queenstown

Fly into Queenstown Fly into Queenstown, rent a car, and enjoy the ski town vibe and vibrant blue lake views. You will want at least a few nights in Queenstown to see everything! We started our Queenstown journey taking the Skyline Gondola up for some spectacular views! Queenstown has some spectacular 5-star hotels so if you want to splurge check out the top 15 Queenstown hotels. We enjoyed driving around the lake, seeing a Kiwi at the Kiwi Birdlife Park | Queenstown, and checking out the adorable Arrowtown which is extremely charming with shops and restaurants.

Roy’s Peak This is a hike, literally, to get to but it’s so worth the view if waking up early for a sunrise hike is something that interests you! The hike can be crowded as it’s a picture perfect postcard moment in NZ, but once at the top you can spread out and soak in the expansive views. This is a pretty intense hike too so only do this if you feel up for that!

The magnificent Roy’s Peak

Mount Cook National Park

Mount Cook National Park It’s time to check out of lux Queenstown and head straight into nature. We stayed in a charming airbnb in Twizel that was a perfect basecamp for all we wanted to do in the region. We started off on the iconic drive into the National Park passing by the bright turquois Lake Pukaki, which is definitely worth a stop or two while driving. Once in the park hit the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint trail and see a real life glacier! Tasman Lake and River are also very scenic with that signature icy blue and we could see even closer up huge chunks of the glacier that had chipped away.

Mount Cook National Park We spent two separate days here since there was so much to see and do! Day 2 in the park head to the Hooker Valley Track which is a longer hike than Tasman Glacier. This hike will take you through winding valleys and you will get up close and personal with Mount Cook! This was my all time favorite hike in New Zealand because each turn is another breathtaking panorama and you can see a different glacier here as well! On the trail first stop at the Lake Muller Lookout, cross some suspension bridges (not high for those scared of heights) and make your way to the end at Hooker Lake. We spent a lot of time at Hooker Lake and ate our packed lunch here, watching the clouds change around Mount Cook or Aoraki was mesmerizing! So stunning!

Dark Sky Reserve & Lake Tekapo After a full day of hiking, on your drive back make a detour to Lake Tekapo. Here you will find Lupin flower meadows surrounding the beautiful blue lake, the Church of The Good Shepard which finds its way on many tourism stops for its charming location, and a Dark Sky Reserve! The Dark Sky Project hosts tours that will take you to an observatory or around the Lake with an expert. I adored seeing jut how dark it really is out there and how many starts you can see! Try your hand at astral photography!

Hot Springs & Helihike! This day was absolute perfection and you’ll see why! Head to Tekapo Springs and your body will thank you after so much hiking and going non-stop in New Zealand. The spring water pools are different temperatures for a full wellness experience. We got cleaned up and my (now) husband told me we were going to dinner. Little did I know - we were heading to Mount Cook Heliworks to ride in a helicopter! We took a scenic flight then were dropped off to a mountainside picnic with the most epic view. My husband got down on one knee right there and proposed! If you have a special occasion to celebrate, I can’t recommend Heliworks enough, they do glacier treks as well as the mountainside picnic and other awesome tours. They are world class and cannot thank them enough for making my proposal amazing!

Milford Sound

Milford Sound Its time to see some Fjords! Pack up and depart the Mount Cook region and head for Te Anau where you will want to stay just outside Fjordland National Park. There are more fjords than just Milford Sound, but they require a helicopter or plane ride and are much more expensive to get to. Because of their remoteness though, it’s well worth the ticket price for those that can afford it! We hit the road for Milford Sound early since there is one way in and out and it can get crowded depending on the season. Book a boat tour, we chose Cruise Milford because it was smaller and could get closer to the points of interest than some of the larger boats. It rains often here, which can be a plus because the waterfalls come to life! Get ready to see penguins, seals, dolphins and other wildlife as you cruise down a stunning fjord towards the ocean. This is a must do to finish off you New Zealand vacation!

Lake Marian Head back to Fjordland National park and stop at the Lake Marian Track trail entrance. This was a fairly difficult hike but it was gorgeous once we reached the top, Lake Marian is a crystal clear snowmelt alpine lake that creates a beautiful mirrored reflection of the mountains above. The hike runs through a mossy rainforest which was also very interesting for what is a snowy mountainous region!

Want more? Check out The Ultimate New Zealand Itinerary!