A New Zealand South Island street journey ought to be on the bucket listing of each journey or panorama images fanatic. From stunning seashores, wild shoreline, and epic glacial fjords to the snow-capped Southern Alps, it may be arduous to plan a visit that takes all of it in. That’s why I’ve finished the arduous give you the results you want!
New Zealand South Island Map – Street Journey Itinerary
New Zealand South Island Street Journey: 11 Epic Images Spots
Most guests to New Zealand’s South Island fly into Christchurch or Queenstown, nevertheless, in case you are together with the North Island in your journey, then chances are you’ll take the ferry into Picton. This New Zealand itinerary runs from the Northern tip and is generally round in an anticlockwise course, so you can begin and finish at your comfort. And don’t overlook there are countless choices for facet journeys off my marked route!
1. Wharariki Seashore
On the very high of the South Island, you will discover this secluded and huge seashore, tenting is offered inside strolling distance or you possibly can decide to remain in a lodge a brief drive away. One of the best time for images here’s a sundown to seize the rock formations and the massive sand dunes. Wharariki Seashore can be residence to New Zealand Fur Seals that may assist you to get shut sufficient for some epic wildlife photographs.
2. Nelson Lakes – Lake Rotoiti
Even in case you solely cease briefly on the Lake Rotoiti carpark you’ll be rewarded with an incredible view. The traditional shot at getting right here is of the jetty searching throughout the lake with the steep mountain sides towering on both facet of your body. Be warned, the climate can depart the entire place coated in fog for days at a time!
3. Punakaiki Pancake Rocks
These unusual rock formations present an attention-grabbing topic for a seashore panorama shot. As they’re on the west coast, it would be best to hold round for sundown to get the perfect mild.
4. Lake Matheson
A brief stroll round this small lake leads you to among the finest views of New Zealand’s highest peak, Mt Cook dinner. The lake is understood for offering an ideal reflection of the mountains, so long as the water remains to be. Early morning often offers the perfect circumstances right here.
5. That Wanaka Tree
New Zealand’s most well-known and most photographed tree earned its personal hashtag for a great purpose. A lone willow tree protruding of lake Wanaka proper within the township itself makes for an incredible {photograph}. Attempt a lengthy publicity right here to make the water look silky clean.
6. Roy’s Peak
This traditional New Zealand view requires a little bit of a hike, however it’s properly definitely worth the effort. Place your topic on the level, and they’ll look tiny on this epic panorama. It may well get crowded right here with everybody wanting the identical shot, however the hike supplies loads of related viewpoints.
7. Milford Sound
Most likely probably the most recognizable New Zealand view comes from Milford Sound. Deep darkish water and big steep mountains rising from the deep make it straightforward to get superb panorama photographs right here. A ship or kayak journey is a good way to get a distinctive perspective, and chances are you’ll even be fortunate sufficient to identify dolphins.
8. Moeraki Boulders
One other peculiar rock formation, this time on the east coast. The superbly spherical ‘boulders’ are greatest photographed at sundown with lengthy publicity to assist them stand out from the seashore.
9. Mt Cook dinner village
The drive as much as Mt. Cook dinner village can have you stopping each 2 minutes with a brand new view to {photograph}. On a transparent day, among the finest photographs is alongside the coast of Lake Pukaki, with a protracted lens to make the mountain bigger in your body.
10. Arthurs Cross
This needs to be one among New Zealand’s most scenic drives. Greatest photographed in Winter or Autumn when the peaks are snow-covered, there are numerous alternatives for photographs of epic highways and bridges amongst the wilderness.
11. Kaikoura
Kaikoura is the capital of whale watching in New Zealand and in addition has resident seals you can get near. Take a ship journey and take a look at for a shot of a whale or dolphins with the mountain peaks within the background.
When do you have to go?
The South Island can present superb images in all seasons, however for my part, winter/autumn is the perfect time to go to when the mountains are coated in snow. Fringe seasons might be barely cheaper when it comes to lodging, and the roads are stuffed with camper vans and tour buses in the summertime.
How a lot time do you want?
For journey images, you will want to be versatile with instances because the climate is notoriously unpredictable right here. Enable your self additional days to attend out the wet days once you need that good view. I might recommend a minimal of two weeks to get round the entire island comfortably and to present you time for unplanned facet journeys.
Aspect journeys are a should right here…
Driving the primary highways, you’ll virtually continually come throughout indicators promising waterfalls and viewpoints, and you need to completely comply with a few of them. One of the best street journeys embrace getting a bit misplaced and following gravel roads simply to see what’s on the finish. Simply be warned; New Zealand is riddled with gravel roads that appear to go on ceaselessly!
How a lot will it price?
Hiring a camper van is the perfect and commonest method of getting round. This lets you cease wherever you need, and a great community of campsites in virtually each city supplies bogs and kitchen amenities for a small cost. High 10 Vacation Parks has many campsites all through the Island. In case you have the finances, you possibly can simply drive between bigger cities every day for higher lodges, however these can get costly in vacationer scorching spots resembling Wanaka.
For the finances acutely aware, benefit from the nations ‘freedom tenting websites. It is a community of parking areas which can be accessible freed from cost for ‘self-contained’ automobiles solely (which means you must have a rest room onboard). Some freedom campers have given the apply a foul title by littering the areas, and this has rubbed locals the incorrect method, so make sure that to take all of your garbage away with you!
Tenting
It’s a large no-no to camp in an undesignated spot in New Zealand as a result of littering and the massive numbers of vacationers that go to every year.
If you happen to pitch a tent illegally, you possibly can count on to get up to a ticket slapped in your tent or worse, be woken in the course of the night time and advised to maneuver on. As a substitute, make use of DOC campsites which often have a rest room on-site; you should buy a go that’s legitimate in any respect South Island campsites, excluding the busy huts in vacationer scorching spots at www.doc.govt.nz
New Zealand South Island Street Journey | Conclusion
One of the best recommendation I can provide you is to be versatile. The climate will thwart your plans, and chances are you’ll discover a facet journey that you just need to spend a day exploring. That is all a part of the enjoyable! You by no means know what chances are you’ll discover in New Zealand’s South Island.