South Island Road Trip
Di is taking in the amazing views at Lake Tekapo on the South Island of New Zealand
Christchurch to Lake Tekapo, and Twizel
New Zealand South Island Road Trip Itinerary
Our plans change constantly while we are traveling. When we first arrived in New Zealand it was not our intent to include the South Island in our adventures. We thought we would be spreading ourselves too thin.
It is, however, amazing what a few days of rest will do for the mind, soul, and body. After about a week with Leighton and Sharon north of Auckland, we started poking at the idea of including the South Island after all.
Click to view larger. Our New Zealand South Island road trip. We started in Christchurch and went clockwise to Lake Tekapo, Twizel, Mt. Cook, Wanaka, Fox Glacier, Greymouth, Nelson, Picton, Kaikōura, and back to Christchurch.
We found reasonably priced flights and car rentals and in the end, the pros beat the cons and we figured, let’s do this while we are here.
Auckland to Christchurch Flight
Thanks, Hannah, for driving us from Lucas Heights to the airport in Auckland. Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes so we camped out with coffees outside of security and worked on the blog for a while.
The flight to the South Island offers stunning views. First of the Tasman Sea as you take off from Auckland and then rolling hills, the valleys, and mountains of the South Island as you approach Christchurch.
It gave us a good glimpse of the landscape we were about to navigate. The flight from Auckland to Christchurch is an hour and a half.
An aerial view of the South Island in New Zealand captured during the flight from Auckland to Christchurch
Christchurch Car Rental
Our car hire in Christchurch was with Ace Rental Cars by the airport. We were picked up by a driver from the rental agency and then drove to the place of the car rental a few blocks from the airport. This was a first for us.
We went as budget-minded as we could for this rental and as a result, we ended up with a bit of a lackluster vehicle. A grey no thrills Nissan Latio. I tried to haggle us into a newer Toyota Corolla but to no avail.
The car ended up being very comfortable and handled the mountain roads perfectly and at times it felt like it had done the loop around the island many times before which I am fairly confident was the case.
Our Nissan Latio rental car for our New Zealand South Island road trip. The photo was captured south of Twizel.
New Brighton
Our first night on the South Island was booked at the Pier Lodge, a cozy B&B a few blocks from the beach and pier in New Brighton about a 25-minute drive from the Airport.
The Pier Lodge was quaint and conveniently located near the beach and as soon as we were unpacked, we set out to explore this small seaside Christchurch suburb.
We traveled in mid-February and while temperatures were quite pleasant being further south than Auckland it felt a bit cooler. On average temperatures on the South Island are 6 degrees Celcius cooler than on the North Island.
The dining room at the Pier Lodge in New Brighton
With Canadian or Danish reference points, New Brighton town, pier, and beach reminded us of Grand Bend in Ontario or Thyborøn on the Danish west coast on a day near the end of the summer season. There was a slow vibe in the town and construction along the beachfront.
We hung out at the pier for a while which was cool as it gave us a splendid view of Pegasus Bay and the surfers below.
Lunch was at “Salt on the Pier”, which we instantly regretted but mostly because we were starving going in and probably went a bit overboard on the menu choices.
A surfer is headed for the waves at Pegasus Bay in New Brighton
Day 2 - New Brighton to Twizel
We were looking at approximately 4 hours in the car, 310 kilometers, 193 miles, for our first day on the road which would take us from New Brighton to Twizel where we had booked a glamping spot for the night.
The scenery reminded us of familiar highways in British Columbia, where we live, and the first part of this leg was reminiscent of farmland around Chilliwack in B.C.
The first leg of our road trip. From the airport in Christchurch to New Brighton where we stayed overnight. Then from New Brighton to Twizel via Lake Tekapo.
In many ways, the drive felt like making the journey from Vancouver to the Okanagan in British Columbia where you travel from the lower mainland and into the mountains.
Lake Tekapo Picnic and Hike
As we got closer to Lake Tekapo there was a slight haze in the air. We pulled over at a convenience store and picked a few items for a picnic lunch by the lake.
You might want to explore the Church of the Good Shepherd which is located right on the shores of Lake Tekapo.
Our rest stop, picnic area, and nap location along Lake Tekapo
The church was built in 1935 as a memorial to commemorate early settlers and is one of the most photographed sites in New Zealand. We came away without any photos of the church but instead had a very nice nap on the shores of the lake.
Mount John Summit Circuit Track - Lake Tekapo
We contemplated hiking up the trail along the lake to the Mount John summit but Di’s knee was a bit iffy and we turned around quickly as we wanted to save the knee for hiking at Aoraki / Mt. Cook the following day. We found out you can drive right up to the summit and chose to do so instead.
The area of Lake Tekapo is well known for stargazing and at the summit you will find the University of Canterbury Mount John Observatory. It is New Zealand's premier astronomical research observatory.
Morten enjoying the spectacular sensation of photographing Lake Tekapo in New Zealand
The Mount John summit is at 1,029 meters, 3,376 feet, above sea level and offers spectacular 360-degree views of the mountains and of course Lake Tekapo and the town below. There are marked trails and for the more adventurous, one trail is 8.9 kilometers, 5.5 miles long.
We did a circular loop that took us around the summit while taking in the breathtaking views along the trail. It was very windy at the top and the linticular cloud formations in the distance absolutely mesmerizing.
Lenticular cloud formations over the mountains near Lake Tekapo on the South Island of New Zealand
Lake Tekapo is a stunning turquoise blue and it must be one of the most beautiful displays of color we have ever laid eyes on.
The whole experience cannot be missed if you find yourself in this part of the world. There is a cozy little restaurant at the summit and we wrapped up our visit with coffee and ice cream.
The light for photography this afternoon was miraculous and we decided to chase it for a while longer by driving up the west side of the lake before turning around and setting the GPS for Lake Ruataniwha Holiday Park in Twizel.
Lake Tekapo on the South Island of New Zealand
Ruataniwha Holiday Park in Twizel
We booked two nights a the Ruataniwha Holiday Park in Twizel and paid $62.00 per night for a cube cabin. The cube cabin has two sets of bunks and a table in the center but that is it.
Showers, toilets, and kitchen facilities are shared but of a good standard and in line with what you would expect at a campground.
We had a small table and chair unit outside the cabin that made for a perfect spot to enjoy our dinner. We bought groceries at a local supermarket and cooked our dinner in the shared kitchen.
The Ned Pinot noir was recommended to us by Josh and was excellent even if served in coffee cups.
Can we recommend the Ruataniwha Holiday Park? Take a look a the photo below :)
Read the next post from our South Island road trip:
Dinner and wine at Lake Ruataniwha Holiday Park
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The photos in this article are made using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R - XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Capture One Express. I used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos.
