Five Day Itinerary: New Zealand's South Island

Welcome to New Zealand, one of our favorite countries in the world! With spectacular scenery such as glacial lakes, mountains, and fiords coupled with wineries and epic hikes, you will never run out of amazing things to see and do here. Choosing where to go in New Zealand is the hardest part of planning a trip here! During our visit, we visited the Central Otago and Fiordland regions located on New Zealand’s South Island which has some of the country’s most stunning scenery. With this five day itinerary, explore some of New Zealand’s best!

About New Zealand’s South Island

The South Island of New Zealand is renowned for its natural beauty with snow capped mountain peaks, dramatic fjords, and beautiful lakes. While the South Island is larger than the North Island, the North Island is more densely populated.

With limited time, it is best to focus on one or two areas to visit to avoid overloading your itinerary. During our time in New Zealand we visited the Central Otago and Fiordland Regions of the South Island, as shown below on the map:

This itinerary will focus on two areas: The Central Otago region, located in the middle of the South Island, and the Fiordland region, located on the southwestern part of the South Island.

The Central Otago Region

The largest city here is Queenstown, known as the adventure capital of the world. Bungee jumping was born here and remains one of the best places in the world to do it. For even more adventures try jet boating and hiking in the summer months and skiing in the winter. Adventures aside, the area around Queenstown is also a great place to kick back with a relaxing boat cruise, a visit to the region’s many wineries, and spa time with a massage and soak in hot pools.

Queenstown airport (code: QZN) is the international airport serving the region. This is the airport we flew in and out of from Sydney, Australia.

Beyond Queenstown, head to Wanaka, just one hour away. This is where we based for our time in the Central Otago region and Wanaka remains one of our favorite towns in the world!

Fiordland

Fiordland is home to Fiordland National Park, one of the most beautiful areas in all of New Zealand. With snow capped mountains, spectacular waterfalls, and captivating fiords, exploring Fiordland is a must while in New Zealand. The town of Te Anau makes a great place to base while visiting this area of New Zealand. We really enjoyed this remote and vastly beautiful part of the world.

Five Day Itinerary: South Island, New Zealand

This Itinerary Includes:

Wanaka, New Zealand:

Hike Roy’s Peak
Visit a vineyard and winery
Wanaka Lavender Farm
Lake Wanaka

Te Anau, New Zealand:

Drive Milford Road
Cruise Milford Sound
Te Anau Glowworm Caves
Hike the Kepler Track

This is a “what we did” itinerary, which makes it easy for you to follow along or tweak and adjust based on number of days you have or your specific interests. For more in-depth information on each place, see the linked articles. These individual guides share lots of info, planning tips, and photos! For our visit to New Zealand, we came from Sydney, Australia, so we were already adjusted to the time change. If New Zealand is the beginning of your adventure, consider a day or two in Queenstown to acclimate before driving to places further afield.

DAY 1

On Today’s Agenda:

Arrive in Queenstown, pick up rental car, drive one hour to Wanaka
Check in to lodging
Get groceries
Visit Nanny Goat Vineyard
Visit Wanaka Lavender Farm

Upon arriving in Queenstown, we picked up our rental car and set out to drive about one hour north to the lovely town of Wanaka. The views on the drive were incredible! We stopped at lookouts a few times to take in the views. Welcome to beautiful New Zealand!

Driving from Queenstown to Wanaka

NOTE ABOUT DRIVING: Driving is on the opposite side of the road and opposite side of the vehicle from the US in New Zealand. This coupled with the very windy roads makes it imperative that you take it slow and careful!

Once we arrived in Wanaka and checked in to our lodging, Lakeside Apartments, we walked to the New World Grocery Store. With groceries in tow, we walked back to our hotel to drop the groceries off before heading out for a wine tasting.

We reserved a wine tasting at Nanny Goat Vineyard for 4:00 pm, the latest tasting of the day.

Nanny Goat Vineyards

During the wine tasting, we picked five local wines over the course of our tasting while taking in the peaceful scenery around us.

A lovely wine tasting at Nanny Goat Vineyards

We picked two bottles of our favorites to take back with us. Doing a wine tasting at Nanny Goat Vineyard was a relaxing way to end the day.

On the way back to town from Nanny Goat Vineyard you will pass the Wanaka Lavender Farm. If you have time, stop in for a visit. The setting is beautiful with the smell of luscious lavender wafting through the air.

Wanaka Lavender Farm

This evening, we grilled dinner at our apartment and paired it with a newly acquired bottle of wine from Nanny Goat Vineyard. We enjoyed this delicious New Zealand meal outside on our deck watching the sun set over the Lake Wanaka. What a great first day!

DAY 2

On Today’s Agenda:

Hike Roy’s Peak
Rest and recharge
Dinner at The Water Bar
Take in a movie at Cinema Paradiso

Today we were up early, packing our hiking bags and preparing a picnic lunch. We had a big hike ahead of us today!

We arrived at Roy’s Peak car park around 7:40 am. While the first lot was already full, although we found parking in the overflow area just beyond the main lot.

View of the parking lot and overflow areas | Roy’s Peak

The hike up Roy’s Peak is about 10 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 4,000 feet. It took us exactly 5 hours and 55 minutes, including several short rest breaks and a 30 minute picnic break at the top. Hiking Roy’s Peak was one of our best adventures in New Zealand. The views of Wanaka and the Southern Alps are absolutely incredible and made the difficulty of the hike well worth it.

Scenes from hiking Roy’s Peak

We go in depth on the hike including stats, things to know before you go, as well as lots of photos in our article on Roy’s Peak, linked below:

READ: Our comprehensive guide, Hiking Roy’s Peak in Wanaka, New Zealand: A Photo Journey, documents our entire hike up and back down the mountain with stats, helpful tips, things to know before you go, and lots of photos.

After our hike, we were exhausted so a rest break was necessary! Building in time to recharge is imperative when traveling. Not only do you get much needed rest, but time to reflect on the great things you have seen and done!

In the late afternoon, we walked to The Water Bar for an early dinner. We enjoyed our meal paired with New Zealand wine while taking in the lovely views of Lake Wanaka. After dinner, we walked about 15 minutes along the gravel path that runs along Lake Wanaka.

Lake Wanaka

We came to a small crowd on the gravel beach and knew we arrived at #ThatWanakaTree! Yes, this lovely willow tree has its own hashtag, thanks to its popularity on social media. When we visited in the evening, it was low tide so #ThatWanakaTree was on a small isthmus of land leading into the Lake Wanaka.

In high tide it looks like #ThatWanakaTree is floating in the water, a beautiful scene for sure.

# ThatWanakaTree

After a couple minutes of snapping pics, we walked back to town as we had a movie time to meet at Cinema Paradiso.

Cinema Paradiso is a small, cozy cinema located just behind the New World grocery store.

Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso features an array of movies with popcorn, candy, sodas, and local wines available from the snack bar.

Cinema Paradiso, a fun movie theatre in Wanaka

What makes Cinema Paradiso unique is that around the halfway mark the staff stops the movie and calls intermission. This is the time to collect the fresh baked cookie you pre-ordered before the movie started. Simply line up at the concession counter, turn in your ticket, and collect your cookie. Then return to the theatre for the remainder of the movie!

Cinema Paradiso

This was a great way to spend the evening after such an active day. We loved the local wine and fresh cookie while watching the American movie, A Complete Unknown, with locals in New Zealand!

Our two days in Wanaka were over as we left the next morning. As sad as we were to say goodbye to such an awesome place, we had more adventure ahead!

DAY 3

On Today’s Agenda:

Drive from Wanaka to Queenstown
Onsen Hot Pools, Queenstown
Lunch: The World Bar, Queenstown
Drive from Queenstown to Te Anau
Check in to hotel
Dinner: Redcliff Cafe

We departed Wanaka, a place we came to love, but had more adventures ahead in Te Anau. Our first stop on the drive from Wanaka was back to Queenstown where we enjoyed some pampering at Onsen Hot Pools.

Onsen Hot Pools in Queenstown

Onsen Hot Pools has received many accolades as a top spa in Queenstown. “Onsen” means hot pools in Japanese, although these hot pools offer a “Kiwi twist”, as they remain at 38.5 degrees Celcius, perfect for year-round enjoyment. The hot pools are part of the Soak & Spa packages, which is what we did.

Onsen Hot Pools

The 45 minute soak in hot spring water while taking in the views over the Shotover River was a great way to start the day.

Jet Boat on the Shotover River

Next, it was time for a massage, which was one of the best massages we ever experienced! This was especially appreciated after our 10 mile hike the day prior!

When we were done with our experience, we relaxed in the comfortable lobby with tea and chocolate. The entire experience from beginning to end was fabulous!

We ate lunch in Queenstown at the World Bar, a nice spot for an outdoor lunch. From here it was a two hour drive to Te Anau.

Upon arrival into Te Anau, we checked in to our hotel, Radfords on the Lake, unpacked, and headed out to dinner. The feel here was quite different from Queenstown and Wanaka. It is a much smaller town with a very laid back feel. It definitely felt like we were in the far reaches of the planet!

The view from Radford’s on the Lake

Dinner tonight was at a special place, Redcliff Cafe. The restaurant is in a quaint and unassuming house with various rooms as dining spaces. There is also a nice biergarten out back, where many families were hanging out. Our meal here was phenomenal! We both remarked that it was one of the best meals we have ever had.

A delicious meal at Redcliff Cafe

Redcliff Cafe’s claim to fame is the fact that the Lord of the Rings crew dined here frequently during filming. The high quality dining experience coupled with the Lord of the Rings connection definitely made the experience here memorable!

DAY 4

On Today’s Agenda:

Drive Milford Road, allowing for many stops!
Cruise the Milford Sound
Lunch: Picnic at Cascade Creek
Te Anau Glow Worm Caves
Dinner: Water Bar

One of the most popular places to visit in New Zealand is the Milford Sound, and taking a day cruise is the best way to see it. The drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound is along Milford Road, with many worthwhile stops along the way. When I checked in to our hotel, the proprietor shared a map, highlighting all her recommended stops from Te Anau to Milford Sound. This was very helpful as we narrowed down our stops.

MORE INFORMATION ON MILFORD SOUND

We have a full guide on driving Milford Road with all our stops as well as our experience cruising Milford Sound: Guide to Cruising Milford Sound + Driving Milford Road

The drive on Milford Road from Te Anau to Milford Sound takes approximately two hours without stops. We played it safe, giving ourselves three hours and it worked out perfectly. We had plenty of time at the stops we planned out and arrived at Milford Sound with enough time to park and walk to the visitor’s center before our cruise.

Stops along Milford Road on the way to Milford Sound

When we arrived at the visitor’s center, we checked in with Real NZ, the company we booked our cruise with, and retrieved our boarding voucher. We then joined the line that had formed to board the cruise.

Milford Sound Cruise

While cruising the Milford Sound you see beautiful waterfalls trickle down the majestic verdant mountains and massive cliffs jutting into the sea.

Cruising the Milford Sound

Keep your eyes out for sea life as seals and penguins frequent the area. During the cruise we saw seals sunbathing on a rock!

A seal in the Milford Sound

Cruising through the fiords to see the spectacular scenery is a must if visiting this part of New Zealand.

Milford Sound

The three hour cruise came to an end and we arrived back at the boat dock where the cruise began. From the Milford Sound, we headed back to Te Anau, driving the same way we came in on Milford Road.

One thing to note while driving in New Zealand is the inevitable road stops for crossing sheep!

A relatively common occurrence in New Zealand – sheep crossing!

This can delay a good 20-30 minutes, as was our experience on two different occasions!

Along our route we had a lovely picnic lunch at Cascade Creek along Milford Road. What a beautiful location for dining outdoors!

Cascade Creek, a lovely picnic spot

In the late afternoon, we had another reservation with Real NZ, this time for a tour of the Te Anau Glowworm Caves. To reach the caves, our tour began with a 30 minute cruise across Lake Te Anau.

The boat we took across Lake Te Anau to the glowworm caves

Upon arrival at the dock, we disembarked and were split into groups of 12 where our guide led us on a path to the cave entrance.

The beach we arrived at to enter the glowworm caves

In the cave, we walked quietly on the walkways, listening to our guide talk about the glowworms we would soon be seeing. We arrived at our boat and began our journey through the cave. In the distance we could hear rushing water from waterfalls within the cave.

Looking ahead into pitch black darkness, suddenly small glowing lights came into focus. It was a surreal experience, as we got closer to the glowworms. Our guide told us that everyone’s eyes see the glow worms differently. Some people see white, some see blue, and some see green. For me, what looked like a sudden display of constellations were little blue lights on the cave wall and ceiling. As we completed our tour, we were all mesmerized at this amazing natural phenomenon.

We were guided out of the cave to the nature center to the back deck area where he talked about the flora in the area.

The nature center at the glowworm caves

I appreciated the educational aspect and how it was an immersive learning experience. We weren’t simply shown the glowworms in a quick cycle through the cave, rather the guides took their time to explain the flora and fauna of the area and answered many questions about the glowworms.

The last part of the tour was in the nature center where we all enjoyed complimentary coffee or tea while another guide took us through the life cycle of a glowworm. All in all it was a great experience and I cannot recommend it enough!

Dinner tonight was at the Explorer Bar, located at the Distinction Hotel. Our hotel proprietor highly recommended it and we had a great dining experience. The location is fantastic, with beautiful views looking out over Lake Te Anau. The Distinction Hotel has a large on-site restaurant, MacKinnon’s, however our hotel proprietor recommended the Explorer Bar over it for its quiet and quaint atmosphere, which we appreciated as well.

The Explorer Bar | Te Anau

Not only was the atmosphere great as well as the views, but our server was fantastic and the food phenomenal!

DAY 5

On Today’s Agenda:

Hike part of the Kepler Track
Lunch: Picnic at Brod Bay Campsite
Visit the Fiordland National Park Visitor’s Center
Movie at Fiordland Cinema
Dinner: Water Bar (again!)

Our morning began with hiking part of the Kepler Track, a popular multi-day hike in Te Anau. We planned out our hike to take us to the Brod Bay Campground, about 3.5 miles in, have our picnic lunch, and then hike back.

The beginning of the Kepler Track

On the trail, we passed small groups of people, excitedly beginning their multi-day Kepler Track hikes. The Kepler Track also makes a great day hike with minimal elevation. The gently winding path takes you amongst the beautiful flora found in New Zealand. We kept our eyes peeled for kiwi birds that inhabit the area but didn’t see any during our day hike.

The Kepler Track is a beautiful hike!

We stopped at the Brod Bay Picnic area to enjoy our picnic lunch before heading back the way we came. Hiking this part of the Kepler Track was a nice, easy, and beautiful hike!

Brod Bay, a great picnic spot and turn around point for the day hike

We also made a brief stop at Fiordland National Park Visitor’s Center.

Fiordland National Park Visitor’s Center

This is not worth a stop, in my opinion. As New Zealand’s largest national park, I expected there to be a lot of information and displays, however it was mainly a gift shop with a couple of park rangers on hand to answer questions about hikes and to make reservations at the shelters. We only spent about five minutes here and went on with our day.

Another cinema was on the agenda for a night out in New Zealand. This evening we headed to Fiordland Cinema to watch the daily showing of Ata Whenua – Shadlowland, a beautiful 30-minute film on New Zealand’s natural wonders.

Fiordland Cinema

We purchased our tickets plus a glass of New Zealand wine to accompany our movie watching experience!

For dinner we decided to dine once again at the Water Bar. It was on the way back to our hotel and this time we sat outside, enjoying the beautiful views of Lake Te Anau in the summer sun. Our food and drinks were great and the service fantastic, so why not dine here twice?!

The next morning it was time to leave Te Anau to drive back to Queenstown and then fly back to Sydney, Australia where we began our journey to this part of the world. Visiting this part of New Zealand ticked a lot of the boxes for us from the stunning scenery and all that there is to see and do!