The Best Scenic Road Trips in New Zealand
Yuki drove the length of New Zealand's South Island in three weeks and has been telling people about it ever since. The South Island is one of those places that does not fit comfortably inside normal frames of reference for landscape. It is too varied and too extreme and too beautiful all at once and driving through it at your own pace is the only way to do it properly.
New Zealand is built for road trips in a way that feels almost intentional. The roads are well maintained, the distances between towns are manageable, the campervans are easy to hire and park almost anywhere, and the scenery changes dramatically every hundred kilometres or so.
The South Island: where to start
Yuki recommends starting in Christchurch and heading south and west. The drive from Christchurch down to Aoraki Mount Cook through the Mackenzie Basin is one of the great drives on the island. Stop at Lake Tekapo on the way. The turquoise colour of the water is the result of glacial flour suspended in it and it looks better in person.
From Mount Cook, the west coast is the next destination. The road over Haast Pass through the Southern Alps is slow and dramatic and worth every kilometre. The Fox and Franz Josef glaciers are on this stretch of coast and while they have retreated significantly, they remain extraordinary things to stand in front of.
Fiordland
The drive into Fiordland from the south, approaching Milford Sound along State Highway 94, is the single most dramatic road Yuki has driven anywhere. Go after rain. Milford Sound in dry weather is beautiful. Milford Sound after two days of rain is something else entirely.
Doubtful Sound, accessible only by boat from Lake Manapouri, is quieter and in Yuki's opinion more impressive, though it requires more effort to reach. If you have the time, it is worth it.
The North Island deserves more credit
The North Island has roads worth driving. The Thermal Explorer Highway through the central plateau passes through Rotorua and Taupo and the Tongariro National Park, which has a volcanic landscape unlike anything else in the country. The road along the Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast is winding and slow and the views across the Hauraki Gulf are excellent.
Yuki's practical advice: hire something bigger than you think you need, book accommodation in Fiordland well in advance, and do not underestimate how long the drives take. The extra time on the road is the point.
The Best in Travels,
Your Friend Fushia