Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “south island”
Wanaka is one of our favorite places in New Zealand. Lake Wanaka is a gorgeous lake, surrounded by mountain peaks, waterfalls, lavender farms, vineyards, and forests. On a visit to Wanaka, take your pick from some of New Zealand’s most famous day hikes, go wine tasting, climb a via ferrata, and eat freshly baked chocolate chip cookies while you watch …
Queenstown is one of the best places in New Zealand to engage in heart-racing, thrilling adventures. Paragliding, bungy jumping, jet boat riding, skydiving, hiking, skiing, and mountain biking all make the list of the best things to do in Queenstown. But you can also keep your feet firmly on the ground and go hiking, shopping, go for a scenic drive …
The Routeburn Track is considered one of the best hikes in New Zealand, and for a good reason, as there are many picturesque elements to this hike. The Routeburn Track will take you through lush mossy forests, across rivers, streams, and swing bridges, past pristine alpine lakes, past more waterfalls than you can count, and to jaw dropping vistas of …
Go for a scenic drive, take a hike, feed an alpaca, take a wildlife cruise to see the smallest dolphins in the world, and dine on fresh seafood…these are all things to do in Akaroa and Banks Peninsula. Banks Peninsula is a small, volcanic peninsula located on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Sitting in the …
The Marlborough wine region is the largest wine region in New Zealand. This region produces some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world, along with Riesling, Gewürtztraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. For wine aficionados, spending a day or two wine tasting in Marlborough is one of New Zealand’s best experiences. We have visited the Marlborough wine region twice, touring …
The Southern Scenic Route is a 600+ kilometer driving route that connects Dunedin, Invercargill, Te Anau, and Queenstown, New Zealand. It is a gorgeous drive, and along the way you are treated to some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. On this drive, you will visit quaint coastal towns, deserted beaches, waterfalls, fiords, and a long list of …
Hike to viewpoints of glaciers, see the rarest Kiwi, soar over Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier in a helicopter, capture Mount Tasman’s reflection in Lake Matheson, go heli-hiking or ice climbing, and relax in a hot tub…these are all things you can do in and around Franz Josef, New Zealand. Glacier Country is an area on the west coast …
A helicopter flight over the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers is a thrilling experience. To see this land of glacier-capped mountains, rainforests, and rugged coastlines is one of the best experiences to have in Glacier Country, if not all of New Zealand. On a helicopter tour from Franz Josef or Fox Glacier, you will fly over several glaciers, get to …
Doubtful Sound is a fiord in southwest New Zealand. It’s a neighbor of the more popular Milford Sound. A visit to Doubtful Sound, with its more remote location and less touristy vibe, is a much different experience than a visit to the Milford Sound. A Doubtful Sound day trip takes one full day. To get here, you first have to …
Abel Tasman National Park is New Zealand’s smallest park. Located on the northern coastline of the South Island, Abel Tasman is home to one of New Zealand’s multi-day walking tracks, aptly named the Abel Tasman Coast Track. This is also a great place for kayaking, exploring the wide, empty beaches, and walking on trails amidst a rainforest-type landscape. We planned …
Our travels in New Zealand started in Queenstown on the South Island. April in New Zealand is autumn…chilly nights, changing leaves, cooler temperatures. As the weather got colder, we slowly moved north, trying to stay ahead of the cooler temperatures. Over the course of two weeks we gradually moved north into slightly warmer temperatures, traveling from Queenstown up to Wanaka …
This post was written by Tyler and Kara. We are a family of four who have been traveling around the world for ten months. We have slept in caves, in tents out in the African bush, in teahouses on the Everest base camp trek, and even under the stars in the Indian desert. While in New Zealand we had the …
For more amazing New Zealand views, do not miss the Hooker Valley Track in Aoraki/Mt Cook. Located in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, Mt Cook is New Zealand’s highest peak. It is best seen by helicopter or airplane flight but since we had recently blown the budget in Queenstown our feet were stuck on the ground, at least for …
Time to go hiking again! This time we are in Wanaka, New Zealand, a gorgeous area with lakes framed by beautiful mountains. It is autumn, a terrific time to be in New Zealand. The trees are changing color, temperatures are cool but not too cold, and it is low season for tourists. Climbing up a mountainside for unbeatable views makes …
This post could have been called a lot of things. Blowing the Budget BIG TIME. Having the Time of Our Lives. Getting Our Adrenaline Fix. Best Three Days Ever. #Neverwanttogohome. We had an absolutely amazing, action packed three days here. And there is still so much to do when we come back, and come back we will definitely do. Forget …
Prior to this trip, we would never have gone bungy jumping. That’s just for crazy people, right?! But as we passed bungy jump locations around the world, the idea grew on us. Once in Queenstown, the birthplace of bungy jumping, the idea didn’t sound so crazy anymore. How could we circle this globe, trying to experience as much of the …
The Milford Sound, one of New Zealand’s most popular sights, is located just a few hours away from Queenstown and Te Anau on the South Island. In 2008, the Milford Sound took the #1 spot on TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice World Destinations. And nearby Queenstown took second place. That just goes to show how popular (and touristy) the Milford Sound is. …