The road trip between Queenstown and Christchurch allows visitors to see some of the most popular destinations within the South Island of New Zealand. This 8-day itinerary allows you to get the most out of each destination and dive into the highlights, all while tailoring the trip to your own interests and level of adventure.
8-Day Itinerary to Explore Between Queenstown and Christchurch
Days 1-3
Queenstown
Day 4
Wanaka
Day 5-6
Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo
Day 7
Mount Sunday and Christchurch
Day 8
Christchurch (optional)
Queenstown (3 Days Minimum)
Queenstown is the most tourist driven town of all of New Zealand. And there is good reason that it has built its economy on tourism. Within the South Island, Queenstown is centrally located, allowing for long day trips to a variety of landscapes. And there are truly unlimited things to do within Queenstown that range from relaxing to extreme adventure.
While most of the activities of the region are located right outside of Queenstown, there are still things to do within Queenstown that give a great introduction to the region.
Day 1: Exploring within Queenstown
We recommend starting your time in the region by hiking up the Queenstown Hill Summit. Take a taxi or Uber to the start of the trail and make sure to bring sufficient water. The hike is challenging but not particularly long and is a great introduction to other hikes that are available to do in the region. From the top, you get a great view over the town and lake below.
If you are looking for an easier way to get a beautiful view, take the Queenstown Gondola to the Skyline Gallery and Luge. At the peak of the gondola route, there is an additional gondola that leads to the top of the luge route, which is a fun and thrilling activity that was invented in New Zealand. You can purchase tickets for the luge when you get your gondola tickets at the base of the mountain. At the top of the Queenstown Gondola is the start of the Ben Lomond trail, a hike that goes even higher up the mountain and some say has the best view of the valley and lake below.
Day 2: A Big Hike Day
One of the major hikes within New Zealand is located just an hour outside of Queenstown. While the full hike is a multi-day adventure, you can do the first portion of the hike in just a day trip to and from the Routeburn Flats Hut.
If you love Lord of the Rings, there are a few filming locations in the region, including the Isengard Lookout and the Road to Paradise. There are also some Lord of the Rings tours that depart from Queenstown and take you to a variety of the filming locations throughout the region. It’s a great way to see the landscapes of New Zealand through the lens of this incredible film production.
Finally, you will get to the base of the Routeburn Track. The Routeburn Track is one of the “Great Walks of New Zealand” and is typically a multi-day hike. However, you can always do pieces of the trek as single day hikes. For this one, the one-day route is almost 10 miles long, starts with a significant climb, and requires about 4 hours of walking to complete. The hike leads to the Routeburn Hut, one of the huts that is located along the longer hike where people stay instead of hiking with tents. You can do another portion of the hike from Fiordland National Park. You can read more here.
If you are interested in doing the longer hike while staying in the huts, you will need to reserve a spot in the hut in advance, especially during the peak season of tourism in New Zealand. After relaxing at the hut and taking in the views, you will return the way you came to complete the day hike.
Day 3: History, Adventure, and Wine
For the third day in Queenstown, you will be partaking in the adventure-side of Queenstown. Many people come here for the adrenaline rush and activities that can be done here and those options are unlimited based on your interests. Below is just the introduction to those activities with a few that were invented in the Queenstown area.
After the adventure, make your way to Arrowtown where you will find a quaint historical town and the ruins of a Chinese settlement. These miners came during the gold rush of the area in the 1860s. They faced many challenges and discrimination and you can learn more about their history on the plaques throughout the heritage-listed historic village. Afterwards, make your way to the main street of Arrowtown, Buckingham Street that is full of boutiques and restaurants. You can grab food at Provisions of Arrowtown, a cute restaurant with great pastries and full breakfasts.
The adventure is not over yet as you make your way to the AJ Hackett Kawarau Bungy Centre, the location where bungy jumping was invented. You do not have to go bungy jumping to enjoy this location. There is a restaurant where you can grab a snack while watching other people jump off the bridge and towards the river below. And if you choose to jump, you can decide if you get dunked into the water or stay dry and you will be released by a safety boat that waits for every jumper in the water below.
Queenstown is within the Central Otago wine region. This area is known for its pinot noir and has some beautiful wineries that overlook amazing vineyards. One to note is the Mount Difficulty Winery, which has beautiful wines and a delicious restaurant. You will want to make a reservation at the restaurant to ensure that you will be able to eat there. You can also do a wine tasting before, during, or after your meal to try the variety of wines that they produce.
Using Queenstown as a Central Hub
While we recommend driving to different parts of the South Island to experience the incredible landscapes, it is possible to visit different aspects of the island directly from Queenstown. Here are some of the other regions that can be visited and the articles that we have about those particular regions.
Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park is a national park on the west side of the South Island. The drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound can take 4 hours but there are some tours that leave from the town to visit this beautiful landscape. We think that the national park is worth multiple days and independent exploration.
You can read more about visiting Fiordland National Park here.
Stops Between Queenstown and Christchurch
The drive between Queenstown and Christchurch is over 6 hours long with no stops and there are some amazing stops between the two. So we might as well make this a multi-day trip that allows you to take advantage of the amazing New Zealand landscapes. (With the suggested itinerary, the full drive will be at least 9.5 hours).
Wanaka (1 Day)
The drive between Queenstown and Wanaka is just over an hour and can be done with a day trip from Queenstown, if staying in the Queenstown hub is easier for you. However, it is important to note that it is directly on the route between Queenstown and Christchurch.
One of the big tourist attractions in Wanaka is That Wanaka Tree, a tree that is growing alone on the edge of the lake. During the right season, the water of that lake is high enough to make it look like it is on a small island in the lake. However, during the summer months and when it is particularly dry, the tree appears to be on the shoreline of the lake and anyone can walk right up to the tree.
Many people start the hike a few hours prior to sunrise to watch the sun rise over the whole valley. If this interests you, make sure you check the weather and cloud coverage prior to doing the hike to make sure that you are doing it on a clear day. Otherwise, we recommend arriving at the base of the hike around sunrise to do the hike up to the summit prior to the sun being at its peak. The entire hike is fully exposed to the elements so make sure you are prepared with sun protection. It is not worth doing this hike if the clouds are low or if it is raining.
Aoraki / Mount Cook (1-2 Days)
Aoraki (in Mauri), also known as Mount Cook in English, is the highest peak in New Zealand and is within a beautiful national park. There are a number of trails and hikes within the park that will allow you to dive deeper into the landscape and give you some beautiful views. The most popular trail here is the Hooker Valley Trail to Hooker Lake. (The trail is currently closed due to avalanche damage and safety and will be reopened when they can assure safety along the trail.)
The trail is relatively flat over the 7 miles (11.5 kilometers) and is mostly on a boardwalk as you make your way to Hooker Lake. At the viewpoint, you will see a lake formed by a glacier that still flows into the lake. You will also have the chance to see Mount Cook towering above everyone if the sky is clear. The whole walk will take around 3 hours of walking.
Some other small hikes to do include the Kea Point Track (1.8 miles/3 kilometers – 1 hour) and a hike to the Tasman Glacier View (.8 miles/1.3 kilometers – 30 minutes).
If you are looking for a longer day hike or a multi-day hike, look to do the Mueller Hut Track, a 6 mile (10 kilometer) hike that leads to a hut, where you can stay overnight if you reserve a spot. Otherwise, it is very doable to do the entire hike in one day. The route to the hut is relatively steep for the full 3 mile climb.
If you want to see the mountain range and glaciers from above, you can look into a helicopter ride that flies over and throughout the national park or one that allows you to land and hike on a glacier itself. We recommend using the Helicopter Line for your helicopter or heli-hike tour. This is something that can also be done on the West Coast of New Zealand from Fox Glacier.
Lake Tekapo (A Few Hours, Especially Overnight)
Mount Sunday (A Few Hours)
Mount Sunday is an isolated hill that was chosen as the Edoras settlement in the Lord of the Rings films. Today, you will not see any remnants from the film, but the hike gives you beautiful views of the New Zealand landscape. The hike itself is a moderate 2.2 miles long (3.5 kilometers) and should take around an hour to complete. There are also Lord of the Rings tours that depart from Christchurch and visit this location. The tours give you some background to the filming requirements at the location and give you the opportunity to pose at the different viewpoints with props.
What Is There to Do in Christchurch? (1-2 Days)
Christchurch is one of the biggest cities in New Zealand, especially the South Island. This quaint town has a growing commercial city center full of food halls, restaurants, and shops. It includes a cute historic tram that tours around this part of the city. In addition, the city has beautiful green spaces, especially around the river that winds through the city, on which you can take a punt ride (boat on the river) to see the town through a different vantage point.
Understanding the Devastating Earthquake of 2011
New Zealand is located on two tectonic plates, making it susceptible to earthquakes and active land movement. (This is also why the South Island and North Island are so different.) In 2011, Christchurch suffered major damage due to an earthquake. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.2 and killed 185 people. Many buildings were damaged in the earthquake and the aftermath and you can see evidence of the damage and subsequent rebuilding today. So much of the housing and buildings look new.
The Avon River (Ōtākaro in Mauri) winds through the center of Christchurch and is a defining part of the urban experience in the city. There are spots where you will find people feeding the giant eels of the river, especially near the city center. While you shouldn’t swim in this river, you can take a leisure punting ride that will give you a different vantage point of the town. Punting on the Avon is one of the gondola companies that operates on the river. With them, you can purchase a ticket to punt on the river or purchase a combined pass to also take a gondola ride up the mountain or tour the city on the tram.
The Christchurch gondola goes to the Port Hill Summit and gives you a great view of the city and the surrounding bay. To get to the gondola, you will have to drive to the base and purchase a ticket at the entrance. At the gondola summit, you can walk around the grounds of the summit and explore the landscape. There is a small cafe, a souvenir shop, and a little indoor amusement park ride that discusses the history and environment of the region.
