Queenstown, Wanaka and Canterbury: The Southern Alps Travel Guide

The Southern Alps New Zealand region runs down the spine of the South Island and contains the highest mountains in the country, including Aoraki Mount Cook at 3,724 meters. The stretch between Queenstown and Christchurch is the most visited part of New Zealand, and it is the source of most of the images that make people want to come here in the first place.

Queenstown sits on Lake Wakatipu and has built an entire economy around adventure activities, from the commercial bungy jumping that originated here to jet boating, skydiving, and canyon swings. An hour away over the Crown Range, Wanaka offers the same mountains and lakes at a slower pace and a lower price, and it has become the alternative for travelers who find Queenstown too busy.

East of both towns, the Mackenzie Basin holds Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki, whose remarkable turquoise color comes from glacial runoff in the meltwater feeding them. The area is also an International Dark Sky Reserve, which makes it one of the best places in the world for stargazing.

Below is how to divide your days between Queenstown and Wanaka, how to plan the drive east toward Christchurch, and why that drive should take two days rather than one.