The best South Island Itinerary NZ for the ultimate trip!
If you’re heading to New Zealand, then you’re hundred percent in for a treat because South Island is an incredible gem, unlike any other place I’ve been to before and you will not regret it.
It is an absolute banging destination with incredibly rich and diverse landscapes, mountains, lakes, rushing waterfalls, rolling hills, clay cliffs, flat plains, small towns and metropolitan cities, like you cannot go wrong with South Island in New Zealand.
This itinerary mostly covers the East Coast of South Island, but with options to visit the West Coast too. We did a day trip to Milford Sound.
You can do this South Island Itinerary in 10 – 14 days fairly leisurely.
if you’re visiting South Island, then the likelihood is is that you appreciate nature, scenic drives and excellent views. Well south island does have some excellent cities. Most people go south island for the wonderful scenery and This, of course includes the unofficial eighth wonder of the world Milford Sound. Here are some of the best places ultimate South Island Road Trip!
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North Island and South Island! If you’re looking at some amazing glamping spots then I’ve got an excellent article on best places to stay in South Island!
Not sure where to go? Have a look at my article on North VS South Island New Zealand, which is better?
Quick Mini Guide To South Island
Don’t have a lot of time? Here’s a quick mini guide to South Island.
Hotels & where to stay
- Queenstown:Queenstown House B&B or The Canyons B&B with hot tub rated 9.4
- Tekapo: Peppers Bluewater Resort orGrand Suites Tekapo
- Glamping on South Island
- Milford Sound accommodation
Top sights
- Stargazing in the dark sky reserve or Mount John observatory
- The stunning blue lake itself
- Scenic Flights to see the landscape from above
- Go offroading
- Glow worm caves
How to get there
South Island Highlights
- Milford Sounds (8th wonder of the world),
- Onsen Hot Pools,
- Getting a scenic flight around Lake Tekapo
Stay connected
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Best activities & tours on South Island
Here are some of the best New Zealand South Island tours! I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
| Jet Boat & Wilderness experience – If you’re after an adrenaline experience then this is for you! Milford Sound Cruises – The best way to see the unofficial 8th wonder of the world. Franz Josef Glacier tours – one of the most iconic, stunning, incredible things to experience in South Island! Glenorchy & Paradise half day tour – if you’re after some beautiful sight seeing this is for you!​ Glow worm caves – Dont miss the iconic glow worm caves in South Island! Scenic Flights – One of the most iconic experiences in all of South Island, New Zealand. |
South Island itinerary NZ 10 days / 14 days
We spent around two weeks in South Island and covered as much as we could during this time before heading North Island. It’s definitely a beautifully picturesque place that you should not mess. Here are our top favourite things to do for an epic South Island New Zealand itinerary.
East Coast or West Coast?
We decided to do the East Coast in 10 days to see the below (but we dabbled a did a quick day trip to the West Coast by visiting Milford Sound):
- Wanaka town + Wanaka lavender farms
- Lake Tekapo Lupins
- Tekapo Star Gazing Dark Nature Reserve
- Christchurch
- Wineries
- Kaikoura glamping
It was worth it. You could also do it as a South Island Itinerary NZ 14 days.
Choosing between the East Coast and West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island depends on your interests and what you want to experience.
The East Coast
With cities like Christchurch and Dunedin, offers sunny beaches, historical attractions, and wildlife viewing opportunities. It’s known for its wine regions and the picturesque city of Christchurch.
The West Coast
It is more rugged and remote, famous for its rainforests, glaciers like Franz Josef and Fox Glacier, and the wild coastline with Mount Aspiring National Park. It’s a haven for adventurers and those looking to explore New Zealand’s dramatic natural landscapes.
Both coasts are different experiences, and it is worth visiting both if time allows!
Car & Campervan Rental
It’s recommended that you either hire yourself, a campervan or a car, so you can explore South Island at your heart’s desire on an epic road trip NZ South Island.
Depending on what time of year it can be really busy so it is worth looking at your stay well in advance. Bear in mind cost of hotels on your itinerary South Island New Zealand.
Hotels in South Island
We visited New Zealand in the summer months in January and found that because it was the school holidays. It was an exceptionally busy time of year and a lot of the hotel prices were on the more expensive side, and we decided to do a mix of camping glamping and staying in hotels and Airbnb.
If you’re interested in glamping in some cool bubble dome tents, or staying with llamas, have a look at the best places to go glamping on South Island.
Here’s the ultimate South Island road trip itinerary!
Before you book your trip
Before you book your trip and organise your itinerary New Zealand South Island, check where is best to start your itinerary from because it’s often popular for people to start from North Island and finishing in the South Island.
Consider starting from Queenstown! It’s often much cheaper to rent a car because everyone starts from the North and companies need people to return the cars up north!
There are a lot of cars and camper vans that end up in and around Queenstown. We found that when we booked a car/campervan from Queenstown and would drop it off in the North Island, it was over 50% cheaper than starting from north to south.
So if you can get a flight to Queenstown and take your rental north, it’ll make your South Island Itinerary NZ epic!
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island!
Quick Links
| Here’s everything I use when I travel abroad: Tours – Compare tour prices on Viator and Get Your Guide Hotels – I always use Booking as the more hotels I book, I get a higher Genius discount. I also compare prices on Expedia. E-Sims – purchase an e-sim with Airalo on your phone so you can make calls and have mobile data abroad! There’s no need to remove your current sim card! Travel insurance – don’t ever go on vacation without travel insurance, you never know when you might need it! Travel essentials – have a look at a full list of travel essentials that I use, including the best power bank! |
Queenstown South Island
Queenstown is a great place to start your south island itinerary. It is a small but buzzing city in South Island on the lake, and it has plenty of quaint and cute restaurants, Cafes and bars where you can enjoy the ambience of travel life.
Where to stay in Queenstown
A lot of these places have jaw dropping, spectacular views of the mountains and Lake Wakatipu. Have a look below.
Best hotel in Queenstown: Queenstown House B&B rated 9.8 or The Canyons B&B with hot tub rated 9.4
Best Camping in Queenstown: TOP10 Holiday Park Queenstown
As soon as we arrived in Queenstown, we were picked up by our car rental company and the lovely staff advised us that if there is one thing we should do in Queenstown it was to try the Ferg Burger. It’s the number one this you should do o your NZ itinerary South Island.
Try the best burger in the world
Apparently the Ferg burger is the best burger in the world, and there were multiple claims and awards from multiple different news, outlets and food critics giving the fur burger the title of this burger in the world.
At first I wasn’t really bothered that about it, but then I got about 10 different recommendations from 10 different people that we absolutely had to try it, so we decided to give it a go and frankly, we were pleasantly surprised.
There was a queue down the street for people waiting to try the Ferg Burger and the staff would come out on a really sunny day with huge bottles of suncream making sure that everyone foreskin safe and everybody was rubbing suncream on and they also offered water to everybody in the queue, making sure that all customers were attended to and it was a nice touch.
Yes were well hydrated and looked after whilst they were waiting. We were also given menus in advance so we knew what we’d be able to order as soon as we reached the counter, and it was actually a pretty speedy and efficient process.
Now, it’s hard to say if it was the best burger in the world, because I haven’t tried every at burger in the world.
VERDICT: Mike and I ordered the stand his fur burger and agreed : it was the best burger we’ve ever had.
Don’t miss it on your New Zealand South Island road trip!
Everybody in the restaurant kept nodding at me and saying yeah it was definitely the best burger they never had. So as far as things go. It’s a pretty decent option for lunch.
My recommendation is that you take your order down to the lake front if it’s a nice day and sit and people watch on the bank and watch the sunset go down. As far as things go, it was a pretty spectacular dinner with a pretty spectacular view.
Make sure you visit the Queenstown Gardens, some of the local coffee shops, grab an ice cream and enjoy the spectacular views.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island! I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
Onsen hot pools Queenstown
If you’re in Queenstown, make sure you visit the Onsen hot pools, which is an incredible place for some luxury pampering treatment. It’s iconic!
There are around 15 individual rooms with a great barrel, like hot tubs overlooking some of the most incredible scenery of New Zealand, the iconic mountains and below a nice valley with a stream.
This is definitely worth a visit as it’s one of those unique an iconic things to do in Queenstown. Almost like a right of passage.
The staff also provide you you with snacks to eat in the hot tub and it’s an absolute delight!
Glenorchy wharf
If you fancy a short half day trip out away from Queenstown, make sure you stop by Glenorchy Town which is about a 45 minute drive away and look at stunning views of Ben Lomond.
It is a very cute and quaint colonial town famous for the Glenorchy wharf and the iconic red shed the landscape around the area is very dramatic, meaning it’s a famous filming location for a lot of blockbuster movies.
You will also note the various lookout points and photo stops on the way to Glenorchy from Queenstown, including the famous Isengard look out from Lord of the rings (have a look at LOTR filming locations here). A lot of Lord of the Rings scenes were meant to be filmed nearby!
It’s also a great place to sit back with a cup of coffee and admire the stunning scenery. If you’re lucky to be in New Zealand around the months of Nusa November December in early January, you might even see some of the lupine flowers which are not native species, but definitely iconic to New Zealand, thanks to Instagram.
I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island!
Te Anau
Te Anau is one of the stops, which is halfway between Queenstown and Milford Sound and is a great stopping point either to camp overnight or to stop and see the glowworm caves on your road trip South Island New Zealand! Definitely one of my favourite South Island tours NZ.
I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
There is a beautiful lake where you can swimming and a lot of the campsites have hot tubs where it feels like a true luxury glamping experience.
There is a lovely little lake to swim in. It’s a great place to sunbathe on a hot day and it’s basically the perfect halfway point for a stopover between Queenstown Milford Sound.
There are a number of restaurants, cafes, and one of the last places to stop at for supermarkets and petrol stations before Milford Sound.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island!
Milford Sound
Milford Sound is straight up, one of the most incredible places on the planet. It’s so beautiful, it’s been dubbed the unofficial eighth wonder of the world and having seen it myself, I would be happy to give it that title.
It sits in the Fiordland National Park and well worth a detour! We did a road trip from Queenstown to Milford Sound and stopped at a bunch of iconic places along the way.
Because Milford Sound as a little out of the way, we weren’t sure whether it was worth going but we had a ton a very strong recommendations from everyone that we should absolutely visit and I’m really glad we did. It should not be left off your South Island itinerary.
Someone said it’s like the land of 100 waterfalls. This could not be more inaccurate. It’s more like the land of 10,000 waterfalls.
I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
Everywhere you look, there seems to be 1000 waterfalls, some mystical, some steep, some raging… all incredible stuff!
The stunningly unique landscape is frankly mind blowing. As you drive the route from Queenstown to Milford Sound, you’ll notice the landscape changing quite dramatically, and when you reach Milford Sound and all the fjords in the area, you’ll see hundreds of exceptionally steep mountains, almost like cliff face is rising on either side of you, and every single mountain has, thousands of waterfalls on the side of the mountain face, seemingly appearing from nowhere, and sometimes disappearing into nothing.
Some of the waterfalls literally do disappear into nothing as the wind blows the water away.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island!
One of the most famous things to do in Milford Sound is, of course the Milford Sound cruises, which you must do. It’s simply fantastical an unusual, and I loved every second of it, so you should definitely go.
Check the weather!
If there’s one thing you should bear in mind about Milford Sound is the weather; double check the weather before going to Milford Sound, because when we went, there was a severe weather storm and eight didn’t cancel the cruise, and frankly, it was rather chaotic. This being said the scenery was amazing so I would recommend it regardless.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island!
Wanaka
After Milford Sound, we decided to make our way to Wanaka as the next stopping point on our journey, and we heard that there was a stunningly beautiful lavender farm called Wanaka Lavender Farm.
Where to stay in Wanaka
A lot of these places have jaw dropping, spectacular views of Lake Wanaka. Have a look below.
Best hotel in Wanaka: Edgewater Hotel rated 8.4 or Club Wyndham Wanaka with hot tub rated 9.4
Best Camping in Wanaka : TOP10 Holiday Park Wanaka
If you happen to be in New Zealand in the right season, then you’ll be lucky enough to catch the lavender farms when they are in full bloom, and there is some iconic scenery with dramatic jutting mountains in the distance and beautiful Rollinghills, depending which way you look.
Wanaka lavender also has an excellent café full of lavender-based treats like lavender, scones, lavender, Macarons and a beautiful range of teas and yes, you guessed it lavender tea.
Make sure you also stop bye the shop because it has a bunch of luxury lavender items are actually really nice like lavender, lip balm and various creams that you want to be grabbing a souvenir of.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North Island and South Island!
That Wanaka tree
There’s also a famous Wanaka tree which is in the middle of the lake. That is somehow in existence and is very frequently photographed. Is therefore quite nice to go for a little walk around the lake have a swim or a paddle and of course take a photo of the famous Wanaka tree.
There’s also a number of great restaurants and little cafés in town that you might wanna stop at and this makes a great little day trip.
I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
Omarama Clay cliffs
The Omarama clay cliffs are an excellent, bizarre otherworldly place to stop on your epic road trip!
It’s a great unusual (short) hike and it’s only a short detour.
The Clay Cliffs in New Zealand are a striking natural wonder located near Omarama in the South Island. These unique and alien like geological formations are made up of sharp pinnacles and deep, narrow ravines, and is basically layers of silt and gravel.
The cliffs were formed over millions of years by the erosion of old glaciers, presenting a dramatic landscape that is still a hidden gem and only a little off the beaten track.
The walk from the car park is only around 5-10 minutes, but it is very dusty!
Where to stay in Omarama
A lot of these places have jaw dropping, spectacular views of the surrounding landscape. Have a look below.
Best hotel in Omarama:: Big Sky B&B rated 9.4
Best Camping in Omarama: : TOP10 Holiday Park Omarama
Pukaki viewpoint & Aoraki / Mt Cook
Depending on how much time you have, you can visit the Lake Pukaki viewing point or Aoraki /Mount Cook. Mount Cook National Park is an absolute wonder, so if you have time to make it up the track here, then do so and there are places to stay in Mount Cook Village!
Driving to Mount Cook? Look at our road trip it from Lake Tekapo.
One of the famous tracks here is the Hooker Valley Track.
If you’re short of time, then just stop at the Pukaki viewpoint for some excellent views of the most famous mountain in New Zealand, Araki/Mount Cook. It is the highest mountain in New Zealand at a whopping 3724 metres high and the viewpoint is from across the lake, and it is exceptional.
Where to stay in Pukaki
A lot of these places have jaw dropping, spectacular views of Lake Pukaki and even Mount Cook. Have a look below.
Best hotel in Wanaka: Lakestone Lodge rated 9.6 or Lake Pukaki Lake House with hot tub rated 9.2
Best Camping in Pukaki : There aren’t a tonne of options, but have a look at Lake Pukaki overnight camping
If you have a little more time you should drive up the road towards Aoraki/Mt Cook, and go for a walk in the area. It’s exceptionally scenic and beautiful.
You can also head to Tapataia Mahaka Peter’s Lookout (Lake Pukaki Viewpoint on Mount Cook Road) and Reflecting Mountain View, great for any keen photographers out there!
Lake Tekapo and the surrounding area
A little further on from Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook/Aoraki, you’ll find Lake Tekapo, witches one of the very iconic spots in all of South Island, and a pretty popular stopping destination on the route on South Island’s east coast.
If you’re taking the scenic route from Queenstown, have a look at my tips for a road trip from Lake Tekapo.
There are a tonne of things to do in Lake Tekapo, and one of the best is sitting back, relaxing in the resorts, and watching the iconic views from the lake.
Things you’ll want to stop and see at Tekapo:
- Tekapo Springs Hot Pools
- Tekapo Star Gazing
- Tekapo Lupins – those famous purple flowers!
- Camping around Lake Tekapo & Central Otago
- Road trip from Lake Tekapo to Mt Cook
Best hotels at Lake Tekapo
There are a tonne of really beautiful hotels right on the waterfront OR overlooking the lake (it’s not hard to miss the view; it’s pretty stunning!).
Have a look at the Peppers Bluewater Resort – floor to ceiling windows for your viewing pleasure!
Lake. Tekapo is pretty spectacular, and you’ll find a quaint little town with ancient history, tucked away in the form of one of New Zealand’s oldest stone churches that is still standing.
The lake itself is a beautiful, azure, blue, and perfect for swimming in, albeit a little fresh, depending on the time of year.
I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
If you happen to be visiting in the New Zealand summer season around November to mid January you’ll also find the Tekapo Lupines, which is the very famous colourful pastel flowers that are iconic to New Zealand, but surprisingly not a native plant.
But what I would say, is probably the most famous thing to do is either one of the stargazing experiences or visiting Tekapo Springs. We opted to do both experience it is because it is iconic of Tekapo and an absolute must to South Island itinerary NZ.
As it so happens, Tekapo sits in the second largest Dark Night reserve in the world, meaning that special precautions have been taken bye the entire region to significantly limit like pollution, and only using red and deep orange lights that do not interfere with stargazing, making it one of the most spectacular places to see the stars in the world.
Tekapo Springs
As for Tekapo Springs, it’s definitely worth reading the full guide here however, it is an attraction year-round with a thermal springs. There are over five thermal pools to swimming, ranging from a cold and chilly plunge pool, which is the same temperature is Tekapo lake to 38°C adults only pool where you can while away the day and enjoy the day in relaxation.
Tekapo Hot Springs also comes with a sauna and steam room, and the entire building is reminiscent of a wooden lodge or chalet in some of the European mountain, with stone fireplaces and ice skates from the 80s.
Seasonality
Depending on the time of year, you might find mini golf in the summer or an ice-skating rink in the winter. In the summer, you’ll also find a 150 meter drop slide, which is hilariously fun, and in the winter this transforms into a snow play area with snow tubing runs, and perhaps even a bit of sledding.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island!
I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
Akaroa
Best place to stay in Akaroa
Read more about things to do in Akaroa!
After this head onto Akaroa, which is a great little seaside town, you’ll notice British and French colonial influences, which is very noticeable on all of the architecture around town.
It’s also famous for the Akaroa Dolphins, which happens to be the smallest dolphin in the world and also sadly, one of the most rarest Dolphins.
We were lucky enough to go on one of the dolphin tours with Akaroa Dolphins, and despite their rarity were able to see quite a number of them, their decline numbers was in large part, due to the fishing practices where the dolphins would get caught in the fisherman’s nets.
Despite what most people think, Dolphins need to surface for air every 90 seconds, otherwise they end up drowning.
They would often drown in the fishermans’ nets. Thankfully, today fishing practices have been completely banned in the region, which will hopefully start to increase the numbers in the wild.
It’s also worth a walk around town, visiting the Akaroa Lighthouse, going for hikes in the area or on the peninsula, and of course, stopping in town for delightfully world-famous fish and chips and ice cream.
I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island!
Christchurch
It’s worth stopping at Christchurch, even if it’s just for a day to see the biggest city on South Island New Zealand.
Christchurch also has recovered fairly significantly since the questionnaires earthquake and you’ll never find bustling market places, cafés, vibrant streets, quirky street art and even a number of performances by local acrobats and actors.
Over the whole town are incredible trams dating back to the 1800s still operating today and is actually a great way to see the city.
Book a tram tour! I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
There’s also a number of free and paid museums which have some excellent modern artwork that I recommend you pop into. If you want to learn more about the history of Christchurch than it’s worth stopping by Christchurch museum.
Our favourite place was the bustling city market place, with hundreds of different food vendors, and coffee stalls. This indoor market is vibrant and full of small independent food and beverage businesses.
You’ll find lots of urban hipster and quirky artwork and signs around the whole area, making the entire place photogenic and very Instagrammable. The streets just outside the marketplace, aligned with tons of fairy lights and quirky bars, and cafes, where the tables litter into the Avenue outside making it a great hustle and bustle place to stop.
Do not miss the artwork on the side of the building which is painted over townscape, in an optical illusion way to make it look as if it’s 3-D.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island!
Kaikoura
The drive between Christchurch and Picton is a fairly long one, so it’s recommended you stop off at Kaikoura.
Kaikoura is a relatively small town that recently saw a huge destructive earthquake however, it is absolutely won the most beautiful coastal towns along the coastal route on the east side of south island.
The surrounding mountains, beautiful wide coastline and the vibrant blue waters make it a stunning place to stop and visit and there are definitely a few things that you can do in the area first up, there are a number of whale watching tours if it’s in season and they’re also scenic flights over Kaikoura.
But one of our favourite things to do on our South Island New Zealand itinerary 14 days was the llama trekking at Wacky Stays Kaikoura.
Kaikoura Glamping – Whacky Stays
Have a look at my blog post on all the best glamping spots in South Island!
It’s definitely worth doing a visit to Wacky Stays in Kaikoura and staying overnight in one of their weird and wonderful unique glamping pods; choose from staying in a colonial wagon, a 1800s train carriage, house truck, and Mongolian yurt from Mongolia, a teepee, and an old English cottage.
Have a look at my blog post on all the best glamping spots in South Island!
They all so have a fantastical farm tour every day at around 8:15 am and 3:15 pm where you can go and feed all of the animals which include llamas, alpacas, pigs, chickens, deer, and even dogs.
If you don’t have time for a overnight stay, then it’s worth booking onto their llama trekking experience.
Abel Tasman National Park
Before you head to Picton to go to Wellington on the North Island, have a look at Abel Tasman National Park – it has some of the most beautiful beaches, balmy weather and gorgeous views at the top of South Island. Definitely try to squeeze in Abel Tasman National Park on your South Island NZ itinerary.
I always compare tours on Viator and Get Your Guide to check prices and different tour availability.
The Franz Josef glacier
If you have more time, it’s worth heading to the west coast of South Island.
The Franz Josef glacier is on the west coast of South Island, but an absolutely iconic place to visit in New Zealand. There are lots of ways to get here and plenty of toys. You can choose from that one of the most iconic and beautiful ones is the scenic flights you get from all over the region. Have a look at Franz Josef glacier Tours here.
The Franz Josef Glacier is located here on Google maps.
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North and South Island!
South Island Weather
Here is the average weather on the South Island by each month. The South Island of New Zealand experiences a diverse climate, with the west coast receiving high rainfall and the east coast being drier and cooler.
Seasonal temperatures vary widely, from warm, sunny summers to cold, snowy winters, especially in the mountainous regions.
South Island Weather in January
Average temperature: 15°C (59°F)
Average rainy days: 8
Average daylight hours: 15
Average sunrise time: 6:15 AM
Average sunset time: 9:30 PM
South Island Weather in February
Average temperature: 14°C (57°F)
Average rainy days: 7
Average daylight hours: 14
Average sunrise time: 6:45 AM
Average sunset time: 9:00 PM
South Island Weather in March
Average temperature: 12°C (54°F)
Average rainy days: 8
Average daylight hours: 12
Average sunrise time: 7:15 AM
Average sunset time: 8:15 PM
South Island Weather in April
Average temperature: 9°C (48°F)
Average rainy days: 9
Average daylight hours: 11
Average sunrise time: 7:45 AM
Average sunset time: 6:45 PM
South Island Weather in May
Average temperature: 6°C (43°F)
Average rainy days: 10
Average daylight hours: 9
Average sunrise time: 8:15 AM
Average sunset time: 5:30 PM
South Island Weather in June
Average temperature: 4°C (39°F)
Average rainy days: 11
Average daylight hours: 9
Average sunrise time: 8:30 AM
Average sunset time: 5:15 PM
South Island Weather in July
Average temperature: 3°C (37°F)
Average rainy days: 11
Average daylight hours: 9
Average sunrise time: 8:30 AM
Average sunset time: 5:30 PM
South Island Weather in August
Average temperature: 5°C (41°F)
Average rainy days: 11
Average daylight hours: 10
Average sunrise time: 7:45 AM
Average sunset time: 6:00 PM
South Island Weather in September
Average temperature: 7°C (45°F)
Average rainy days: 10
Average daylight hours: 12
Average sunrise time: 6:45 AM
Average sunset time: 6:30 PM
South Island Weather in October
Average temperature: 9°C (48°F)
Average rainy days: 9
Average daylight hours: 13
Average sunrise time: 7:15 AM
Average sunset time: 7:45 PM
South Island Weather in November
Average temperature: 11°C (52°F)
Average rainy days: 8
Average daylight hours: 14
Average sunrise time: 6:00 AM
Average sunset time: 8:30 PM
South Island Weather in December
Average temperature: 13°C (55°F)
Average rainy days: 9
Average daylight hours: 15
Average sunrise time: 5:45 AM
Average sunset time: 9:15 PM
Quick links
| Here’s everything I use when I travel abroad: Tours – Compare tour prices on Viator and Get Your Guide Hotels – I always use Booking as the more hotels I book, I get a higher Genius discount. I also compare prices on Expedia. E-Sims – purchase an e-sim with Airalo on your phone so you can make calls and have mobile data abroad! There’s no need to remove your current sim card! Travel insurance – don’t ever go on vacation without travel insurance, you never know when you might need it! Travel essentials – have a look at a full list of travel essentials that I use, including the best power bank! |
Have a look at some of my other Aotearoa / New Zealand travel guides for things to do in North Island and South Island!
Lake Tekapo from Queenstown Road Trip
South Island Itinerary NZ 10 days
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