The route
One Loop.Ten Places.
Christchurch down through the Mackenzie, over the Alps to the glaciers, back through Wanaka to Queenstown, out to Milford Sound, and home along the coast. Tap any stop to jump to the day.
Christchurch to Twizel
Landed at noon, had a car by one, and were eating pie in Fairlie by four. The light held long enough for Tekapo.
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12pm
Landed @ Christchurch Intl Airport
Settle SIM card
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1pm
Collect Rented Car
Airpark Canterbury
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4pm
Fairlie Bakehouse
Recommended: Pork Belly with Apple Sauce Pie is a MUST TRY 💯
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4:30pm
Four Square Fairlie
Get supplies - water, snacks etc
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5pm
Lake Tekapo
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5:30pm
Maclaren Footbridge
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5:30pm
The Church of the Good Shepherd
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7pm
Check In Airbnb
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7:30pm
Four Square Twizel
Get supplies - eggs, cooking oil, soy sauce, bread, jam etc. Recommended: 1) Barker’s Lemon Curd - very smooth and tasty jam for toast breads. 2) Craigs Butter - very nice NZ butter at 50 cents each.
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9pm
Homecook Dinner & Chill
Around the Mackenzie
A slow lap of the Mackenzie — salmon straight out of the canal, a café on top of a mountain, and the stars we'd come for.
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9am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - bread with butter & lemon jam at staying place before heading out
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11am
Lake Pukaki Viewpoint & Mt Cook Alpine Salmon Shop
Worth trying very fresh salmon
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1pm
Ramen Tekapo
Lunch at Lake Tekapo. Not bad.
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3pm
Astro Cafe (on top of Mt John)
Average food and drinks. Came for the drive and view. If time permits can walk Mt John Summit Circuit Track - Not for us :(
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5pm
High Country Salmon
Premium Chinook Salmon sustainably farmed in the pristine glacial waters flowing down from the Southern Alps
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6pm
Four Square Twizel
Refill supplies for homecook dinner
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7:30pm
Homecook Dinner & Rest
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10pm
Star Gazing
Go Tekapo 中文观星旅游集团 客服电话：(+64) 027 688 6690 客服电邮：nihao@gotekapo.com 客服微信：tcsg006 地址：48a D’Archiac Drive, Lake Tekapo, Mackenzie, 7999, New Zealand. We caught Aurora Australis for the first time!!
The Hooker Valley
The Hooker Valley Track, end to end, with Aoraki at the far end of it. Dinner cooked at home afterwards, gratefully.
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10am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - bread with butter & lemon jam at staying place before heading out
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1pm
Mint Folk & Co
Must try restaurant, delicious! Recommended: Korean Gochujang Sauce Fried Chicken
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3pm
Hooker Valley Track
Park at White Horse Hill Camping Ground. Toilet and water refill is available. Approx 3-4 hours 10km round trip. Prepare enough water and snacks. Can be very windy.
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5:30pm
Hooker Valley Endpoint Lookout & Hooker Lake
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9pm
Homecook Dinner & Chill
Twizel to Wanaka
Clay cliffs, then the long golden climb over the Lindis, then Wanaka at exactly the right hour of the evening.
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10am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - pizza at staying place before heading out
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12pm
Jasmine Thai Restaurant
Not bad! Able to have some asian cuisine as lunch.
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1:30pm
Clay Cliffs
Special terrain. Don't need to make a stop if in a rush.
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2:30pm
Lindis Pass View Point
Nice drive towards Wanaka with amazing view.
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3:30pm
Tarras Village Store
A stop comes with public toilet, small gift shop and cafe. Can try the real fruit ice cream - recommended the mixed berries flavour.
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5pm
Check in Airbnb
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5:30pm
Lake Wanaka Beach
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6:30pm
Firebird
Nice dinner! Lots of fries if you opt out coleslaw. We have different food trucks around there selling different food as well.
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7:30pm
Wanaka
Explore Wanaka and browse around the area
Wanaka to Franz Josef
Chocolate and pastries for breakfast, Blue Pools in the afternoon, and the Haast road all the way to the glaciers.
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9am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast at staying place before heading out
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10am
Roys Bay
See the Wanaka Willow Tree @ Lake Wanaka
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11am
Patagonia Chocolates
Famous ice cream - may try the award winning flavour
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12pm
Pembroke Patisserie
Nice pastries - may try pie of the day and almond croissant
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12:30pm
Lake Hawea Lookout
Great lake view.
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3pm
Mount Aspiring National Park
Blue Pools
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5pm
The Hard Antler
A good place to make a stop for early dinner in the midst of a long drive in a small town called Haast. Recommended: Chicken burger, Pork ribs, Nachos (must try). We also have groceries store - On the spot nearby.
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9pm
Check in Airbnb
Franz Josef
A helicopter onto the ice in the morning, three hours of kayaking in the afternoon. The best day of the trip, arguably.
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8:30am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - cup noodles & milo at staying place before heading out
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10am
Heli Hike
Glacier Country Helicopters
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11am
Four Square Franz Josef
Refill supplies
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1pm
SnakeBite Brewery
Lunch - delicious Asian cuisine. Can try the noodles. Pastries look good (too bad we didn't try - in a rush to kayaking)
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2:30pm
Kayaking
Kayak in Lake Mapourika for 3 hours. Enjoy the scenery, understand more about the lake, animals within (birds and diving ducks). BEWARE OF SANDFLY !!!!!!!!!!
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7:30pm
King Tiger
Dinner - average Asian cuisine.
Franz Josef to Queenstown
The whole west coast in one go — Bruce Bay, Lake Paringa, Haast — then a helicopter lesson in Wanaka and the Crown Range at dusk.
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9am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - bread & milo at staying place before heading out
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11am
Bruce Bay
Nice view of big tides coming from Tasman Sea
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11am
Bruce Bay Coffee Cart
A stop where you can enjoy a cuppa. Public toilet is available nearby.
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11:30am
Lake Paringa
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12:30pm
The Hard Antler
Lunch
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3pm
Hawea Whitewater Park
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3:30pm
Lake Wanaka Beach
Teatime and chill
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4:30pm
Flight Training
Learn to fly a helicopter @ Learn To Fly NZ (flight school in Wanaka)
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6pm
Cardrona
See the famous Cardrona hotel and bra fence
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6:30pm
Rock Peak Track Trailhead
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7pm
Crown Range Scenic Lookout Point
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7:30pm
Check in Airbnb
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8:30pm
GOKU
Dinner - shabu shabu then browse around
Queenstown, From Above
Out of a plane at 15,000 feet before lunch. A Fergburger afterwards, once hands had stopped shaking.
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8am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - bread & milo at staying place before heading out
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9am
NZONE Skydive
15,000 ft
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3pm
Fergburger
Slightly late lunch as we went back to shower, change and rest after skydiving in the morning. Waited for 30 mins but SUPER NICE BURGER - recommended the Cockadoodle Oink (chicken breast + pork bacon combo). A few popular options for beef as well.
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8pm
PAK'nSAVE
Get supplies for homecook dinner and buy souvenirs
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9pm
Homecook Dinner & Chill
Glenorchy and Back
Gondola, six luge runs, then the road out to Glenorchy. Came home late and caught the Aurora Australis for the second time.
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9am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - bread & milo at staying place before heading out
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10:30am
Skyline Queenstown
Gondola + 6 Luge Rides
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1pm
Fergbaker
Ferg Pastries
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1:30pm
Wilson Bay
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2:30pm
Queenie's Dumplings
Lunch - chinese noodle soup and rice set. Average food quality.
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3pm
Glenorchy Wharf
Red House & Lake Wakatipu
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3:30pm
Mrs Woolly's General Store
Have a cuppa
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4:30pm
Dart River
The Lord of the Rings filming spot
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9pm
Homecook Dinner
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10pm
Sunshine Bay
We caught Aurora Australis again!!
South to Te Anau
South along Lake Wakatipu through Kingston, into Fiordland, and a quiet evening by the water at Te Anau.
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12pm
Kingston
Corner Shop & Cafe - not recommended the fried chicken
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2:30pm
South West New Zealand World Heritage Area
Interesting terrain, worth a look.
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3pm
Check in Airbnb
Rest & watch TV
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6pm
Te Anau Bird Sanctuary
Special bird - Takahe
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7pm
Lake Te Anau
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7:30pm
Paradiso Pizzeria
Dinner - Woodfired Pizza, Authentic Italian Gelato (recommended Chicken Pizza & Tiramisu)
Te Anau to Dunedin
Up at six for Milford Sound. Mitre Peak did what it was supposed to do. Then the long drive east to Dunedin.
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6am
Breakfast
Super early breakfast - bread & milo at staying place before heading out
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9am
Milford Sound Cruise
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3pm
Thai Anau
Lunch - not bad Thai cuisine.
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5:30pm
Gore
Capital of country music and brown trout fishing. A small and chill town while on our way to Dunedin. Public toilet is available.
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8pm
印象Impression Restaurant Dunedin
Dinner - not bad Chinese zhuchar.
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9pm
PAK'nSAVE
Refill supplies
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9:30pm
Check in Airbnb
Dunedin to Christchurch
Dunedin's railway station, two cathedrals, and the steepest street in the world — then five hours back up to Christchurch.
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8am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - bread & milo at staying place before heading out
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10am
Dunedin Railway Station
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11am
St Paul's Anglican Cathedral
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11:30am
First Church of Otago
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12pm
Cobb & Co.
Lunch
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1:30pm
Baldwin Street
World steepest street
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4:30pm
Coffee Culture Timaru
Stop by Timaru to have some cakes and a cuppa while on our way to Christchurch - last stop of this trip.
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9pm
Check in Hotel
Fino Hotel and Suites
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9:30pm
Homecook Dinner
Quick dinner before heading out to do laundry
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10:30pm
Dobi
Laundry
Christchurch, Slowly
Penguins and a storm room at the Antarctic Centre, and a proper go at the hawker food on Old Street.
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9am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - bread & milo at staying place before heading out
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10:30am
International Antarctic Centre
Visitor attraction and public science discovery centre
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1:30pm
Old Street Asian Hawker Food
Lunch - super good Malaysian food at affordable price !!!!! MUST TRY
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3pm
City Mall
Browse around
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7pm
Lone Star
Dinner - famous Western food (recommended pork ribs)
The Last Full Day
The heritage tram loop, the Avon, and Victoria Square. The rental car went back; the walking began.
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9am
Breakfast
Simple breakfast - bread & milo at staying place before heading out
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12pm
Tram heritage loop
We bought all-day pass for heritage tour using tram
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1:30pm
Old Street Asian Hawker Food
Went back to this cheap and tasty Malaysian food :)
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2:30pm
Return Rented Car
Airpark Canterbury
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3pm
City Mall
Book a grab back here for shopping
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5:30pm
Avon River / Victoria Square
Browse around
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7pm
87 Dealers
Dinner - hotel on-site restaurant and bar. Average taste, just here for the convenience before going back to our rooms for final packing
Home
One last breakfast, and then the airport.
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7am
Breakfast
Last breakfast here before checking out and heading to airport
And that was that
Fifteen Days Later.Back Where We Started.
We drove back into Christchurch with a boot full of supermarket receipts, a camera roll that needed a bigger phone, and a very clear idea of which bakery was the best one. If you are going, steal all of it.
- 15
- days
- 110
- stops
- 9
- places