Top Things to do in South Island
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The 10 Best Scenic Drives in South Island, New Zealand
Discover the best top things to do in South Island, New Zealand including State Highway 73, The Great Coast Road, Glenorchy-Queenstown Road, Old Dunstan Road, Queen Charlotte Drive, State Highway 6, Crown Range Road, Southern Scenic Route, Haast Pass, The Castle Cruiser.
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1. State Highway 73
2. The Great Coast Road
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 40 reviews
Reviewed By TheBandasaks - Christchurch, New Zealand
Beautiful drive, lots of places to stop and take photos. Long beaches, lovely views, little waterfalls. A very enjoyable drive.
3. Glenorchy-Queenstown Road
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,928 reviews
Reviewed By Vulcan90049 - Nambucca Heads, Australia
Wonderful drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy,, Great road and Fantastic views along the way,,, lovely little town ship. Well worth the trip
4. Old Dunstan Road
5. Queen Charlotte Drive
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By spidernz - Gisborne, New Zealand
Ignore Google Maps if you are travelling from Picton to anywhere west, they take you down to Blenheim for a faster route to Havelock/Nelson etc, but then you'd miss the stunning views this twisty, windy road gives you. You're on holiday - enjoy the journey. One of the best drives in NZ.
6. State Highway 6
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
This highway takes you on a scenic drive from Nelson to Westport.
Reviewed By d0nald43 - Bures, United Kingdom
Wow what a road. We joined at Greymouth, stayed a few nights in Franz Josef and then continued on the same road to Queenstown. It’s absolutely stunning, beautiful coast, waterfalls, lakes, mountains, glaciers and blue pools. Allow plenty of extra time as you’ll want to stop around every corner! We found the quality of the roads was good and fairly quiet in November. It was one of the highlights from our trip to this amazing country.
7. Crown Range Road
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 136 reviews
The Crown Range Road is the highest main road in New Zealand and offers amazing views.
Reviewed By ilovefrance12 - Whangarei, New Zealand
A cool experience to drive on New Zealands highest sealed road. Great views along the way, we stopped for sunset near the top viewing area. Highly recommended!
8. Southern Scenic Route
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 299 reviews
Reviewed By Rantinrover - Biggar, United Kingdom
In my original review of the Southern Scenic Route (SSR) back in April 2014 I indicated that there were places which we’d missed and would hopefully see on a return visit. It only took until March 2020 for us to finally get back! The SSR is a road trip through the southern part of New Zealand’s South Island which provides the traveller with an opportunity to see one of the less developed parts of the country, rugged coast and rural landscape, combined with waterfalls, small communities and wildlife. If you’re looking for a buzz and thrills and spills it may be better to stick to Queenstown. Some will do parts of the route in a day trip, others could easily spend a week or more depending upon interests and time available. Firstly it is advisable to get a copy of the SSR which is available online or at tourist info sites. This booklet provides maps and a brief description of the multitude of attractions along the route. This time around we travelled east to west from Dunedin to Queenstown and having previously visited Stewart Island, Fiordland and Queenstown itself we didn’t make any allowance for detours to these particular places. Dunedin is well worth exploring and we spent a few days there. Aside from a trip on the train up the Taieri Gorge which was enjoyable, we made time to visit the Otago Peninsula and see the albatrosses, have a workout on the dunes to reach Sandfly Bay and endured a similar test of the calf muscles at Tunnel Beach just to the south west of the city. For coastal scenery it would take a lot to beat Tunnel Beach which I would add to the “must do” list on the SSR. For those who enjoy going off the beaten track like us I would add a word of caution at this point. Keen to enjoy the coastline as much as possible as we headed south we ignored the SSR signpost to Waihola when we reached Taieri Mouth. We were sure that we could link up with the SSR after a short detour along the road beyond Taieri Beach. Yes, we did but our “short detour” took us around 40 minutes along unsealed roads, up and down hills, through forest along the Akatore Road on a route which was possibly more suited to rallying. Reaching Balclutha was a relief and an opportunity to get something to eat. It is also one of the few places where you can fill up your fuel tank so make the most of that unless you have already done so in Dunedin. With few food shopping opportunities and a limited amount of places to dine out on the SSR it would be wise to also have a few non-perishable emergency supplies if you plan to spread the visit over a few days. Be aware that stores, etc work more traditional hours in this area so you won’t find a 24 hour “MacDonald’s“. Likewise if you plan to stay over, book ahead. We stayed at Kaka Point for a night, a couple of nights at Curio Bay and a night at Riverton on this occasion. All good accommodation reviewed on TA separately where possible (Seascape Accommodation, Kaka Point & Curio Bay Accommodation, Curio Bay). The self-contained unit at Riverton was “Miro” on Bates Street which we booked via AirBnB. Kaka Point is a stone’s throw from Nugget Point Lighthouse, another on the “must do” list of the SSR in my view. This time around we spotted an entire seal colony clinging to the almost vertical cliffs of one of the “Nuggets” overlooked by the lighthouse. It was bizarre how such bulky creatures had managed to climb such heights. We also managed to see a pod of sea lions a bit further along the coast at Cannibal Bay. The road to Nugget Point Lighthouse is sealed now however the one to Cannibal Bay is not…prepare for a bumpy ride down that one. Quite a few of the gravel roads have been sealed since our last visit which saves on time but perhaps takes away a little of the adventure. Yet again we were unable to visit Cathedral Caves as this time the approach road was closed. We had been advised that tidal closures apart, this attraction had been closed for part of the season in any case. Just our misfortune. Check their website for details of when they are open to get the timing correct…and perhaps have a towel and change of clothing on standby. If waterfalls are an attraction our favourites are at McLean Falls which are not far from Cathedral Caves. Although the Purakaunui Falls are much-photographed we found them at bit disappointing last time and on this occasion we went instead to the Matai Falls/Horseshoe Falls (two for the price of one) and the lesser known Koropuku Falls. The Matai Falls were fairly modest, as were the Koropuku Falls however we found the trail to the latter was a bit of an adventure which added to the enjoyment - it was like stepping into a tropical forest. Curio Bay has benefited from a newly built visitor centre (with café/restaurant) located between the petrified forest and Porpoise Bay. The centre serves a function however the main attraction is still the surroundings. The petrified forest was an interesting distraction whilst we spoke to a DOC ranger and waited in vain for the yellow-eyed penguins to come ashore at dusk. That was a disappointment as we had seen some of these rare penguins on our previous visit and had been unaware that their numbers were dwindling further in current times. Porpoise Bay has a fabulous, wind-swept beach and often hosts a resident pod of Hector’s Dolphins but they were not playing when we were there. By chance, further along the coast at Waipapa Point Lighthouse, we saw a Blue Penguin in broad daylight. A ragged looking specimen which was going through the molting process and hence the reason it wasn’t at sea fishing during the day as would normally be the case. It was nonetheless an uplifting moment for us since it was very unexpected. The sea lions which frequent the area around the lighthouse were not around on this occasion! Slightly further on we couldn’t resist revisiting Slope Point, the most southerly spot on mainland South Island. It was still blowing a gale, as it seems to do most of the time, but was easier to get to by road since it is one of the routes which has been sealed. Our travels around Riverton and further north towards Queenstown were not only limited due to poor weather but also the restrictions introduced as a result of Covid-19 and we were again left with the thought that we’d see a few more things next time we visit. We travelled in March 2020 and by the time we reached Riverton the country went into Level 3 Alert putting paid to our plans this time for seeing some of the other attractions on the SSR. In the meantime hopefully nature and staycation New Zealanders will enjoy this lovely part of the country.
9. Haast Pass
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 153 reviews
Haast Pass is a beautiful scenic drive that leads to the West Coast.
Reviewed By JamesM780 - Auckland, New Zealand
This is a beautiful drive my lovely wife and I did when travelling recently from Wanaka to Jacksons Bay. Take your time; the roads twist and turn. Stop for photos and relish the views. Thoroughly recommended!
10. The Castle Cruiser
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 46 reviews
Dunedin's premier tour to Larnach Castle. A daily 4 hour tour $90A (5.5 hour tour on Cruise Ship Days from the Octagon @10:15AM or 6.5 hours Port Chalmers Pick-up/Return $105.00Adult/$55Child ages 5-14years @9.45AM) Transport is a luxury 13 leather seater bus -the "Eliza Jane"(named after Larnach's beloved first wife). Unlike our competitor/s we do not take groups larger than this to the castle (unless pre-booked as a larger group). Our aim is to make the experience as personal as possible. Group sizes greater than this make guiding through the castle far more difficult due to room sizes. In-depth commentary and a full history of the castle makes this tour well worthwhile especially when impressive and amazing views which the driver will invariably not be able to fully appreciate. Tour price includes transport, a city sights tour (stops at Larnach's Tomb/Baldwin Street - The World's Steepest Street/Otago University and the Railway Station) and all entrance fees to Castle and Gardens.
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