THE GREAT SOUTH ISLAND ROAD TRIP

A couple of years back a survey of international travellers asked what destination they would like to see before they died. Pretty grim way of putting the question, but the results were interesting. In order of preference they were, the Grand Canyon, Queensland’s Coral Reef and the South Island of New Zealand. That puts us in pretty exalted company and ahead of things like the Great Wall of China, the pyramids of Egypt and Machu Picchu in Peru. Are you surprised? South Islanders won’t be because we are well aware of the incredible beauty of this place – a land mass about the size of England but with a population of only one million compared to 56 million! That leaves an awful lot of the South Island for the mountains, lakes, rivers, forest and remote beauty for which we are famous.

Each year, I get about 60 to 80 enquiries from people saying “I’m coming to the South Island for 14 days later this year, do you have any suggestions as to what I should see?”

Well, there is so much – from the grandeur of the Marlborough Sounds, to the West Coast, to the Catlins, to Stewart Island and everything in between – but there is really no show of experiencing it all in just 14 days. Unless you drive like a speed racer.

I’ve thought about this for a long time and have had a route (or a loop) in mind for quite a while. In late autumn I set aside six days to do it.

The loop, with a couple of side trips, encompasses everything that the South Island is famous for – from the soaring heights of the Southern alps, the breathtaking beauty of our native bush, remote and mysterious fiords (or sounds), the harsh starkness and energy of Central Otago, the lakes, rivers and streams, and the gothic charm of Dunedin and Ōamaru.

While this loop could start at any point of the journey, for this exercise I opted to begin (and end) in Queenstown – it is, after all, our most famous tourist attraction. The loop goes from Queenstown back to Queenstown, via Alexandra, Dunedin, Ōamaru, the Waitaki Valley, the Lindis Pass, Wanaka and Arrowtown, with side trips to Aoraki/Mount Cook out of Ōmarama and either Milford or Doubtful Sound out of Queenstown.

I set out on this trip at midday on a Monday and completed it at 6.00pm on the following Saturday having covered 2106 kilometres and seen a bit of everything that makes the South Island so special.

Is this ‘The South Island’s Greatest Road Trip’? I think it is. In fact, I think it is New Zealand’s Greatest Road Trip.

LEAVING QUEENSTOWN

My advice is to get out of Queenstown after a couple of days because the place is so captivating and such a trap that there is the danger of spending all of your time – and money – there. Instead, save a bit of both for the end of your trip.

Many older New Zealanders don’t like the modern Queenstown – too big, too flashy, too commercial they say. They preferred it when you could arrive in town without a traffic jam all the way from Frankton,