Some of New Zealand’s finest road trips are found in these contrasting regions, lying astride the Southern Alps.
Most start in Christchurch, the country’s second-largest city, still recovering from devastating earthquakes but inspiring with its attitude and spirit. South Island highlights lie in all directions, from bay-lined Banks Peninsula to wineries, hot springs, and tussocky high-country across the plains. NZ’s highest peak, Aoraki/Mt Cook, stands sentinel in the south. Alpine passes lead to the wilderness West Coast. Its long, often winding highway is loaded with end-of-the-road vibe, even around hotspots such as Punakaiki and the glaciers, Franz Josef and Fox.
Running the length of New Zealand’s longest and least populated region, the West Coast road reveals spectacular natural landscapes and flinty pioneer history alongside eyefuls of big, blue ocean.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
6–8 DAYS
530KM / 329 MILES
GREAT FOR…
BEST TIME TO GO
March through May sees generally settled weather and fewer crowds
ESSENTIAL PHOTO
Capture Aoraki/Mt Cook’s reflection in mirrorlike Lake Matheson
A serious contender for NZ’s most scenic road trip, the end-to-end journey along the West Coast offers deep immersion in the rich wilderness that covers 90% of the region. Nature is interrupted by a series of rustic old gold- and coal-mining towns, dotting the highway and nestling into nooks in the mountain ranges. Along the way, the wild Tasman Sea beats an ever-present rhythm.
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1 Westport
Flinty Westport typifies the towns of the West Coast, its fortunes waxing and waning on the output of its mines. The coal that has kept it stoked up for much of its existence is on the way out, but it leaves behind a legacy of low-rise heritage buildings, an old wharf precinct ripe for rejuvenation, and myriad industrial curios both in town and beyond. Lo...
