Day-by-day programme of this 12-day itinerary across South Island: Alps, fjords and glaciers.
Day 1 â Arrival in Christchurch
Landing in Christchurch, gateway to the South Island, a city reborn after the 2011 earthquake among street art, gardens and innovative architecture.
- âïļ Christchurch â Aeroporto di Christchurch (CHC)
- ð Christchurch City â Christchurch, the 'garden city', shows its resilience: beside the remains of the Gothic cathedral are the Cardboard Cathedral (built of cardboard), the earthquake memorial, colourful containers turned into shops and lively street art. The city combines English heritage (the Avon river, the botanic gardens, the vintage tram) and new creativity. It is an example of rebirth. In the evening, dinner in the regenerated district. Tomorrow you set off for Lake Tekapo and the Southern Alps.
- ðĻ Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square â Centro, Christchurch
Day 2 â Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook
Lake Tekapo with its turquoise waters and the Church of the Good Shepherd, and the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, around New Zealand's highest mountain.
- ð Lake Tekapo â You set off from Christchurch inland and reach Lake Tekapo, with its unreal milky turquoise waters (due to 'glacial flour'): on the shore, the tiny stone Church of the Good Shepherd is one of the symbolic images of New Zealand, with fields of purple lupins in spring. The area is a Dark Sky Reserve: at night the starry sky is among the clearest on the planet. You continue towards Mount Cook along an even bluer lake, Pukaki.
- ðŊ Hooker Valley â In the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park you walk the Hooker Valley Track, one of the most beautiful and accessible trails in New Zealand (about 3 hours round trip): among suspension bridges, alpine meadows and streams you reach the Hooker glacial lake, with icebergs floating and, in the background, Aoraki/Mount Cook (3,724 m), the highest mountain in the country, on which Sir Edmund Hillary trained before Everest. An amphitheatre of peaks and glaciers. You overnight in the area, under starry skies.
- ðĻ Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Lodge â Lake Tekapo / Mount Cook Village
Day 3 â Wanaka
A journey to Wanaka, a relaxed town on an alpine lake, with the famous #ThatWanakaTree and scenic trails among the mountains.
- âïļ Mount Cook â Wanaka â Wanaka, Nuova Zelanda
- ðŊ Roys Peak â For the more sporty, the climb to Roys Peak (about 5-6 hours round trip, demanding) gives one of the most iconic views in New Zealand: from above, a ridge overlooks Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps in a postcard panorama. Those who prefer stroll the lakefront, visit the quirky Puzzling World or relax in a cafe. Wanaka is the perfect place to savour nature without haste. In the evening, dinner with a view of the lake. Tomorrow the adventure capital: Queenstown.
- ðĻ Wanaka Hotel â Wanaka, Nuova Zelanda
Day 4 â Queenstown
Arrival in Queenstown, the 'world capital of adventure', set between Lake Wakatipu and the mountains, among extreme sports, panoramas and the golden village of Arrowtown.
- âïļ Wanaka â Queenstown â Queenstown, Nuova Zelanda
- ðŊ Skyline Queenstown â By gondola you climb to Bob's Peak, from which the view over Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables is spectacular; at the top you can ride down on the luge. For thrill-seekers, Queenstown offers everything: bungy jumping, canyon jet boats, skydiving, rafting. For others, a cruise on the old TSS Earnslaw steamship. In the evening, the famous Fergburger gourmet burger and the lively nightlife. Tomorrow towards Fiordland.
- ðĻ Novotel Queenstown Lakeside â Centro, Queenstown
Day 5 â Glenorchy and the Middle-earth landscapes
An excursion to Glenorchy, at the end of Lake Wakatipu, among the most spectacular landscapes in New Zealand, the set of many films and the realm of Middle-earth.
- ð Glenorchy â A scenic road skirts Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy, a tiny village surrounded by mountains, rivers and primordial forests: it is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt landscapes in the country, the set of countless films (The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia). You photograph the famous red wharf, explore the Paradise valley and immerse yourself in the wild nature. For the more adventurous, a jet boat ride on the Dart river. You return to Queenstown for the evening. Tomorrow Fiordland and Milford Sound.
- ðĻ Kingsgate Hotel Te Anau â Te Anau, Fiordland
Day 6 â Milford Sound
The cruise in Milford Sound, the most spectacular fjord in New Zealand, among vertical walls, waterfalls and seals, called 'the eighth wonder of the world'.
- ðŊ Milford Sound â The road to Milford Sound is already a spectacle: glacial valleys, waterfalls, rainforests and tunnels in the rock. Then the cruise in the fjord, called by Kipling 'the eighth wonder of the world': rock walls plunging vertically for over a thousand metres into the dark water, very high waterfalls, the pyramidal peak of Mitre Peak, seals, dolphins and (with luck) penguins. It often rains (it is one of the wettest places in the world) but this makes the waterfalls even more spectacular. You return to Te Anau. Tomorrow you cross the island towards the glaciers.
Day 7 â Towards the West Coast glaciers
A long scenic journey to the west coast, via Queenstown and the Haast Pass, to the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, which descend into the rainforest.
- âïļ Te Anau â Franz Josef â Franz Josef Glacier, West Coast
- ðĻ Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier â Franz Josef Glacier Village
Day 8 â The glaciers and Punakaiki
The excursion to the Franz Josef glacier, perhaps by helicopter, and the drive up the West Coast to the spectacular Pancake Rocks of Punakaiki.
- ðŊ Franz Josef Glacier â The best way to experience the Franz Josef glacier is the heli-hike: a helicopter drops you on the ice, where with crampons and a guide you walk among blue crevasses, caves and seracs, in a world of glittering ice surrounded by peaks. Those who prefer admire the glacier from the valley with a walk, or visit the still waters of Lake Matheson, which reflects Mount Cook. Then you drive up the West Coast northwards, along a wild coast battered by the ocean. You arrive in Punakaiki.
- ð Pancake Rocks â At Punakaiki, the Pancake Rocks are a bizarre formation of limestone rock layered like stacks of pancakes, shaped by the sea and time. At high tide, the ocean funnels into the blowholes and sprays upwards with spectacular roars. All around, the rainforest meets the wild ocean. A walkway lets you admire the spectacle. You overnight along the coast. Tomorrow you cross the island northwards, to Abel Tasman.
- ðĻ Scenic Hotel Punakaiki â Punakaiki / Greymouth
Day 9 â Towards Abel Tasman
A journey to the north of the island to the Nelson area and the Abel Tasman National Park, where the forest meets golden beaches and a turquoise sea.
- âïļ Punakaiki â Abel Tasman â Parco Nazionale Abel Tasman / Nelson
- ðĻ Trailways Hotel Nelson â Nelson / Abel Tasman
Day 10 â Abel Tasman National Park
A day in the Abel Tasman National Park: the famous Coast Track among the golden coves, or a kayak excursion in the turquoise sea among seals and forests.
- ðŊ Abel Tasman Coast Track â The Abel Tasman National Park is explored from the sea or on foot: you walk part of the Coast Track, one of the most beautiful coastal trails in New Zealand, which links golden beaches, bays and suspension bridges in the forest, also reachable by water taxi. Or you paddle by kayak among the coves and islets, spotting seals and seabirds, with stops on deserted beaches for a swim. It is a corner of paradise, away from the peaks: relaxation and nature at its purest. Tomorrow you head back towards Christchurch along the coast.
Day 11 â Kaikoura and the whales
A journey to Kaikoura, where the snowy mountains plunge into an ocean teeming with life: whales, dolphins and seals, before returning to Christchurch.
- ðŊ Kaikoura â Kaikoura is one of the most spectacular places for an encounter with marine wildlife: thanks to a very deep oceanic canyon a few km from the shore, sperm whales live here all year, and you can spot them from a boat (or a small plane) as they surface and exhale, before diving again with a flick of the tail. You can also swim with dolphins and see seal colonies. The backdrop of snowy mountains plunging into the ocean is magnificent. You return to Christchurch in the evening. Tomorrow the flight home.
- ðĻ Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square â Centro, Christchurch
Day 12 â Departure from Christchurch
Return flight from Christchurch. The end of a journey on the South Island, among turquoise lakes, glaciers, fjords and the Southern Alps.
- âïļ Christchurch â Aeroporto di Milano Malpensa (MXP)
