There are many, many different places around the world where you can drive through absolutely stunning scenery. Whether it’s the rustic villages along the Romantic Road in Germany, somewhere closer to home like the California Coastline, or even regions with stark, untouched beauty like the ring road that circles Iceland, you can find these adventures nearly anywhere you go.

One place we love to visit because of this kind of scenery is New Zealand. The island nation, home of the iconic scenery used in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, is picturesque far beyond that little tourist trap. There’s so much to see and do that even just taking a trip to one of the islands gives you enough to fill a vacation itinerary.

So, if you’re heading out towards NZ and you’re looking for options for driving tours, let’s talk about some places you absolutely must consider. Today, it’s all about the South Island.

All About the South Island

New Zealand’s South Island, known in Maori as Te Waipounamu, is the geographically largest but least populated of the three major islands of New Zealand. The reason lies in the geography; much of the island is dominated by tall mountains, fittingly known as the Southern Alps. Some residents jokingly call it the “mainland” of New Zealand, though only around 23% of the country’s population lives there.

Most of the island is dominated by nature reserves and national parks or sparsely-populated rural areas. The cities are all generally small, with the largest, Christchurch, being home to just 400,000 people. Dunedin, the second-largest city, is just 103,000 as of 2024.

Despite the sparse population, the South Island has a single long highway stretching the entire length of the island, as well as a coastal railway system that interconnects just about everywhere people live. These two run along opposite coasts, too, so they provide entirely different experiences. Of course, taking a train ride doesn’t fit the bill as a “road trip,” so we won’t be covering it in detail.

There’s a ton to see along the way, whichever way you choose to drive along the South Island. Be aware, though, that you’re going to find a lot of long stretches with no service stations or fuel, relatively little traffic, and potential hazards. Be prepared for anything on your trip! We’ll cover more specific details down below.

Five Road Trips to Take Across the South Island of New Zealand

Before we get to the gritty details, let’s go over five incredible scenic road trips you can take on the South Island.

#1: Te Anau to Milford Sound

A trip so nice we’re covering it twice! This is a relatively simple and somewhat short road trip in the far south of the South Island. Te Anau is a small lakeside town in the southern area of the Southland region of the South Island, with a population of around 2,500. It’s largely a rural, agricultural town, which also thrives on tourism because it’s a great base for exploring the Fiordlands.

Milford Sound, meanwhile, is a landmark hidden away in the Fiordlands. It’s a glacier-carved valley fiord, and it’s honestly magical. Dolphins and whales swim in the sound, rain dapples the coastline, waterfalls tumble into the sea, and tourists explore every inch of it. It’s one of the most popular tourist areas in the entire region, and for good reason.

The trip itself is a little under two hours of driving along State Highway 94. The route includes coastal, valley, and mountainous driving, though you don’t need anything off-road capable to make the trip. Along the way, you’ll see steep cliffs, snow-covered mountain peaks, curving switchbacks, and a whole lot more. There’s even a tunnel!

#2: West Coast Scenic Drive

For those who want a much more elaborate, multi-day journey across the South Island, it’s hard to beat the West Coast highway. Clocking in at over 1,000 kilometers and at least six days of driving and sightseeing, this grand tour gives you all of the highlights of the South Island in style.

Most people who take this trip start in Christchurch and take the train out to Greymouth. The train ride itself is about five hours and gives you a ton of incredible scenery – and you haven’t even started the road trip! Rent a car in Greymouth and get the trip started by heading to Westport, where you can explore caves, check out the remnants of old gold mines, and see the famous Oparara Arches.

The road all the way south takes you across yet more stunning scenery until you eventually reach Haast, surrounded by national parks and carved out of rugged rock. You can also optionally head north from Greymouth and make your way to Punakaiki, home of pancake rocks and geyser-like blowholes where the ocean waves blast water skyward.

#3: Queenstown and The Devil’s Staircase

There are a lot of places called the Devil’s Staircase around the world, including a few trails here in the USA. The one in New Zealand takes you from Queenstown down south, along the lake, down to the Devil’s Staircase Lookout Point.

You can also go a little further, all the way to Kingston, and the Lake Wakatipu Lookout as well, which makes for a nice stopping point. The full drive is less than an hour, though it will take longer as you find yourself compelled to stop every ten minutes to take photos of some new stunning vista.

When you reach Kingston, you can turn around and go back the way you came, but keep going; past Queenstown, you can follow the coastal road all the way up to Glenorchy, where you can see numerous lookouts, waterfalls, and other attractions along the way. Both trips can easily be done in a day, too, and with time to get back to Queenstown to sleep.

#4: To the Mountain

One of the prime attractions on the South Island is Mt. Cook, the highest point on the island and the country. While you can’t exactly drive to the peak, there’s a lot to do all around, including hikes, glacier viewing, skiing, and a whole lot more.

The trip from Christchurch takes you first to the west, crossing the flatter prairie lands where the mountain ranges in the distance slowly grow closer. You’ll follow much the same route as the trains until you veer off, taking winding roads up into the mountains and along the lakes. When you finally turn the corner and see Mt. Cook looming large, it’s absolutely breathtaking.

#5: From the North

Some people choose to start their New Zealand adventures on the North Island. It’s not surprising since that’s where most people live, but it means you have two options for getting to the South Island. You can fly, of course, or you can take a ferry. The Ferry from Wellington to Picton takes a few hours, but it’s a compelling start to a journey throughout the South Island.

Taking a drive from Picton along the eastern coast will bring you to Christchurch in around four and a half hours, though it will, of course, be more when you stop at the small towns, tourist attractions, museums, and parks along the way. It’s a largely flat drive, with the constant backdrop of the mountains offering a promise of other trips to be had later on down the line.

What About the Passes?

When you seek out road trips to take in the South Island, one thing you’ll see mentioned a lot are the scenic passes. There are a few of these – Arthur’s Pass, Lindis Pass, Haast Pass – but we didn’t mention them. Why not?

Well, mostly because they’re short. They’re definitely incredible drives and destinations in their own right, but they don’t quite feel big enough to be “road trips” in themselves. If you’re in the area around them (and a couple of our routes take you nearby), definitely check them out, but think of them like extra-scenic legs of a longer trip, not the trip themselves.

Tips and Things to Know for Driving in New Zealand

If you’re going to be road-tripping around the South Island, what do you need to know?

• Pick your vehicle for your plans. If you want to do smaller trips between towns and spend your nights in hotels, a car is plenty. If you want to travel some of the more rugged roads, you might want a jeep or something with more capability. If you want to rough it a little more, renting a motorhome can be an incredible option as well.
• Be careful about the weather and the timing, especially for some roads like in the Fiordlands. Many of the mountain roads are prone to rock falls, snow and ice, and even avalanches. Always check the conditions before you embark, and be prepared for anything.
• Plan your trips with fuel in mind. While modern vehicles are fairly fuel-efficient, some of the longer trips can push it, especially if you’re light on gas when you head out. On some roads, there aren’t any gas stations, and it can be a risk to run out along the way.
• Likewise, have your road trip preparations in place. Clothing, food, water, essentials, anything you’d need. Camping can be incredible in some of these locations as well, especially places like Milford Sound, and having your supplies is a must.
• Cell phone coverage is spotty. While you can use offline Google Maps to help you for much of the trip, it might not be a bad idea to have a paper backup in mind and even a satellite phone for some of the more outlying drives in case of an emergency.
• There are thousands of little side spots where you can pull aside and slow down to let faster drivers pass you. Use them! It’s fine to be a slow and steady tourist; just don’t hold up everyone else while you do it.
• In a lot of the mountainous regions, you may be tempted to stop at particularly scenic overlooks to take photos. Make sure to double-check if you can first. A lot of these switchbacks have posted signs that you shouldn’t stop because of the risk of rockslides or avalanches. Be safe, not sorry.

One of the biggest things you should know is that even the best roads in the South Island can be pretty gnarly, all things considered. Sometimes they’re very narrow, sometimes they’re winding tight enough you can’t take it more than a few mph, sometimes they’re crooked and bordered by a steep enough cliff it feels like you risk tilting right over the edge.

If you’re used to wide, well-guarded American roads, you’ll be in for a bit of culture shock. Stay on the roads, and you’ll be fine, sure, but sometimes that’s harder than it seems like it should be.

On the plus side, if you’ve taken a drive across somewhere like Kansas or Illinois and you’ve felt like the hundreds of miles of arrow-straight roads through cornfields were going to bore you to death, New Zealand is for you. You’ll be paying attention every second of it because that’s what the winding roads demand of you.

Also, unlike many American roads, the speed limit signs are not just suggestions. If you take a 20kph curve going 40, you might not be on the road by the end of it.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, New Zealand drives on the left, and if you aren’t paying attention, you might pull out into the wrong lane and have a very intense moment of panic as you fix it.

Once you get past all of the hassles of a road trip in a country with very different roads, it’s an intensely beautiful, unforgettably memorable, and thoroughly wonderful trip to take. Mountains or plains, penguins or sheep, fiords or trails, there’s something for everyone somewhere in the South Island. And half the fun is finding it.

If you do end up going to the South Island, be sure to share your stories! We’d love to hear them!