south island

Arguably one of the most striking landscapes we have ever seen, New Zealand’s South Island is home to glacial lakes, magnificent mountains, and scenic sights. There is too much to see, literally, that it feels like you have to spend 6 months on the island just to get a glimpse. But instead of 6 months we had a mere 6 days, so our trek through the island was efficient but ever so wondrous. The island will forever be our favorite mountainous destination we’ve visited.

the facts

1. In addition to the lovely sights, New Zealand is known for its wool. In fact, its estimated that New Zealand has 5 sheep for every Kiwi.

2. At just 1000 miles, New Zealand is more proximal to Fiji than Australia

3. About 30% of New Zealand’s population lives in Auckland.

4. “Tramping” refers hiking.

5. While “high” season for tourism is during our winter months, we actually really enjoyed traveling to New Zealand during our summer (and thereby their winter). It was quieter and more enjoyable to experience the sights without competition.

   
   

te anau (tea-anoo)

With a population estimated just over 2500 people, Te Anau (pronounced Tea Anoo) is a charming town that sits just outside the famed Fiordlands National Park in the Southwest portion of New Zealand’s South Island. While almost unintentionally, we decided to stay here for our first night in New Zealand primarily as a rest stop. Te Anau is just 2 hours from Queenstown and Milford Sound, and pretty much the last town before Milford Sound that had housing available last minute. SIDE NOTE: Turns out to stay in Milford Sound either you have to book months (plural) in advance, and/or hike into it - neither of which were appealing after 24 hours of travel.

We were pleasantly surprised when we reached Te Anau. The folks of this quaint town reminded me so much of the South - friendly, charming and very helpful. The town itself is an intersection of two main roads with a handful of restaurants, a supermarket, pharmacy and a couple of pubs. Since this wasn’t really more than a stopover for us, we weren’t really expecting the food to be noteworthy…but y’all it was actually really good. Turns out Kiwi’s are foodies and very inclusive of dietary needs and restrictions.

A couple noteworthy Te Anau finds: Radha’s, a local Indian restaurant - the food was actually spicy, delicious and authentic! I liked it so much I could’ve had two orders! Habit Foodtruck - fusion Asian fare like baos and loaded fries. NZ Cash only though. Lodging - we stayed at this AirBnB just two blocks from the town center. Our host was so kind, helpful and the breakfast was delicious Belgian waffles. Definitely recommend staying here.

MILFORD SOUND

One the most iconic New Zealand landmarks, Milford Sound is a series of seriously gorgeous mountains that feature waterfalls throughout and can only be accessed by a single road. There are an abundance of tours available from Queenstown and Te Anau. We decided to make the trek with Trips and Tramps. Our guide, Douglas, was super knowledgeable about the area and also a local photographer. While there are a couple different ways to experience the Sound (hiking in and staying at the local lodge, or tours and cruises) we had a pretty ambitious itinerary for our time on South Island so we just opted for the tour & 2 hour cruise via Real Journeys. The cruise was incredible. Definitely recommend!

And for all those wondering, “tramping” is what Kiwi’s call hiking.

LAKE GUNN

A tripadvisor find, I really wanted to check out Lake Gunn for its beautiful mossy forest and perfect reflection. Unfortunately we hit some pretty choppy winds and rains so the reflection was nonexistent. The forest walk was so beautiful though. It takes about 30 minutes to walk around is a great place for bird watchers. NOTES: Requires a permit (which can be attained through a tour company).

MIRROR LAKES

We weren’t really planning on seeing these but it came with our tour package. While pretty, these are at best really still ponds. The reflection is surely pretty but nothing noteworthy. Definitely skippable.

wanaka (wah-na-kah)

As we made our way north through South Island, our next stop was the small town of Wanaka. We decided to stop here for a couple nights as we tackled the famed Roy’s Peak.

ROY’S PEAK

Social media’s latest starlet, this hike features two gorgeous lookouts: Coromandel Peak and Roy’s Peak. It’s become so well known that during peak travel season there is literally a queue of hikers lined up along the ridge at Coromandel Peak just to take the famous shot. While the views are incredible, I really wanted to do this hike for the challenge. The HUBS is a big fan of hiking and at 11.2 miles and the 4000 foot ascent - this hike seemed like the perfect challenge for him. Oh. My. Gosh. Y’all: my legs still feel like jello, I couldn’t feel my toes and we started the hike in the dark 😳, BUT it was the most worthwhile hike of my life.

The views throughout the hike were incredible with grazing sheep scattered across the land, seemingly hand-painted sunrise sights, and snow! The hike starts at the Roy’s Peak car park (at sea level) and zigzags for about 4 miles and 3000 ft to Coromandel Peak before it continues for a final ascent to Roy’s Peak, with the last half mile or so of the ascent in snow.

A couple tips if you decide to make the trek:

• Start early. Seriously. The hike is pretty popular regardless of the season. We visited in the winter and there were still queues at Coromandel. We started hiking by 6 AM which meant hiking for the first hour in the dark. While we did this to beat the crowds, enjoy sunrise and avoid harsh sun - the biggest benefit was the ground was firm on our way up (as opposed to sloshy and muddy). It gets muddier later in the day, and is pretty much entirely mud by noon (in the winter months).

• Wear layers. While initially it was extremely cold, we warmed up pretty quickly during our ascent. I recommend wearing thermal layers like these heat tech tights and shirts, gloves, thick wool socks and a jacket.

• Bring snacks. Trust me you will need the food to refuel. Also be sure to bring water. While I can’t speak to the state of this myself, there is an outhouse once you reach Coromandel Peak.

• Be flexible and plan for weather changes. During the winter the temperature, wind, and visibility can change pretty rapidly. We stayed in Wanaka for three days so that we could hike during the best conditions. Thank goodness we did because our first two days were too cloudy to summit.

• WEAR PROPER SHOES. Influencers beware, this is not a hike for your cute pink sneakers and graphic crop tops. It’s extremely muddy, slippery and dusty. Your clothes will get dirty and if you are not wearing shoes with good soles you probably will fall. I made the trek in these and they were super comfortable the entire way, and handled the different terrains (ice, snow, slush, mud, gravel) well.

• Plan for at least 5 hours round trip to summit and get back. And definitely go all the way to Roy’s Peak. It’s beautiful at the very top with tons of views of the back side of the mountain. Most seemed to stop at Coromandel Peak, but the views at Roys Peak were definitely worth it!

THAT WANAKA TREE

As a photography enthusiast, Wanaka was at the top of my list. I really wanted to see #thatwanakatree (yep, it really has its own hashtag) and try my hand at shooting it. Although we were met with lots of variable inclement weather during our time in Wanaka, we did get to spend a sunset with the 100+ year old willow. Turns out the famed spot draws quite the audience of photographers, tourists, and influencers alike. Who knew a tree could be so famous?

twizel (twye-zle)

Just a couple hours drive from Wanaka, Twizel became our home for the next two days as we continued our trek through South Island. We chose the location since staying on Mt Cook was too pricey and this Air BnB was too cute to pass up. It really did end up being a convenient spot as we explored Mt Cook (about 45 minutes away). The town was quaint, the food was excellent and it was just an added bonus that we got to hang with some cute baby sheep.

TASMAN LAKE

Overshadowed by Hooker Valley Track’s popularity, Tasman Lake is arguable the most beautiful lake in Mount Cook National Park. It’s more of a locals spot, but features some beautiful icebergs that float in the middle of the lake. Tip: visit during sunrise for breathtaking views and follow the signs for Tasman River NOT the viewpoint. Be ready though, there is a little bit of rock climbing involved at the end. The entire walk takes about 15-20 minutes and is mostly downhill.

DINING

During our trip through South Island, Twizel was our favorite food destination. Pretty much everything we had was delicious but our two favorites (and really our favorites for the entire trip) were Fishtail Indian Restaurant and Poppies Cafe. Fishtail actually came recommended from one of our local guides. While initially I was skeptical probably in part because of the name and well because Twizel is so small, I was so pleasantly surprised that we ate there and ordered more food to go for our next meal. I was about one step from licking my plate, the Malai Kofta was that good. Our other favorite, Poppies Cafe, had stellar reviews online so we figured we would give it a try. The lemon herb risotto and sun dried tomato, mushroom and spinach pasta were both delicious and also made for excellent leftovers.

MOUNT COOK & TASMAN GLACIER

At 12,218 ft Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand and is located just about an hour northwest of Twizel.  The national park is home to other notables like Tasman Lake, Hooker Valley Track and the Tasman Glacier (the largest glacier in the Southern Hemisphere).  We were so excited to visit this area, and planned a heli hike (short for helicopter hike) for Tasman Glacier but unfortunately our excursion was cancelled due to strong winds.  We were hoping that we would be able to reschedule for another day but our tour guide didn’t have another booking available.  HELPFUL TIP: if you are visiting the area and planning on doing a heli hike, account for weather cancellations.  We are so bummed that we missed out on this especially since Tasman Glacier has some pretty gorgeous ice caves.  Also worth noting during low (winter) season, the tour companies require a minimum number of passengers for the helicopter rides and can refuse a tour if these requirements are not met.  Just some things to keep in mind for future travels...While we are still seriously bummed out that we didn’t get to go on a heli hike during our time on South Island we have only heard amazing things from friends who have gone. It seems to be a must for anyone in the area. I guess we just need to go back to South Island again.

LAKE PUKAKI

With an abundance of glacial blues, New Zealand’s South Island is full of some of the prettiest lakes you will see. Lake Pukaki was much like Lake Tekapo and Wanaka. Its framed perfectly by mountains. Unfortunately our time here was met with a extremely dense fog and painfully cold rains that we weren’t really able to enjoy the scenery. To be honest, we didn’t feel like we missed out on much since we still got to enjoy these hues throughout our road trip of South Island.

HOOKER VALLEY TRACK

Recently reopened after some swing bridge repairs, this pretty easy “hike” is more like a long walk through Mount Cook National Park and offers pretty views of Lake Mueller and Hooker Lake. The entire trek is about 3 miles long with an elevation gain of about 100 ft. While the views are pretty, the ease of this hike means that it’s quite popular for an assortment of ages. It is a great exploratory hike for the area with some great views.

lake tekapo (teak-a-poh)

Home to the largest dark sky reserve in the Southern hemisphere, Tekapo is a beautiful ski town nestled on the shores of the stunning, Tiffany blue waters of Lake Tekapo.  With only 300 permanent residents, Tekapo definitely feels like an Alpine town.  Honestly, the Tiffany blue glacier melt hues were enough to entice us to visit.  We didn’t have too much planned while we were here but to relax and enjoy the stellar views of the Milky Way.  

While there are two main ski fields (Roundhill and Mount Dunbar), we opted for things that opted less coordination like eating and just plain, good ole exploring.  We pretty much drove around during our time in the area.  NOTABLES: The desserts at Blue Lake Eatery (the chocolate brownie with salted caramel mousse was amazing), mac n cheese in NZ is not good - it’s a little sweet, and Milky Way viewing is best done a little bit outside the town. 

DARK SKY RESERVE

With the largest dark sky reserve in the southern hemisphere, Lake Tekapo is a beautiful backdrop for budding photographers. There are several astrophotography and stargazing tours for tourists, but we actually found Twizel to be a better location for astrophotography. While absolutely beautiful, Lake Tekapo has too much light pollution to capture or see the milky way properly so we opted to shoot while we were in Twizel instead.