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New Zealand is a gorgeous country. To this day, after traveling more than 40 countries, is my favorite country.

I recommend doing both islands so I have also written an itinerary for the North Island.

You can travel part of this trip by public transport but you will also need your own vehicle or to book a one-day tour to reach other areas.

You can start this journey either in Picton if you arrive from the North Island by ferry, or in Nelson and you can finish in Queenstown or in Christchurch. On average we will spend 2-3 days in each place.

As a base, we will use Nelson, Franz Josef, Wanaka, Queenstown, and Christchurch.

We will head to Nelson from Picton. From Nelson, we can take trips to Abel Tasman and Nelson Lake. I would recommend you to go kayaking in Abel Tasman. In order to go to these two places you will need your own car or to book a one day tour as they cannot be reached by public transport.

If you love trekking and you have got more than a couple weeks these both places have pretty interesting several days treks.

The next is Franz Josef, where we can visit the glacier and the hot pools. Every hostel offers shuttle buses to and from the glaciers but you can also book a tour if you want to do a glacier walk.

In New Zealand, the journey is as important as the destination. Therefore we can do some stops from Nelson to Franz Josef as Punakaiki, Greymouth, and Hokitika. The bus company Intercity also does these stopovers.

The journey from Franz Josef to Wanaka is one of the most gorgeous in the South Island.

Our next stop is Queenstown. If you are tight on time I recommend you book a one-day tour to Milford Sound.

Next, we will head to Mt Cook/Aoraki and Lake Tekapo. We can go back and finish in Queenstown or head to Christchurch. One day is enough for Mt Cook or the Lake Tekapo just to see the lake and the Southern lights.

If wanted, we can go whale-watching in Kaikoura from Christchurch.

This itinerary can also be done the other way around.