Day 1: Christchurch to Lake Tekapo (230 km, about 3 hours)
Leave Christchurch on SH1 then SH79 through Geraldine. Tekapo's Church of the Good Shepherd is the famous photo stop, but it is busy; come back at dusk when the day buses leave. The area is a Dark Sky Reserve, so stay the night and look up.
Day 2: Tekapo to Aoraki/Mount Cook (105 km, about 1.5 hours)
Short drive along Lake Pukaki, which is an unreal milky blue. The Hooker Valley Track is a flat 10 km return walk, about three hours, with swing bridges and a glacier lake at the end. It is the best easy walk in the country. Stay at the village or back in Twizel for cheaper beds.
Day 3: Mount Cook to Wanaka (200 km, about 2.5 hours)
Drive south through the Lindis Pass. Wanaka is quieter than Queenstown and a good place to slow down. The lakefront willow tree (#ThatWanakaTree) is overrated; the Roys Peak track is the real draw but it is a hard 16 km return climb, so only attempt it if fit.
Day 4: Wanaka to Queenstown (70 km, about 1 hour)
Take the Crown Range road, the highest sealed road in New Zealand, weather permitting. Queenstown is the adventure hub: bungy, jet boat, gondola. It is expensive. Stay two nights.
Day 5: Queenstown
A full day for activities or a day trip to Glenorchy (45 minutes each way) for quieter scenery. Skip the priciest adventures if budget matters; the walks around the lake are free and good.
Day 6: Queenstown to Te Anau (170 km, about 2 hours)
Move your base to Te Anau, the gateway town for Fiordland. Stock up on fuel and food here. The town itself is calm and cheaper than Queenstown.
Day 7: Milford Sound day trip from Te Anau (250 km return, plus the cruise)
The drive in is two hours each way and is part of the experience, with stops at Mirror Lakes and the Homer Tunnel. Book the cruise in advance (around NZ$90). Leave early; the road has no fuel and weather changes fast. Wet days are still worth it, since the waterfalls run hardest in rain.
Day 8: Te Anau to the West Coast glaciers (long day, about 5 to 6 hours via Queenstown and Haast)
This is a big driving day over the Haast Pass to Franz Josef or Fox Glacier. The pass is beautiful but slow and winding. Fill up at Wanaka; fuel is scarce on the Haast road.
Day 9: Glaciers to Arthur's Pass area (300 km, about 4.5 hours)
Walk to the glacier viewpoints in the morning, then drive north and inland over Arthur's Pass. The alpine scenery here rivals anywhere on the island. Watch for kea, the cheeky alpine parrots that damage cars.
Day 10: Arthur's Pass to Christchurch (155 km, about 2.5 hours)
An easier final leg back to Christchurch. If you have time, the TranzAlpine train covers this route and is one of the world's great rail journeys. Drop the car and fly out.
Practical notes
This loop covers close to 1,800 km, and three or four days exceed four hours of driving, so it is the hardest of our routes on the legs. If that sounds like too much, cut the West Coast and return from Queenstown via Tekapo instead; you lose the glaciers but gain two slower days. Book the Milford cruise and your Queenstown and Te Anau beds early, since summer fills months ahead. Fuel between Wanaka, Haast and the glaciers is sparse and pricier, so fill up when you can.
