Tips for Travellers to New Zealand's South Island

My first article covered our trip in the North Island. This article takes up the story where we travelled over to the South Island.

At our final destination in the North Island, the city lived up to its name 'Windy Wellington' & it was cold, so we gladly handed the car in & boarded the ferry for the South Island. Rental vehicles are handed in before boarding the ferry and you pick up another on arrival in the South Island if you have booked ahead.

Tip 1 - If you have a camera it is a good idea to take photos of various aspects of your rental vehicle to avoid any disputes later about damage caused during your rental. (We did not have any problems, but if the rental company sees you taking photos they are more careful when completing the handover documents!)

The ferry over from Wellington to Pickton is a pleasant way to travel between the islands if you are not in a hurry & the weather is not too rough. The trip was calm and the dolphins put on a spectacular show – the crew said they had seldom seen so many.

The scenery leaving the North Island & entering the South was pleasant with some sun to warm us up as we came into Picton down a sound that could have been in Scotland. We picked up our next hire car and drove right down to Reefton. The scenery initially was similar to where we had been in the North Island, rather boring & it was raining, but it became much more scenic as we approached the Buller river, and quite spectacular as we went up the gorge. The rain stopped after we arrived at Reefton, a neat & tidy little mining village down from the gorge, where we decided to spend the night.

Tip 2 – If you can spare the time, allow an extra day to explore the Buller gorge area.

We left for Hokitika on the West coast after enjoying a more scenic drive despite virtually continuous rain. We broke the journey at Hokitika for coffee and the town seemed to have seen some changes since we were last there. It is best known as being a centre for greenstone. We then pressed on in the rain past the Glaciers, which we had visited on an earlier trip, and stopped at Lake Paringa for the night.

Tip 3 – If you have time, Lake Paringa is noted for fishing and also allow extra to take in the sights on the way to and through the Haast Pass.

The trip from Lake Paringa to Wanaka was the most interesting part of the trip so far, with the road to Haast Pass wet but very scenic. The view from Knight's Lookout on the way to Haast was lovely and after we passed Haast Village, which we did not enter, the views grew increasingly dramatic, taking in waterfalls, hills wreathed in mist like one sees in documentaries of some of China's mountain areas. As we had visited the Glaciers before we did not stop there, but they are certainly worth a look. One traveller we spoke to felt the helicopter trip over them was the best money he had spent.

After the Pass, the road descended through country that a Scot would feel quite at home in, as it resembled areas one would see on the road to the Trossachs, around Loch Lomond, or the Campsies north of Glasgow. Wanaka was as touristy as we remembered, so we pushed on to Arrowtown over the Crown Range – a lovely route despite roadworks, with the leaves changing colour and terrific views over lakes Wanaka and Hawea – again very like Scottish lochs.

We set off for Riverton, where my partner's family live, via Flaxton and Kingston. The road then ran beside Lake Wakatipu, very scenic & again reminiscent of parts of Scotland. Unfortunately the Kingston Flyer was no longer operating; an old steam train that used to connect with the steamer Earnshaw from Queenstown & a popular tourist attraction. Apparently some idiots with grand ideas mortgaged the train to obtain finance for a major property development that never had a chance of getting off the ground, so the Flyer is now in receivership. After that, the trip south wended through rather boring dairy & sheep country & it rained all the way past Kingston.

Generally, the weather was ordinary, with one reasonable day followed by one overcast &/or wet. However, the natives were friendly, which we feel is always the main thing that makes or breaks a country for visitors. Other bonuses were that the food, beer & wine were good, the golf courses plentiful, reasonably priced & usually easily accessed - what more could one ask for, except that it never rain on a golf day?

The bits of the North Island we visited were nowhere near as scenic as the South. The best bits we saw there were the Coromandel Peninsular, with some lovely views, & the trip around Lake Taupo & over the very Scottish-like heather clad uplands to the Army Museum at Waiuro.

If I went back to the North Island, I'd make the Peninsular & Taupo my bases for golfing, as there are some good courses in those areas. In the South I mainly played near Invercargill, where there are some good courses, with Oreti Beach a tough links course & Invercargill rated in the top 5 in NZ. I also had a game at Arrowtown & there are several good courses near there too, like Jack's Point & the Hills where the NZ Open was held.

For scenery in the South Island, Buller Gorge was spectacular as was the Haast Pass. Arrowtown is also beautiful with a lovely drive from Wanaka across the Crown Range, but be aware that if you are travelling in a campervan, that route is off limits, although hire cars are OK.

Tip 4 – Make sure you check with the vehicle hire company you propose to use that they operate in both North & South Islands and also if they have any restrictions on where you can take the vehicle.

Tip 5 - If you can talk to locals or backpackers who have visited a place before you get there, do so, as it may save you a journey and disappointment.