Day 01
Night 1 · Picton
01
Day 1
Arrive in Picton
Picton → Marlborough Sounds
- 1
Pictonallow an afternoon
Ferry town at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound. Walk the foreshore and the Bob's Bay track.
Night 1 · Picton
Rough cost · NZ$220–NZ$400
Organised by us · South Island · 14 days
14 Day South Island Grand Tour
Marlborough, Kaikōura, the West Coast, Fiordland & the Catlins
Which of our journeys?
Organised end to end by us
Selected journey
14 Day South Island Grand Tour
South Island · 14 days · 2,850 km
Picton → Marlborough → Nelson → Kaikōura → Christchurch → West Coast → Queenstown → Catlins → Dunedin → Aoraki
Rough self-drive cost — planning it yourself
$$ · approx. NZ$300–NZ$470 per person, per day per day · approx. NZ$4,200–NZ$6,500 per person
A guide to what this route costs if you book it yourself. Entirely separate from an organised journey.
Availability · Available for enquiries
Read the full day-by-day itinerary →Picton
Nelson
Kaikōura
Christchurch
Punakaiki
Franz Josef
Fox Glacier
Wānaka
Queenstown
Te Anau
The Catlins
Ōamaru
Christchurch
Highlights
- Picton
- Blenheim · Marlborough
- Abel Tasman
- Kaikōura
- Peninsula walkway
- Christchurch
- Arthur's Pass
- Punakaiki
Where you stay
- Picton1 night
- Nelson2 nights
- Kaikōura1 night
- Christchurch1 night
- Punakaiki1 night
- Franz Josef1 night
- Fox Glacier1 night
- Wānaka1 night
- Queenstown1 night
- Te Anau1 night
- The Catlins1 night
- Ōamaru1 night
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Day by day — what we organise for you
The journey, day by day
14 days, one route.
Day 02
Night 2 · Nelson
02
Day 2
145 km · approx. 2 hrs driving
Picton → Blenheim → Nelson
- 1
Blenheim · Marlboroughallow half a day
Sauvignon blanc country. Cycle between cellar doors so nobody has to abstain.
Book the bike hire and a tasting or two.
Night 2 · Nelson
Rough cost · NZ$300–NZ$540
Day 03
Night 3 · Nelson
03
Day 3
130 km · approx. 2 hrs driving
Nelson → Abel Tasman
- 1
Abel Tasmanallow full day
Water taxi in, walk a section of the coast track out. Golden sand and clear water.
Book the water taxi.
Night 3 · Nelson
Rough cost · NZ$320–NZ$550
04
Day 4
245 km · approx. 3.5 hrs driving
Nelson → Kaikōura
MorningBack east and down the coast.
- 1
Kaikōuraallow afternoon
Sperm whales year-round, dusky dolphins, and a seal colony you can walk to for nothing.
Book the whale watch — sailings cancel in swell, so allow a spare morning.
Night 4 · Kaikōura
Rough cost · NZ$320–NZ$580
Day 05
Night 5 · Christchurch
05
Day 5
185 km · approx. 2.5 hrs driving
Kaikōura → Christchurch
- 1
Peninsula walkwayallow 2 hours
Two hours around the clifftops with seals below.
- 2
Christchurchallow afternoon
Arrive mid-afternoon; gardens and dinner in town.
Night 5 · Christchurch
Rough cost · NZ$260–NZ$460
Day 06
Night 6 · Punakaiki
06
Day 6
330 km · approx. 4.5 hrs driving
Christchurch → Arthur's Pass → Punakaiki
- 1
Arthur's Passallow 2 hours
Devils Punchbowl Falls and the viaduct lookout.
- 2
Punakaikiallow 1 hour
Pancake Rocks at high tide.
Night 6 · Punakaiki
Rough cost · NZ$270–NZ$470
Day 07
Night 7 · Franz Josef
07
Day 7
200 km · approx. 3 hrs driving
Punakaiki → Hokitika → Franz Josef
- 1
Hokitikaallow 2–3 hours
The gorge, then pounamu carvers in town.
Night 7 · Franz Josef
Rough cost · NZ$280–NZ$500
Day 08
Night 8 · Fox Glacier
08
Day 8
50 km · approx. 0.75 hrs driving
Franz Josef & Fox
Glacier country
- 1
Heli-hikeallow half a day
The only way onto the ice now. Weather-dependent, unforgettable.
Book the first slot; later flights cancel more often.
- 2
Lake Mathesonallow 1.5 hours
Dawn reflection of Aoraki, if the air is still.
Night 8 · Fox Glacier
Rough cost · NZ$400–NZ$850
Day 09
Night 9 · Wānaka
09
Day 9
285 km · approx. 4.5 hrs driving
Fox Glacier → Haast → Wānaka
- 1
Haastallow 45 minutes
Fuel and rainforest.
- 2
Blue Poolsallow 1 hour
Twenty minutes of beech forest to glacier-fed water.
Night 9 · Wānaka
Rough cost · NZ$280–NZ$490
Day 10
Night 10 · Queenstown
10
Day 10
115 km · approx. 2 hrs driving
Wānaka → Queenstown
- 1
Arrowtownallow 2 hours
Lunch and the old cottages.
- 2
Queenstownallow afternoon
Lakefront, gondola, dinner.
Night 10 · Queenstown
Rough cost · NZ$300–NZ$560
Day 11
Night 11 · Te Anau
11
Day 11
415 km · approx. 6 hrs driving
Queenstown → Te Anau → Milford Sound → Te Anau
- 1
Milford Soundallow 2 hours
Afternoon cruise, quieter water.
Book ahead.
Night 11 · Te Anau
Rough cost · NZ$330–NZ$580
Day 12
Night 12 · The Catlins
12
Day 12
340 km · approx. 4.5 hrs driving
Te Anau → Invercargill → The Catlins
- 1
Invercargillallow 1 hour
Coffee and fuel at the bottom of the country.
- 2
The Catlinsallow afternoon
Waterfalls, petrified forest and yellow-eyed penguins on empty beaches.
Night 12 · The Catlins
Rough cost · NZ$250–NZ$430
Day 13
Night 13 · Ōamaru
13
Day 13
300 km · approx. 4.5 hrs driving
The Catlins → Dunedin → Ōamaru
- 1
Dunedinallow half a day
Scottish stone, a wild peninsula, and albatross at Taiaroa Head.
- 2
Moeraki Bouldersallow 45 minutes
Spherical boulders on the beach — go at low tide.
EveningBlue penguins come ashore at Ōamaru after dusk.
Night 13 · Ōamaru
Rough cost · NZ$290–NZ$520
Day 14
14
Day 14
400 km · approx. 5 hrs driving
Ōamaru → Lake Tekapo → Christchurch
- 1
Lake Tekapoallow 1.5 hours
The stone church and turquoise water, one last time.
EveningReturn the car in Christchurch.
Departs from · Christchurch
Rough cost · NZ$240–NZ$430