I Love New Zealand
Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park

Organised by us · South Island · 5 days

5 Day South Island Escape

Queenstown, Milford Sound & Wānaka

Which of our journeys?

Selected journey

5 Day South Island Escape

South Island · 5 days · 810 km

Queenstown → Te Anau → Milford Sound → Wānaka → Queenstown

Rough self-drive cost — planning it yourself

$$ · approx. NZ$330–NZ$500 per person, per day per day · approx. NZ$1,700–NZ$2,500 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 →
135AOTEAROAN
Queenstown
Te Anau
Queenstown
Day numbers mark where you sleep · illustrated by I Love New Zealand

Highlights

  • Lakefront & Queenstown Gardens
  • Glenorchy
  • Arrowtown
  • Gibbston Valley
  • Te Anau
  • Milford Sound
  • Wānaka
  • Crown Range Road

Where you stay

  • Queenstown2 nights
  • Te Anau2 nights
Queenstown on the shore of Lake Wakatipu
Photo · Wikimedia Commons
Lake Wānaka below the Southern Alps
Photo · Wikimedia Commons
That Wānaka Tree standing in the shallows of Lake Wānaka
Photo · Wikimedia Commons

Day by day — what we organise for you

The journey, day by day

5 days, one route.

Queenstown on the shore of Lake Wakatipu
Photo · Wikimedia Commons

Day 01

Night 1 · Queenstown

01

Day 1

Arrive in Queenstown

Arrive in Queenstown

MorningLand — the approach over the Remarkables is the first attraction.

  • 1

    Lakefront & Queenstown Gardensallow an easy afternoon

    Walk the peninsula loop to shake off the flight, then find the lake edge at golden hour.

EveningDinner in town, then the Skyline gondola for the lights if you still have energy.

Don't miss

The view back over the lake from the gondola deck at dusk.

Night 1 · Queenstown

Rough cost · NZ$280–NZ$480

Explore Queenstown →Find & book things to do in Queenstown →
The road to Glenorchy along Lake Wakatipu
Photo · Wikimedia Commons

Day 02

Night 2 · Queenstown

02

Day 2

130 km · approx. 2.25 hrs driving

Queenstown → Glenorchy → Arrowtown → Queenstown

MorningThe Glenorchy road early, before the light goes flat. · leave 8:00am

  • 1

    Glenorchyallow half a day

    Forty-five minutes of lake road that people fly across the world for. Walk the wharf and the lagoon boardwalk.

  • 2

    Arrowtownallow 2 hours

    A gold-rush village of tiny cottages, with the Chinese settlement along the creek.

EveningBack to Queenstown for dinner.

Don't miss

Stopping at every pull-off on the Glenorchy road. Every single one.

Night 2 · Queenstown

Rough cost · NZ$260–NZ$460

Explore Queenstown →Find & book things to do in Queenstown →
Central Otago vineyards near Gibbston
Photo · Wikimedia Commons

Day 03

Night 3 · Te Anau

03

Day 3

175 km · approx. 2.25 hrs driving

Queenstown → Te Anau

MorningAn easy drive south through farmland and the Mararoa valley.

  • 1

    Gibbston Valleyallow 1 hour

    A pinot noir tasting on the way out of town — the driver tastes tomorrow.

  • 2

    Te Anauallow afternoon

    Lakefront town and the gateway to Fiordland. Quiet, and better for it.

EveningThe Te Anau glowworm caves by boat, or simply the lake and an early dinner.

Night 3 · Te Anau

Rough cost · NZ$280–NZ$470

Explore Queenstown →
Mitre Peak reflected in the still water of Milford Sound, Fiordland
Photo · Wikimedia Commons

Day 04

Night 4 · Te Anau

04

Day 4

240 km · approx. 5 hrs driving

Te Anau → Milford Sound → Te Anau

MorningLeave early. The Milford road is the drive, not just the way there. · leave 6:30am for a late-morning cruise

  • 1

    Milford Soundallow 2 hours on the water

    A fiord walled by 1,200-metre cliffs. Take the cruise; two hours on the water is enough.

    Book the cruise ahead — and check the road status before leaving.

EveningBack over the Divide to Te Anau, tired and quiet.

Don't miss

Mirror Lakes and the Chasm — both are five-minute stops on the way.

Good to know

  • ILNZ PickDrive it yourself with an early start and a late-morning cruise.
  • AlternativeCoach and cruise from Te Anau if the weather is poor — someone else takes the wheel.

Night 4 · Te Anau

Rough cost · NZ$300–NZ$520

That Wānaka Tree standing in the shallows of Lake Wānaka
Photo · Wikimedia Commons

Day 05

05

Day 5

265 km · approx. 3.75 hrs driving

Te Anau → Wānaka → Queenstown

MorningNorth through the Southland plains and over the Crown Range.

  • 1

    Wānakaallow 3 hours

    Lake, mountains, and a slower pace than Queenstown. Walk to the willow tree, then the town beach.

  • 2

    Crown Range Roadallow 1 hour

    The highest sealed road in the country — take it back to Queenstown for the descent into the Wakatipu basin.

EveningReturn the car in Queenstown.

Departs from · Queenstown

Rough cost · NZ$240–NZ$420

Explore Wānaka →Explore Queenstown →Find & book things to do in Queenstown →

02 — How many are travelling?