The Ultimate 3 Week Hiking Guide for South Island of New Zealand
New Zealand is a hiker’s paradise – lush rainforests, turquoise alpine lakes, stunning coastlines, active volcanoes, vast glaciers, and rolling hills. There’s so much to see on both islands that I’d recommend spending at least one month exploring. I chose to spend 1 week on the North Island and 3 weeks on the South Island. It was the BEST decision. If you are looking for information on the North Island, you can find my 8 week itinerary here.
The South Island of New Zealand is an absolute dream to explore from the rugged peaks and alpine lakes of the Southern Alps to the lush rainforests of Fiordland National Park. In this blog post I provide a 3-week hiking itinerary for the South Island. It’s a great starting point that includes some of the more popular and scenic trails, as well as a few hidden gems. I chose to camp every night so these itineraries take that in account. If you plan to camp, I’d highly recommend renting either a campervan or an SUV with seats that lay down flat.
For more information about when to visit New Zealand, how to rent a car, where to camp, etc. Check out my blog post, Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting New Zealand.
Jump Ahead:
Top Hikes in the South Island
These are my favorite hikes (in no particular order) in the South Island of New Zealand, including both day and overnight hikes. It’s important to check if you need camping or hut reservations before any overnight hike.
1. Roy’s Peak
Miles: 10.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 4,297 ft.
Location: Wanaka, New Zealand
If you’ve seen hiking photos from New Zealand, you’ve seen the views from the top of this hike. It’s incredible. If you can wake up to a 2:30 AM alarm, I’d highly recommend the hike for sunrise. The hike up is steep and highly exposed so it’s ideal early in the morning.
2. Lake Marian
Miles: 3.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,312 ft.
Location: Fiordland National Park
Lake Marian is a stunning alpine lake nestled in a valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks and towering mountains. The hike is located in Fiordland National Park and is moderately challenging. Highly recommend!
Lake Marian
Miles: 19.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 4,878 ft.
Location: Mt. Aspiring National Park
The Routeburn Track is one of the Great Walks of New Zealand, and for a great reason. The trail is full of dense forests, waterfalls, mountain vistas, and alpine meadows. It’s one of the most stunning hikes in New Zealand, but also one of the most logistically complicated. The start and end of the hike are 4 hours apart so you need to figure out the relocation prior to the hike. There are companies that will drive you from one end to the other (very expensive option) or you can park at one end and hitchhike to the other end (my choice). The hike requires hut bookings if you plan to do it as an overnight trip. These are your hut options:
1 night:
Routeburn Flats Hut — 4 miles day one, 15.6 miles day two
Routeburn Falls Hut — 5.3 miles day one, 14.3 miles day two
Lake Mackenzie Hut — 12.1 miles day one, 7.5 miles day two
Lake Howden Hut — 17.5 miles day one, 2.1 miles day two
2 nights:
Routeburn Flats Hut & Lake Mackenzie Hut — 4 miles day one, 8.1 miles day two, 7.5 miles day three
Routeburn Flats Hut & Lake Howden Hut — 4 miles day one, 13.5 miles day two, 2.1 miles day three
Routeburn Falls Hut & Lake Mackenzie Hut — 5.3 miles day one, 6.8 miles day two, 7.5 miles day three
Routeburn Falls Hut & Lake Howden Hut — 5.3 miles day one, 12.2 miles day two, 2.1 miles day three
I highly recommend this hike if you have the time and are able to make a booking!
Routeburn Track
3. Alex Knob
Miles: 9.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,592 ft.
Location: Westland National Park
This challenging hike is located in Westland National Park. It starts at the Alex Knob car park and steadily climbs to the top of Alex Knob. The hike continuously provides incredible views of the Franz Joseph Glacier, and even Mount Cook on a clear day. If you can wake up early, I’d highly recommend doing this hike for sunrise!
Miles: 15.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 5,656 ft.
Location: Mt. Aspiring National Park
The Cascade Saddle Track is by far the most challenging but ultimately rewarding hike I did in all of New Zealand. The hike starts at Raspberry Creek Car Park and follows the Raspberry Creek Valley to Aspiring Hut. I chose to camp at Aspiring Hut then woke up early to climb up to Cascade Saddle (highly recommend). The trail from Aspiring Hut to Cascade Saddle is extremely difficult with class 3 scrambling, so make sure to come prepared. The route has seen multiple fatalities from people slipping or falling (mostly in wet, snowy, or icy conditions).
Views at the top of Cascade Saddle
Miles: 25.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 5,249 ft.
Location: Nelson Lakes National Park
This overnight trip was a highlight of my entire trip. The Angelus Circuit is full of ridgelines, alpine lakes, and mountain views. The hike begins at Mount Robert Car Park (you can overnight park here), where you begin the ascent to Angelus Hut. When you arrive at Angelus Hut, you can either stay in the hut or camp next to it — both options require a booking. It’s an incredible experience to camp here! In the morning, you can take Cascade Track to loop back around to the start. The trail is only recommended for experienced hikers as it’s very demanding with ridge walks and scrambling.
6. Avalanche Peak via Scott’s Track
Miles: 4.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,366 ft.
Location: Arthur’s Pass National Park
Avalanche Peak hike is located in Arthur’s Pass National Park. It’s a challenging but very rewarding hike that offers amazing views of all the surrounding mountains. It’s extremely steep with a lot of scrambling so make sure you come prepared.
views from the top of Avalanche Peak
7. Mueller Hut
Miles: 6 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,464 ft.
Location: Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
The Mueller Hut hike is a challenging hike with a lot of elevation gain (and a ton of stairs). At the top of the hike, you have views of Hooker Glacier, Mount Cook, and all of the surrounding mountains. There is also a mountain hut at the top where you can spend the night with a reservation.
If you want to see the views from above but not hike all the way to Mueller Hut, you can just do the Sealy Tarns hike. This hike is only 3.3 miles and starts at the same trailhead.
Miles: 6.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 639 ft.
Location: Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
This is the most popular hike in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. It’s beginner-friendly and still brings views of mountains, glacial lakes, and icebergs. If you only have time to do one hike in this area, this is your best choice!
Bucket List Adventures
1. Cruise down the Milford Sound
2. Bungee Jump in Queenstown
3. Hike the Routeburn Track
4. Go skydiving
5. Sunrise hike Roy’s Peak
6. Take a scenic helicopter flight over Franz-Joseph Glacier
7. Do a heli-hike adventure tour!
8. Climb up Cascade Saddle
9. Eat Fergburger
Helicopter Ride over Franz Joseph Glacier
3 Week South Island Road Trip Itinerary
Map of my 3-Week South Island road trip
Day 1: Arrive in Christchurch (or Wellington)
Arrive in Christchurch, New Zealand (or Wellington if you took the ferry from the North Island)
Drive 4 hours to Mt. Cook National Park
Stay at Glentanner Holiday Park (if you don’t have a self-contained vehicle) — amazing access to the national park
Day 2-3: Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park
Sunrise views of Mt. Cook
Hooker Valley Track (6.7 miles)
Sealy Tarns Track (3.3 miles) OR Mueller Hut (6 miles) if you’re feeling up for pushing a little farther — you can camp at the hut if you reserve it ahead of time!
Relax by Lake Pukaki
Hooker Valley Track
Day 4-5: Milford Sound/Fiordland National Park
Drive 6 hours to Te Anau
Lake Marian Track (3.7 miles) is incredible!
Camp at Cascade Creek DOC Campground (free)
Milford Sound Cruise
Milford Sound Cruise
Day 6-7: Overnight hike in Fiordland National Park (Routeburn, Kepler, or Milford Track)
Routeburn Track (19.6 miles) is so worth it if you can book a hut for one night. It’s important to note that the start and end of the hike are 4 hours apart. I chose to leave my car and hitchhike to the start, but you can also pay to use a shuttle service.
I was unable to get reservations for the Kepler Track (36.4 miles) or Milford Track (33.9 miles) but from what I’ve heard, they are incredible and so worth it!
Routeburn Track
Day 8-9: Queenstown
Drive 3 hours from the end of Routeburn Track to Queenstown
Eat Fergburger
Ben Lomond Track (8.3 miles) — not my favorite hike in New Zealand but gives you good views of all of Queenstown
Go to the “beach” in town if you want to relax
Day 10-11: Wanaka/Mt. Aspiring National Park
Drive 1 hour from Queenstown to Wanaka
Visit the Wanaka Tree
Sunrise hike Roy’s Peak (10.1 miles) — trust me, it’s so worth the early wake up
Hike Rob’s Roy Glacier Track (6.4 miles)
Day 12-13: Overnight hike in Mt. Aspiring National Park
Cascade Saddle Track (15.5 miles) with camp at Aspiring Hut. I chose to do this track and was very happy with my decision. It was an extremely challenging hike but SO beautiful.
Other overnight options include: French Ridge Hut (21.1 miles) or Liverpool Hut (19.8 miles)
Top of Cascade Saddle
Day 14-15: Westland Tai Poutini National Park/Franz Joseph
Drive 5.5 hours to Franz Joseph Glacier with a quick stop at Blue Pools Track (2 miles) on the way
Helicopter tour over Franz Joseph Galcier OR heli-hike adventure on the glacier
Sunrise hike Alex Knobb Track (9.6 miles) or Roberts Point Track (6.8 miles) — they are very similar so you can choose one of the two.
Day 16-17: Arthur’s Pass National Park
Drive 3 hours to Arthur’s Pass National Park
Avalanche Peak Track (4.8 miles)
Devil’s Punchbowl Track (1.2 miles)
Drive 3.5 hours to Nelson Lakes National Park
Day 18-19: Overnight hike in Nelson Lakes National Park
Angelus Hut Track (25.1 miles) — need a hut or camping reservation
If you prefer a day hike, walk the Mount Robert Circuit (5.3 miles)
Day 20-21: Marahu/Abel Tasman National Park
Drive 1.5 hours to Abel Tasman National Park
Take a water taxi from Marahu to Bark Bay then hike back to Marahu (14.3 miles)
Day 22: Back to Christchurch
Drive 5.5 hours back to Christchurch
Fly home!
The South Island of New Zealand is a truly magical place, with something to offer everyone. I hope this blog post has helped you plan your dream hiking and adventure trip to this incredible country. Have a safe and beautiful trip!