We’ve mapped out a 10-day itinerary that lets you take it all in, including what to see and where to stay.

A 610-kilometre route celebrated for its scenery and variety, the Southern Scenic Route is a road less travelled, making it all the better for adding to your must-do in New Zealand list.

Drive through jagged mountains, past rural villages, deep into Fiordland and all the way south to Aotearoa, New Zealand’s southernmost island, on this epic 10-day road trip of the South Island.

Days one and two: Queenstown/Tāhuna

Fly into Queenstown/Tāhuna, one of New Zealand’s most popular tourism destinations, and breathe in the exhilarating alpine air. Encircled by mountains and located at the foot of beautiful Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown has built a reputation on high-adrenalin adventures such as jetboating and bungy-jumping. Today, it’s a great all-season destination for everyone.

Must-see

Ride the Skyline Queenstown gondola

Panoramic views from Bob’s Peak are your treat for travelling the Skyline Queenstown gondola. Open every day, Skyline’s entrance is an easy five-minute walk from central Queenstown. Go for the scenery, to ride the luge or to start a range of hiking tracks, including the Ben Lomond Summit track.

Walk Ben Lomond Summit or Lake Hayes Loop Track

Tramping to the top of Ben Lomond requires a good level of fitness, but those who make it to the summit are rewarded with magnificent views of The Remarkables and Mount Aspiring National Park. For a flat, easy alternative, head to Lake Hayes. Fifteen minutes’ drive from Queenstown, it’s an eight-kilometre loop track with stunning lake views.

Explore the heritage haven of Ayrburn

Located between Arrowtown and Lake Hayes, Ayrburn is your chance to sample the best of Central Otago food and wine in one place (the region is known for producing world-class pinot noir). Opened in 2025, Ayrburn is home to almost a dozen eateries and bars set within a beautifully designed heritage precinct. Go to eat and drink, and for music, wine tastings and seasonal events like ice skating. Get there by car (it’s a 25-minute drive from Queenstown), bike, taxi, or hop on the local bus.

Stay

For a luxury stay on the edge of Lake Wakatipu, with an outlook to The Remarkables from every suite, ROKI is where it’s at.

Day three: Glenorchy to Te Anau

Leaving Queenstown, spend the morning in nearby Glenorchy, a significant cultural site for South Island iwi (tribe) Ngāi Tahu, and a UNESCO World Heritage Area and popular filming location in The Lord of the Rings.

Must-see

Drive yourself to Glenorchy

Taking in the scenery is the activity on this 45-minute drive to Glenorchy as the road snakes its way past cliffside edges alongside the shimmering Lake Wakatipu and the Southern Alps.

Learn about treasured pounamu (greenstone)

Glenorchy is an exceptional place to experience New Zealand’s Indigenous heritage. The one-day Path of Pounamu tour begins and ends in Glenorchy, starting with a helicopter journey through Milford Sound to an historic pounamu (greenstone) site on the west coast. To finish, guests jet boat with Ngāi Tahu guides down the Dart River/Te Awa Whakatipu to other sites associated with the natural taonga (treasure).

Relive movie moments on this LOTR tour

Meanwhile, the Lord of The Rings Scenic Tour will take you deep into Glenorchy and its surrounds. Stopping at locations for Amon Hen, Ithilien Camp and Lookout, Isengard and the Misty Mountains, tour guides share stories and secrets about the films, and even invite you to don robes and perform scenes in the famed Lothlórien Forest.

DRIVE

In the afternoon, depart Glenorchy for Te Anau, the gateway town of Fiordland National Park, stopping at Fergburger in Queenstown, for what Lonely Planet once declared the best burger in the world.

STAY

Sleep on the edge of Lake Te Anau surrounded by the dense forests of the Murchison Mountains at Fiordland Lodge, the perfect Te Anau base for exploring Milford Sound/Piopiotahi.

Day four: Te Anau to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi

Today starts with a boat journey across Lake Te Anau and finishes with one of the country’s most spectacular drives into the remote wilderness area of Milford Sound. Welcome to Fiordland.

Must-see

Thousands of glowworms in an underground cave

Begin your day at the visitor centre in Te Anau. Then, disembark the RealNZ cruise vessel on the lake’s western shores for a guided walk underground into ancient limestone caves. There, lighting up the darkness are thousands of luminous glowworms.

Scenic drive to Milford Sound

The afternoon drive from Te Anau into Fiordland is as much a scenic experience as the fiord itself. Take it slow, looking out for the Avenue of the Disappearing Mountain (an optical illusion that shrinks the approaching mountain), and stopping just outside the rough-hewn Homer Tunnel for views of the 22-kilometre fiord dominated by Mitre Peak. Keep in mind, Fiordland is one of the world’s rainiest places (think: spectacular waterfalls!). Have your raincoat and extra layers handy.

Stay

Stay for two nights at Milford Sound Lodge – it isn’t just the place to stay in the sound; it’s the only place to stay. Built in synergy with its surroundings, it provides a dizzying immersion into the spectacular Fiordland wilderness, and passionate staff welcome you with manaakitanga (hospitality).

Day five: Milford Sound

Today is your day to explore one of the jewels of New Zealand’s largest national park – and ‘the eighth wonder of the world,’ a claim made about Milford Sound in the 1890s by English writer Rudyard Kipling.

Must-see

See giant waterfalls by cruise or kayak

Cross your fingers for a clear day to see the fiord by cruise or kayak. Regardless of your chosen transport mode, you’re guaranteed dramatic scenes of gushing waterfalls, sheer cliffs and swirling mist. Rosco’s Milford Kayaks’ four-hour sunrise kayak tour takes you up close to Bowen Falls with opportunities to spot sunbathing seals and paddling penguins.

Eat the best of Southland on a day cruise

Explore the sights of Milford Sound and savour the flavours of Southland simultaneously on the Milford Sound Business Class tour. Pick up the tour in Milford Sound aboard the MV Sinbad for a five-course tasting menu, while you watch the landscape change around you. Weather permitting, add a scenic flight to see the alps and national park from the sky.

Day six: Invercargill/Waihōpai

In the morning, say goodbye to Milford Sound. You’re heading south to Invercargill/Waihōpai via the small town of Tuatapere (sausage capital of the world) and Riverton/Aparima, an historic seaside village serving some of New Zealand’s best fish (blue cod) and chips from the Taramea Bay Store.

Must-see

See Burt Munro’s record-busting motorbike

On arrival in Invercargill, check out the original 1920 Indian Scout motorbike Invercargill speedster Burt Munro used to break the world speed record in 1967. It’s on permanent display at Hayes & Sons, a hardware store in the city centre. Watch the 2005 movie The World’s Fastest Indian, starring Anthony Hopkins, on rotation at Bill Richardson Transport World. Go to Classic Motorcycle Mecca to see the largest collection of classic motorbikes in New Zealand.

Cold water swimming and a beach sauna

An hour in Invercargill’s mobile beach sauna will leave you feeling deeply relaxed. Follow owner Shane Dobbs’ recommended routine of cold plunging in the sea and the sauna’s two ice baths for best effect.

STAY

The Langlands is your boutique stay in Invercargill’s city centre. It offers chic, well-designed suites, on-site dining and a rooftop bar.

Day seven & eight: Stewart Island/Rakiura

More than 85 per cent of New Zealand’s third-largest island is lush native forest. Beyond that there are only scattered islands until Antarctica. It’s fitting that kiwi, New Zealand’s elusive national bird, far outnumber people on the island, who congregate at the main village of Halfmoon Bay. Catch the ferry from Bluff Harbour to spend two days on this fascinating island.

MUST-SEE

Visit the bird sanctuary of Ulva Island

Make time for a leisurely cruise of Paterson Inlet followed by a guided walk of Ulva Island Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the island’s other rare birds, including the saddleback, rifleman and yellowhead.

 Go aurora chasing and stargazing

The island has a long association with stargazing. In fact, Māori called it Rakiura or ‘glowing skies’ in reference to its spectacular night skies and regular sightings of the Southern Lights. Book a tour with Twinkle Dark Sky Tours to see for yourself why, in 2019, Stewart Island became the world’s southernmost Dark Sky Sanctuary.

Look for New Zealand’s native kiwi

See New Zealand’s shy feathered icon ambling around isolated beaches at twilight on a kiwi-spotting tour with Beaks and Feathers.

Stay

Relax and recharge at Greenvale Bed and Breakfast, the cosy harbourfront home of Helen and Mike Darling, where homebaking, rare bird visits and an easy walk to Oban’s rustic South Sea Hotel are just a few of its many charms.

Day nine: Invercargill to Dunedin/Ōtepoti

The 20-minute flight across Foveaux Strait to Invercargill will get you back on the road by mid-morning. Avoid the faster inland route linking Invercargill and Dunedin/Ōtepoti to cruise the more interesting Catlins Coast. This enchanted corner is home to rare penguins, endangered sea lions and one of the world’s smallest dolphins. The drive time from Bluff Harbour is a little under four hours, but you’ll need a whole day to see all it has to offer.

Must-see

Gin tasting at Bluff

There’s a rustic, sea-shanty feel to Bluff Distillery in Bluff. After cleaning up at its first-ever award show, the local gin-maker is running tours of its distillery and tastings of its classic London Dry Gin. Pop in to buy a bottle for later – the views of Foveaux Strait are an added bonus.

Wildlife, fossils and surfing at Curio Bay

If you only make one stop in The Catlins, make it Curio Bay. From here, you can see the fossils of a 160-million-year-old Jurassic forest, spot Hector’s dolphins at Porpoise Bay and learn to surf with Catlins Surf School.

Sunset at Nugget Point

Get to ‘The Nuggets’ between 3pm and dusk to see the sun set over the lighthouse and the wee, yellow-eyed penguins returning home for the night at neighbouring Roaring Bay.

Stay

Treat yourself to a night at Camp Estate country house on the site of Dunedin’s famous Larnach Castle. Breakfast and entry to the castle is included and guests can choose to dine in one of the castle’s historic dining rooms.

Day ten: Dunedin

Your last stop on this 10-day roadie is New Zealand’s own version of Edinburgh, Dunedin. It’s a trove of heritage architecture and wildlife experiences.

Must-see

Look for wildlife on a harbour cruise

If there’s time, squeeze in an eco-tour of Dunedin’s penguin, albatross and fur seal colonies on a cruise up to Otago Harbour with  Monarch Wildlife Cruises and Tours before the drive back to Queenstown and your return flight home.