New Zealand's South Island

From majestic glacial peaks of the Southern Alps to rainforest wildlife, turquoise sea and soothing waterfalls—New Zealand’s South Island offers the drive of a lifetime. With some of the rarest birds and most exotic plantlife in the world, national parks and natural blowholes, golden beaches and marine life, the best of New Zealand is taken in by car. Favoured route is: Christchurch to Kaikoura (for whale and dolphin spotting), to Nelson to Punakaiki and on to Westport’s historic coal-mining settlement. Then to mountainous Franz Josef (with the option of sightseeing from the air), Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu and Milford Sound’s sheer cliffs and Mitre Peak, finishing with Timaru’s Edwardian and Victorian architecture.