I'm turning 40 soon and decided to give myself a proper gift: an almost month-long solo journey to my dream destination, New Zealand.
I'll be there from late February until the first half of March. I start off in Christchurch where I'll be renting a solo-van and focusing entirely on the South Island. Aiming for slow travel rather than ticking boxes "instagram-style": lots of nature, day walks, hikes, small towns, local experiences, and time to be just on the road alone (this will be a sabbatical of sorts).
I've done some initial research and I want to visit some of the places that made LOTR films famous (so definitely Mount Cook area, etc.), but I'm almost intentionally leaving gaps to stay flexible and not have a day-to-day itinerary planned down to the last coffeeshop stop. This has been my recent travel mantra: have some checkpoints prepared so you're not completely lost, but enjoy the unexpected surprises on the way.
For those who've travelled solo in the South Island, I have a couple of questions, and would appreciate if you shared your experience.
Were there places that surprised you in an unexpectedly good way?
Anything you wish you'd slowed down for, spent an extra day;
or vice versa - anything you'd skip if you went again?
And honestly, I'm completely unsure about what weather to expect. I read Feb/March is the last stretch of summer, so I expected warmer weather (it's currently -10C where I am), but at the same time summer in the South Island probably looks and feels different from the super-warm summers of Europe. Any hints regarding the weather?
While I enjoy traveling alone as much as any of you I believe, I am always happy to chat with fellow travellers or locals along the way, either over a coffee, or on a walk.
Thanks in advance! Already super-excited for this journey.
68 years old, traveled solo to the South Island in April 2024, and going back in late April 2026. March in NZ will still be daylight saving time, warm during the day, but the leaves will start to turn, if not already. My advice is to ditch the camper van, hire a car, and stay in hotels. There will be days when you just want to chill, enjoy a bottle of wine, do laundry, etc. I stayed at a cottage in a vineyard in Cromwell toward the end of my trip, and it was a great way to wind down, recharge, and do laundry. I also got to visit vineyards at a relaxed pace. If you pass by Twizel, stop by High Country Salmon and stock up on salmon (fresh, cold smoked, hot smoked). I'm returning in late April to visit more vineyards in Central Otago, North Canterbury, Nelson/Tasman, Wairarapa, and Waipara. Happy 40th birthday!
Thank you! And amazing tips, much appreciated!
Must see or must visit: Doubtful Sound (preferably on an overnight cruise) Aoraki/Mt. Cook, Arrowtown, and one or two vineyards in Bannockburn (such as Felton Road and Mt. Difficulty).
The South Island of NZ is further south than you might expect, so is usually quite cool in summer and early autumn. They do get the occasional heatwave though. The NZ Met Service website is very helpful.
Something to watch out for is that UV levels will be high, so use sunscreen. European tourists to Australia and NZ in summer frequently end up badly sunburned.
Thanks! Already stocked up on SPF50 / hope that's enough :D
Good decision. I’d suggest a hat as well. Australians and Kiwis are very sun conscious in the summer
Good, I have one just like in my avatar. Super light, super uv-protective, stays on even in winds!
Feb/Mar is typically the best most settled weather in NZ (my country!) so good choice. I don’t get to the south so often, but your plan sounds good. If you are LOTR focused though certainly you should stay in AKL a couple of days so you can do a day trip to Hobbiton?
In the south I like the drive from Christchurch to Arthur’s pass, especially stop off at Castle Hill. And I love the drive just coming into the pass over the Waimakariri river, if the lupins are out you can get some great pics from down in the river bed.
I actually visited the North Island as a short trip a couple of years ago when i was in Australia, and we were lucky to see the Hobbiton back then, as well as other major sites like Tongariro NP, Rotorua, glow worm caves, Coromandel peninsula, Cathedral Cove. It was amazing. That's why this time I'll just stay in Auckland for the last stretch of my trip, 2 nights before my flight. Same after I arrive, 2 nights in Christchurch just to get settled down and to buffer the 12h jetlag.
Thanks for the tips!
I toured the South Island in January and February of 2001. It was warm enough for shorts and a Tshirt. But at night a light jacket was good.
I rented a car and camped at some wonderful campgrounds. I was okay with the tent. Once in while I would splurge and stay in a hotel. I don’t think you need a camper.
I also did the Dart Track, Abel Tasman and Routeburn. When trekking I either stayed in huts or my tent.
Abel Tasman was awesome but it was a little crowded. I spent only a few days in Christchurch which was plenty. As you probably know, the area around Queenstown has a lot of adventure activities. The two that I did were a jet boat ride and cave rafting.
The cave rafting was cool because once inside the cave you floated on inner tube and saw these glow worms on the ceiling. My headlamp died but surprisingly I didn’t freak out. The other interesting thing is that the claustrophobia didn’t affect me.
The campervan is sort of a part of this NZ journey dream I've had for quite some time. But what I'm renting is actually a hybrid between a car and a camper of sorts, giving me enough flexibility to park either at the campsites when I want to be out and about, or at an airbnb/hotel at any point if I want to enjoy a normal-sized bed. Also it's nowhere as expensive as a regular campervan.
Silly question about the treks: would you say high hiking boots are a must?
Glow worms are magical! Thanks for all your tips.
You could do a day or two of the otago rail trail (or the whole thing - its usually 4 days, but thats very leisurely. Most people treat it as a bit of a food/pub/coffee crawl. There slots of pubs and cafe along the way but the scenery is great. You can hire ebikes in Clyde and there are quite A few companies that do packages with accommodation at B+Bs, rustic hotels etc and return shuttles. Its super fun.
Golden bay is often overlooked but there are really nice beaches (ligar bay, pohara or Tata beach) and heaps of great day and multi day hikes. You can get out to Farewell spit, do a day (or more) of the able tasman NP walk from Wainui. Theres some amazing river holes to swim in.
Stay in Takaka or maybe collingwood. Check out the caves (go on a quick tour) to see Moa bones on Takaka Hill.
Places like Hanmer springs and Maruia springs are worth stopping at or staying for a night - both for the hot pools but also day hikes.
Queen Charlotte track is also great. You can stay at lodges on the way, or camp if you are keen.
I'm starting to feel I should just perhaps move to NZ permanently :D. Thank you for your precious suggestions!
I enjoyed the Banks Peninsula by Christchurch more than a lot of the iconic places further south by Queenstown. The places you read about were absolutely packed with tour buses and crowds.
This is great. I try to avoid crowds as much as possible. (You know... I have the "I'm a tourist, but better" sort of thinking, lol.)
I looooved the west coast. I loved kahurangi national park. The west coast is such a cool place to relax. Alternatively, in comparison I found queenstown area touristy and surprisingly devoid of trees after coming from the west coast.
Great suggestions, adding West coast to the list - any areas in particular?
Note: Are you asking for travel advice about New Zealand? Read what the Solo Travel community had to say in the weekly destination thread for New Zealand.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
I honestly don't know if it's slow travel when you're there for less than a month. Where are you coming from?!
Well, by slow I mean not rushing from sight to sight. I am coming from Slovakia. So it's going to be 24h+ 3-flight journey there and back + local flight Auckland->Christchurch. Honestly I would have loved to stay longer, but I also need to go back to work haha.
That's what I mean though, it's a long way to come and you'll be out of sorts from jetlag for a bit.
Fortunately I have a pretty fast jetlag recovery strategy, so I hope this won't be an issue. :) But I appreciate your concern!
Solo not slow.
Read harder