For 7 days, drive Christchurch to Queenstown via Lake Tekapo, Aoraki/Mount Cook and Wānaka. With 10 days, make it a loop: over Arthur's Pass to the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, through Haast Pass to Wānaka and Queenstown, and back via Mount Cook and Tekapo. Fourteen days adds the big day hikes.
The best South Island itinerary for the mountains depends on your days. With 7 days, drive one way from Christchurch to Queenstown through Lake Tekapo, Aoraki/Mount Cook and Wānaka. With 10 days, turn it into a loop that crosses the Southern Alps twice, over Arthur’s Pass to the West Coast glaciers and back over Haast Pass. With 14 days, keep the loop and add the days that make it: Mueller Hut, Roys Peak, Avalanche Peak or the Copland Track.
All three routes follow the Southern Alps, which run about 500 km down the island. No road crosses the range between Aoraki/Mount Cook and the West Coast glaciers, which sit on opposite sides of the same peaks. To see both, you drive around via Haast Pass or Arthur’s Pass.
| Leg | Distance | Driving time |
|---|---|---|
| Christchurch to Lake Tekapo | About 220 km | About 3 h |
| Lake Tekapo to Aoraki/Mount Cook Village | About 104 km | 1 h 15 min |
| Aoraki/Mount Cook Village to Wānaka | About 207 km | About 2 h 40 min |
| Queenstown to Wānaka | About 63 km | About 1 h 10 min |
| Aoraki/Mount Cook Village to Queenstown | 3 h 10 min | |
| Christchurch to Arthur’s Pass village | About 139 km | About 2 h |
| Christchurch Airport to Franz Josef | About 372 km | About 5 h |
| Franz Josef to Haast | About 2 h | |
| Haast to Wānaka | 140 km | About 2 h 20 min |
| Christchurch to Queenstown, direct | 486 km | About 7 h 15 min |
Checked November 2026. Sources: Mackenzie NZ, DOC, RealNZ, and OpenStreetMap routing for the rest. Routing estimates run short on mountain roads, so add 15 to 25 percent.
A one-way trip down the dry, eastern side of the range. It’s the easiest week in the Alps and needs no long drives.
| Day | Route | Night |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christchurch to Lake Tekapo (3 h); Church of the Good Shepherd; stargazing tour at night | Lake Tekapo |
| 2 | Tekapo to Aoraki/Mount Cook (1 h 15 min) via Lake Pukaki; Tasman Glacier viewpoint in the afternoon | Mount Cook Village |
| 3 | Hooker Valley Track at dawn (about 3 h return); Kea Point in the afternoon | Mount Cook Village |
| 4 | Mount Cook to Wānaka (about 2 h 40 min) over Lindis Pass | Wānaka |
| 5 | Roys Peak (closed 1 October to 10 November) or Rocky Mountain; That Wānaka Tree at sunset | Wānaka |
| 6 | Day trip to the Blue Pools (1 h 10 min each way), or a scenic flight towards Mount Aspiring | Wānaka |
| 7 | Wānaka to Queenstown (about 1 h 10 min) | Queenstown |
Two nights at Mount Cook is the key choice here. One clear morning is what you’re there for, and two nights doubles your chance of getting it. The Christchurch to Queenstown guide covers the drive in detail, and Aoraki/Mount Cook covers the park.
This loop crosses the main divide twice and takes in both sides of the range: the dry lakes and tussock of the east, the rainforest and glaciers of the west.
| Day | Route | Night |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christchurch to Arthur’s Pass (about 2 h); Devils Punchbowl Falls, about 1 h return | Arthur’s Pass |
| 2 | Arthur’s Pass to Franz Josef (about 3 h) via the West Coast | Franz Josef |
| 3 | Franz Josef heli hike or the 30-minute glacier walk; Sentinel Rock | Franz Josef |
| 4 | Fox Glacier South Side Walkway; Lake Matheson at dusk | Fox Glacier |
| 5 | Fox to Wānaka (about 4 h 30 min) via Haast Pass, Fantail Falls and Blue Pools | Wānaka |
| 6 | Roys Peak, Rocky Mountain or Mount Iron | Wānaka |
| 7 | Wānaka to Queenstown (about 1 h 10 min) | Queenstown |
| 8 | Queenstown to Aoraki/Mount Cook (3 h 10 min) | Mount Cook Village |
| 9 | Hooker Valley Track; then on to Lake Tekapo (1 h 15 min) | Lake Tekapo |
| 10 | Lake Tekapo to Christchurch (about 3 h) |
On day 1 you can swap the car for the TranzAlpine train as far as Arthur’s Pass, but you’ll need a car on the West Coast. Note the long day 5: Fox Glacier to Wānaka is the longest drive of the trip, and Haast Pass closes after big storms, as it did with slips in August 2026. Check the NZTA Journey Planner the night before. Our Franz Josef vs Fox Glacier guide helps you choose where to spend the heli hike money, and the Haast Pass guide lists the stops.
Same loop, slower. The extra four days go where the walking is best.
| Days | Base | What the extra time buys |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Arthur’s Pass | Avalanche Peak (1,833 m), a full day with about 1,100 m of climbing |
| 3 to 5 | Franz Josef and Fox | Alex Knob or Roberts Point, or a night at Welcome Flat hot pools on the Copland Track |
| 6 to 8 | Wānaka | Roys Peak and the Rob Roy Glacier Track (3 to 4 h return) |
| 9 | Queenstown | Rest day |
| 10 to 12 | Aoraki/Mount Cook | Mueller Hut overnight, Sealy Tarns, Hooker Valley |
| 13 | Lake Tekapo | Stargazing at Mount John |
| 14 | Christchurch | Drive back, about 3 h |
Book Mueller Hut as soon as your dates are fixed: it needs a booking from 2 November 2026 to 2 May 2027, and DOC says summer trips need moderate tramping experience while winter trips need mountaineering skills. The Rob Roy Glacier Track starts at the end of a gravel road with fords that can be impassable after heavy rain. For Wānaka’s other walks, see things to do in Wānaka.
Summer, December to February, gives long days (about 15.5 hours of daylight at Mount Cook in December, by our calculation) and the easiest hiking. Spring brings snowmelt and the Mount Cook lily from October, but Roys Peak is closed for lambing until 10 November and avalanche risk on alpine routes runs into mid-November. In winter, June to August, keep to the 7-day route or a short loop, carry chains and expect closures, and add a ski day; see New Zealand ski resorts. For the month-by-month detail, read the best time to visit New Zealand.
4-8 hours
The classic Franz Josef heli-hike: a helicopter lands you on the glacier for up to two and a half hours of guided walking among blue ice, crevasses and ice formations, with boots, crampons and waterproofs supplied.
from$499
Check availability1.5 hours
The top-rated Tekapo night tour: an astronomy guide, a 9.25-inch telescope, blankets, hot chocolate and marshmallows by a fire bowl, and photos of you under the stars to take home.
from$72
Check availability10 hoursPickup included
Ride the TranzAlpine from Christchurch up to Arthur's Pass, then come back by road with the guide via the Devils Punchbowl waterfall, the Otira Viaduct lookout, Lake Pearson and the Castle Hill boulders.
from$213
Check availability25 minutes
The cheapest helicopter time at Mount Cook: a short flight up the Tasman Valley and over a glacier lake to an alpine landing facing Aoraki, with commentary from the pilot.
from$196
Check availability35 minutes
A helicopter flight from a hangar 25 minutes out of Wanaka towards Mount Aspiring National Park, with a snow landing on the Isobel or Tyndall glacier; it needs at least two paying adults to run.
from$303
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
For the Southern Alps alone, 7 days covers Lake Tekapo, Aoraki/Mount Cook, Wānaka and Queenstown on a one-way drive. Ten days lets you add the West Coast glaciers as a loop without long driving days back to back. With 14 days you can stay long enough in each place to hike, which is where most of the reward is.
Either works for a loop. For a one-way 7-day trip, start in Christchurch and finish in Queenstown, so the drives get shorter as you go and the Mackenzie lakes come early. Check one-way rental fees before you book, since they vary by company. Christchurch and Queenstown are the two international airports closest to the Mackenzie region.
Yes, but plan around snow. NZTA advises carrying chains on Burkes Pass and Lindis Pass in winter, and State Highways 73 (Arthur's Pass) and 80 (to Mount Cook) can close in snow. Days are short: about 9 hours of daylight in June at Mount Cook. Winter is also ski season, roughly June to October.
For a few things, yes. Mueller Hut needs a booking from 2 November 2026 to 2 May 2027, White Horse Hill Campground is often full, and heli hikes at Franz Josef and Fox run limited departures each day. Accommodation in Aoraki/Mount Cook Village is limited, so book that early in summer too.
Partly. InterCity buses link Christchurch, Tekapo, Mount Cook Village, Queenstown, Wānaka, Haast, Fox Glacier and Franz Josef, and the TranzAlpine train crosses Arthur's Pass to Greymouth (with a bus from Arthur's Pass until about 30 November 2026). But walks such as Blue Pools, Lake Matheson and the Hooker Valley start away from the villages, and buses run once a day on some routes, so a car saves a lot of time.
The Christchurch to Queenstown drive is about 486 km on the inland route through Lake Tekapo, Twizel and Lindis Pass, and RealNZ puts the driving time at about 7 hours 15 minutes.
For the South Island and its mountains, February and March are the best months: still summer-warm, February is the driest month at Aoraki/Mount Cook, and NZ schools are back.
Aoraki / Mount Cook is New Zealand's highest mountain at 3,724 m, measured by a University of Otago team in 2013.
Pick Fox Glacier for a heli hike: up to 3 hours on the ice, NZ$50 cheaper and open to children from 9.
Wānaka's best things to do are walks with mountain views: Roys Peak (16 km, closed for lambing 1 October to 10 November), the Rob Roy Glacier Track, Rocky Mountain and Mount Iron.
New Zealand's main South Island ski resorts are Mt Hutt near Methven, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables near Queenstown, and Cardrona and Treble Cone near Wānaka, with volunteer-run club fields near Arthur's Pass.