12 Best Things To Do on New Zealand’s South Island
Plan an unforgettable road trip to the South Island of New Zealand with this guide featuring incredible outdoor adventures.
New Zealand
New Zealand is heaven on Earth for outdoor enthusiasts. Explore snowcapped volcanoes, spelunk through glowworm caves, skydive, bungy jump, surf, and hike (or tramp as Kiwis say). New Zealand is also home to a thriving Maori culture. Explore all our New Zealand travel blog posts here.
New Zealand Backpacking & Tramping Planning Guide
Start planning your backpacking adventure to New Zealand with this complete backpacking & tramping guide!
Backpacking the Copland Track in New Zealand
The Copland Track on New Zealand’s South Island is an incredible overnight backpacking trek with dense forest, glacier rivers, alpine views, and HOT SPRINGS! See the pics and learn how to plan this must-do trek with this backpacking guide!
7 Reasons a Campervan is the Best Way to Travel Around New Zealand
Want to experience pure New Zealand? Rent a van! Here’s 7 reasons why a campervan is the best way to travel around New Zealand
New Zealand’s Best Day Hike: Tongariro Crossing Hiking Guide
Don’t miss New Zealand’s best day hike. Get this detailed hiking for the Tongariro Crossing hike, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks on the North Island.
Chasing Waterfalls on Milford Sound with Cruise Milford
Exploring fiords, waterfalls & wildlife in Milford Sound is a must for anyone traveling to New Zealand! This post has the details on my boat tour with Cruise Milford.
10 Tips for Driving in New Zealand
Get ready to navigate those roundabouts while driving on the left side of the road. Here’s my essential tips and the key laws you need to be aware of before getting behind the wheel in New Zealand.
Queenstown Travel Tips: Where to Eat, Stay & Things to Do
Got 2 or 3 days in Queenstown? Learn how to maximize your time with these travel tips that include the best places to stay and eat and awesome things to do in the adventure capital of New Zealand.
Milford Sound Helicopter Flight above New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park
If you want to see the best of New Zealand, you really need to get above it all! Check out my video, photos, and full recap of my helicopter flight above Milford Sound.
Doubtful Sound Overnight Kayak Tour with Go Orange
Doubtful Sound is a little known secret in New Zealand….waterfalls, lush rainforest & giant cliffs with a fraction of the people as Milford Sound. Escape the crowds on a quiet overnight kayaking tour and experience Pure. Wild. New Zealand.
New Zealand Mountaineering Course with Alpine Recreation
While in New Zealand, I took a 4-day Intro to Mountaineering Course in Mount Cook National Park where I learned how to wear crampons, use an ice axe, and safely travel across a glacier for the first time. Get the full scoop on my class and see if this type of course might be a good fit for you!
New Zealand Road Trip – Wanaka, Queenstown & the Copeland Track
Weeks 8-9 of my solo New Zealand road trip included camping on the summit of Isthmus Peak, soaking in hot springs at the Welcome Flat Hut, kayaking Queenstown, and hiking Mount Roy. Follow along on my adventures in my road trip journal.
New Zealand Road Trip: Mount Cook
A recap of my week at Mount Cook, home to the tallest mountain in New Zealand, raging rivers, waterfalls, glaciers, and fantastic high alpine hiking, as well as a 4-day Intro to Mountaineering Course taught by Alpine Recreation where I learned the basics of glacier travel.
New Zealand Road Trip: The Catlins, Dunedin & Oamaru
Road tripping along New Zealand’s Southern Scenic Highway, waterfall chasing in the Catlins, quirky art galleries in Oamaru, and beach-front climbing in Dunedin (plus a an epic side trip to Wanaka).
Kayaking New Zealand’s Abel Tasman Coast
One of the best things I’ve done in New Zealand was a three-day sea-kayaking trip on the coast of Abel Tasman National Park. See the photos and get the full scoop on the tour here.
New Zealand Road Trip: Queenstown
Here’s the highlights from my fifth week road tripping in New Zealand where I accidentally got trapped in Queenstown exploring local cafes, hiking some incredible trails, riding in boats, rock climbing, and camping right on Lake Wakatipu.
New Zealand Road Trip: Wanaka, Rob Roy Glacier & Mt. Aspiring
A round-up of my favorite spots from my 4th week on the road in New Zealand including Wanaka, the Rob Roy Glacier, and solo backpacking to the Rees Saddle in Mt. Aspiring National Park.
New Zealand Road Trip: The West Coast, Arthur’s Pass & Wanaka
Week three of my New Zealand road trip took me down the west coast of the South Island, known as the glacier highway. I hit up Franz Joseph Glacier, rode in a helicopter, hiked up the super steep Avalanche Peak in Arthur’s Pass, and finally made it down to Wanaka.
New Zealand Road Trip: Abel Tasman and Nelson Lakes National Parks
Welcome to week 2 of my New Zealand Road Trip! Learn about sea kayaking the incredible Able Tasman coastline, trekking in Nelson Lakes National Park, my first backcountry hut experience, and biking the Great Taste Trail.
New Zealand Road Trip: Raglan, Waitomo & Wellington
Waterfalls, pigging out in Wellington, glow worms, and more – Here’s a full recap with lots of photos from my first week of solo road tripping through New Zealand.
The Ultimate New Zealand Adventure Bucketlist
I’m leaving for New Zealand on Monday where I will spend the next six weeks driving around in a camper van going where the wind blows. Here’s 14 adventures that are on my bucketlist that I hope to check off.