Day 0: Shanghai – Auckland, stay overnight near Auckland airport
Day 1: Fly to Christchurch in the morning, rent a car from Apex, and start the self-drive. One hour drive to the alpaca farm (Shamarra Alpacas, the last five minutes up the mountain are extremely difficult to drive). Arrive at Tekapo in the evening, stargaze by the lake at night, the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye [Wow]
Day 2: In the morning, buy a flat white and walk to the Church of the Good Shepherd, then drive to Mount Cook. Have salmon by the milky blue Pukaki Lake (Mt Cook Alpine Salmon Shop), hike for four hours at Mount Cook (unfortunately, only saw a gray-green lake [石化R]). Stay overnight in Wanaka, go to the lone tree to photograph the Milky Way in the dark, heard a possum hiss and got scared away
Day 3: Have a Patagonia ice cream by Lake Wanaka, have another flat white, drive along Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, stop at various lookouts, [Selfie] swing on a swing in the autumn. In the evening, go to Queenstown for Skyline, driving small racing cars against the sunset was thrilling!
Day 4: In the morning, have a burger at FERG, have a Wolf flat white [Drink milk tea R], drive half an hour to Arrowtown at noon, see the most beautiful autumn in the world, send a postcard. In the afternoon, play with deer and sheep at the deer park, see the panoramic view of Queenstown at sunset
Day 5: Have a MACKENZIE flat white, sunbathe on the lawn in Queenstown, take the TSS boat in the afternoon, go to Walter Peak Farm (remember to buy the ticket that includes the farm! 20% off
Day 6: Drive one hour to the fruit town, have a Jackson Orchards fruit ice cream, the ribs at The Stoaker Room Cromwell are super delicious! Rush through several towns in the afternoon, arrive in Dunedin in the evening, hike for an hour at Tunnel Beach, have shark meat at Plato
Day 7: A day of rushing, go to see the train station in the morning, walk the steepest street in the world, Baldwin, drive along Highway 1 all the way to Christchurch, thought it would be a seaside view, but the total time seeing the sea was less than two minutes, [Sigh R] the scenery is not even a fraction as beautiful as Highway 8!
Have fish and chips at The Fishwife (lobster needs to be reserved!), then walk ten minutes on the beach to the Moeraki Boulders, a few restaurants are still open at Riverside Market in Christchurch in the evening
Day 8: There’s a vintage tram like in Portugal in the city center, Christchurch Tram, watch others boating on the Avon River, return the car at the airport at noon (bought full insurance, the windshield was cracked by a stone on the highway), fly back to Auckland, wander around the city, return to Shanghai in the evening
So, for friends with limited time, just follow the central route of the South Island, seven days is enough, Christchurch-Queenstown, can return the car in a different location.
This road trip sounds incredible! I especially love the idea of stargazing at Lake Tekapo—seeing the Milky Way with the naked eye must be magical. Have you explored any other hidden gems along this route?