South Island, New Zealand

March 28 – April 9, 2026

I spent just under two weeks on the South Island of New Zealand. I was there in late fall as temperatures started to drop in the evenings, though day time temperatures were mid to high 60s.

I flew from Wellington (southern shore of the North Island) to Christchurch (on the east coast of the South Island).

I spent 12 nights in a camper van! Pictured below, the van had running water, a gas stove, a microwave, and a portable toilet in addition to a queen sized bed and dining table! All had to be converted and adjusted throughout the day.

Here is my first night, parked in a New Zealand Department of Conservation campsite after driving ~2 hours from Christchurch. The van took some getting used to as I was driving on the left side of the road!

I made my way towards Franz Josef, where I would stay for a few nights for a variety of adventures and to meet up with friends that I met on the Kiwi Experience bus in the North Island. Fruit ice cream (below) is a popular treat! They blend real fruit in with a basic ice cream flavor, like vanilla.

My first big adventure in Franz Josef was a 30 minute drive from my campsite to Fox Glacier. I had to get up early as I was booked for a 6am helicopter flight up to the popular glacier. We had to wait a bit for the weather to clear, and when the timing was right we took a ~5 min helicopter ride up through the valley and to the glacier.

The glacier is constantly moving, and Fox Glacier is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world moving ~4 meters per day. So each day the heli landing pad on the glacier is different. The outfitters gave us pants, a jacket, boots, and we put on crampons when on the ice.

I loved this campsite – the views were great, it felt pretty quiet and secluded if you found a good spot.

I made some great food in the van! Below I made a halloumi, chickpea, and egg salad with a homemade (or ‘van-made’) dressing and van-made croutons!

A couple of friends from Kiwi Experience were going sky diving in Franz Josef, so I decided to join last minute! Franz Josef is one of Redbull’s Top10 destinations to skydive in the world. I was pretty nervous on the plane ride up, and the free fall at the beginning of the jump takes your breath away, but it was exhilarating!

After a few days in Franz Josef, I made my way toward Wānaka. On the way, I stopped at Lake Matheson, famous for the clear reflection of the mountains in the background.

I arrived in Wanāka and had to stop by the grocery store quickly as the town was shutting down for Easter Weekend. I then headed quickly to hike Roy’s Peak. I had just under two hours to hike 5 miles up the mountain before sunset. The challenge was in the incline as the hike climbs over 4,000 feet.

The hike was tough, but the sunset was beautiful and I made it in time to meet up with a group from the Kiwi Experience that had started hiking a bit earlier than I did.

We hiked down in the dark, and there were loads of sheep around.

After the hike, I went for a swim in Lake Wānaka as there was no shower at my campsite that night, and I lucked out in seeing the Southern Lights!

Before heading to my next stop, I visited the famous tree growing in the waters of Lake Wānaka.

That night I met up with some Kiwi Experience friends in Queenstown for the last few nights before many people made their way to leave New Zealand.

After saying goodbye to part of the Kiwi Experience group, I headed towards Milford Sound and saw an old steam train on the way:

The drive is long – about 4-5 hours. Loads of camper vans are making their way there as well.

I boarded a ferry through Milford Sound to see the peaks and waterfalls surrounding the Sound.

Although it wasn’t Lupine season, I was still able to see some of the Lupine flowers in my campsite near Milford Sound.

As I headed back to Queenstown, I got to soak up the changing leaves and fall colors.

I met up with more friends from the Kiwi Experience that were a few days behind the rest of my original group as they were traveling more slowly. Burgers from Ferg Burger on the hostel floor!

My last stop was Lake Tekapo. I picked up a hitch hiker along the way – he was a local Kiwi and nice guy. Dropped him off in the town then made my way to find a campsite. The campsite was full and they said they just had overflow parking along the road – turns out that meant I could park right along the lakefront!

Last sunset in New Zealand!