7-night New Zealand itinerary Christchurch, Mount Cook and Queenstown self-drive
7 nights / 8 days
A 7-night New Zealand self-drive itinerary for travel agents: Christchurch, Lake Tekapo, Aoraki/Mount Cook, Wanaka, Queenstown and Milford Sound.
A day-by-day plan for a New Zealand trip you can build on YourTripTeam, an online DMC for travel agents. Flights are not included.
Day 1: Arrival in Christchurch
Private transfer from Christchurch Airport to the hotel, about 20 minutes. Afternoon in the Botanic Gardens and punting on the Avon River.
Day 2: Christchurch to Lake Tekapo
Pick up a rental car and drive to Lake Tekapo, about three hours. Visit the Church of the Good Shepherd on the lakeshore, then join a stargazing tour in the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve.
Day 3: Aoraki/Mount Cook
Drive to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, about an hour and a quarter. Walk the Hooker Valley Track, about three hours return, to the glacier lake below New Zealand’s highest mountain.
Day 4: Mount Cook to Wanaka
Drive to Wanaka over the Lindis Pass, about two and a half hours. Afternoon walk up Mount Iron for the view over Lake Wanaka.
Day 5: Wanaka to Queenstown
Drive over the Crown Range to Queenstown, about an hour and a quarter, stopping in the gold-rush village of Arrowtown. Return the car in Queenstown and ride the gondola above the town.
Day 6: Milford Sound
Shared coach trip to Milford Sound through Te Anau and the Homer Tunnel, with a cruise along the fiord to the Tasman Sea. It’s a long day, about 12 hours.
Day 7: Queenstown
Jet boat ride through the canyons of the Shotover River in the morning. In the afternoon, cross Lake Wakatipu on a vintage steamship to a high-country farm.
Day 8: Departure
Private transfer to Queenstown Airport, about 15 minutes.
