Sometimes the journey is as important as your destination. And that is definitely the case when travelling to Queenstown from Christchurch. We had a choice between a flight that takes well less than an hour or a 7 hour car trip. We opted for the latter and I’m glad we did, for this is one of the most spectacular drives to be had in New Zealand. Particularly as this was Kess’ first trip to Queenstown. Missing out on all that beautiful scenery would have been a travesty. While a long drive, there are plenty of stops to be had along the way and breaking the trip up into pieces certainly makes it easier. Also, at this time of the year (late June) there is plenty of fresh snow on the mountains.
Leg 1: Christchurch to Geraldine
The first phase of the trip is probably the most boring, but it serves as a gradual warm-up for what’s to come. From Christchurch through to Ashburton is generally flat, straight and un-interesting as you drive along the Canterbury plains. However, as we took off early in the morning we experienced a beautiful sunrise along the way. With soft pastel hues warming up the skies and countryside.
A short drive out of Ashburton and we made the turn towards Geraldine and the centre of the South Island. This is when the show starts, as you get your first real glimpse of the Southern Alps. And on a clear, frosty morning this is a real treat.
On this leg, you will also travel over the longest bridge in NZ — over the Rakaia river. Geraldine is a lovely little town. I have always enjoyed my time there, as it has just enough shops and cafes to keep things interesting. And it’s nestled next to beautiful rolling hills and scenery. It is also home to Barker’s who make lots of lovely Jams, preserves and other fruit-based treats. The best cafe I believe is “Verde Cafe Deli“. It’s on the main street opposite the Queenstown turnoff. They have amazing scones. On this occasion we were a little early for opening time and had to press on. It’s around 138km and takes a bit under 2 hours (non-stop) to get to Geraldine.
Leg 2: Geraldine to Lake Tekapo
This is a very scenic leg, starting with traversing up the rolling hills outside Geraldine. Along the way you will travel through Burke’s Pass, which is around 500m above sea level. You are in Mackenzie country now and you will travel across a stunning alpine plateau which has a wall of mountains and snow as it’s backdrop. A lot of people think all of New Zealand is green like Ireland. While that is probably more true of the North Island, when it comes to the South, my mental picture is of the Mackenzie country — barren, brown, harsh desert-like alpine country. It is spectacular.
Be sure to make a stop at the Fairlie Bakehouse. It is renowned for it’s pies — they are certainly yummy. Be prepared to queue up out the door most days. The salmon and bacon is a classic — full of generous chunky salmon pieces. After Fairlie, it is a short and scenic drive to majestic turquoise jewel that is Lake Tekapo. This is a good stop overnight if you wanted to break the trip up into two days. It’s a picture-perfect spot and home to one of the few “dark sky reserves” in the world. You can visit the Dark Sky visitor centre or make the short trip to Mount John Observatory. You can mountain bike, fish, ski, boat, hike and play golf. Tekapo also has a hot pools complex that includes an ice skating rink. It also has the most photographed church in NZ — The Church of the Good Shepherd, spectacularly perched close to the lake. This leg of the drive is just under 90km and takes a tad over 1 hour.
Leg 3: Lake Tekapo to Cromwell
The next leg takes us to the fruit capital of New Zealand. Cromwell is home to various fruits, but mostly known for it’s stone-fruit. Of course more stunning scenery along the way, as you travel along the shores of Lake Pukaki. Generally this is even a more brilliant blue colour than Lake Tekapo. If you stop at the large car park you will look right up the length of the lake to Aoraki/Mt Cook — the highest peak in NZ at 3,724 metres (12,218 feet). It’s buried in snow all year round and is a dangerous mountain to climb. More often than not, NZ will live up to it’s Māori name (Aotearoa — land of the long white cloud) and the peak of Aoraki will be shrouded in cloud. If you get to see it in all it’s glory you are lucky!
The next town you will skirt is Twizel. It’s a bit off the highway, so we kept going. Just past there we made sure we stopped at the High Country Salmon farm. You can fish at the farm and they have a shop where you can purchase all sorts of fresh or frozen forms of salmon at really good prices. They will bundle it up in ice for you. There is also now a cafe/restaurant which we highly recommend. The salmon is fresh and delicious and the prices are pretty good. Check out what we had…
Further along you will pass through the town of Omarama — home of the aerial gliding in NZ. Before we reached Omarama, we decided to make a side journey to check out the “Clay Cliffs“. Neither of us had seen them before. It probably added an hour or so of extra driving, most of it over gravel roads. There is a $5 donation to be made in an “honesty box” at the gate. When we got there it was quite a surprise. The clay cliffs really are quite amazing. We spent a good half hour walking and taking photos. The formations are quite amazing and I will let our photos do the talking.
Apart from that, the rest of the drive is about soaking in the amazing scenery, particularly as you travel through the Lindis pass. Potentially the most treacherous part of the drive. The weather gods were kind to us, as sometimes the road gets closed in Winter due to snowfall. This drive is around 200km and will take almost 2 and a half hours. We made a short stop at Cromwell. During Winter the town is pretty quiet as it’s not fruit season, so none of the road-side fruit stalls were open. But in summer it’s very nice to stop here and get some fresh fruit. One day I want to go to Alexandra, rather than making the turn to Queenstown. But that’s for another trip!
Leg 4: Cromwell to Queenstown
Another stunning drive as the scenery slowly changes into the stunning schist mountains that surround Queenstown. You spend a good portion if the drive travelling through the Gibbston Valley — renowned for it’s Pinot Noir. There are many wineries along the way and any of them would be a worthy stop. After that you travel along the Kawaura Gorge with the beautiful bright blue river slicing through the cliffs below you. This road is also a bit treacherous as it is windy and quite narrow. So, take your time! We made a special stop at the AJ Hacket Bungy centre. This was the first commercial bungy operation in the world, so if you want to try it for the first time, this is a great place to start. In fact, that’s exactly what Kess did as she mustered up all her courage and took the leap. Her partner was less brave (well, I prefer the word sensible).
After that it was a short drive and then you hit Frankton which is a satellite suburb of Queenstown. There is always quite a bit of traffic between Frankton and Queenstown, so you need to slow down and be patient. When you drive into Queenstown for the first time, it is pretty amazing. The wonderful, cold, dark, clear Lake Wakatipu surrounded by jagged, snow covered mountains. “The Remarkables” certainly deserve their name as they stand watch over this beautiful town. This part of the drive is about 60km and takes just under an hour. Check out more of our posts to see what we got up to in one of the top destinations of NZ.
