Road-tripping the South Island of New Zealand

Road-tripping the South Island of New Zealand was nothing short of an incredible experience. Everyday we would wake up in a strange, cold town in the middle of nowhere - from start to finish it was pure bliss. 

We drove down the West Coast, hiked to Frans Joseph Glacier, marvelled at Milford Sound, explored the Larnach Castle and finished up with the captivating Hooker Valley track to Mount Cook.

On top of all these breathtaking adventures, a huge highlight was the van life itself. Pulling up to camp for the night, making dinner with whatever we had leftover and drinking a bottle of red amongst huge mountains left us wanting more. Who would have thought driving 3,000kms in 10 days would be so delightful!

For anyone looking to do the same trip, here are a few tips:

• Skip the cities and spend more time in the alpine areas
• Pull over whenever. Don’t rush to get from A to B, whenever you get the chance just stop, jump out and absorb your surroundings
• Get lost! You won’t be disappointed
• The roads are windy, steep and very dangerous! The next destination may only be 100kms away but can easily take 2+ hours to get to. Don't hurry and be prepared.
• If I were to go back (we went in April) I'd probably go after snow season (around September) as it would be even more beautiful! 

Words and photos by Rachael Robinson.