Road trips
Best Christchurch to Christchurch loop road trip guide
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This Christchurch to Christchurch loop road trip hits most of the South Island’s best highlights, including Marlborough Sounds, Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson Tasman National Park, the West Coast, Arthur’s Pass and much more!
Last Updated: October 2024
Use this flexible guide when planning your Christchurch to Christchurch road trip. It can be modified to suit the exact number of days you have available and also includes all the best camping spots and attractions. Plus, we’ve thrown in a heap of extra information like drive time, distance, the best season to travel and much more!
Keen to also see Queenstown, Milford Sound, Dunedin and Mount Cook? Try this 10-day South Island road trip, which also runs from Christchurch to Christchurch!
Travel in style and comfort - use Camplify to find campervan hire in Christchurch !
The ultimate Christchurch to Christchurch road trip
Total Distance: 1,300 km | Recommended duration: 7 - 10 days | Best Time to Visit: Between October and May | Route on Google Maps
1. Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city on the South Island and the second largest city in New Zealand. After picking up your campervan hire in Christchurch, spend a day or two checking out all the awesome attractions around town!
Be sure to visit the International Antarctic Centre , where you can ride an all-terrain vehicle, experience a realistic Antarctic storm and watch Little Blue Penguins waddle around. Quake City is another unique and interactive museum, where you can learn about the earthquake that shook the city to pieces in 2011.
Next up is the Canterbury Museum , where you can see artefacts from Antarctic expeditions, local earthquakes, dinosaurs, extinct flora and fauna, Maori history, early European settlement and even an Egyptian mummy. Just a minute away is the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū , where you can see fine and modern collections for free.
Stay at the family-friendly Tasman Holiday Parks Christchurch, which offers unpowered and powered campsites amongst manicured gardens (a 15-minute drive out of the CBD). Facilities include amenities, camp kitchen, barbecue area, laundry, arcade room, indoor swimming pool and hydro slide, heated spa and much more.
For more camping options, see the best Christchurch campgrounds and holiday parks.
Yeti from local Christchurch owners Camilla and Andyis one of many vans you can hire on ourCamplify van-sharing platform.
2. Hanmer Springs
Follow the inland route northward from Christchurch and cross the Waiau River on your way to Hanmer Springs - an alpine town famed for its natural hot pools and forested landscape.
If you’re travelling with kids, they will love the Forest Amble Walk , which takes about 30 minutes and winds its way through a forest adorned with large wooden art sculptures (including a friendly giant and an orangutan)! Adults might also enjoy the Hanmer Forest Park walking tracks and the views from the summit of Conical Hill.
After all that adventure, kick back and relax in the bubbling hot pools and rock spas at Hanmer Springs Water Park. Whilst parents soak in the mineral waters, the kids can float down the lazy river, battle on the water jets and ride the water slides.
Stay at the Hanmer Springs Top 10 Holiday Park, a forested park near the thermal hot springs and picturesque village. Facilities include a hot tub and sauna, heated swimming pool, pizza oven and more.
3. Kaikoura
Continue your Christchurch to Christchurch road trip along the Alpine Pacific Touring Route , taking in the mountainous scenery before reaching Kaikoura - a quiet slice of coastal paradise.
Kaikoura is one of the best places in the world to see Humpback Whales as they migrate, so be sure to jump on a whale-watching cruise. But for a truly unique experience, book a dolphin encounter and swim with the notoriously friendly Dusky Dolphins in the open ocean!
Afterwards, take a wander along Kaikoura Beach and see fur seals playing in the Pacific Ocean whilst snow-capped mountains loom in the distance. Then relax with a cup of tea amongst the beautiful flower gardens at Lavendyl Lavender Farm.
Stay at the Kaikoura Top 10 Holiday Park, which offers beachfront camping with stunning mountain views. Facilities include fishing rod hire, mini-golf, an on-site shop and more.
4. Marlborough
Fine diners and wine lovers are going to love The Marlborough - a region that is internationally renowned for its vineyards and farm produce.
Hire bikes and ride the Golden Mile wine trail around Blenheim , during which you can visit more than 30 cellar doors responsible for producing some of the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc. And don’t miss the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, where you can see a collection of WW1 and WW2 aircraft that is curated by the production team behind Lord of the Rings.
From the town of Picton, you can hop aboard a sunset seafood cruise or the famous Pelorus Mail Boat and see all that the Marlborough Sounds has to offer. Thrill-seekers may prefer to join Pelorus Jet on a wild jet boat ride down the crystal clear waters of the Pelorus River.
Stay at the Picton TOP 10 Holiday Park, which offers sealed and grass camping sites near the harbour. They’ve got a range of family-friendly facilities, including a spa, kids playground with trampolines, bike hire, swimming pool and much more.
To see more of this beautiful area, take one of the best road trips around the Marlborough region!
5. Nelson
Follow the coastline on your Christchurch to Christchurch road trip and within just a few hours you will reach the sunny city of Nelson - your base for exploring the natural wonders of the Nelson Tasman region.
Spend a day exploring, hiking and kayaking around the tropical paradise that is Abel Tasman National Park, famous for its popular sights such as Split Apple Rock, Tonga Arches and Wainui Falls.
Not far away, you’ll find the Te Waikoropupū Springs, the largest freshwater springs in New Zealand and the largest coldwater springs in the Southern Hemisphere. And beyond that you will find Wharariki Beach , made world-famous as the screensaver for Windows 10.
Stay at the Tahuna Beach Holiday Park next to Tahunanui Beach near Nelson City Centre. Take your pick from over 850 campsites spread across 54 acres of parkland, with beach views and its very own mini-golf course.
Discover more local attractions by taking the best Nelson road trip!
West Coast
When driving from Nelson to the West Coast , be sure to stop at Nelson Lakes National Park. This wonderland marks the start of the Southern Alps and boasts glaciers, rugged mountains and beech forests. Be sure to grab a photo of the famous Rotoiti Jetty and the Blue Lake (the World's clearest lake!).
Next, head to Paparoa National Park and take the short loop walk (1.1km) to the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, which were formed 30 million years ago. Along the way, you’ll also see the ocean come to life as water is shot into the air through a series of blowholes and surge pools.
End your short tour of the West Coast with a walk around the Hokitika Gorge Scenic Reserve. This walk takes about 1-hour and takes you through pristine podocarp forest and over a 90m swing bridge, rewarding you with breathtaking views of the blue-green waters of the Hokitika River below.
Stay at Hokitika’s Kiwi Holiday Park, a spacious campground with awesome facilities including kitchens, amenities blocks, TV room, games room, playground and bike hire.
Want to also see Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers? See this West Coast NZ road trip!
7. Arthur’s Pass
Leave the West Coast behind and cross over the Southern Alps as you continue your Christchurch to Christchurch road trip. Today, you get to adventure around Arthur’s Pass.
Reaching up to 900m above sea level, the road through Arthur’s Pass National Park is one of the highest and most breathtaking in New Zealand. This dramatic landscape is host to dense rainforest, deep gorges and rapid rivers. But it is also home to the world’s only alpine parrot - the Kea!
In the National Park, you can choose from eight short and easy walking tracks (ranging from 10-minute to 3-hour walks). The Devil’s Punchbowl Walking Track (2km return) is popular for its thundering 131m waterfall surrounded by lush beech forest.
Alternatively, the Millenium Walk (10-minutes) is particularly easy and takes you over a historic stone bridge, along the trout-filled Avalanche Creek and ends at a viewing platform overlooking the 50m tall Avalanche Creek Waterfall.
Stay at the Klondyke Corner Campsite, a scenic campsite on the junction of the Bealey and Waimakariri Rivers. There are 40 non-powered campsites available and facilities include a cooking shelter, non-flush toilets and tap water.
8. Return to Christchurch
End your Christchurch to Christchurch road trip by returning to the city, where you can tick off a few more of the major attractions before dropping off your campervan hire.
Want to see even more of the native animals? Visit Willowbank Wildlife Reserve where you can see a kiwi, feed an otter or catch sight of a kea or a capybara. The reserve has a farmyard section, a New Zealand section and an exotic section, so there’s something for everyone!
Finish up your trip by riding the Christchurch Gondola to the summit of Mt Cavendish , where you can enjoy panoramic views over the city. Then take a punting tour and let your guide gently row you along the Avon River through the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
Still have time to spare? See Mount Cook, Queenstown and Milford Sound by reversing this Queenstown to Christchurch road trip!
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Campervan example: Kowhai on Camplify
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