Introduction

In November 2025 we did a two-week road trip from Queenstown in the South Island to Auckland in the North Island. Some of the highlights included the spectacular Milford Sound, the Wanaka Tree of Instagram fame, the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, a huge seal colony on the east coast, some tasty wines, and an amazing garden in Hamilton. But that’s not all.

What follows is a photo gallery of the trip with minimal text. You’ll get the idea.

The Route

The map below shows the route we took.

Stops Along the Way

Queenstown

Manapouri

Milford Sound

Various sights on the road between Queenstown and Milford Sound

Wanaka

The Drive from Wanaka to Haast

Haast to Hokitika via the Glaciers

Kaikoura via Arthur’s Pass

a friendly kea at arthur’s pass village (not my leg)

Kaikoura Peninsula Seal Colony

We walked to South Bay around the headland, through the seal colony, then returned via the clifftop walkway to the beginning. Great views on the return leg.

Time for a Tipple - Blenheim Wineries

On the way from Kaikoura to Blenheim we stopped off at the renowned Nin’s Bin for a fresh cooked crayfish.

having a tasting at the small, family-run gibson and bridge winery

Marlborough Sounds

Crossing Cook Strait – Picton to Wellington

Wellington – the Capital

Tongariro National Park – Volcanoes!

Beautiful Lake Taupo

Hamilton Gardens

Conclusion

From Hamilton it was a 115km drive to Auckland Airport and our last night.

It’d been a great trip. So much to see and do and having our own wheels gave us the freedom to plot our own course. New Zealand/Aotearoa is a fabulous place. We’re sure we’ll be back.

Ken and Cally