Queenstown to Christchurch via Bluff and Aoraki - maui

Thirteen nights and 1,644 kilometres from Queenstown to Christchurch in a campervan, down to the bottom of the island before turning north.

Moke Lake and Glenorchy come first at the head of Lake Wakatipu, then Te Anau on the edge of Fiordland, and Invercargill, with Bluff beyond it: Stirling Point is the southern end of the state highway network, where the signpost gives the distance to the South Pole and the oyster boats work out of the harbour.

Kaka Point follows in the Catlins, with the Nugget Point lighthouse above its rock stacks, then Dunedin, which has a strong Scottish inheritance and a royal albatross colony on the peninsula, the only mainland breeding site anywhere. Wanaka comes next through Central Otago, then Aoraki Mount Cook, where the Hooker Valley track crosses three swing bridges to a glacial lake below the highest peak in the country, and Lake Tekapo, Geraldine and Akaroa before Christchurch.

The camper and the day-by-day plan come from maui, and the hire is priced live per vehicle rather than per person; campsites, fuel, ferries, park fees and activities are all extra, with a nil-excess insurance pack available at booking. Fourteen days for 1,644 kilometres is a slow pace with time at each stop, which is the point of a fortnight rather than a week. The Moke Lake road is unsealed. Albatross viewing is managed with timed tours and no sighting can be promised, though the birds are present for most of the year. This is a one-way hire, so a relocation fee is worth checking at booking. Bluff and Akaroa at either end of the route are both worth the detour they represent.