8-day South Island campervan itinerary - Britz

Seven nights and 1,124 kilometres from Christchurch to Queenstown in a campervan, the long way round by the West Coast.

Arthur’s Pass comes first over the Southern Alps, then Franz Josef, where a glacier runs down almost to sea level through rainforest, which happens in very few places on earth, with Fox Glacier beside it.

The Blue Pools follow in the Makarora valley, glacial meltwater clear enough to see every stone on the bottom and an unnatural shade of blue, then Wanaka on its lake, and Lake Pukaki, which is the colour it is because of rock flour suspended in the water, with Aoraki Mount Cook standing at the head of it. Arrowtown comes next, a preserved gold town with the remains of its Chinese miners’ settlement, then Queenstown, and Glenorchy at the head of Lake Wakatipu, where a good deal of the valley scenery in the Lord of the Rings films was shot.

Britz supply the camper and the day-by-day plan, 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. Eight days for 1,124 kilometres is a fair pace for South Island roads, which are slower than their distances suggest. Glacier walks and helicopter landings both need booking and are weather dependent. This is a one-way hire, so a relocation fee is worth checking at booking. Taking the West Coast route rather than the direct inland road adds a day and two glaciers, which is the right trade.