Central Otago Touring Route - Britz

Eight nights and 1,330 kilometres from Nelson to Invercargill in a campervan, which despite the name runs most of the length of the South Island.

Kaikoura comes first down the coast, where the seals lie on the rocks at Point Kean and sperm whales feed close inshore, then Christchurch, and Lake Tekapo in the Mackenzie Basin.

Aoraki Mount Cook follows, with the Hooker Valley track below the highest peak in the country, then Wanaka, Cromwell and Queenstown. Bannockburn is the heart of the Central Otago wine country, where schist terraces and extreme swings between day and night temperatures produce pinot noir that competes with Burgundy, and the old gold sluicings behind the vineyards are worth walking. Invercargill closes the route at the southern end of the island.

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. Nine days for 1,330 kilometres is a fair pace, with the wine country at the end rather than the middle. Central Otago is the only part of New Zealand with a properly continental climate, which is why the autumn colour there is as good as it is. This is a one-way hire, so a relocation fee is worth checking at booking. Nelson to Invercargill also means the route never doubles back, so nothing is driven twice across the whole length of the island. Invercargill is also the jumping-off point for Stewart Island, which is worth knowing if the trip can be extended at the end.