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14 Stunning Road Trips from Queenstown

ByJac Michael Last Updated on
The scenic drive between Te Anau and Milford Sound, with golden meadows on the side of the roads and mountains in the backdrop.

There is so much to do in Queenstown, but one of my favourite things about living here is the abundance of scenic road trips right at our doorstep.

Close by, we have mountain scenery, pristine lakes, incredible hiking trails, and crystal-clear rivers. 

There are vineyards to enjoy, and historical sites to see. 

A bit further afield are jaw-dropping glaciers and fiords.

And we’re only 3-4 hours away from some stunning coastline, too, with wild surf beaches, wildlife-spotting opportunities, and rugged coastal scenery that’ll take your breath away.

In this guide, I’m sharing my favourite road trips from Queenstown. 

I live in Queenstown, so I do these road trips on my weekends—but they’re also perfect for visitors looking to explore Queenstown and more of the South Island.

I’ve included day trips from Queenstown and also some longer road trips that are best done over 2 days or more, depending on the destination.

So get your car or campervan sorted, and let’s get to it—here’s your guide to the best road trips from Queenstown!

A heads-up: this blog is reader-supported, and this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a booking through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping me continue to write, take photos, and share my favourite places in New Zealand!

Where to Hire a Car or Campervan for Your Road Trip

A Maui campervan driving towards Omarama on a New Zealand road trip.

With numerous car and campervan rentals at Queenstown Airport, it’s easy to start a road trip in Queenstown.

Here are the resources I use for finding car and campervan rentals ⤵️

🚙 Renting a car: I like using Discover Cars to compare prices on car rentals in Queenstown, and I’m also a big fan of Apex Rentals.

🚐 Renting a campervan: Motorhome Republic is my go-to resource for finding campervan rentals in New Zealand.

Day Trips from Queenstown

1. Arrowtown

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 20 km / 20 minutes 

Buckingham Street in Arrowtown with shops and cars on both sides of the street. There are hills around the street covered in autumn foliage.
A bike resting on a white picket fence in front of Provisions Cafe in Arrowtown, a great day trip from Queenstown.

Arrowtown is a charming historic gold mining village located just a short drive from Queenstown.

There’s a lot to do in Arrowtown and you can easily make a full day out of this mini road trip.

I like to drive to and from Arrowtown as a loop from Queenstown. 

From Queenstown, drive along Frankton Road and onto Highway 6 past Lake Hayes. If you’d like, you can walk the loop trail around Lake Hayes before heading into Arrowtown (it takes 2-3 hours for the full walk).

Once in Arrowtown, take a stroll down Buckingham Street and pop into the cute shops and cafes. 

Wolf Coffee Roasters is great for a coffee, and Slow Cuts or Provisions are both lovely spots for lunch.

Enjoy a walk along the forested Arrow River trail—which looks like something out of a fairytale!—or tackle a larger walk like Tobin’s Track or Sawpit Gully. 

The historic Chinese village is also a must-see to learn more about the gold-mining days of this area. 

And if you’re keen to try your hand at panning for gold, you can hire gold panning equipment for a small fee from a few places around town.

Then, after exploring Arrowtown, drive back to Queenstown via Malaghan’s Road. 

Stop at the Shotover Jet to either go jet boating or just watch the action, and have a craft beer and delicious food at Canyon Brewing before heading back to Queenstown.

Further reading: the drive from Queenstown to Arrowtown

2. Glenorchy

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 46 km / 50 minutes

The road from Queenstown to Glenorchy, winding along the shores of Lake Wakatipu with mountains in the backdrop.
The historic red boat shed in Glenorchy with Lake Wakatipu and mountains in the backdrop.

The drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy isn’t long, but it’s undoubtedly one of the most scenic roads in New Zealand.

So, definitely don’t miss this road trip when you’re in Queenstown!

Plan to spend a whole day making stops and detours along this drive.

Some highlights include peaceful Moke Lake (and the loop trail along the lake), the short walk to picturesque Bob’s Cove, the Bennett’s Bluff Lookout and the cute settlement of Glenorchy itself.

I like to pack a picnic for this drive to enjoy along one of the many walking trails in the area. 

And you can’t miss a stop at Mrs Woolly’s General Store in Glenorchy for a treat and a peek at their awesome gift shop.

If you’d like to continue past Glenorchy, the stunning scenery continues—including the destination I’ll highlight below (the Routeburn Track!).

3. Routeburn Track

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 71 km / 1 hour 15 minutes

Views of mountains above a meadown and rivers along the Routeburn Track in the South Island of New Zealand.
Turquoise-blue pools of water beneath beech trees in the Routeburn River along the Routeburn Track, one of the best hikes near Queenstown.

After driving from Queenstown to Glenorchy, you can continue to drive past Glenorchy to reach the start of the Routeburn Track, one of New Zealand’s famous Great Walks.

While the full Routeburn Track takes multiple days to complete, you can do an epic day hike along the track.

From the Routeburn Shelter, choose from two hike options: either hike to Routeburn Flats (4 hours return) or continue on to Routeburn Falls (6 hours return).

Along the trail, you’ll experience alpine scenery, some of the bluest river water you can imagine, and lush beech forest. 

It’s one of my favourite day walks in the South Island. If you love to hike, put this one on your list! 

4. Cromwell & Bannockburn

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 60 km / 1 hour 

The Cromwell Historic Precinct, with a collection of old-timey storefronts that look like a scene from a Western film, including a shop called the "Belfast Store" and another called "George Stumbles."
Tyson from Weekend Path walking along the Bannockburn Sluicings Trail, with dried wild thyme plants along the trail and craggy cliffs in the distance.

If you like wine and historic places, this is a good day trip from Queenstown for you.

Drive from Queenstown to Cromwell via Gibbston Valley and the Kawarau Gorge, with a detour to Bannockburn.

Along the drive to Cromwell, stop at the Kawarau Bridge to see the AJ Hackett Bungy operation in action. It’s so entertaining to watch people bungy jump off the historic bridge down towards the gorgeous Kawarau River!

Then continue on to Cromwell, perhaps stopping at one of the local fruit stalls along the way. I like picking up stone fruit in the summer and apples in the autumn, and the real fruit ice cream is never a bad idea, no matter the time of year!

My favourite part of Cromwell is the historic Cromwell Heritage Precinct, which is nice for a short stroll. And I definitely recommend a cinnamon scroll and coffee at Pinot Junction.

After leaving Cromwell to head back to Queenstown, detour to Bannockburn, where you’ll find rolling vineyards amidst a sun-baked landscape.

I love doing the Bannockburn Sluicings walk, which takes about 1.5 hours and leads you through a barren but beautiful landscape marked by gold mining history.

And if you’re a wine lover, visit one of Bannockburn’s wineries for a tasting (or lunch) at Carrick or Mt Difficulty. 

Alternatively, you could save the wine tasting for one of the wineries in Gibbston Valley on your return to Queenstown (I love Mt Rosa & Kinross). 

And I know this goes without saying, but if you’re the driver, you obviously shouldn’t overindulge (but you could pick up a bottle or two for later!). 

5. Wanaka

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 70 km / 1 hour 10 minutes 

Lake Wanaka in winter, with snow-capped mountains in the backdrop and an empty pontoon floating on the lake.
A view of Rob Roy Glacier near Wanaka, with waterfalls pouring down from the glacier and beech forest in the foreground.

Like Queenstown, Wanaka is a gorgeous lakeside town surrounded by mountains and close to ski fields & hiking trails. 

While you can easily day trip from Queenstown to Wanaka, it’s also worth considering spending a couple of nights in Wanaka to make the most of its surroundings.

Unless your car or campervan rental company prohibits it, drive from Queenstown to Wanaka via the steep, scenic Crown Range Road. 

Once you’ve made it over the Crown Range, make sure to stop at the historic Cardrona Hotel for a photo-op (and maybe a snack or coffee, too!).

Here are some of my favourite things to do in Wanaka (you won’t have time for everything, so choose what sounds the most fun to you!).

  • Go hiking! Roy’s Peak is the most famous hike, but my personal favourite is Rob Roy Glacier (check with DOC about the road conditions beforehand, though, as there are some fords to cross). Iron Mountain is a short hike that’s well-worth doing, and the Diamond Lake & Rocky Mountain track is yet another excellent option.

  • Chill out by the lake and go swimming (in summer only, unless you’re very brave).


  • Check out the famous Wanaka Tree. I like walking there from town along the beautiful lakeside path.


  • Play disc golf at one of the awesome free courses around Wanaka.


  • Visit the Wanaka Lavender Farm.

  • Sip on a local craft beer at B.Effect, Rhyme x Reason, or Ground Up.

  • Get food at the Brownston Street food trucks—I love Burrito Craft!

6. St Bathans & Central Otago

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 145 km / 2 hours 

Blue Lake in St Bathans in Central Otago, a man-made lake surrounded by sun-bleached cliffs.
The front of the historic Vulcan Hotel in St Bathans in Central Otago.

While it’s a pretty big day trip from Queenstown, St Bathans is a neat place to visit in Central Otago that not many visitors get to see. 

If you like off-the-beaten-track places and enjoy historical sites, you might love this day trip as much as I do.

St Bathans is a tiny settlement from the gold rush era, located next to a beautiful man-made lake, Blue Lake. 

There’s a lovely 2km walk that circles the lake, which I highly recommend doing!

Now, I should also mention that some people believe this place is haunted—the historic Vulcan Hotel at St Bathans is said to house a resident ghost. 

Whether or not you believe in ghosts, I will admit that this area has a stark, eerie beauty to it.

Along the drive between St Bathans and Queenstown, you should also visit the charming town of Clyde—the Merchant of Clyde is a great spot for breakfast or lunch. The nearby Monte Christo Winery is a lovely spot for a bit of wine tasting, too.

🔗 Link your trip: this outing could easily be combined with a day trip to Bannockburn & Cromwell.

Longer Road Trips from Queenstown

These road trips are best enjoyed if you allow 2-3 nights so you have a day to get there and at least a full day to explore.

7. Te Anau

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 171 km / 2 hours 10 minutes
⏰ Time needed: allow at least 2 days

A golden-hour view at sunset over Lake Te Anau and the Marakura Wharf, with snow-dusted mountains in the backdrop.
A dirt path trailling through a dense beech tree and fern forest along the Kepler Track section from the Control Gates to Brod Bay, one of the best day walks in Te Anau.

Te Anau tends to be used as a hub for visiting Milford Sound, but it’s worth spending some time around here, too.

My favourite thing to to in Te Anau is to go hiking—the trails around here are unreal!

In particular, I love doing day walks along the Kepler Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks, which starts and ends near Te Anau.

You can walk from Rainbow Reach to the peaceful shores of Shallow Bay (3 hours return), or the Control Gates to Brod Bay (2-2.5 hours return). Both are mostly-flat walks under a canopy of beech forest, with beautiful lake views and birdsong.

Another option is to take a water taxi to Brod Bay, and hike up to the Luxmore Hut and back down.

Besides hiking, there are some other fun things to do in Te Anau. Visit the bird sanctuary, play disc golf in Ivon Wilson Park, or take a cruise to a glow worm cave.

Another excellent (and relaxing) activity is watching the short Ata Whenua – Shadowland film at the Fiordland Cinema. They have local beer and wine for purchase, too.

For dining out in Te Anau, I like Sandfly Cafe, Redcliff, & Ditto.

From Te Anau, you can easily drive to the departure point for the Doubtful Sound cruise in Manapouri, and it’s also the perfect place to base yourself for a Milford Sound visit—see more on that below!

Further reading: best stops on the drive from Queenstown to Te Anau

8. Milford Sound

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 287 km / 4 hours
⏰Time needed: allow at least 2 days

A view of Mitre Peak and Milford Sound from the Milford Foreshore Walk.
A section of the road on the Te Anau to Milford Sound drive with a snowy mountain in the backdrop.

The drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound is too long for a day trip, but that’s okay, because you’re going to want to spend some time in this incredible part of the South Island!

Milford Sound is one of New Zealand’s natural treasures. Located in awe-inspiring Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound (which is actually a fiord!) should definitely be added to your South Island bucket list.

I recommend basing yourself in Te Anau, a small town known as the gateway to Milford Sound (which I’ve detailed in more depth in the entry above). 

Driving from Queenstown to Te Anau takes about 2 hours, and it’s another 2 hours to drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound.

The best way to do this road trip is to stay in Te Anau for 2 nights (or longer!) so you have a full day for the drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound, which is packed with day hikes and scenic stops. 

And once you reach Milford Sound, you’ll want to do either a boat cruise or kayak tour to best experience this magic spot.

You could, alternatively, stay overnight in Milford Sound, but just know that the accommodation is extremely limited and the sandflies are fierce.

Tip: If you’d prefer to visit Milford Sound as a day trip from Queenstown, book a tour from Queenstown (it’s too far to drive yourself there and back in a day). There are options to fly-cruise-fly or bus-cruise-fly to Milford Sound from Queenstown. 

Further reading: where to stay near Milford Sound

9. Aoraki Mount Cook National Park

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 263 km / 3 hours 15 minutes
⏰ Time needed: allow at least 2 days

The road to Mount Cook National Park, with Lake Pukaki on the righthand side and snow-capped Mount Cook in the distance.
A zig-zagging boardwalk surrounded by meadows with Mount Cook in the background on the Hooker Valley hike in Mount Cook National Park, one of the best day walks on the South Island.

As an avid hiker, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park is one of my favourite places in the entire South Island.

This national park is packed with amazing hiking trails, snow-capped mountains, glacially-carved scenery, and the always-impressive Aoraki Mount Cook itself, the tallest mountain in New Zealand.

The Hooker Valley Track is one of the most popular day hikes in the South Island, and on a clear day, it’s a must-do (although be prepared for crowds).

Sealy Tarns is another excellent day walk option, climbing over 2,000 steps to reach panoramic views of the national park.

And for shorter walks, I like Kea Point, the Tasman View Track, & the Governor’s Bush Walk.

There aren’t many facilities in the national park besides nature (and some places to stay), so come prepared with whatever you need for a night or two. I usually pack all of my own food to bring with me (including hiking snacks), although you can also dine at the Hermitage Hotel.

Further reading: where to stay near Aoraki/Mount Cook

10. Lake Tekapo

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 256 km / 3 hours 10 minutes
⏰ Time needed: allow at least 2 days

Purple and pink lupins growing along the shores of Lake Tekapo, with softly-shaded mountains in the backdrop.
Lake Tekapo with snow-capped mountains in the background and blurred pink and purple lupins in the foreground.

The turquoise-blue waters of Lake Tekapo have made many a traveller swoon, and if it’s lupin season in the South Island, well—this is the place to be.

Tekapo is a small town and to be honest, there isn’t a ton to do here, but I still love visiting here for a relaxing night every now and then.

You can go stargazing at night (this area is a Dark Sky Reserve), soak in the Lake Tekapo Hot Pools, photograph the Church of the Good Shepherd, and walk or drive up to the Mount John Observatory for incredible views over the lake.

During lupin season (late November to mid-December), the lakefront becomes inundated with swathes of pink and purple lupins, and it’s quite a stunning sight (even if the lupins are an invasive species in NZ, sadly).

There’s also a great lakeside disc golf course in Tekapo, so pack your discs if you’re keen to play!

For food, I recommend the Greedy Cow for breakfast and Kohan for Japanese food—but be prepared for wait times, as this little town is extremely popular with visitors.

If you plan to drive to Lake Tekapo from Queenstown, I highly recommend visiting Aoraki Mount Cook National Park as well. 

You could do quite a nice 5-day road trip from Queenstown that goes to Wanaka, Mount Cook National Park, and Lake Tekapo—then return to Queenstown or head up to Christchurch for departure.

11. Oamaru

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 286 km / 3 hours 30 minutes
⏰ Time needed: allow at least 2 days

People walking along Harbour Street in the historic Victorian precinct of Oamaru.
Large spherical boulders at Moeraki Boulders Beach along the drive from Christchurch to Dunedin.

Oamaru is a quirky town on the South Island’s East Coast, known for its steampunk culture and Victorian architecture. 

It’s also one of the best places to see little blue penguins in New Zealand, and there are some wonderful breweries and places to eat. It’s a fun and unique spot to spend a night or two.

Here are the things I like to do in (and around) Oamaru.

  • Walk through the historic Victorian Precinct and visit some of the charming shops (and if you like op shopping like I do, the op shops around Oamaru are great).


  • Visit a craft brewery—I love the cosy atmosphere at Craftwork Brewery, and Scott’s Brewing Co is popular for their gluten free beers.


  • Try your luck at seeing little blue penguins at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony.


  • Walk to the viewpoint above Bushy Beach to look for fur seals. I’ve also seen yellow-eyed penguins here! Binoculars come in handy for wildlife-spotting from afar.


  • The Steampunk HQ Museum is also a popular spot for most visitors here. I can’t say I’m a big fan of this particular genre, but the museum is certainly unique.

  • South of Oamaru, you’ll find the famous Moeraki Boulders Beach, where you can see spherical boulders that emerge from the sand at low tide. Moeraki Village is a great spot for local seafood (go to Fishwife!), and nearby Katiki Point is a beautiful place to look out for seals and penguins.

12. The Catlins

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 266 km / 3 hours 30 minutes (to Curio Bay)
⏰ Time needed: allow at least 2 days

A view over the green headland at Nugget Point / Tokatā with little islands dotting the ocean in front of it.
Purakaunui Falls in the Catlins, a tiered cascading waterfall surrounded by trees and ferns.

The Catlins is a remote area in the bottom of the South Island between Dunedin and Invercargill. It’s known for its beaches, waterfalls, and wildlife-spotting opportunities.

If you’d like to try your luck at spotting seals, sea lions, dolphins, or yellow-eyed penguins, then the Catlins is a good place to do this!

There are also some good surf spots down this way, although make sure you have a thick wetsuit with you (the water is almost always freezing).

There are hardly any shops in the Catlins, so stock up on food before you head here. 

Accommodation is also quite limited. I usually camp in the Catlins, although I’ve also booked a lovely barnhouse on Airbnb, and I like the Salt House in Curio Bay, too.

Curio Bay is my favourite area to stay in—there’s a gorgeous surf beach here at Porpoise Bay, plus opportunities to spot penguins, sea lions & rare Hector’s dolphins.

🔗 Link your trip: You can combine the Catlins with Dunedin and Milford Sound to complete what’s known as the Southern Scenic Route.

13. Dunedin

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 300 km / 3 hours 45 minutes (via Highways 85 & 1)
⏰ Time needed: allow at least 2 days

A view over the ocean and a grass-covered headland from the Tunnel Beach Track in Dunedin.
A view over the ocean and a green peninsula from the Sandymount Track in the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin.

As the second-largest city in the South Island and home to Otago University, Dunedin is a quirky, creative city with an abundance of outdoor beauty close by.

If you’re a wildlife-lover or a surfer (or both!), you should put Dunedin on your itinerary. 

You can drive from Queenstown to Dunedin via multiple routes, and all of them have their own charms.

For a quick road trip from Queenstown to Dunedin, I like driving via Cromwell & Clyde to connect to Highway 85 (known as the “pig route”), then driving down the coast via Highway 1. 

If you have time, stop at Orokonui Ecosanctuary.

And if you have more time (at least 6 days), you could drive the Southern Scenic Route from Queenstown to Dunedin—spend 2 days in Te Anau and Milford Sound and 2 days in the Catlins before making your way to Dunedin to spend a couple of nights.

Once in Dunedin, I highly recommend visiting the Otago Peninsula for opportunities to spot NZ fur seals, albatross, and other coastal wildlife.

I also love visiting Saint Clair Beach and doing the beautiful Tunnel Beach Walk nearby.

And in the city itself, the Botanic Gardens are always lovely, and you’ll probably want to walk up Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world. 

Fuel up for your Dunedin explorations with some of the city’s delicious food. Buster Greens and Beam Me Up Bagels are two of my favourite breakfast spots. For dinner, the woodfired pizzas at Esplanade in Saint Clair are hard to beat (as is the oceanfront setting).

14. Franz Josef

🚙 Distance from Queenstown: 351 km / 5 hours
⏰ Time needed: allow at least 3 days (I recommend a night in Wanaka along the way)

A distant view of the snowy, mountainous Franz Josef Glacier from the walk to the Franz Josef Glacier viewpoint.
A view of Lake Matheson on a calm day, reflecting the surrounding snow-capped mountains and trees in its glassy waters.

Franz Josef is the tourist hub of the South Island’s wild West Coast, home to glaciers, dense rainforests, and mountainous scenery.

And the drive from Queenstown to Franz Josef is absolutely spectacular.

To get from Queenstown to Franz Josef, you’ll drive via Haast Pass, one of the South Island’s three alpine passes that cross the Southern Alps to connect to the West Coast.

That being said, I think that this drive is too far for most visitors to do in a day, so I recommend driving from Queenstown to Wanaka, staying a night or two in Wanaka, then heading over Haast Pass to Franz Josef.

Along Haast Pass, make sure to stop at the beautiful Blue Pools and the numerous waterfalls on the roadside, including Fantail Falls & Thunder Creek Falls.

You’ll also drive past Fox Glacier on the way up to Franz Josef, and you should most definitely make a detour at Fox Glacier to visit the serene Lake Matheson walk.

Once you make it to Franz Josef, you can go for day hikes, take a helicopter tour to see the glaciers, or simply stay here for a night to continue driving up the West Coast as part of a larger South Island road trip.

Some Queenstown Road Trip Itineraries

Wondering how to fit these spots in a longer itinerary? Then check out my South Island road trip itineraries, which include many of these locations!

Thanks for reading my guide to the best road trips from Queenstown!

I hope it’s helped you plan your next adventure.

As always, please leave a comment if you have any questions or feedback about this article—I always love hearing from you!

Hi! I’m Jac. I love the outdoors (& good food!) and use every opportunity to explore New Zealand from my home base in Queenstown. If you’d like to get ideas for road-tripping, camping, and hiking around NZ, you’ve come to the right place!

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