When I told people I was visiting New Zealand, 99% of them commented on the joy of hiking. Nightmare – I hate hiking and had absolutely no plans of doing any in NZ. So can you still have a good time without lacing up a pair of hiking shoes? And can you do so solo? Can you do all of this without hiring a car?
The answer to all of these questions is definitely yes! Just don’t spend too long here. And be prepared for it to be generally pretty expensive. And cold, even in summer.
Cars vs Flights vs Tours
I thought about driving around the South Island. However as a solo traveller, I faced some fairly extortionate rates to hire a car, especially during the festive season. Some places wanted to charge $200-250 USD/day! I also just wasn’t super thrilled with the idea of spending most of my trip alone in a car. Especially in unfamiliar areas where cell service is limited. People do it, but it just wasn’t for me.
I took flights between major cities, which were quick and reasonably priced. Auckland to Christchurch was 1 hr and around $100 USD, and Christchurch to Queenstown was around the same. I had looked into intercity buses, but the were 18+ hours, $200-300 USD, and went once per day. I’m not sure why anyone would take this option, lengthy coaches are supposed to be budget friendly…
I also found a tour that started in Christchurch and took you to various scenic spots around the South Island, including some light walking that I had convinced myself was definitely not hiking) before dropping you in Queenstown. It was a little pricey at $200USD but seemed like a good way to see a lot of the island. Unfortunately they kicked me off the tour two days before due to overbooking. Book in advance and maybe direct with the company for this. GetYourGuide were still selling tickets even after it sold out…
I found public transport to be pretty efficient everywhere I went, including airport buses being available. However, I had some early morning/late night flights when no buses were running. After one extortionate journey with Uber I then discovered Supershuttle. They do shared airport transfers for really cheap prices ($15 even in the middle of the night). They will even pick you up from where you’re staying. Very efficient and very safe.
It was pretty easy to arrange tours from the major cities in NZ. Hostels offer tours, and there are so many operators on Trip Advisor and GetYourGuide. Again, they were pretty expensive, but cost less than quotes to hire a car for the day… go figure.
Accommodation
I nearly fell over when I saw the price of hotels in NZ. As a solo traveller I just wasn’t going to pay $180USD+ per night to stay somewhere sub-par. I’m not normally a hostels kind of traveller, or rather I should say I wasn’t this kind of traveller. But I stayed Haka House hostel throughout my trip – a NZ chain found in most cities/large towns. Honestly it was great and really changed my perspective on hostel travel. Prices ranged depending on the branch, anywhere from $30-80USD/night. The rooms were sizeable, beds were private, plenty storage, nice communal areas, and you could store bags securely after checkout. Would highly recommend and would do again. They all had parking available too if you do go down the car hire route. There were also private rooms available that were cheaper than the hotels I looked at (though still pricey!!).
Auckland
Honestly there’s not so much to do here. Maximum half a day needed to wander the city, see the harbour, do the sky tower experience, and head out. You should also eat kebabs – for some reason there were so many kebab stores… and they were all delicious. I was here too long, 1.5 days, and was glad to be heading off when I did.
Originally, I had wanted to go to Waiheke Island to wander and check out the vineyards. But when I factored in the costs of ferries, buses, vineyard access etc it was going to be over $100 USD for a few hours and I just didn’t think it would be worth it. Especially as I’d have been wine tasting alone which is way less fun. I saw several tours to see The Hobbit set – I’m not a LOTR fan, so gave this a miss, but honestly it looked pretty fun. And definitely still better than hiking! You’d need an extra day to squeeze this one in.
Christchurch
I liked Christchurch a lot, but for some reason I thought there was way more to do here than there actually was. A full day felt like enough, but I was glad to have two nights here to relax.
There are so many nice cafes around Christchurch, and the city is just generally a nice vibe. You can easily spend a few hours walking around, taking in the street art and murals, and enjoying the views.
Then there are the trams, which are a great way to get around the city generally but are also just a cute blast from the past. Taking the tram full circle of the city takes about an hour. Try to get a newer tram with forward facing seats where you can sit by the window and look out. The old ones all face inwards and you can’t see any of your city tour!
The Gondola is also great, a short ride from the main town. You can buy a joint tram and gondola ticket from the tourist info centre and there’s a discount, total comes to around $44 USD for both. There are buses from right by the tourist info that leave every 30 mins and take you to the tram – takes around 20 mins and you have to pay extra for those… around $9USD. I really loved this, even though the weather was horrendously windy and made standing outside slightly miserable. The views are great and you can even take a short walk (not hike) around at the top. There’s anything from 10 mins wanders to view points through to 2+ hour endeavours that were not for me.
Punting was the other main attraction here. Given it was grey and drizzly I didn’t try this… I’m also not so sure it would’ve been that fun alone either!
Finally, one of the best things I can recommend in Christchurch is a visit to Riverside market, where all of your food and drink dreams come true. This place had some excellent craft beer, a huge variety of food stalls from Nepalese momos to Mexican tacos, as well as fancy cheeses and your good old fashioned burger. There was even a wine bar that did walk in wine tastings. Loved it here, and spent a good few hours chilling, trying different foods/craft beers, and chatting to friendly locals.
Queenstown
By far my favourite place in New Zealand, Queenstown was BEAUTIFUL. I don’t think I’ve ever seen scenery like it, and the best part was you didn’t have to hike, or even walk, anywhere to see it, it was just right there in front of the town. Magical.
Honestly you could just spend a day sitting in central Queenstown enjoy coffee and slow lunches, even afternoon beers, and revelling in the views. It’s a small place of just a few main streets, but there are so many restaurants with all kinds of food available – I recommend Mexican and traditional fish and chips here. Queenstown is also a super peaceful place, and even just sitting by the lake reading and doing some life admin was great. It was sunny during the day, and somewhat warm, so you could sit outside and enjoy it, but it got pretty damn cold at night so coats, scarves, and layers were needed.
There’s a range of activities going on for tourists in the centre of town, boat tours on the lake were pretty popular and leave every hour. There is also – you guessed it – another gondola! The views at the top of this one were even better than those in Christchurch, truly breathtaking. Slightly oddly it brought you out onto a viewing deck to overlook the town, lake and mountains, rather than out onto the hilltop. You could exit but needed to walk (… /hike) for over an hour to get to a lookout point. That wasn’t for me, so I spent a happy 15 mins taking in the sights from the deck before heading back down. Don’t be deterred, there is no such thing as too many gondola rides in this country. The views are simply too good to miss!!
Broader South Island
Another great thing about Queenstown is that it’s a great jumping off spot for more southern parts of the South Island.
After my bus tour from Christchurch to Queenstown got cancelled, I had an extra day to play with. So booked up to go to Milford Sound, a beautiful area of fjords and waterfalls around a 5 hour drive from Queenstown. Honestly I hadn’t been convinced about this at first, it was (as with everything else) expensive, at around $200 USD. The pictures on websites of the various tours I looked at weren’t that brilliant either. But several friends said it was the best thing they did, and I’m easily persuaded, so I went ahead.
I’m so glad I did, this was the best thing I did in NZ. The drive to get there is super scenic – I really wanted a ‘stare mindlessly out the window’ kind of day and this was exactly the right fit. You make several stops to see various hills and landscapes, reaching Milford Sound around 1ish where you board a 2 hour cruise. It was spectacular, see for yourself.
You’re back in Queenstown before sunset so you can grab a beer and watch the sun go down.
My only regret was not doing a trip up to Wānaka from Queenstown. I’ve heard good things about the small town there and nearby, and the general vibe of heading to this area, taking in the views, etc. If I’d known what I know now, I’d have spent one day less in Auckland to fit this it. Next time, for sure…
All in all, a great week in NZ, and neither a hiking boot, nor a walk that required any kind of exertion or lengthy time, was required!
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