We took our kids on the South Island of New Zealand and it's the thing nobody puts in the glossy guides: it's one of the easiest places in the world to have a magical family trip, and just as easy to quietly spend a fortune doing it. This guide is our honest version — the 12-day loop we did, every stop, every driving time, and what it genuinely cost our family of four.
The route (and why this direction)
Fly into Christchurch, out of Queenstown, and drive a lazy anticlockwise loop: Christchurch → Kaikōura → Hanmer Springs → Franz Josef → Wānaka → Queenstown. Flying out of Queenstown instead of doubling back to Christchurch saves you a whole day of driving and puts the airport twenty minutes from your last ice cream.
- Total driving: around 1,150 km over 12 days — under two hours a day on average
- Longest leg: Hanmer Springs to Franz Josef, 3 h 25 (we break it with a playground lunch)
- The vehicle: a rental car, with accommodation booked stop by stop along the way
Rental cars book out for summer 4–6 months ahead. It's worth comparing across companies rather than booking the first one — prices swing more than you'd think for the same car.
Day by day
Days 1–2 · Christchurch ≈ NZ$290
Land, collect the rental car, and don't try to do too much — everyone's jet-lagged. The International Antarctic Centre is ten minutes from the airport and honestly the best jet-lag cure ever invented for children: huskies, a storm room, and little blue penguins. Day two, ride the historic tram through town and turn the kids loose in the Margaret Mahy Playground, the best free playground in the country. Ours refused to leave.
The Antarctic Centre does a family pass that's worth grabbing online before you arrive.
Check Antarctic Centre tickets →Days 3–4 · Kaikōura ≈ NZ$640
Two and a half hours up a coastline dotted with seal colonies — pull over, they're right there by the road. The headline here is whale watching: sperm whales live off Kaikōura year-round and the boats have a strong sighting record (with a partial refund if the whales don't show, which takes the sting out of the price). Day four, walk the peninsula track — fur seal pups in the streams in summer — and eat crayfish straight from a roadside caravan.
Whale watching is the one activity I'd never leave to chance in summer. Book your slot before you arrive.
Check whale watching availability →Day 5 · Hanmer Springs ≈ NZ$150
An hour and fifty inland to a little alpine spa town built entirely around hot pools with waterslides. In other words: engineered for families. Soak, slide, repeat until everyone's pruney and happy, then sleep the sleep of the thoroughly swum. This one was a genuine highlight for our kids — if you only book one thing on this leg, make it this.
Entry tickets for the thermal pools can be booked online, which is worth doing in peak season.
Check Hanmer Springs tickets →Days 6–7 · Franz Josef ≈ NZ$260
The big drive — 3 h 25 over Lewis Pass — so we split it with a picnic. This is glacier country. The valley walk to the Franz Josef viewpoint is free and manageable for small legs. If you've got room in the budget for one splurge, the heli-hike onto the glacier is genuinely unforgettable. But the free West Coast Wildlife Centre kiwi enclosure is usually the kids' favourite anyway — you can't win.
Days 8–9 · Wānaka ≈ NZ$210
Down the coast and over the Haast Pass (waterfall stops the whole way — the kids will demand every one). Puzzling World's illusion rooms and giant maze are a guaranteed hit, the lakefront is one enormous free playground, and yes, you will photograph That Wānaka Tree. Bike hire along the lake path fills the second afternoon perfectly.
Puzzling World is busy in summer — skip the queue with tickets in hand.
Book Puzzling World →Days 10–12 · Queenstown ≈ NZ$820
The grand finale, just over an hour away via the Crown Range — pull over at the summit for the photo everyone takes. Ride the Skyline gondola and let the whole family loose on the luge (buy the multi-ride pass; one run is never, ever enough). Day eleven is either the Shotover Jet for the thrill-seekers or a gentler TSS Earnslaw steamship cruise to a working farm for everyone else. Last day: Fergburger, lakefront, fly home slightly sunburnt and completely happy.
The gondola-and-luge combo pass is the best value in Queenstown for families.
Book the gondola & luge →What it actually costs
Here's the honest tally for a family of four — two adults, two kids — travelling from the US in the February shoulder season. Your flights will vary most; everything else is pretty reliable.
| Category | NZD | US$ |
|---|---|---|
| Flights, US ↔ NZ, family of four | NZ$3,910 | $2,350 |
| Rental car + accommodation, 11 nights | NZ$2,690 | $1,610 |
| Activities (all of the above) | NZ$1,940 | $1,160 |
| Food & fuel | NZ$2,190 | $1,310 |
| Extras & just-in-case | NZ$380 | $230 |
| Total | NZ$11,110 | $6,660 |
When to go
February to March is our sweet spot: warm, settled weather, swimmable lakes, and prices that dip the moment NZ school holidays end in early February. December and January are gorgeous but peak-priced. Winter is for ski families — some alpine roads close, so it's a different trip entirely.
Build this exact trip in minutes
Every number in this guide came out of WayTally. Drop in these stops, add what your family actually wants to do, and watch the real total update in your own currency.
Open WayTallySome links in this guide are affiliate links — if you book through them, WayTally may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only ever link to things we'd happily send our own family to, and it helps keep these guides free to read. Prices were checked in July 2026 and reflect typical family rates; always confirm before booking.