Wellington to Christchurch

Welcome to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city located on the North Island. Whatever your travel plans, you’re not going to be sticking around too long on the North Island as this 4-day adventure whizzes you down to Christchurch in the South Island in a flash. We have pulled together a quick itinerary of our favourite things to do between Wellington and Christchurch so we hope this helps with your planning. If you’re all set, let’s GO!

Contents

1. Route map with key locations
2. Recommended vehicle for this trip
3. Trip itinerary
   • Wellington
   • Picton to Hanmer Springs
   • Hanmer Springs
   • Hanmer Springs to Christchurch

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Trip Itinerary

1Wellington

It might be small but New Zealand’s cool capital is jam-packed with things to do and places to see. Once you’ve picked up your GO Rentals car, there’s no hurry to leave so take your first day to explore this diverse and multicultural city.

Wellington Complete Guide

Museums

Park your car and head for a walk around the waterfront where you’ll find the fascinating Museum of Wellington City and Sea in the old Harbour Board Bond Store, complete with its opulent 1920s board room and a complete teak cabin from an 1879 steamship. It’s not far from New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa – a futuristic multi-storeyed complex that forms one of the largest new museums in the world, with numerous interactive displays.

Amazing views

GO Snap Happy Photo Opportunity

For the best panoramic views of the city and Port Nicholson all the way across to the Hutt Valley, head up to the lookout on Mt Victoria. The historic cannon on the summit was installed in 1877 and was fired each day as a time signal for many years. If you look down below, in the suburbs, you will spot the New Zealand Cricket Museum, located in the Old Grandstand at the Basin Reserve, not far from the Colonial Cottage Museum on the site of one of the original 1840 New Zealand Company Town acres.

Coffee culture

Grab a coffee (Wellington claims to have the best coffee in New Zealand) and visit the cool one-of-a-kind stores along Manners Mall and Cuba Street. When you’re on that street, notice the cool Bucket Fountain that doesn’t actually work the way it’s supposed to (take a close look at it and you’ll see the water doesn’t actually obey the easy bucket system and sometimes misses the buckets altogether).

Treaty of Waitangi

A visit to Archives New Zealand on 10 Mulgrave Street allows you to see the Treaty of Waitangi (the document that is considered the foundation of the country). You can also take a tour of the Beehive, the country’s parliament, if you’re feeling politically inclined before taking a stroll along the waterfront, decorated with interesting sculptures and populated by numerous bars (including some decent craft beer spots).

Weta workshop

If you have some free time, we suggest a visit to the Weta Workshop, nestled away in the Miramar suburb. Weta is known worldwide for its weird and wonderful creations for film, including creatures, makeup and digital special effects for movies such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Avatar and The Chronicles of Narnia among others.

You can take the 45-minute guided tour through the workshop, which provides unique behind-the-scenes glimpses into the work of this award-winning company.

Now that you’ve explored New Zealand’s capital, it’s time to drive to the ferry terminal and catch the Interislander ferry. Wave goodbye to the North Island as your journey continues to the spectacular south.

2Picton to Hanmer Springs (287km – 3 hours 45 mins)

Marlborough Sounds and the Queen Charlotte Track 15.7km – 44 mins from Picton)

For those adventurous souls out there who love nothing more than strapping on a pair of hiking boots and heading off into the unknown, the Queen Charlotte Track offers you the perfect opportunity to explore rural New Zealand. Dominated by a bush-clad shoreline, the track takes you on an amazing journey through the Marlborough Sounds and the 70kms of track will energise even the most active.

For those of a less active disposition, the Sounds are famous for the greenshell mussels which are found in abundance so why not treat yourself to a fantastic lunch.

Wine tasting and much more

Marlborough is a world-famous wine region and it would be rude not to sample some of the local delights on your way through. There are plenty of wineries that will gladly take you through their wide range of vinos from a fruity pinot noir to the flagship wine of the region, Sauvignon Blanc. There are some famous vineyards down here like Cloudy Bay but we recommend sampling some of the more boutique wineries – a great way to get around is on a bike although be careful if you have a few vinos on the way as you may get a bit wobbly! Wine tours by bike offer bike hire or guided tours which helps as they will transport you back to Blenheim.

If wine is not your thing, there are also lots of microbreweries in the region so this is the perfect place to stock up for the road trip ahead.

Kaikoura – Swim with the dolphins (172 km – 2 hours 29 mins)

Heading away from Blenheim, take the road south heading towards Christchurch. A great stop off on the way is Kaikoura which is a whale watcher’s delight. Not only that, this is a great opportunity for you to take a dip and swim with the dolphins at the right time of the year – this must be on a few wish lists so let’s get it ticked off!

Cellar View Café and Restaurant

As you head down from the magnificent wine tasting region of Marlborough you will hit Kaikoura. This is one of New Zealand’s best locations for seeing marine life including whales and dolphins. It is also the home to the Cellar View Cafe and Restaurant. This place serves up some pretty amazing dishes matched only by the stunning views out to the pacific. It’s easy to let an afternoon drift by, enjoying the delicious food and admiring the endless view. Nice.

From here it is a relatively short trip to your resting place for the night, Hanmer Springs (130km – 2 hours 6 mins)

3Hanmer Springs

After an awesome day of road tripping down from Picton, a day in Hanmer is just what the doctor ordered. Surrounded by the beautiful Southern Alps with crisp alpine air, relax and unwind in the award-winning thermal pools or simply enjoy the peace and tranquillity of Hanmer Village and surrounding areas.

Wai Ariki Farm Park

If getting crinkly is not your thing, there are plenty of other attractions in Hanmer and one of the best is the Wai Ariki Farm Park. Offering a hands-on experience, Wai Ariki is home to some weird and wonderful animals which are sure to keep kids and adults amused for the morning. The Tibetan Yak are a particular favourite!

Shopping

After a couple of days off the beaten track exploring the Abel Tasman and Marlborough Sounds, we know some of you will be missing the shops and Hanmer is just the place to see to your needs. With a fantastic range of boutique outlets including the quirky ‘Up the Garden Path’ and ‘Wink’, we’re sure you’ll find the retail therapy as relaxing as a trip to the thermal pools.

Monteith’s Brewery Bar

If you’ve not managed to sample the delights of one of New Zealand’s favourite beers, fear not! Although it may not offer the full brewery tour experience, The Monteith’s brewpub in Hanmer is certainly a great place to go and try your favourite Monteith’s ale and relax and unwind. Situated right in the heart of the town, there is a great vibe to match the great beer so whatever you have been up to during the day, this is a great place to end your night. Our top tip is the Monteith’s Southern Pale Ale. When in Rome as they say!

4Hanmer Springs to Christchurch (134km – 1 hour 55mins)

After a lovely day relaxing in Hanmer, you’ll be ready to reacquaint yourself with your GO Rentals dream machine and a short-ish journey awaits you to the South Island’s largest city – Christchurch.

Christchurch Complete Guide

The garden city

Christchurch was named number 2 on the New York Times’ top 52 places to visit in 2014 and there are plenty of reasons for that. Following the earthquakes of 2010-11, the city has now emerged as a vibrant city with plenty to see and do. Known as the Garden City, Christchurch has an abundance of parks and gardens including the gorgeous botanical gardens. Add into this mix the tranquil Avon River and you can see why people rave so much about the city.

Check out the several Gap Filler projects that volunteers have created to temporarily “activate” sites left empty by the earthquakes – you’ll be able to see some unique and really creative work that is proof of Christchurch’s charm and resilience.

Book a vehicle for this trip

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