New Zealand South Island is a really beautiful country, with its breathtaking landscapes, stunning lakes and fiords. It is no wonder that its landscapes captivated movie fans of the hugely successful The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is also a great family travel destination.

Transportation

New Zealand South Island is best explored with a car or a campervan. An alternative is to join tours, but I found it more expensive to do so when travelling with 4 adults and 2 children.

Things to do with kids

Christchurch
- International Antarctic Centre (www.iceberg.co.nz), and the Hagglund Ride
- Willowbank Wildlife Reserve (www.willowbank.co.nz)
- Ko Tane Maori Cultural Show (www.kotane.co.nz)
Oamaru
- Moeraki Boulders
Dunedin
- Cadbury World (Book a tour through cadbury.co.nz)
- Otago Peninsula (otago-peninsula.co.nz)
- The Royal Albatross Centre (albatross.org.nz)
- Larnach Castle and Gardens (larnachcastle.co.nz)
- Penguin Place (penguinplace.co.nz)
- Tunnel Beach
Queenstown
- Skyline, Gondola and Luge (www.skyline.co.nz)
- Shotover Jet (www.shotoverjet.com)
- Arrowtown Historic Gold-mining Village
- Kawarau River
- Cromwell Fruit Orchard
- Queenstown Mall for shopping
Wanaka
- Lake Wanaka
- Stuart Landsborough Puzzling World (puzzlingworld.co.nz)
Mt Cook National Park
- Mt Cook
- Church of the good Shepherd
- Lake Tekapo (tekapotourism.co.nz)
Te Anau
- Milford Sound Fiordland (fiordland.org.nz)
- Doubtful Sound Fiordland
Hanmer Springs
- Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa (hanmersprings.co.nz)
- Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier (glaciercountry.co.nz)

Accommodations

New Zealand South Island is quite big. It is possible to base oneself in one central location and do day trips from there, but the drive each day would be quite long and tiring. I didn’t stay in one place for more than two days, but I did make a loop starting and ending at Christchurch. It is quite easy to find family-friendly budget motels that could accommodate 4 adults and 2 children. The list below shows the places I stayed.