Trip of the week: a road trip across New Zealand’s South Island
The ‘wild and rustic’ South Island offers ‘natural grandeur’

Road-tripping across America can mean “long, high-mileage days crossing vast distances”, says Tom Downey in The New York Times. But New Zealand’s “wild and rustic” South Island offers “comparable natural grandeur, with much less driving”. Even a relatively short visit can encompass everything from “wine tasting to seal watching, shopping in cities to hiking on glaciers”.
Marlborough is New Zealand’s most important wine region, and makes for a good starting point. Spend some time admiring its “rolling hills blanketed in vivid green”, then head to the coast at Kaikoura, where you might spot the resident seals, with coats so slick they seem “recently oiled”. There are plenty of places to stay in and around Kaikoura, but be sure to make time for lunch at The Pier Hotel, the town’s oldest pub, which serves crayfish by the weight.
More wineries dominate the Waipara Valley as the road winds closer to Christchurch. In the city itself, consider staying at The George, a “comfortable, hyperlocal” luxury hotel that looks out over a park. While you’re in town, it’s worth visiting the striking Transitional Cathedral, which was erected after the 2011 earthquake, and which has been nicknamed the “Cardboard Cathedral”, because of its use of the material.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From Christchurch, you could drive to the Southern Alps, and witness the land changing before your eyes, from grassy plains to wild and barren mountains dotted with lakes whose “turquoise water” seems to stretch to the horizon.
Don’t miss the chance to eat at the Mount Cook Alpine Salmon shop in the Mount Cook National Park, “the highest-altitude salmon farm in the world”. Its sashimi is so fresh it feels as though the fish has “just leapt out of the water”. So is New Zealand worth the trek?
On my last visit in 2013, “I thought this country was beautiful, but perhaps not exciting”. Now, its tranquil beauty seems “not commonplace, but revelatory”.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Russian drone tests Romania as Trump spins
Speed Read Trump is ‘resisting congressional plans to impose newer and tougher penalties on Russia’s energy sector’
-
Trump renews push to fire Cook before Fed meeting
Speed Read The push to remove Cook has ‘quickly become the defining battle in Trump’s effort to take control of the Fed’
-
September 15 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include publisher advice for Kamala Harris, the radicalization pipeline, and flu season guidelines
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful north
The Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fans
The Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'
The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
-
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons – ‘riotously colourful’ works from an ‘exhilarating’ painter
The Week Recommends The 34-year-old is the first artist to take over Dulwich Picture Gallery’s main space
-
Born With Teeth: ‘mischievously provocative’ play starring Ncuti Gatwa
The Week Recommends ‘Sprightly’ production from Liz Duffy Adams imagines the relationship between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe
-
Art review: Lorna Simpson: Source Notes
Feature Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, through Nov. 2
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is more
Feature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more