🗺️ New Zealand South Island Epic Adventure
November 18-22, 2025
Interactive Route Map
Click any marker for details. Purple line = Day 4 epic West Coast route!
Map Legend
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Click buttons below to open route in Google Maps on your phone:
Routes open directly in Google Maps app with turn-by-turn navigation ready to go!
Complete Day-by-Day Itinerary
Christchurch → Fairlie → Lake Tekapo | 240km
Fairlie → Moeraki Boulders → Queenstown | 490km | SUNRISE MISSION!
Milford Sound Full Day Tour
Queenstown → Lake Ohau Lodge → Christchurch | 525km | RELAXED DAY!
- Lunch at the lodge (fabulous food!)
- Lake shore walks with Mount Cook views
- Stunning turquoise lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains
- Catch up and relax!
- Take photos of spectacular scenery
Queenstown → Lake Ohau: 212km (3 hours)
Lake Ohau → Christchurch: 310km (4 hours)
Total: 525km (vs 737km West Coast route – much easier!)
Departure Day
All Photo Stops & Attractions
⭐⭐⭐ MUST SEE (Don’t Miss These!)
⭐⭐ Great Photo Stops
⭐ Quick Viewpoints
🪨 Rockhounding & Fossil Guide
⚠️ Route Update – West Coast Removed
With your new Lake Ohau plan, you won’t be visiting the West Coast (Hokitika greenstone shops). But you still have the Oamaru fossil beach on Day 2! Or you could add a quick stop in Oamaru on Day 4 if heading back via the coast route.
🦴 Oamaru Foreshore Fossil Beach ⭐ FREE!
Location: Oamaru beach, just south of town center (right on your route!)
Time: Stop after coffee in Oamaru, before Moeraki (~6:45am)
Duration: 30 minutes
Cost: FREE
What to find: Many rocks on exposed stony beach contain fossil material. Cliffs at north end contain strata jammed with brachiopods. Plenty of molluscan fossils (shells) in adjoining rocks.
Best time: Low tide (check tide tables same time as Moeraki!)
Legal: ✅ Yes! Public beach, legal to collect small amounts for personal use
What to bring: Small bag, camera, keen eye!
GPS: -45.0850, 170.9850
🦕 Vanished World Centre (OPTIONAL Detour)
Location: Duntroon, State Highway 83 (30 min detour from Moeraki-Queenstown route)
Time Impact: +2 hours total (30min each way + 1 hour at centre)
Cost: ~NZ$10-15 entry
What’s here: The Vanished World Trail provides access to geological localities revealing ancient history including fossil sites, extinct volcanoes, and mineral localities. See fossils from 25 million years ago when NZ witnessed development of whales, dolphins, and penguins!
PERFECT FOR KIDS: The Centre has a fossil extraction room where kids dig their own fossil and receive a Junior Palaeontologist certificate!
Also nearby: Elephant Rocks (used in Narnia films!), limestone formations
Website: www.vanishedworld.co.nz
GPS: -44.7333, 170.5167
My take: Only do this if you’re a serious fossil enthusiast or have kids. It adds 2 hours to an already long day.
💡 Alternative: Greenstone in Queenstown
Since you’re not going to Hokitika anymore, you can still buy authentic NZ pounamu/greenstone in Queenstown! Many shops carry genuine West Coast jade:
- Mountain Jade Queenstown – Mall at Camp Street
- The Jade Factory – Watch carving demonstrations
- Various shops on The Mall – Browse before or after your trip
Consider browsing in Queenstown on Day 2 evening or Day 3 evening after Milford Sound tour!
⚖️ Legal & Ethical Collecting
✅ YES – Legal to Collect:
- Beach stones and pebbles from public beaches
- Small amounts of pounamu from West Coast beaches (personal use only, what you can carry)
- Fossils from public beaches (take only a few, leave most for others)
- Rocks from public rivers
❌ NO – Illegal or Unethical:
- Cannot fossick on private property without owner’s permission
- Cannot pan for gold in areas under mining licence
- Collecting material in National Parks is NOT permitted
- Taking large amounts or commercial quantities
- Damaging rock formations or natural features
- Using heavy equipment or tools on public land
Remember: Leave No Trace! Take only photographs and small personal souvenirs. Respect Māori culture and the sacred nature of pounamu.
📦 What to Bring for Rockhounding
For carrying finds
Document your finds
For handling rocks
Stay hydrated
For beach fossicking
For the land and culture
💰 Rockhounding Budget
| Activity | Cost (NZD) |
|---|---|
| Oamaru beach fossil collecting | FREE |
| Hokitika beach fossicking | FREE |
| Window shopping jade stores | FREE |
| Vanished World Centre (optional) | $10-15 |
| Greenstone pendant purchase | $50-300+ |
| Carve your own at Bonz ‘n’ Stonz | $80-150 |
🎯 My Recommendations
MUST DO (Fits perfectly in your schedule):
- ✅ Oamaru Foreshore fossil hunt (Day 2, 30 min, FREE)
- ✅ Browse Hokitika greenstone shops (Day 4, 45min-1.5hrs)
- ✅ Quick Hokitika beach fossick (Day 4, 15-30 min, FREE)
IF YOU HAVE EXTRA TIME:
- Carve your own jade at Bonz ‘n’ Stonz (amazing experience!)
- Vanished World Centre detour (great for kids/fossil enthusiasts)
Bookings & Important Information
🎫 CRITICAL – MUST BOOK NOW!
Milford Sound Tour
Date: Wednesday, November 20
Pickup: ~6:00am from Reavers Lodge
Cost: NZ$250-400
Duration: 12-13 hours
Book Cheeky Kiwi Book Luxe ToursFleur’s Place Restaurant
Date: Tuesday, November 19
Time: 9:15am brunch
Location: Moeraki
Phone: +64 3-439 4480
Cost: ~NZ$30-50/person
Visit WebsiteChristchurch Airport Hotel
Date: Thursday, November 21
Check-in: ~10-11pm
Walking distance to terminal
Options:
- Sudima (NZ$150-180)
- Jucy Snooze (NZ$80-120)
- Airport Gateway (NZ$130-160)
✅ Accommodations Already Booked
✅ Fairlie Gladstone Hotel
Date: Monday, November 18
Cost: $45 USD
Location: Main Street, Fairlie
Historic pub hotel, 30 min from Lake Tekapo
✅ Reavers Lodge, Queenstown
Dates: Nov 19-20 (2 nights)
Check-in: Tuesday, November 19
Check-out: Thursday, November 21
Your booking confirmed!
🔗 Essential Resources & Links
📞 Important Contacts
Emergency Services (Police/Fire/Ambulance): 111
Roadside Assistance: AA – 0800 500 222
Non-emergency Police: 105
Weather Info: 0900 999 (charges apply)
Christchurch Airport: +64 3-358 5029
💰 Budget Estimate
| Item | Cost (NZD) |
|---|---|
| Fairlie Gladstone Hotel (1 night) | $75 (paid) |
| Reavers Lodge (2 nights) | Your booking |
| CHC Airport Hotel (1 night) | $120-180 |
| Milford Sound Tour | $250-400 |
| Food (4 days @ $80/day) | $320 |
| Petrol (~1575km @ $0.20/km) | $315 |
| Activities & Entrance Fees | $50-100 |
| TOTAL ESTIMATE | $1,130-1,390 NZD |