6 Days self-drive tour on the South Island during winter – Part 2
This 3-part article series helps you set up a self-drive plan to see snow on the South Island during winter in New Zealand. Part 2 is all about which airport to fly to to kick off your winter tour.
Have you ever considered taking a 6-day winter break to head down to the South Island of New Zealand, but did not know where to go to drive and see the best mountains with snow?
In this 3-part article series I will set you up with a driving plan for seeing some of the most impressive and beautiful mountains in New Zealand during winter. You can still read part 1 if you missed it.
In this second part, we will talk about which airport to fly into on the South Island for your self-drive winter tour.
If you are flying into the South Island, you have one of two options to start your self-drive winter tour: Christchurch or Queenstown. While there has been a lot of fear from tourists for visiting Christchurch due to the now uncommon earthquakes that often take place in the city, you can rest assured that Christchurch airport is still a great airport to start your South Island self-drive winter tour. And here is why…
There are a lot of rental car companies at Christchurch airport, so your selection of cars is greater than in any other city on the South Island. In addition, it is a breeze to hop onto State Highway 1 from Christchurch airport, and completely avoid driving anywhere in or near Christchurch city center on your way to the mountains. And if you are getting off a long-haul flight and want to rest before starting your 6-day self-drive winter tour, you can pick any hotel or motel near Christchurch airport to stay at.
Your other option is Queenstown airport. Queenstown airport is equally easy to drive from to start your winter tour, but please remember that it is one of the smaller airports in New Zealand. Nonetheless, because Queenstown itself has been experiencing a tremendous growth in the last couple of years, it should be relatively easy to book a rental car. And don’t forget to rent snow-chains and know how to fit them on the car, because you might need them for the 6-days self-drive suggested in this article series.
To minimize driving, I would suggest you land at either Queenstown or Christchurch airport, and arrange with the car rental company to have your return location be different from your pickup location. So if you land in Christchurch, drop the car off in Queenstown and fly home from there. And if you land in Queenstown, drop the car off in Christchurch and fly home from there. This should allow for more time to see the sights, than having to rush to catch a flight on your last day.
Considering that the winter driving tour suggested in this article drives from Christchurch to Queenstown or from Queenstown to Christchurch, you would have to drive through Lindis Pass, which may or may not be closed depending on the weather. If you do not want to run the risk of not being able to drive through Lindis Pass, you could either fly to Christchurch and spend 6 days visiting the winter tour sights north of Lindis Pass or fly to Queenstown and spend 6 days visiting the winter tour sights south of Lindis Pass.
In any case, restricting the self-drive tour to either north or south of Lindis Pass would allow for a more relaxed trip and you will have ample time to see all of the gorgeous winter scenery without having to hurry to the next place. Needless to say, I would recommend this option and have sometimes taken this option myself. And do not worry that you won’t have enough to do in 6 days, because there is a lot to see and experience.
In part 3 we will talk about where to drive to to enjoy beautiful scenic winter South Island scenery on your self-drive winter tour.
Filed under How-To Travel Guide
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