Hear about travel to the top half of New Zealand’s South Island as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jonty Crane from Jonty Travels about his adopted country.
Why should you visit the top half of New Zealand’s South Island? Jonty says that this area has “spectacular scenery, natural hot springs, beautiful beaches, world-class vineyards, and whale watching”.
Jonty suggests a two-week road trip (with additional optional side trips, particularly for multi-day hikes) starting in Christchurch and looping north through North Canterbury, Nelson/Tasman, Marlborough, and KaikĹŤura before returning to Christchurch. The trip combines cities, hot springs, alpine passes, national parks, short walks and multi-day hikes, vineyards, wildlife, and heritage.
Suggested Itinerary
Days 1–2: Christchurch
- Explore the city centre, largely rebuilt post the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes: Hagley Park, Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Avon River punting, and the Christchurch Earthquake Memorial.
- Visit cultural sites: Canterbury Museum, Christ Church Cathedral ruins, Christchurch Transitional Cathedral, aka the cardboard cathedral, Christchurch Art Centre, Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities, Rutherford’s Den, and Christchurch Art Gallery.
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https://amateurtraveler.com/northern-south-island-of-new-zealand/
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Chris is the creator of AmateurTraveler.com. Amateur Traveler is a popular online travel podcast and blog that focuses primarily on travel destinations. The Amateur Traveler podcast was downloaded over 2 million times in 2023.
The Amateur Traveler is 18+ years old and they use Amateur Traveler to teach English at Oxford University and to test English proficiency for employment with the Thailand Foreign Ministry.
Chris has won a Lowell Thomas Award, 5 NATJA awards, and a SMITTY Award from Travel+Leisure as the "best independent travel journalist."
