Solo traveling the South Island without a car – Much easier than you think!

By Logan Tilley, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Since arriving in Australia I’ve heard so much about how New Zealand is the absolute best place to go, especially considering how far away it is from the UK. However, what everyone has said is that it pretty much can only be done properly in a car or in a camper van. This was a problem for me as a Londoner, yes I’m going to use that as my excuse, as I do not yet have a license. The main way I found people traveled without a car was with the Kiwi Experience or another tour like that but warning of the high cost that it comes with. I wasn’t going to accept that so I found another way. InterCity (the equivalent to National Express) has routes all over the country and they offer a Flexi Pass that allows you to purchase hours of travel and save huge amounts of money over buying individual tickets.

I bought 35 hours as I was going around the entire South Island for about three weeks starting in Christchurch. This cost NZ$314 (£142) compared to the Kiwi Experience costing NZ$815 (£371) going along a very similar route and not missing out on any key places. This is much cheaper with much more flexibility for destinations and travel dates. While it may be less social, it did not stop me seeing the same people along the whole journey and making lots of friends along the way. Of course, it required a lot more planning on my end but I was happy to do it as I was incredibly excited about the trip and enjoy getting ready for these kind of adventures. I highly recommend this way of travel as a solo traveler even if you do have a license, as car and camper hire are extremely expensive and you get to stare out the window looking at the most beautiful landscape in the world. Furthermore, New Zealand is well known for being an extremely safe place for hitchhiking, a factor I took advantage of on multiple occasions to get me to specific places that public transport or coaches wouldn’t go. The backpacker culture means that everyone is friendly and understanding so I was never waiting very long for someone to pick me up.

Important things to take note of for travel to New Zealand:

• You do not need a visa as a British citizen but you do need a NZETA that you can purchase through the official app (a green outline of NZ) for NZ$118.
• You do need proof of exit in order to enter the country to make sure you have a flight booked back out.
• Sign up to The Backpacker Group for just NZ$20 (though I think this was a deal when I bought it so it might be different). They give you access to so many discounts for activities that you will almost certainly do such as a bungy jump in Queenstown for which you save the cost of membership immediately. They also provide discounts on dozens of hostels around the country.
• Buy an e-sim! This avoids having to take out and keep track of a physical sim card while still getting data. I used Esim4travel which worked perfectly and only cost me £7 for 10GB for 30 days. It is by far the cheapest and was still reliable and useful for navigating.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the route I took. It did not feel rushed but I didn’t waste any time, still getting to the most important places:

Fly into Christchurch – no need to spend more than one night here as there is not much to do besides wander around.

Kaikoura – Incredible small coastal town by the mountains. Only place in the country where you can swim with endemic Dusky Dolphins, a truly incredible experience.

Nelson – While there is nothing here besides a decent beach but it is the easiest point to start a trip to the Abel Tasman National Park.

Marahau – The gateway to the Abel Tasman Track, a gorgeous path following the forested coast with incredible beaches. I got here on a shuttle from the Better Bus company that picked me up in nelson.

Franz Josef/Waiau – amazing hiking through temperate rainforest to an iconic glacier view (if you get better weather than I did).

Wanaka – worth it just for the drive here alone through the Haast Pass. You must do Roy’s Peak, even if it kills your spirit and your calves. The view I had at sunset is one that will stay with me forever.

Queenstown – Not much needs to be said here, it’s one of the coolest places in the world and you could spend a month here doing a different activity every day. One must-do though is a day trip to Milford Sound and I’d also recommend the bungy jump, just make sure you ask to get dunked.

Lake Tekapo – World famous Dark Sky Reserve but of course its cloudy the entire time I’m there. Still well worth it for the chance to see what could possibly by the best stars you will see in your life. I also took a day trip to Mount Cook from here which was incredible.