New Zealand’s South Island: 9 Days, 6 National Parks

After two visits to New Zealand, I am very familiar with travelers' number-one question: just how long does it take to get there? The answer: about 18 hours’ flight time from the U.S. East Coast, or three in-air viewings of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But here’s why Down Under is worth the long haul: once you land in New Zealand—no matter where you touch down—some of the world’s most varied and striking landscapes are a stone’s throw away. In fact, you can visit half a dozen pristine national parks in the time it took you to fly from New York to New Zealand; big on beauty and small on space, New Zealand’s geography favors travelers tight on time. Plus, all Kiwi national parks welcome visitors with free entry and hospitable overnight huts.

Exploring the South Island last month, I squeezed six national parks into nine days, and while I could have happily spent nine days in each one, my sizable sampler allowed me to taste a wide variety of what makes this island a magical destination. Here are the highlights of my park-hopping adventure.

Abel Tasman National Park

I spent two days and nights at this park near Nelson, led by a spirited guide from Wilsons Abel Tasman. In between hiking and kayaking excursions, my group enjoyed “cowboy coffee” on the trails and serious gourmet meals by a cozy fire at the Meadowbank Homestead. In case it doesn’t sound like we were roughing it (we weren’t), we also forded an estuary and tasted sweet sap produced by the, er, backsides of beech-tree insects.

Kahurangi National Park

With accomplished adventurer Rob Douglas from Simply Wild as my guide, I hopped a helicopter from Abel Tasman to Kahurangi to hike part of the Heaphy Track. The route is well-deserving of the praise it receives as one of New Zealand’s Great Walks: the portion I trekked led me through a jungle of Nikau palms to the Tasman Sea and whet my appetite for more of the diverse trail—and more of the stunningly beautiful ridges of Kahurangi. Luckily, I got a second helping of the park with an Oparara Valley Trust tour through the park’s Honeycomb Hill caves. Get your glowworm sightings there!

Paparoa National Park

I entered Paparoa in Punakaiki and walked the loop around the famous Pancake Rocks and blowholes. Drizzly weather and strong winds were perfect stimuli for the blowholes’ performances: water shot up and steam puffs poured out. Even without a steamy show, the unique limestone “pancake” formations would be worth a stop.

Westland Tai Poutini National Park

A trip to the South Island wouldn’t be complete without a visit to either Franz Josef or Fox Glaciers, so I signed up for a heli-hike on the former. I entered another world—one that glistened with crampons traversing a hundred shades of white. The access to glacial formations is incredible (see above), if the rock slides slightly unnerving.

Mount Aspiring National Park

There can’t be a more beautiful backdrop for a drive than Mount Aspiring National Park, whose roads lead from the South Island’s west coast to Queenstown. Even while driving somewhat nervously on the left side, it was difficult to keep my hands off my camera and my eyes on the road. I had an even more beautiful—and safer—vantage point from my seat on a thrilling Haast River Safari jet-boat ride.

Arthur’s Pass National Park

Half the fun of visiting Arthur’s Pass is getting there on the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch via the Southern Alps. Andrew Wells of Unlimited New Zealand put me on the train and met me at the Arthur’s Pass station for a fun and challenging hike on the Bealey Valley Track. I drank from a crystal-clear stream, ogled at waterfalls, and passed only one other pair of hikers the entire day. The payoff for the exertion, other than views over Arthur’s Pass and the Temple Basin Ski Area? A flat white at the Wobbly Kea in Arthur’s Pass Village. It was a perfect Kiwi end to my South Island tour.