Probably one of my favourite days on our 7 day Southern Voyager tour with Wild Kiwi – the Journey from Franz Josef to Queenstown is stunning!

The drive started at 7 am start and one of the bigger driving days, but luckily the changing landscape and places to stop at lakes, a beach and plenty of waterfalls, it certainly didn’t feel like a big drive.

Here is a map of the drive from Franz Josef to Queenstown, including our stops.

And a highlights video from the day!

Lake Matheson

Our first stop was Lake Matheson. It is a 4.4km circuit walk and although it was an overcast day, the reflections in the lake were absolutely perfect!!! What a great way to start the day.

Lake Matheson is surrounded by New Zealand’s highest peaks, Aoraki (Mount Cook) and Mount Tasman.

The start of the walk is over the Clearwater River suspension bridge before continuing along the track through the native forest.

You are able to enjoy the snow-capped Mount Cook and capture the perfect photograph of the reflections in the dark water.

The walk is a 1.5-hour circuit. If you’re looking at heading to the pontoon, expect around a 30 – 40-minute walk.

Then, for one our highlights from the entire trip… the Blue Pools! Pack your swimmers for this one if you’re game! Fancy jumping off an 8m bridge into some pretty cold, gorgeous blue water?

Well, our guide, Mark, showed us how it was done and then Emily and I jumped in as well! It was such a fun experience. Never had we thought that it would be possible for the outside temps of 10 degrees would feel warm after being in the water!!!

Check out our short video of the jumps!

Makarora

We then stopped for lunch in Makarora. Don’t get excited about this lunch stop (really, don’t) but it is a convenient stop along the way! Expect some pies, sandwiches and that sort of thing.

Lake Hawea Lookout

Back on the road to our next stop which was Lake Hawea lookout. Seriously, can this country get any more beautiful?? This lookout gives you 180-degree views across Lake Hawea with views over the Barrier, Young and Grandview Ranges.

Wanaka & That Wanaka Tree

Then, a highlight for Jenna – WANAKA!!! you guessed it… she finally got to see #thatwanakatree. And, if you don’t know what I’m talking about – google it!

There is a bit of time here in Wanaka to take a look around or grab a snack. I would highly recommend the bakery, especially if you love a good cream and jam doughnut!

Walking around the town is quite relaxing, there are a few things to see and do – it’s a good time filler!

Cardrona (Bradrona)

We then continued to Queenstown with our next stop down the road to Bradrona … not Cardrona but Bradrona! In support of breast cancer of course… I had to do the Bra Crawl 🙂

Queenstown

The final part of the journey was through the Crown Ranges. The drive itself is just picturesque and just breathtaking.

We arrived at our accommodation in Queenstown and then headed out for dinner.

Where to eat in Queenstown

Dinner at Flame – simply because as soon as we stepped out of our accommodation, we could smell the grill cooking… delicious! To read more about where to eat in Queenstown, click here.

And, if you’re in Queenstown, you definitely must stop in at The Remarkables Sweet Shop and get yourself some fudge samples!

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“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide