New Zealand South Island road trip from India: 10 days, cost & visa

The South Island is best seen from the driver’s seat. Fly into Christchurch, drive to Lake Tekapo, Aoraki Mount Cook, Queenstown and Milford Sound, then loop back through Dunedin, and you have 10 days of lakes, glaciers and fiords with almost no queues. Indians need a visitor visa, applied for online, and a budget of roughly ₹2,00,000 to ₹2,80,000 per person.

Visa and entry rules for Indians

You need a visa before you fly. The Immigration New Zealand Visitor Visa page, which we checked on 9 October 2026, says:

1. Online only: “From 1 October 2026, applications for this visa must be made online.” The page links an “Apply online” button and a Visitor Visa checklist for India (applications for less than six months).
2. Fee: from NZD 441. The page does not say whether the visitor levy is part of that figure, and visa application centres can charge a separate service fee, so look at the total before you pay.
3. Processing: the page says 80% of applications are decided within 2 weeks.
4. Stay: up to 6 or 9 months depending on the visa, with a maximum of 9 months in an 18-month period.
5. Money: you must have enough to pay your living costs, or an acceptable sponsor. The page gives NZD 1,000 a month, or NZD 400 a month if your accommodation is already prepaid.
6. Genuine visit: you must show that you will leave at the end of your stay.

We could not load Immigration New Zealand’s separate pages on the NZeTA and the visa-waiver country list, so we are not stating anything about those here; use the visa tool on the official site if in doubt. Do the application yourself on the immigration.govt.nz site, because look-alike agency sites charge extra. In India, check the checklist PDF for the documents expected: passport, bank statements, income proof, itinerary and bookings.

What it costs in rupees

Per person, two people sharing a room and one car, mid-range, 10 days and 9 nights. These are our estimates, and the NZ dollar moves, so check the day’s rate.

Flights and rooms drive the total. Summer (December to February) is the most expensive time for both, and rooms in Queenstown and Te Anau sell out, so book the Milford Sound cruise and the beds early. Prices for cruises, car hire and fuel change, so check the operators’ sites.

The route in 10 days

This loop is about 2,000 km. NZ drivers go on the left, as in India, which makes the first day easier than in most countries.

Day 1: arrive in Christchurch

Collect the car, buy groceries and a SIM or eSIM, and stay near the centre. Walk the Botanic Gardens and the Avon river if you have energy after the flight.

Day 2: Christchurch to Lake Tekapo

Drive about three and a half hours inland across the Canterbury Plains. Stop at the Church of the Good Shepherd, the church in the lead photo, then soak in the hot pools or walk up Mount John after dark. Tekapo is in an international dark-sky reserve, so the stars are the main event.

Day 3: Mount Cook to Queenstown

Drive up to Aoraki Mount Cook (about an hour) and do the Hooker Valley Track, an easy 3-hour return walk with swing bridges and a glacier lake at the end. Then drive on to Queenstown, about four hours via Twizel and Cromwell. Fill the tank in Twizel or Cromwell.

Days 4–5: Queenstown

Take the Skyline gondola for the view, then spend a day on one of: a trip to Glenorchy, a walk around Arrowtown, or an adventure activity such as the Shotover jet boat. Queenstown has the most Indian restaurants of any town on the route.

Day 6: Queenstown to Te Anau

A two-and-a-half-hour drive south past Lake Wakatipu. Stock up in Te Anau: there is little else on the road to Milford.

Day 7: Milford Sound

Drive the Milford Road, about two and a half hours each way, and take a morning cruise on the fiord. Leave early, fill up fuel in Te Anau, and check the NZTA road status for avalanche or weather closures on the morning, because the road can shut with little notice, especially in winter.

Day 8: Te Anau to Dunedin

A long drive of about four hours across Southland and into Otago. Walk Dunedin’s Octagon, see the railway station and, if you have time, the Otago Peninsula.

Day 9: Dunedin to Christchurch

About four and a half hours up the coast. Stop at the Moeraki Boulders and in Oamaru, then return the car.

Day 10: fly home

Allow 3 hours before an international departure.

Driving as an Indian visitor

• Licence: you need a valid licence in English or with an accepted translation or International Driving Permit. We could not load the NZ Transport Agency page, so read its overseas-driver rules for the time limit and translation details, and carry an IDP as well. Many car-hire firms also set a minimum age.
• Left-hand drive: NZ drives on the left like India. Roundabouts and one-lane bridges are the new parts: give way to traffic already on the bridge as the signs say.
• Distances: Google Maps times are honest, but add time for photos. Don’t drive after dark in the high country if you can avoid it.
• Petrol: stations are far apart on the Milford Road and between Twizel and Queenstown.
• Insurance: check the excess on the hire car; it can be large, and cover for it costs extra.

Eating well as a vegetarian

Cafes in every town carry vegetarian and often vegan dishes, and supermarkets such as New World and Pak’nSave stock staples: bread, eggs, hummus, vegetables, instant noodles and ready meals. Queenstown and Christchurch have Indian restaurants, which help on days when you want rice and dal. If you eat strictly Jain food, pack dry snacks and book motels with a kitchen so you can cook one or two meals a day. A kitchen also cuts the food line in the table.

Best time to go

• December to February: summer. Long days, open roads, higher prices. This is the best window for a first trip.
• March to April: quieter roads and autumn colour in Arrowtown, still mild.
• October and November: spring, with fresh snow on the peaks, changeable weather and fewer people.
• May to August: winter. Snow, short days and chains on the road to Queenstown and Milford; plan a ski or Queenstown-only trip instead of this loop. Indian summer holidays in May and June fall here.

Practical tips

• Money: use a forex card or a no-markup Visa or Mastercard. Cards are accepted nearly everywhere, and we would not rely on UPI.
• SIM: an eSIM bought before you fly works from landing. There is no signal in parts of the Milford Road and Mount Cook area, so download offline maps.
• Plugs: NZ uses the Type I plug (as in Australia) at 230 V, so bring an adapter.
• Time: NZ is 6 hours 30 minutes ahead of India in winter and 7 hours 30 minutes ahead in daylight time (late September to early April).
• Sandflies: carry repellent for Milford and the walks, as the bites itch for days.
• Paperwork: keep your visa grant letter, passport, return ticket, licence and IDP together.

Related guides

If you like road trips, see our Iceland 7-day guide for another self-drive loop, or the UK trip plan for another country that drives on the left. For mountain lakes on the other side of the world, see our Banff and Jasper plan. Flying on to Australia? Our Sydney and Melbourne plan covers the visitor visa and costs. More facts are on the New Zealand hub.