The Ultimate Queenstown To Dunedin Itinerary

The drive from Dunedin to Queenstown, and vice versa, is often used purely as a route from A to B, but there are so many amazing things to do along the way that it fast became one of my favourite roads in New Zealand when we lived in Wanaka,

If you’re planning a road trip around New Zealand’s South Island, keep reading to find out the best things to do between Queenstown and Dunedin via the Southern Scenic route and the much faster SH8.

How Long Is The Drive From Queenstown to Dunedin

The most common, and most direct, route for a drive from Queenstown to Dunedin is via State Highway 8. 

This 280 km route takes around 3.5 hours if you do it in one go. If you factor in the multiple stops on this Queenstown to Dunedin itinerary, including infamous Arrow Town, you’ll want to set aside at least a full day on this route.

If you want to take a more scenic drive, and have plenty of time, you can also take the Southern Scenic route that goes via several iconic locations including Milford Sound, Bluff and the Catlins.

The Southern Scenic route (850 km) takes just under 12 hours of non-stop driving but we recommend planning at least a week for this route from Queenstown to Dunedin.

We’ve done both of these routes over the two years living on the South Island and while our personal favourite is the Southern Scenic route, we’re going to outline both itineraries so you can pick which one suits your timeline better.

How To Choose The Best Route For You

We’ve already touched upon the distance and time it’ll take for you to drive from Queenstown to Dunedin, and sure these might be the main factors you use to choose your route but there are a few other things to consider when planning this road trip:

Will You Drive From Queenstown To Dunedin By Car or Camper?

How you’re travelling around New Zealand might impact your route choice just as much as the time spent travelling.

If you’re hiring in a car in Queenstown, and don’t want to spend too much on accommodation, then the State Highway 8 option will be better for you because it’s shorter and can realistically be done in a day. Meaning you’ll have longer to spend in Dunedin once you arrive.

If you’re road tripping in a Campervan you have more options open to you in terms of budget friendly, or free, accommodation, so the Southern Scenic route is a great choice.

That’s not to say driving from Queenstown to Dunedin via the Southern Scenic Route isn’t possible in a car, it totally is and that’s actually how we did it, but you’d either need to have the budget for hotels, or be open to sleeping in your car at budget campsites (like we did haha)

Are You Confident With New Zealand Roads?

The most important thing I tell people to consider when planning a road trip in New Zealand is whether or not they’re confident drivers.

New Zealand roads really are unlike any other we’ve driven on, and we drove through the outback in Australia.

If you’re not overly confident, or have recently landed from a long haul flight, it’s best if you stick to the State Highway 8 route, since it’s a fairly easy drive with minimal bendy mountainous roads.

The drive from Queenstown to Dunedin via the Southern Scenic Route is pretty mountainous from the start, then turns into narrow winding coastal roads once you get closer to Bluff and through the Catlin Coast. 

What Season Are You Travelling In?

The South Island experiences a lot of rainfall in the winter. Especially the Southern and Western regions.

While this really brings the waterfalls to life and makes the area come to life, it makes the roads really challenging to drive on.

That is, if they don’t get closed due to flooding.

Heavy rainfall quite often means road closures, diversions and changing your plans at the last minute. If you’re travelling between Queenstown and Dunedin in the winter, the safest route will be State Highway 8.

Are You Looking For Scenic Hidden Gems?

If you want off the beaten path scenic hidden gems, then the Southern Scenic Route is a must. 

This route will take you through one of my favourite areas in the South of the South Island, The Catlins.

If you don’t have time to do the full Souther Scenic Route, but can squeeze in another road trip from Queenstown, or Dunedin, then a stand alone trip to the Catlins area is highly recommended.

Drive From Queenstown To Dunedin Itinerary (Southern Scenic Route)

Let’s start off with the prettiest drive from Queenstown to Dunedin.

We did this drive not long after the last lockdown in New Zealand. Starting in what was our hometown at the time, Greymouth, we visited several places for the first time and revisited many more favourites.

This part of our trip took 10 days, and we don’t recommend anything less than a week if you want to be able to explore this itinerary to its fullest. 

Here’s our full itinerary of places to see along the way, and where we stayed!

This itinerary takes you all the way into Milford Sound, and all the way down to Bluff. These are optional. We’ll talk about ways to tweak your drive as we get to each location.

Devil’s Staircase Lookout Point

For an incredible view of lake Wakatipu and back towards Queenstown, stop off at the Devil’s Staircase Lookout Point.

It’s only 30 minutes from Queenstown, but it’s a good place to stop and stretch your legs ahead of the next slightly longer drive

Te Anau

Continuing for two hours, and after passing through Mossburn which is usually a cheap place to get fuel, you’ll reach Te Anau.

Te Anau is one of the busier places on this Queenstown to Dunedin drive but it’s absolutely worth the stop.

Known as the gateway to the Fiordlands, most people use this as a launch pad for Milford Sound Cruises, and Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruises.

That doesn’t mean Te Anau doesn’t deserve to be a stop off of its own though.

If you choose to stay here (you should) I recommend spending a day to explore what Te Anau has to offer, and set aside a separate day to drive into Milford Sound.

One of the most popular things to do in Te Anau is the glow worm boat tour. You’ll need to factor in around 2 hours for this boat tour but it’s definitely worth doing, especially if you’ve missed any of the free places to see glow worms in New Zealand.

For free things to do in Te Anau you have the bird sanctuary which is home to some rare and unusual New Zealand birds that you won’t get the chance to see in the wild, as well as some fan favourites like the Kea, and wild icons such as the Tui.

There are short guided tours available in the morning if you want to learn more about the birds that they have. Otherwise, it’s open all day for you to walk around at your own pace.

If you have time to spend a couple of days in the area, Te Anau is home to one of New Zealand’s great walks: The Kepler Track which is a multi day stunning hike.

Where To Stay In Te Anau

You’re not short of options for accommodation in Te Anau, both for camping and hotels/motels for every budget.

There are our top recommendations:

Te Anau Top 10 Holiday is a great choice if you’re looking for camping or motel style accommodation.

For camping, they have both powered and unpowered options with facilities available for showers, toilets, waste dump station and water refill. 

We stayed in their motel accommodation and found them to be warm, cosy and worth the room price.

If you’re travelling as a group and want an even more budget option, you can pay per bed in one of their dormitories.

Tip for Top10. When you check in, you’ll be offered a Top10 card. This will get you discounts on your stay and future stays at nation-wide Top10’s as well as discounts on tours and activities around the country. 

Another option is Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park which also offers powered and unpowered camping, private cabins as well as dorm beds.

We camped here and were impressed with their toilet and shower facilities, although we do prefer the Top10s because of the discounts.

For breakfast, check out The Sandfly Cafe for incredible bacon sandwiches, great coffee and delicious cakes

Milford Sound

Taking a day trip from Te Anau to Milford Sound is an optional extra on the drive from Queenstown to Dunedin and not an official part of the Southern Scenic Route. 

A lot of people choose to get to Te Anau and then join a Milford Sound Tour to avoid driving, but we think the road into Milford Sound is a highlight of the area.

It’s a 2 hour drive without any stops but with so much to see, it can easily take 3-4 hours. If you set off early, you’ll be able to hit some of the best locations before the tour buses start to arrive.

One of our favourite parts of the drive into Milford Sound is the Lake Marian hike which winds its way up to a mountain lake where you can get incredible views – on a clear day. Unfortunately, when we did it we were met with heavy fog at the top.

Once at Milford Sound, join a boat or helicopter tour to experience the heart of the Fiordland as well as potentially see penguins, seals and dolphins.

While you’re waiting for your tour to set off, explore one of the many short walking tracks such as the bowen fall lookout walk, Milford foreshore walkway and the Milford lookout which is a short 400 metre walk up lots of steps to get the best view of the Fiord

Where To Stay In Invercargill

Invercargill has always been a through road for us, and not somewhere we’ve actively stayed overnight. Since we don’t have any personal recommendations, here’s a map of places to stay so you can search for availability within your budget. You can also use this map for other locations on your drive to Dunedin from Queenstown.

Bluff

20 minutes south of Invercargill is Bluff, the most southern town in the country and a part of New Zealand that isn’t often on people’s radar because of how far away from things it feels.

However, we find bluff to be a really charming town and it’s the only place in New Zealand where you can cage dive with great white sharks.

Bluff is also famous for the Bluff Oyster festival and is the best place to try fresh oysters in the whole of New Zealand.

Other things to do in Bluff include visiting Stirling Point, the finishing point for State Highway 1 which runs the full length of New Zealand, and walking to the top of Hill Motupōhue which will give the best views over the town and Port area.

Where To Stay In Bluff

If you want a boutique, budget friendly, accommodation choice in Bluff we suggest checking into Lands End Hotel.

The rooms are really comfy and as well as being conveniently located for our cage dive, they have amazing views of the coast too!

For amazing food while you’re there, book a table at the Oyster Cove. We shamefully didn’t try oysters but we did have one of the best ever raspberry chocolate brownies for pudding.

The Catlins

Time to get out into the bush and experience a quieter pace of life. This section of your drive from Queentown to Dunedin will take you through the Catlins Coast,a real hidden gem on the coast of New Zealand with very few tourists venturing down this far.

From waterfalls and quirky towns to penguins and dolphins, the Catlins has it all

Slope Point

While Bluff might be the most southerly town, Slope Point is the true most southerly point of mainland New Zealand.

Perhaps the windiest area of New Zealand I’ve ever been to, here you’ll see trees growing sideways. To get to the cliffs and take a photo with the marker, you’ll need to park and take a muddy walk along a public footpath through some fields.

Curio Bay

This is the most popular spot along the Catlins coast because of the opportunity to see hoiho penguins. We’ve been a couple of times and never been lucky enough to see them but friends of ours have, so you never know!

You can also see Hector’s dolphins off the coast here which are the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world. Don’t let their rarity put you off though, they are often seen in large numbers playing in the waves here.

Once you’ve had your fill of wildlife watching, head over to the Petrified Forest to be transported back in time! The beach here is covered in ancient trees that have been turned into stone. It’s really interesting to see how sections of them still look like trees.

McLean Falls

There are many waterfalls along the Catlins Coast with McLean Falls being one of the main ones.

This 22 metre waterfall is accessible via a gravel road and a muddy track that is made up of steps and slopes that are steep in places.

Even with the crowds, the track itself felt fairly quiet so we didn’t mind having to dodge people to get a view once we were at the top.

You’ll want to set aside about 40/50 minutes for this waterfall.

Tautuku Estuary Walkway

The networks of boardwalks and bushland walking tracks at Tautuku Estuary Walkway reminded me of Ship Creek along the West Coast.

It’s a scenic 30 minute walk around pristine wetlands that are buzzing with wildlife. The track is flat and suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs!

Purakaunui Falls

This was on one of Dec’s photography bucket lists so we spent quite a bit of time here and I was surprised at how quiet it is. It’s a fall we’ve seen a lot on social media so we assumed it would be as busy, if not more so, than McLean falls. 

The track to get to Purakaunui Falls is easy in comparison to the previous waterfall, only takes about 15/20 minutes one way and takes you through mature rainforest which in itself is very photogenic.

Jack’s Blowhole

Above Jack’s Bay you’ll find Jack’s Blowhole, a unique geological formation; a 55 metre deep hole in the cliffs where you can look down into the ocean from the bushland.

The walk is about an hour one way but is steep in places. As with most spots along this stretch of coast, if it’s windy you can guarantee it’ll be very windy on this track which is lined by Southlands iconic sideways growing trees.

The blowhole itself is a bit underwhelming (although we were there on a fairly cold but calm day) but Jack’s Bay made the stop off worth it with its local population of sea lions!

If you’re looking for a place to stay at this point along the Catlins Coast, we recommend checking out New Haven Holiday Park which has a beautiful walking track along the coast where we saw sea lions again!

Nugget Point

Nugget Point is an iconic photography place and one of the most popular day trips from Dunedin for those who don’t do the whole Catlins Coast.

It’s one of the oldest lighthouses in the country and the track down gives you great views over the coast as well as more opportunities to see seals on the rocks below.

Just before you reach the car park for the lighthouse, keep your eyes peeled for the roaring bay penguin lookout. This conservation hut is conveniently placed above rare yellow eyed penguins so if you’re patient, you’ll be able to see them coming and going. 

Balclutha

Located on the magnificent Clutha River, the largest in New Zealand in terms of volume of water, Balclutha is a great town to get yourself acclimated back into a busier pace of life as you make your way from Queenstown to Dunedin.

Stretch your legs with a wander along the Blair Athol walkways, or discover Otago’s gold mining history at the South Otago Museum 

Arrowtown

Only 20 minutes from Queenstown, this cute little town is a bucket list stop for most tourists who visit New Zealand and that’s mostly thanks to its iconic instagram-worthy log cabin surrounded by woodlands (perfect when there’s fall colours popping!)

Since Arrowtown is an historic gold mining settlement, it’s not surprising that it’s rich in gold panning activities. Whether you head to the Chinese settlement to gold pan at the museum, or hire some gold panning equipment to try your luck in the nearby streams and rivers, it’s an activity that the whole family is sure to love.

This area of central Otago is scattered with beautiful walking tracks so if you’re short on time, hiring a bike in Arrowtown opens up more to explore.

Don’t forget to have a stroll through the picture-perfect main street. It’s like it’s stuck in time.

Cromwell

Just a short drive from Kawarau Gorge is Cromwell. The history of this town dates right back to the 1800’s gold rush era, like many of the small towns in central Otago.

In 1990, when the nearby dam was built, Cromwells historic precinct almost disappeared under water. Some of the buildings were saved and rebuilt on higher ground, creating a living museum that feels trapped in time a warp. It’s free to visit and honestly one of the best things to do on this Queenstown Dunedin drive.

Other things to do in Cromwell include meeting the world’s cutest sheep on one of Cromwell’s working farms and taking to the tracks with Highland Motorsport Experiences where you can drive go-carts, super cars and classic cars around a selection of specially made race tracks!

Where To Stay In Cromwell

We used to stay at the Cromwell Top10 which has now changed hands unfortunately, so here are a couple of alternative places to stay in Cromwell if you were looking to stay a little longer!

For a really unique place to stay, we recommend Cromwell Glamping Domes! Located in the heart of a beautiful vineyard, it offers something different for your drive from Queenstown to Dunedin

Alexandra

Home to several vineyards, Alexandra is the biggest town along the SH8 between Queenstown and Dunedin.

For a quirky stretch of the legs, take a walk to Alexandra’s clock on the hill. It’s a fairly steep walk that takes around an hour from the town centre but the views from the top are stunning,

If you want to discover more of the wildlands of Central Otago, hop on a pushbike and explore the Otago Central Rail Trail. It’s 150km in total so of course you can ride as much, or as little, of that as you want before you continue your trip to Dunedin.

Dunedin

And that brings us nicely to your final destination – Dunedin!

I’m sure I say it about most cities in New Zealand but Dunedin was truly our favourite. Having never been to Edinborough I can’t say whether the comparisons are fair, but what I can say is you’re guaranteed to have an incredible time here.

Be sure to check out Larnach Castle, as New Zealand’s only castle and breathtaking views of the area of Akaroa it’s a bucket list activity when you’re exploring Dunedin. You can skip the line here.

While in the Akaroa area, head to the Royal Albatross Centre to hopefully peek at baby albatross, eggs or even adults hovering in the sky. There’s also a colony of penguins nearby too. This was a highlight of our time in Dunedin, and possibly one of the best wildlife experiences in New Zealand.

Just wandering around the city has plenty to offer too. With its Scottish heritage, the architecture here is pretty unique when compared to the rest of New Zealand. I might not be able to compare it to Scotland but I can certainly say it has that European vibe that I really missed while we were  in the Southern Hemisphere. Don’t miss the Dunedin Botanical Garden too

Where To Stay In Dunedin

Motel on Carol is our go to motel whenever we’re in Dunedin. The owner is incredibly friendly and helpful, and the rooms have always been comfortable and spacious. For the price, I really don’t think you can go wrong. Plus, the cafe (wolf at the door) next door does the best beans on toast!

Final Thoughts

The drive from Queenstown to Dunedin is an underrated experience that many people whizz through and ultimately miss out on so many fun and quirky experiences that can only be had in this part of New Zealand.

If you’re wondering whether this road trip is worth spending the extra time on, we think it absolutely is. With Arrowtown and Cromwell in one direction, and Te Anau and Bluff in the other, you’re sure to come away from this Queenstown to Dunedin road trip pleasantly surprised and pleased that you took the time to do it!

More South Island road trip guides;

• 17 Things To Do In Queenstown In Summer
• 18 Catlins Coast Hidden Gems
• Milford Sound Scenic Cruise Review
• Cage Diving With Great White Sharks – Everything You Need To Know
• Mount Fyffe Day Hike Guide
• Is Arthurs Pass Dangerous?
• Ultimate Mount Cook Hiking Guide
• Best Things To Do In Wanaka In Winter
• 17 Things To Do In Summer In Queenstown
• Best Queenstown To Dunedin Road Trip Itinerary
• A Guide To Moke Lake’s Hidden Lookout
• Moeraki Boulders Beach – Is It Worth It?