Six Week Road Trip in the Top of the South Island with Abigail & Isaac

When I took a wee break from the podcast, I asked what you wanted to hear more about. And you said our own adventures. So my husband Isaac is back again, and we're telling you about one of our favourite South Island summers: six weeks in the top of the south.

We went in with no plan (very on brand for us). The van was full of tramping gear, kayaking gear and climbing gear, we'd hardly booked anything, and we had no idea how far south we'd get. We never left the top of the south. There was soooo much to do.

It starts with Isaac, the white water kayaker of the two of us, heading to Murchison for New Year, and me heading off on my first ever solo hike. Then it's a big group on the Abel Tasman, climbing in Golden Bay, a cave with sideways stalactites, a via ferrata, French Pass, river jumping at Pelorus and a few days paddling Queen Charlotte Sound. Plus the hidden spots we stumbled on, a couple of mishaps, and everything we'd go back for.

In this episode

• Road tripping the top of the South Island
• Murchison and the Old Ghost Road
• Karamea, the Oparara Arches and the Heaphy Track
• Walking the Abel Tasman in a big group
• Nelson Lakes and Mount Arthur Hut
• Golden Bay climbing, beaches and Whanganui Harbour
• Rawhiti Cave, Tākaka Hill and Lake Sylvester
• French Pass and the Pelorus River
• Sea kayaking Queen Charlotte Sound
• Slow travel, mishaps and what we'd go back for

Road tripping the top of the South Island

Straight after Christmas, we drove the van down to Wellington, crossed on the ferry and went straight to Murchison, because Isaac was really keen to go white water kayaking there with his friends over New Year.

Beyond that, the trip was super open-ended. I'd just quit my job, so we had so much free time on our hands, and we didn't know if we'd get as far as Queenstown, Wānaka or Fiordland. As it turns out, we spent all six weeks in the top of the South Island: Golden Bay, Nelson, the Abel Tasman, Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough and a bit of the top of the West Coast.

That blows my mind, because a lot of people doing a lap of the South Island head through Arthur's Pass to the West Coast, or drive through Blenheim going south, and never go any further west. They miss out on all of this gloriousness.

Murchison and the Old Ghost Road

If you drive from Nelson to the West Coast, you drive through Murchison: a small town with a Four Square, some cafés, real fruit ice cream in summer and a good bakery with very good pies.

Isaac says it's the hub for white water rafting and kayaking in the top of the South Island, with a big rafting outfitter and a massive campground right on the river. Over New Year, hundreds of kayakers fill the campground with boats, PFDs and paddles.

I wasn't keen on sitting around the campground or driving shuttles. So I found an adventure of my own: the Old Ghost Road, my first ever solo hike and my longest ever, 85 kilometres over five days. I picked it because the start was quite close to Murchison.

Isaac dropped me off, it was raining, and I had a big cry. Five days solo was really scary, so I told myself I only had to walk to the first hut, and if I hated it, I'd come back the next day. At that first hut, the warden and a walker coming from the other direction both said keep going. So I did.

I've told the whole story on the podcast before. I highly highly recommend it, and I want to go back and walk it again with Isaac.

Karamea, the Oparara Arches and the Heaphy Track

Isaac picked me up at the end of the Old Ghost Road, up at the top of the West Coast, and we spent a few days around Karamea, an area we'd never explored. We did the Oparara Arches and a few other walks, with that amazing West Coast bush and limestone features.

Then we drove literally to the end of the road, where the Heaphy Track starts, and walked a short way along it. The nīkau palms there are real different to anywhere else, and a big change from the beech forest on much of the Old Ghost Road.

On a previous trip we'd driven to the southern end of the West Coast road, at Jackson Bay, so now our little van has done the whole West Coast.

Walking the Abel Tasman in a big group

The Abel Tasman was our second booked hike, after New Year, with a huge group. We met in Mārahau and had a bit of a morning mission getting everyone's gear into their packs.

We hadn't hiked in a group that big before. We ended up in smaller groups of two, three or four, each making our own way, and regrouped at lunchtime and at the hut each evening.

On the Old Ghost Road I'd left plasters behind to keep my pack light (only allowed two cuts). This group carried excessive gear. My favourite bit: somehow each person carried a roll of toilet paper, on a Great Walk where the toilets are serviced and have their own.

Isaac did a lot of the planning: food, gear, logistics and enough warm layers for everyone.

We stopped short of Golden Bay partly because of hut bookings (on a Great Walk, you don't always get the hut layout you want). The water taxis also don't go all the way round, and from the Golden Bay end you'd need a car shuttle or a car relocation. With such a big group, the water taxi back to Mārahau was easier, and so beautiful.

What I loved is the short days. Even with late starts, there's heaps of time in the long evenings to chill at the beach, swim and do side tracks like Cleopatra's Pool.

Isaac reckons the Abel Tasman is harder than you'd expect, because it's quite steep, uphill and downhill, the whole time.

Walking or kayaking the Abel Tasman

We'd kayaked it before, in perfect conditions, and for us kayaking is always the first choice. You see a lot of beaches the trail doesn't go near, because the trail is a lot more inland than we expected.

Wind is the one thing that will really stop you kayaking, and on a windy day you can still walk. With tours that kayak in and walk out, plus water taxis, it's choose your own adventure. There are also so many campsites as well as the Great Walk huts: the first time we kayaked it, we rocked up at the end of January without booking and still found campsites.

Nelson Lakes and Mount Arthur Hut

Nelson Lakes was mostly downtime: a few half-day walks around the lake and a swim at the jetty. Angelus Hut was tempting. We'd done it on a previous trip, up Robert Ridge, where there are no trees, and it would be cool to do it again.

Getting to the start of the Mount Arthur Hut track means a long, steep, uphill gravel road, and our old HiAce got a little bit hot. The coolant boiled over a bit. A mechanic in Motueka later flushed it, topped it up and found no permanent damage, so be warned if you have an ancient vehicle.

The walk itself is such an amazing wander through beech forest. From the hut you can go up to the summit of Mount Arthur, and the weather packed it in, so we skipped it and came back down the next day.

Golden Bay climbing, beaches and Whanganui Harbour

Then it was over the Tākaka Hill (no dramas) and down into Golden Bay, where there's so much to explore.

Climbing at Paynes Ford and Pōhara

This time we took our climbing gear. The weather was a bit unlucky, with only two days dry enough to climb, and it was still really fun to experience different rock. There's so much climbing at Paynes Ford and around Tākaka, and a campground where loads of climbers stay, so finding a belay buddy isn't too hard.

Paynes Ford is also such a cool swimming hole, always packed with people having picnics. There's another crag on the coast at Pōhara, with views over the ocean.

Whanganui Harbour and Paturau Beach

Since we were over the Tākaka Hill, we had to go to one of my favourite places, the Whanganui Harbour. It's the end of the road, and a hundred percent worth it for the drive: causeways across tidal lagoons, incredible bush and a windy road hugging the coast. It feels like Jurassic Park. Time it so the tide is high when you go in.

There's a camping spot near the end of the road, so you don't have to go out and back in a day. We stayed at Paturau Beach: a couple of houses, hand-drawn signs saying freedom campers welcome, and a paddock next to the beach. We swam in an estuary stream, brown with West Coast tannins, and there was hardly anyone else around.

Wharariki Beach

Go to Wharariki Beach. Ten out of ten. It's only a half-hour walk, it's worth it whatever the weather, and it feels so wild. We were among the last people on the beach, so we had it to ourselves, with little baby seals. There's a café at the car park, with peacocks wandering around.

Be a good egg around the seals: keep your distance, try not to get between them and the ocean, and don't disturb the babies.

A lagoon behind a toilet sign

On the way back towards Tākaka, I needed the toilet. A road sign said toilet left, so we followed it, and it popped us out at the most beautiful hidden lagoon, like the idyllic spot kids discover in a fairy tale book.

A concrete causeway, exposed at low tide and underwater at high tide, takes you across to a little sand spit. It's on this side of Farewell Spit, so it's super protected, with no big waves: such a good spot for kids.

That captures the essence of road trips in New Zealand for me. Follow the random signs, take slow days at the beach and the river, and drive slowly enough to stop at the roadside fruit stalls (stock up on coins and $5 notes in town).

Rawhiti Cave, Tākaka Hill and Lake Sylvester

Rawhiti Cave

Someone who follows me told us about Rawhiti Cave. You start at the bottom of a valley and climb and climb and climb, on a steep, narrow, formed track (no bush bashing). The access is through farmland, so follow all the signs. It was so muggy that we were dripping with sweat at the top.

Then you pop out on a viewing platform, with a huge cave right in front of you. You've got to see it. Stairs and boardwalk put you in the middle of the cave, looking down at ancient formations, and there are stalactites that grow sideways. They grow diagonally, so they form little steps, where swallows and other birds nest and plants grow. We even saw mist forming in the cave.

The cold air in there was such a welcome respite after the sweaty climb, so we stayed a good while. It's a real short drive out of Tākaka.

The via ferrata on Tākaka Hill

Fast forward to 2026: there's now a via ferrata on the Tākaka Hill, and it was amazing. It wasn't there on this road trip.

Coming from the Motueka side, you rent the gear (a harness, safety gear and a helmet) at the cave with a shop and café attached. When we recorded, the gear was super affordable to rent and the via ferrata itself was free. Sets are limited, so book at busy times. Then it's a five-minute drive to the top of the hill.

Isaac explains that via ferrata comes out of Europe. A steel cable is bolted into the cliff, with steel ladder rungs to help you climb, and two clips on your harness keep you attached to the cable. You're mostly climbing on the steel, so it's pretty beginner friendly.

That confused me at first, because in rock climbing you avoid the metal in the wall.

The harder of the routes has a bench bolted to the cliff. Next time you drive down the hill into Tākaka, look up and see if you can spot anyone sitting there, swinging their legs above the traffic like we did.

Sylvester Hut and Lake Sylvester

We also spent a night at Sylvester Hut, up the Cobb Valley, and went up to Lake Sylvester for sunset. It's a really nice walk through beech forest, not long at all, on what's like a four-wheel-drive track without a steep grade, so it's very accessible for families or people new to tramping. The hut has views of the lakes.

With more time we could have spent ages there, with so many routes and huts. Having all these national parks so close at hand makes the top of the south a playground for tramping. Do not sleep on it.

French Pass and the Pelorus River

The drive to French Pass

From Golden Bay we went to French Pass. People have told me it's the best drive in New Zealand, and I'd always wanted to do it.

Isaac says it's definitely up there. It's a winding farm road that goes on and on along the top of a ridge, dropping away on both sides into the sea, with incredible views over the Sounds and D'Urville Island. It's the New Zealand they put on calendars. At the end, the little campground right on the water lets you open your van or tent onto the beach.

Stingrays at French Pass

From a viewpoint on the hill behind our campsite, we saw things in the water, and it took us a while to work out they were massive, super thick stingrays. Down at the beach, we watched them come right up onto the concrete boat ramp into the shallows. I wanted to swim, and then I got scared.

Pelorus River and its campgrounds

Pelorus is the kind of place you might drive through between Picton and Nelson without stopping, and it's a cool gateway to more mountains. The DOC campgrounds there feel like Top 10s, with big kitchens, power for caravans, a pizza oven and a café.

Spend the day lounging on the sunny rocks along the Pelorus River, and jump off the bridge. Everyone's there with their floaties.

Captain's Creek Hut on Te Araroa

Further inland, on a section of Te Araroa, we walked to Captain's Creek Hut, the first hut in from the road. You walk along the river past green and blue pools, through forest with no mid-storey: a solid carpet of ferns under big beech trees.

What I remember is the black moss on the beech trees, and the hum of the wasps getting their little honey treats.

It's a small hut, popular because it's on Te Araroa, right next to the river and a gorgeous swimming hole (with quite a few sandflies). A few walkers pitched their tents in the big meadow next to it. From Pelorus it's one of the longer sections without a resupply, so everyone had big packs full of food.

Isaac carried some rubbish out for a few of them, so they didn't have to carry it for the next nine days.

Sea kayaking Queen Charlotte Sound

We finished with a wee kayak trip in Queen Charlotte Sound, keen to paddle since we hadn't on the Abel Tasman this time. The only kayaking I'd done was the Abel Tasman, and we were still paddling a double kayak, so I was very much a beginner.

Isaac had white water experience. Sea kayaking wise, we were both still babies.

Both places are sheltered and protected, so they're amazing beginner trips, a hundred percent doable even if you've never sat in a kayak. If you haven't, I'd start with the Abel Tasman, because Queen Charlotte can get windy.

Two things surprised me about Queen Charlotte: there weren't many campsites, huts or places to stay, and there were so many private baches, each with its own dock.

That year there had been a moon jelly bloom, and every bay was filled with them. Isaac says they have no tentacles and don't sting. Paddling through them was weird, and we kept bumping into them when we snorkelled. We saw so many sea cucumbers, plus starfish, plenty of stingrays, and so many shags that I gave up on my wildlife tally. No dolphins. I have the worst luck with dolphins.

Slow travel, mishaps and what we'd go back for

Six weeks, and we did heaps. The trip taught us to slow down and enjoy the place we were in. With time, you find so many hidden gems and local spots, and see old favourites in a new way.

Isaac thinks one of the beauties of the region is that it caters for all levels, from extreme hiking and kayaking to a first intro, and you can go canyoning in the Abel Tasman and Kahurangi too.

Our mishaps

Apart from the van overheating, the only other mishap was the end of the Old Ghost Road. Roadworks made Isaac hours late, and I was not impressed. I had no cards and no signal, and the people at the pizza pub at the end of the road still let me order pizza and use their landline to phone him. Very 1990s. Then I sat there getting eaten by sandflies for a couple of hours.

What we'd go back for

• The Heaphy Track. We've only seen the very end of it.
• The Old Ghost Road, together this time.
• Nelson Lakes and Kahurangi, with so much more to see.
• Canyoning, for Isaac.
• The Richmond Range, the full ten-day Te Araroa section.
• The St James Walkway, if it counts as the top of the south.
• Farewell Spit, on a tour that drives out onto the spit.
• A mail delivery boat trip from Picton to explore the Sounds, which we heard about from Dunc Wilson.

Places from this episode

• Murchison
• Nelson
• Golden Bay
• West Coast
• Old Ghost Road
• Karamea
• Oparara Arches
• Heaphy Track
• Jackson Bay
• Abel Tasman
• Mārahau
• Cleopatra's Pool
• Nelson Lakes
• Angelus Hut
• Robert Ridge
• Mount Arthur Hut
• Motueka
• Tākaka Hill
• Tākaka
• Paynes Ford
• Pōhara
• Whanganui Harbour
• Paturau Beach
• Wharariki Beach
• Farewell Spit
• Rawhiti Cave
• Sylvester Hut
• Lake Sylvester
• Cobb Valley
• Kahurangi
• French Pass
• D'Urville Island
• Pelorus River
• Picton
• Captain's Creek Hut
• Te Araroa
• Queen Charlotte Sound
• Richmond Range
• St James Walkway

More like this

• An Epic 4WD Summer Road Trip at the Top of the South with Brad Willetts
• Fastpacking the Travers-Sabine Circuit in 2 Days with Zeb Harris
• Hiking Old Ghost Road as a Family with Sonia Barrish
• One month into a 1000km Sea Kayak Expedition with Isaac and Abigail

Until then, keep adventuring :)