Okarito

Most Drive Straight Past. Don't Be Most People.

Okarito is the kind of place that rewards you for having a campervan in the first place. It's a detour off the main highway that the vast majority of travellers just blow straight past on their way to Franz Josef, and honestly, leave them to it. What you get here is NZ's largest pest-free habitat, which sounds like a DOC press release until you actually arrive and hear Kiwi at night and Kea calling during the day. The birdlife is genuinely on the up here and you notice it.

Get On the Water Early

The main event is getting out on the lagoon. Kayaking here is nothing like anywhere else. You're drifting silently through shallow wetland channels that motorised boats can't even access, surrounded by birdsong, and if you go early the mirror reflections are a proper trip. It's very safe too as the whole journey stays within the lagoon and the water's rarely over your head. If kayaking's not your thing, the boat eco tours are well worth it too. They cut the engine regularly so you still get that rare pocket of natural quiet.

Camp, Fire, Stars, Repeat

Camping here is first-come, first-served and they can pretty much always fit you in. Light a fire on the beach. There's heaps of driftwood around. On one side you've got the Tasman Sea and rugged coastline, on the other the Southern Alps with Mt Cook sitting there doing its thing. Bring camp chairs and just sit in it. The trig walk nearby is great at sunrise or sunset, and if the tide's low enough you can walk a section along the beach. It's the kind of night that reminds you why slow travel is the only travel worth doing.