See the South Island without hiring a car
The South Island has the roads people fly across the world to drive — and also the roads that make first-time visitors nervous. You can travel the whole island with a driver instead, leg by leg, and never touch a steering wheel.
What you don't have to deal with
- Alpine passes and lake roads driven by locals who know them
- Both people in the front seat get the view
- No snow chains, no gravel, no unsealed lodge driveways to negotiate
- Point-to-point legs between towns, with stops where they are worth it
- Full sightseeing days from Queenstown, Christchurch, Wanaka or Te Anau
- Wine regions without a designated driver
The honest version
A common South Island plan is a chain of towns: arrive in Christchurch, work down through the lakes to Queenstown, out to Fiordland, maybe across to the West Coast, then fly home. Every one of those legs can be booked as a private transfer, a scenic day with stops, or a multi-day itinerary with the same driver.
The scenery is the argument for it. The roads through the Mackenzie Country, over the alpine passes and along the lakes are spectacular, and the driver sees the least of it. Conditions change quickly out here too — mountain weather, ice in the shoulder seasons, long stretches with no fuel or phone coverage. That is routine for a local and a genuine unknown for a visitor.
It also solves the awkward days: a Central Otago wine day where nobody wants to be the designated driver, a long haul out to Fiordland that would eat your energy for two days, or arriving on a late flight and not wanting to find an unfamiliar lodge driveway in the dark.
Send us the towns and dates you have already booked. We will tell you honestly which legs are worth a driver and which you could comfortably do another way.
A private driver, not a rental and not a shared ride
Highway 1 Tours & Transfers is a New Zealand owned private transfer company with NZTA-licensed, P-endorsed drivers. Every booking is a private hire: your own vehicle and driver, a fixed price agreed before you travel, door-to-door pickups from airports, hotels, cruise and ferry terminals, and the same team for airport transfers, point-to-point trips between towns and full days of sightseeing anywhere in the country.
Frequently asked questions
Read next
- Queenstown without a rental car
Queenstown is compact, seasonal and short on parking, and the roads out of it climb. It is the town where visitors most often tell us the rental car turned out to be a liability.
- Christchurch without a rental car
Christchurch is the South Island's gateway, and most visitors collect a rental here on arrival. If the idea of starting a long South Island drive straight off a flight does not appeal, you do not have to.
- Winter roads, snow and ice — without driving them yourself
Alpine passes, ski-field access roads and frosty early mornings are the drives visitors are least prepared for — especially if you have never fitted snow chains or driven on ice.
More on travelling without a car: all rental car alternative guides · private day tours (13 guides in this series)
Other services we offer
A private transfer is only part of what we do. The same NZTA-licensed drivers and vehicles cover tours, hourly hire, airport and cruise work, corporate travel and group bookings throughout New Zealand.
Private, luxury & multi-day travel
Private touring, chauffeur hire, honeymoon travel and a driver for your whole New Zealand trip.
Explore private travelArriving in New Zealand
First-time visitor guides to landing at Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington and Dunedin.
Read the arrival guidesIsland & region guides
What each part of New Zealand is known for, how long the drives really take, and how to travel it without a rental car.
Explore destinationsVisiting New Zealand
Driving on the left, kilometres to miles, money and tipping, the seasons, and travelling without a rental car.
Read visitor infoAirport shuttle alternative
Private airport transfers instead of a shared shuttle — your group alone, direct to the terminal, price agreed first.
Compare the optionsCity taxi, upgraded
A fixed-price private car instead of the taxi rank — city-by-city guides across New Zealand.
See your citySuburb airport transfers
Local detail on the run to Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington Airport from your own suburb.
Find your suburbPrivate day tours & sightseeing
Keep the same driver for the day and shape the route around what you'd like to see nationwide.
See private toursBy-the-hour driver hire
A driver and vehicle held for a block of time — best when your travel starts and finishes in the same town.
Book hourly hireAirport transfers
Flight-tracked pickups and drop-offs at every main New Zealand airport, door to door.
Airport transfersCruise port transfers & shore days
Met at the terminal in Auckland, Tauranga, Akaroa or Picton — back on board well before all-aboard time.
Cruise transfersSki field transfers
Winter-ready vehicles and alpine drivers for Queenstown, Wānaka, Mt Hutt and Ruapehu — gear included.
Ski transfersCorporate & executive travel
Business accounts, client and staff runs, event movements and consolidated invoicing.
Talk to usGroups, fleets & rental car alternative
Multiple vehicles on one booking for larger parties, or a driven alternative to hiring a car.
Rental car alternativeWhat transfers and taxis cost
Plain answers on what moves the price of an airport run in New Zealand, and how a fixed total compares with a meter.
Fares & costsWeddings, balls & big occasions
Private transport for weddings, school balls, corporate events, funerals, large groups and accessible travel.
Occasion transportConcerts & event transport
Ride there and ride home for the big nights — concerts, festivals and events across New Zealand.
Event transport
Please note: by-the-hour driver hire is only suitable when your travel starts and finishes in the same town. If you're finishing somewhere else, book a private transfer or a day trip so your fare covers the driver's travel.