The Ultimate New Zealand Road Trip! 🚙

Embarking on a gluten-free road trip across New Zealand is an adventure filled with breathtaking landscapes and surprisingly easy gluten-free dining! Starting from Christchurch, this itinerary takes you through the South and North Islands, ensuring coeliac-friendly dining options along the way!

Overall, we stayed in 9 different places across 2.5 weeks!! To help us find places to stay we used a mixture of the NZ Department of Conservation site as well as google maps and reviews!

Though it took almost 3 weeks to travel this route, most of our time was in the stunning South Island (North Island is stunning too!). It was such a fun and memorable trip, with options to do it cheaper or more luxuriously (I can imagine this as an amazing honeymoon road trip!).

Begin your journey by picking up your camper van from Euro Campers in Christchurch. I honestly loved our camper van!

The van was big enough so that my 6’2″ partner could stand upright in it but small enough that we felt comfortable to drive and park it! Perfectly cute, comfortable and convenient. It came with foldable chairs and a table to sit outside with, all the necessary things like pillows, bedding, towels, cookware etc., and even a fridge which was great for on the go gluten free snacks!

There’s a couple of 100% gluten free bakeries here, like Totally Gluten Free Bakery, and this should be your first stop! Explore Christchurch, pick up some on the road snacks like bread or cereals (they have a much bigger GF cereal scene here than in the UK!) and make sure you have everything you need for the road.

A short drive from Christchurch brings you to Geraldine, known for its artisan products.

If you haven’t already filled your boots in Christchurch, stop here for lunch. There is an incredible cheese shop here, which has an abundance of locally made cheese as well as gluten free crackers that you can buy. There’s also plenty of gluten free options in the restaurants here – I was excited to find one with separate fryers – hello, fish and chips!

Lake Tekapo is a crucial stop, I have never seen a lake so blue!!

Originally, we had planned to stay here for the night for the stargazing experience as there’s an area here where lights are off limits – however a delay to our flights meant we couldn’t. The reviews of it were fantastic and so I suggest if you have time to do this, do it! But if you don’t, like us at the very least, stop by for a quick visit.

We hadn’t planned to eat or drink here as we had just stopped off in Geraldine, but the blue of the lake and the shine of the sun was a harmony I could not get out of my head so soon. So we stopped off in the restaurant here for a drink. I was so pleased to find a local beer. How often do you get a chance to cheers a gluten free beer under the blue sky, opposite snow capped mountains and next to a sparkling sapphire lake…?!

From what I saw, many cafes provide gluten-free options but it was jam packed, so I’d advise you to to call ahead to confirm if you wanted lunch (especially if you want to sit outside!).

For our first night camping (in Christchurch we stayed with family) – This was such a cool campsite! We stayed in White Horse Hill Campground, and being parked up next to the ice capped mountains is breathtaking. You could walk for a week here and not get tired (of the views). Even the campsite itself was beautiful.

We were actually here over Christmas and so treated ourselves to one luxurious meal with lunch at The Hermitage, a lovely hotel in the village a 30 minute meandering walk away. I can highly recommend here for coeliacs! The chef happily helped me to navigate the Christmas buffet and offered to cook food fresh if I was not convinced with the cross-contamination situation.

If you want to keep to the rugged atmosphere of the mountains, the campsite had a great communal kitchen for meals too! It was huge so multiple people can cook / eat at once. However, once the sun sets, it gets really dark – be sure to bring a torch for evening meals!

The walks here are nothing short of stunning! And there’s walks for all levels. We did the Sealy track which consisted of 2,200 literal steps… every one worth it for the 360 views.

The next day we headed to Queenstown, a haven for thrill-seekers and food enthusiasts alike. We stayed in Dritftaway Queenstown which was the best campsite of the whole trip – the kitchen was fairly sizeable and modern, there was table tennis, and the showers/toilets were always clean and toasty warm, plus they had straighteners here!

Many restaurants cater to gluten-free diets here. Top of the list is Erik’s, a 100% gluten free fish and chip shop. The famous Fergburger offers gluten-free buns, and heaps more have coeliac friendly alternatives.

My top suggestion is to grab a takeaway fish and chips, park up by the lake and watch the sunset. Activity wise, take your pick! Paraglide, bunjee, luge, hike, bmx, etc. We did the Ben Lomond summit hike which was extra cool because it started with a cable car! You could spend a couple of days here.

For a more detailed story of what we got up to, read my Queenstown blog!

We stopped in Wanaka twice, on the way into Queenstown and the way out to Milford Sound. In Wanaka, relive the serenity that lakes tend to bring in NZ and explore local eateries. Scroggin Cafe served us an out of this world brunch (I’m talking coelaic friendly scones, waffles and the mostincredible take on an eggs benedict) and Doughbins had gluten free pie!

The only activity you simply must do here is get a picture with #thatwanakatree.

Just outside of Milford Sound, we stayed for one night in Cascade Creek Campsite which was basic (I’m talking no flush toilets, just a hole) but pretty, being surrounded by mountains and a creek.

Although a big drive, a worthy activity contender is a cruise through the fjords of Milford Sound. We booked our tour with Mitre Peak Cruises and it was fantastic!! Sunny or rainy, this cruise promises spectacular views – sea, mountains, snow, waterfalls and seals! The world is wonderous, and it definitely feels it on this trip.

Afterward, head to Te Anau. Again, this smaller town is still stunning, located by the sea. I went to a great coeliac safe asian fusion restaurant called Ditto, which even had gluten free fried karaage chicken.

I have a more detailed blog post on fox glacier including where we stayed because it deserved one it was so fantastic, read about it here. To summarise, We booked this heli-hike last minute as we were slightly sad at missing the stargazing experience in Lake Tekapo, and we thought we would treat ourselves. And a treat this was.

Starting off with a helicopter ride and then hiking up a glacier, I don’t think I’ve experienced anything quite like this. We even saw a rockfall which was equal parts terrifying and mystifying! This is on the expensive side out of all the activities on our trip, but if you’re pulling out all the stops I could not recommend it enough.

It wasn’t hard to find gluten free options in the nearby village, Cook Saddle Cafe and Saloon prepared steak and banoffee pie, whilst Café Nevé provides gluten-free treats, including brownies and bars. They also offer coeliac-safe pizza preparation upon request.

9. Greymouth, Picton & the frightful Ferry Crossing

After our impressive morning, we embarked on the journey to Picton to the ferry crossing. We didn’t leave ourselves too much time for this drive as we hadn’t planned on doing the heli-hike so lost a day to this. We prepared some lunch in our caravan, so the next meal we had was at a quick stop in Greymouth. As we had been living in Vanuatu where not 1 McDonald’s exists, it was definitely time for our fries fix! I got a burger (without the bun ofc) and it was a perfect pit-stop dinner. We weren’t allowed to park in the car park there, but the street that the entrance was on had plenty of parking.

Once in pction, we stayed in Picton Campervan Park due to its very close proximity to the ferry port (like a 5 minute drive!) which we were thankful for as our ferry was early.

We booked tickets with Interislander ferry and in general it was ok for gluten free. It had some gluten free sweet snacks which was great but the hot breakfast was a bit more limiting as only the eggs and bacon were gluten free. The staff were super friendly when I asked though and happy to scour through the allergy folder with me!

The state of the sea on the crossing is another story entirely! It has the reputation of being one of the roughest crossings in the world and from my experience, this is very true! Most people were sea sick on my crossing (we had swells of up to 7m!), the kitchen even closed shortly after we finished eating as drinks were falling out of the fridge… so it might be good that there were not too many food options if you don’t have great sea legs.

10. Wellington: Cultural Capital

But we made it to Wellington! We stayed for one night here in a lovely little hotel called The Cobbler, it was super cute inside and was in the perfect location just by Cuba Street.

After checking in, we were super excited to explore Wellington’s vibrant food scene. Many restaurants and cafes offer gluten-free options. A highlight for me here was the 100% gluten free Korean takeaway restaurant, Miss Kangsta.

We spent New Years Eve in Wellington and the fireworks by the waterfront were incredible and seemed to be where everyone was come midnight if you happen to be there at this time too!

Whilst here, we also went for a beautiful walk up some very steep streets and beautiful hilltop views. There’s a couple of Lord of the Rings locations nearby you can steal a snap in too and we found some yummy gluten free food in the form of pasta for 1154 Pastaria and eggs from Coene’s (beware of the gluten free fryer here though as apparently it’s right next to the gluten one so has spillovers).

11. New Plymouth: Coastal Charm

Truth be told, I was visiting family in New Plymouth, so didn’t do too much sightseeing or restaurant-eating! However, there are a few walks and beaches that are definitely worth the visit here (Paritutu Rock was a fun hike up to great views and also there’s a great black sand beach).

From reading, the Federal Store is known for its gluten-free selections, including great baked goods. Those who can eat gluten, there was a good paua pie here that my fiance loved! If anyone knows of gluten free paua pies, please let me know!!

12. Rotorua: Geothermal Wonders & Māori Magic

Rotorua has unique geothermal attractions which are a delight to visit, I hadn’t seen something like it since I went to Iceland.

However, the stand out for me in Rotorua was the fascinating experience learning about Māori culture in Te Pa Tu. Learn about this village’s culture and way of life, finishing the night with a scrumptious meal (yes – they can do it gluten free!). Read more about my experience here and at a secret hot tub excursion on my detailed Rotorua blog post.

13. Auckland & Waiheke Island: Wine, Dine & Fly

Conclude your trip in Auckland, where there is an abundance of gluten free eateries and activities! I ate so good here, and I definitely wasn’t short of options. Bagels, beer and bike rides summed up my time here. My FAVE spot here was Napoli Contemporanea – the fluffiest gluten free pizza I’ve ever had – but so do 100% gluten free ice cream shop Giapo Ice Cream as well as Best Ugly Bagels also deserve a shout < if you had one day in Auckland, I’d hit these all up through brunch, dinner and dessert.

We went to Waiheke Island and rode bikes around the island. This is a beautiful island full of wineries. I went to a little one called Postage Stamp where you could build your own charcuterie board with the wine tasting. The wine was tasty, the vineyard stunning and they had gluten free rice crackers to pair with the cheese so double points from me. There’s gluten free burger and chips here too at Too Fat Buns – a perfect spot for dinner before heading back to Auckland.

A note on the cycle, it was quite challenging! So I would only do this if you have the whole day to explore so you can take plenty of rest stops / are a keen cyclist.

Final Tips for a Smooth Gluten-Free Journey:

New Zealand is just an incredible country! I’m so happy I had the privilege of doing a road trip here, not just for the stunning scenery but also for the fantastic food. Here are some last tips to help you navigate your way safely around this beautiful country:

• Communication: Always inform restaurant staff of your dietary requirements to ensure meals are prepared safely. There’s lots of gf food! But that doesn’t always mean coeliac friendly.
• Preparation: Keep gluten-free snacks in your camper van for areas with limited dining options. Especially if you want to camp somewhere without kitchens, it’s super handy to stock up on gf snacks as well as condiments (like a hot sauce if you’re like me) and coffee/tea.
• Research: Utilize resources like Google maps, Find Me Gluten Free or even Gluten Free Itinerary for up-to-date information on coeliac-friendly establishments.

This trip reminded me how possible (and joyful) it is to travel safely and well as a coeliac. With a bit of prep and a spirit of adventure, New Zealand is truly a gluten-free dream.

This is a brief review to give you the route and major stops, but for all the juicy specific details (like specific gluten free eats and my recs for the best activities!) for each location please read my separate posts here.

Happy travels!