If you're planning a South Island road trip, Christchurch is the obvious place to start. It has the widest choice of campervan and motorhome rental depots on the South Island, an international airport with direct connections, and open highways heading in every direction within minutes of leaving the city. But that also means the direct routes there are the busiest roads on the South Island. Either way, you'll have covered a part of the South Island most visitors never see. Wine TastingAt the top of the South Island sits the Marlborough wine region, arguably the most famous in the country.