11 Day South Island tour

Kia Ora (hello) and welcome to Christchurch, where you’ll begin and end your tour. Depart early this morning aboard a public bus service (unguided) to Picton where you’ll meet your Guide and group. We’ll depart from the Picton Villa around and set off through the picturesque Marlborough  region. We’ll continue through to Marahau, situated right on the edge of the spectacular Abel Tasman National Park where we’ll spend our evening relaxing around the campfire and looking at the stars. (B)

Today is a full free day to explore New Zealand’ most popular national park. From our accommodation, we can hike straight into the park (no water taxi required) and then it’s a cool 12kms to Anchorage. The walk is absolutely beautiful with the park’s natural golden sand beaches and brilliant blue waters visible throughout. The walk is approx. 4 hours each way but there’s enough photo stops en-route to spend an entire day exploring, checking out Cleopatra’s Pools (yes there’s a natural water slide there), enjoying a picnic on the beach, relaxing in the sunshine – the world is our oyster. (B)

We’re buckling up for an awesome day driving down the incredibly scenic ‘wild’ West Coast, an area known for its untamed beaches and masses of lush rainforest. Through Buller Gorge and down a stretch of road named one of the top drives in the world by Lonely Planet, there’s not much cell phone reception but we’re not going to need it. This road offers views for days and we won’t want to stop looking out the window for a second. We’ll stop at the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and blowholes to explore this unique part of coastline before continuing on to the vibrant, artistic township of Hokitika. Our accommodation tonight is absolute beachfront, located on the shores of the Tasman Sea. Treat yourself to some dinner in their Ocean View restaurant or go for a walk and explore Hokitika. (B)

It’s a short drive today towards the charming little village of Franz Josef. The landscape will change from coastline to dramatic, lush rainforest so basically another day of incredible views and stunning � scenery (have your phone charged for pics). We’ll get to Franz Josef around lunchtime, and we’ll have the rest of the day to explore the town or relax at our accommodation. (B)

Ice, ice baby! Today is about experiencing Franz Josef Glacier, an iconic highlight of the West Coast and New Zealand in general. We can get a shuttle to the beginning of the track and then hik through native bush and across glacial streams to the terminal face of the glacier for spectacular photos or just relax in the township and enjoy the views. If you’d like to see the glacier up close you can go for an incredible heli-hike and actually stand on the glacier! (B)

This morning we’ll go for a scenic walk around Lake Matheson, known for its stunning views and mirror-like quality on particularly still days, and then we’ll make our way to Queenstown. Known in New Zealand as the ‘Adventure Capital of the World’ and the spiritual home of bungy jumping, Queenstown is a crazy combination of adventure and entertainment. We’ll stop at Kawarau Bridge on our way into town a.k.a. the first commercial bungy jumping site in the world and watch people jumping off with only a rope tied to their ankles. We highly recommend ticking this off your list if you’re feeling brave but otherwise, we’ll just cheer on our mates from the viewing platform! When we get to Queenstown we’ll head straight to our accommodation. Stay at the Mercure Resort will provide a touch of luxury to your Queenstown adventure, with a swimming pool, fitness centre and sauna, it’s the best way to relax and ease yourself into life in this truly stunning resort town.(B)

Today we’ll hop aboard a Coach which will take us to the iconic Milford Sound. We’ll drive along one of the most scenic alpine roads in the world and then cruise across the Sound (fun fact: it’s not actually a sound, it’s a fjord!) to see towering Mitre Peak plus rainforests and waterfalls, as well as spotting some amazing wildlife like Fur Seals, Penguins and Dolphins. Once we’ve snapped as many pics as we possibly can, it’s back to Queenstown. This evening, we recommend checking out the buzzy nightlife and sampling a famous Fergbuger or just checking out one of the many restaurants Queenstown has to offer. (B)

Yaaaasssss Queen(stown)! We’ve got a full day in the adventure capital today. With beautiful mountain scenery and plenty of outdoor activities, it’s easy to understand why so many backpackers refuse to leave this place. We’ll have brekkie at the hotel and then the rest of the day is freeeee. (B)

Free activities: Hike Ben Lomond, the Queenstown Hill, or Bob’s Peak

We’ll depart Queenstown early to drive over the Lindis Pass and through the Mackenzie Country, past the vivid blue waters of Lake Pukaki on the way to our amazing stop at the base of New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki/Mt Cook. We’ve made this drive sound great but honestly – we reckon it’s one of the most stunning days you’ll have in the whole of NZ.

We arrive in the early afternoon with time to do an optional experience like a boat tour on a glacial lake surrounded by snow capped alps (sounds epic? It is.) Alternatively we can check out the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre or do one of the many great short walks in the park. We would be remiss if we didn’t recommend the Hooker Valley track (weather dependent) which in our opinion is in the top 3 day walks in NZ. If it’s a clear night, head outside to experience one of the best stargazing spots in the country. (B and D)

Leaving Mount Cook we make our way through a landscape made famous by the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films. We’ll stop to check out the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepherd (an iconic photo stop) and if you like you can go and relax in the Tekapo hot pools, do some snow tubing or ice skating (winter only) or hike up to the Mt John Observatory for incredible views of the lake from above. After lunch, we’ll continue to our overnight stop in Christchurch where we’ll spend the afternoon wandering the city streets and laneways to discover creative street art intended to bring cheer and colour to a city once buried in rubble. (B)

Today our adventure comes to an end, we’ll say goodbye (or see you soon) to our mates and go our separate ways for now.  (B)