If you arrive in the South Island and never want to leave, we can’t blame you. From soul-reviving scenery – Milford Sound, Franz Josef Glacier, The Remarkables, Mount Cook – to forward-thinking cities, this pocket of NZ trips the light fantastic. On this South Island tour, you’ll absorb nature’s drama on scenic trains, sip away the afternoon in vineyards and discover life on the land with local kiwi farmers. First Choice
(B) Breakfast (L) Lunch (D) Dinner (SD) Specialty Dinner Tour Code: ZCQR
The renovated Distinction Christchurch Hotel combines sophisticated smarts and familiar warmth whilst standing proud amongst the buzz of the rejuvenation of Cathedral Square. Ideally positioned in the heart of the city only a few minutes’ walk from the Avon River, Botanical Gardens, Christchurch Casino, Cashel Mall and future Christchurch Convention Centre. The hotel offers air-conditioned hotel rooms out-fitted with the latest technology including large, flat screen Smart TVs. The stylish Gumption Restaurant & Bar is the perfect place to enjoy drinks and delicious cuisine with friends or colleagues. There is complimentary high speed WiFi and complimentary access to a new air-conditioned gym on level 3 of the hotel is also available to hotel guests.
The Mackenzie Country Hotel is located in Twizel in the heart of the Mackenzie Region. Featuring a beautiful garden setting with high country views, the Mackenzie Country Hotel is instantly recognisable by its classic stonework exterior, reflecting the distinctive mountain and river landscapes of the Mackenzie region. The spacious and mature grounds are a key feature of this idyllic country setting. The hotel has comfortable furnished bedrooms, with their own en-suites and private balconies or patios overlooking the gardens with mountain views.
Located in the heart of Dunedin, this hotel has been extensively refurbished and boasts a modern style and provides stylish inner city accommodation, giving the convenience of having entertainment, shopping and restaurants close at hand. Just a short walk from the Octagon, railway station, theatres, shops, and close to Otago university, it is the perfect location from which to explore Dunedin. Dating back to 1883, this landmark building now blends Dunedin’s distinctive charm and heritage with modern styles and comforts.
Conveniently located in the heart of Te Anau’s town shopping centre, a short stroll from Lake Te Anau, the Distinction Luxmore offers 2 on-site restaurants. Enjoy views of the township looking towards Lake Te Anau from Hilights Restaurant which is known for its excellent breakfasts and delicious carvery buffet dinners. Bailiez’s legendary café style menu and bar is popular among Te Anau locals and a great choice for relaxing after exploring Fiordland.
Millennium Hotel Queenstown is just minutes from Queenstown central shopping, entertainment and outdoor activities. The property features a business centre, gym and boasts contemporary city-inspired design. Most rooms offer scenic views of Queenstown city and mountains, providing the perfect backdrop to your trip.
The Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier is close to the edge of one of New Zealand’s most spectacular natural attractions. In the heart of Franz Josef village and on the edge of the Westland World Heritage Park, the Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier is very close to the spectacular Franz Josef Glacier. The hotel offers everything you need to be able to explore this dramatic region in style and comfort. With an exceptional restaurant, serving hearty, West Coast fare, and the Moa Bar with its open fireplace, you are never without choice. Free WiFi is available throughout the hotel.
Located right on the shores of the spectacular Tasman Ocean, bordered by greenery and only a few minutes walk from the famous Punakaiki pancake rocks and blowholes walk. Relax by the fire in the warm and friendly executive lounge, dine at the hotel restaurant which is open for breakfast, lunch or dinner or relax in the bar with stunning views over the ocean.
Christchurch is an fascinating city to explore. It was once a historic garden city. Since the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes it has turned into a fascinating city of regeneration and growth.
The central city is filled with cutting-edge architecture alongside some of the oldest buildings in New Zealand. But Christchurch is constantly evolving, always giving locals and visitors something new to explore. Expect street art and innovative projects, a bustling hospitality scene and established green spaces.
The Avon River runs through the city, bringing a natural landscape to the urban environment. Cruise along the picturesque river on a flat bottomed punt. Take a ride on a historic tram through the city. With wonderful parks and botanic gardens to explore Christchurch is a great place to visit.
Twizel is the largest town in the South Island’s Mackenzie District. It was purpose-built in the 1960s to provide a home for workers involved with the Upper Waitaki Power Scheme. And today’s its location makes it great base of mountain climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, skiing, horse trekking and hiking.
The town sits in the basin that characteries the district surrounded by canals, lakes and wide open plains and overlooked by the Southern Alps. The peaks and trails of Mount Cook National Park are just up the road.
Fish for salmon and trout in the stunning aqua-blue local waters. If you don’t have any luck, call into the salmon farm and buy a fish – fresh or smoked.
In summer Twizel’s population more than trebles, as holiday houses and camp grounds fill to capacity with New Zealanders on holiday.
Known as the ‘Edinburgh of the South’, Dunedin is a city that wears its Scottish heritage with pride. The small city boasts some eye-catching architecture and is one of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the Southern Hemisphere.
A gaelic language namesake of ‘Edinburgh’, Dunedin sits at the end of a long picturesque harbour surrounded by dramatic hills. There is so much to see and do here. Stroll through the city and its heritage buildings. Visit intriguing museums and historic homes like Olveston. Experience the rare wildlife found in the spectacular landscapes that surround the city.
The nearby Otago Peninsula offers endless views and beautifully rugged beaches. Nestled at the foot of Taiaroa Head is the Royal Albatross Centre — the only place in the world on the mainland where you can view Northern Royal Albatross in their natural habitat.
You will also find other wildlife including colonies of the world’s rarest penguin on the Peninsula. On the beaches, you will find fur seals and sea lions just lazing around and enjoying their natural habitat.
Dunedin’s heritage even extends to a real castle, high on the hills of the Otago Peninsula. Larnach Castle is New Zealand’s only castle and a much-loved piece of Dunedin history.
A two hour drive from Queenstown, Te Anau is a Southland town. A pretty lakeside town, it’s known as a gateway to Fiordland National Park.
Te Anau offers great views of the lake and mountains beyond and a good range of cafes and restaurants. The awe-inspiring natural beauty of the park’s wilderness, including Milford and Doubtful Sounds is within easy reach.
The region is home to many of NZ’s Great Walks, endangered flightless takahē birds and abundant trout in Lake Te Anau. Te Anau Caves feature a limestone grotto of glowworms and an underground waterfall. To the southwest, the Kepler Track winds through beech forests, glacial valleys and mountains.
Queenstown is a stunning resort town, renowned for its beauty and wealth of adventure activities, it sits on the shores of the South Island’s Lake Wakatipu. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Southern Alps mountains, Queenstown is also a base for exploring the region’s vineyards and historic mining towns.
Iconic adventure activities include bungee jumping off Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge and jet-boating on the Shotover and Dart rivers. And in winter, there’s skiing on the slopes of The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Cardrona ski resorts.
Queenstown is a hub of adventure, thrumming with adrenaline and an buzzing with a carefree sense of fun. But extreme activities aren’t the only options here. This world-famous resort town and its surrounding area boast many things to see, do, eat, drink and explore. Something for everyone at any time of year.
Famously described by Rudyard Kipling as the “eighth wonder of the world”, Milford Sound is a stunning fiord in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island.
The “sound” was carved out by glaciers during the ice age like all modern fiords. But it’s majesty and the drama of its surrounding mountains is hard to match. It is known for the towering Mitre Peak, plus rainforests and waterfalls like Stirling and Bowen falls, which plummet down its sheer sides.
When it rains in Milford Sound — and it often does — those waterfalls multiply with magnificent effect. Whatever the weather it really is a breath-taking sight.
Boat tours are a popular way to explore the inky waters of this pristine natural wonder. The fiord is home to fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins. Milford Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory offers views of rare black coral and other marine life.
Franz Josef is the name of both the glacier and the nearby village. The small but lively Franz Josef Waiau village is surrounded by lush rainforest with the high snow-capped Alps rising above it.
There are many ways to take in the natural attractions within a short distance of the village. Your options include a cycleway, walks of varying lengths, guided walks, kayaking, and action adventures like rafting or skydiving. You can also visit the white heron colony or see the world’s rarest kiwi.
A short distance from neighbouring Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier is one of the steepest glaciers in New Zealand. It descends from its origins high in the Southern Alps deep into the lush native rainforest of Westland’s National Park.
The glacier moves faster than your average glacier so no two days are the same. The main ice fall moves an average of 50cm per day, but steep sections can move as much as 10 metres in a single day. This creates some truly incredible features in the glacier such as ice caves, tunnels, seracs and crevasses; and all features are constantly changing and evolving.
Punakaiki is a small community on the West Coast of the South Island, between Westport and Greymouth. The community lies on the edge of the Paparoa National Park.
The Pancake Rocks are a very popular tourist destination. At Dolomite Point south of the main village you can explore a limestone landscape of pancake-shaped rock formations, blowholes and surge pools on a short, paved walk.
This all-weather walk takes you through curious limestone formations of ‘Pancake Rocks’ and blowholes.
The blowholes form from a mixture of compressed water and air from caverns below being forced upwards. They create a huge wall of spray and are at their best around high tide when there is a south-westerly swell.
Spectacular views, geological oddities, coastal forest, rich birdlife and marine mammals are highlights along this walk.
Cruise Lake Manapouri to take in the beauty of “New Zealand’s most beautiful lake”. Enjoy short walks, take a fascinating tour of Manapouri Power Station or access the wonders of Doubtful Sound.
Surrounded by the soaring peaks of Fiordland National Park, Lake Manapouri offers visitors stunning islands, sandy beaches, and stunning short walks. A boat cruise enables you to enjoy otherwise inaccessible short walks on Department of Conservation tracks. It also gives you access to a trip around Manapouri Power Station, a fascinating tour of a hydroelectric underground power station.
And it is your way to access Doubtful Sound. Carved out of granite by glacial action over millions of years, Doubtful is the biggest sound in New Zealand. It offers a chance to see a large variety of flora and fauna unique to the area. This includes tree orchids, ancient beech forests, seals, whales, dolphins and weka. But the most spectacular feature of Doubtful Sound is the waterfalls, which send tons of water cascading down the mountains.
The TSS Earnslaw offers one of the best ways to see Queenstown’s surrounding landscape. Cruise across Lake Whakatipu aboard the iconic century-old coal-fired steamship taking in the views at a leisurely pace.
An iconic piece of Queenstown’s history, The Earsnlaw has been lovingly maintained since 1912. Take time to explore the vessel, view the engine room, and study the historic displays of the steamship’s former life.
Your trip will take you across the lake, past the Remarkables mountain range and Cecil Peak to Walter Peak for a high country farm experience. Then you’ll cruise back to Queenstown Bay with plenty of time to take in that world-famous alpine scenery.
Located in Greymouth on the West Coast, Monteith’s Brewery is the original home of craft brewing in New Zealand. And this tour is a recognised Qualmark Gold visitor experience with beer!
Take a guided brewery experience tour to learn about all the wonders of craft beer and the brewing process in the state of the art, modern facility. Pour your own beer from the tap. Get some great discounts on great West Coast activities. Take home a 6 pack of your favourites. It’s all included in the tour price.
Enjoy a very special view of the South Island’s striking natural landscape. Take the Tranz Alpine train between Christchurch and Greymouth. See epic vistas, travel the edges of the ice-fed Waimakariri River, traverse the Southern Alps, and see miles of native beech forest.
You’ll cross the remarkabley flat Canterbury Plains overlooked by the majestic Southern Alps before eventually crossing the aqua-blue Waimakariri River. Tunnels, viaducts and feats of railway engineering take you across alpine passes where you’ll then travel through lush lake valleys towards the West Coast of the South Island. This iconic train trip is the journey of a lifetime.
The TranzAlpine is acknowledged as one of the world’s great train journeys. The 223 kilometre (139 mile) one-way trip takes just under 5 hours and connects Christchurch and Greymouth on the West Coast via Arthurs Pass through the Southern Alps.
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