This package includes:
- 11 Nights accommodation with ensuite bathrooms
- Rental car South Islands
- Ballooning Christchurch
- Flight and cruise to Milford Sound
- Heli-hiking Fox Glacier
- Caving tour near Westport
- Kayaking Abel Taman National Park
- Whalewatch Kaikoura
- Cost per person see below
Cost:
NZD$2907 per person
Using a Suggested Itinerary
Suggested Itineraries are prepared by GINZ.com to make planning your trip easier.
You can use the itineraries without any changes, edit them, add or remove dates and products.
Costs are based on two people travelling and staying in a twin/double room.
Day 1.
Arrive in Christchurch - Visit the Arts Centre and botanical gardens and enjoy a leisurely lunch at one of the many riverside cafes.
Day 2.
Drive to Lake Tekapo (190 km, 3 hours) Take a Grand Traverse Scenic Flight over Mt Cook and the glaciers. Take a walk around some of the tracks around Lake Tekapo, the South Islands highest town and enjoy the high country views and tussock lands.
Day 3.
Drive to Wanaka (196km, 2.5 hours).If you would like a closer look at Mt Cook, take a 40 minute side trip up to the village along the western side of Lake Pukaki. On a fine day the views here are stunning and there are a number of good easy short walks you take in the National Park.
Day 4.
Stay in Wanaka, a sublime tourist town on the edge of the 4th largest lake in New Zealand. There is plenty to do here with great walks around the lake and mountains, fishing and boating available, scenic flights up to the Mt Aspiring National Park and good restaurants and cafes to enjoy the view from.
Day 5.
Travel to Fox Galcier(260km, 5.5 hours) via Lake Hawea and the spectacular Haast Pass. A scenic flight by helicopter or helihike (both optional) is definitely recommended for the best views of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers and Mt Cook. Stay in Fox Glacier tonight.
Day 6.
Visit Gillespies Beach, take one of the many rainforest walks and walk around Lake Mathieson. Stay in Fox Glacier again tonight.
Day 7.
Drive to Punakaiki (250 km, 3 hours)with a stop off in Hokitika, where you can see Jade carvers at work. Take a walk down Trumans Track just north of Punakaiki at low tide and try to see the Pancake Rocks and blowholes at Dolomite Point at high tide. There are lots of good bush walks around the Paparoa National Park and the Fox River.Stay in Punakaiki.
Day 8.
Travel to Motueka (340 km, 4.5 hours) Driving North from Punakaiki towards Motueka today, take a Cave tour at Charleston up the beautiful Nile River or the short open top train trip through the native bush and limestone valley.Just South of Westport, take a short detour out to Cape Foulwind and the award winning Bayhouse Cafe for stunning views and fantastic food.From here you drive on up the Buller River to Motueka. Total driving time today is around 5 hours so plan to get away early in the morning for the caving trip.
Day 9.
Stay in Motueka.Use today to visit the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park. Drive to Marahau via Kaiteriteri to the Southern entrance to the park and the base for sea kayaking, boat trips and walks.(NB. the Park is the most visited in New Zealand and bookings are recommended for the summer months in particular). If time allows, the Pupu Walkway and Te Waikoropupu Springs, the clearest freshwater springs in the Southern Hemisphere, are well worth a detour.
Day 10.
Travel from Motueka to Hanmer Springs (360 km, 5 hours) via Murchison and the Maruia Springs with fine mountain scenery and upland beech forest. In Hanmer, relax in the Thermal Hot Pools after your long drive or take a walk up Conical Hill. Stay in Hanmer Springs tonight.
Day 11.
Travel to Kaikoura (180km, 2 hours). Join Whalewatch for an early afternoon trip. You may also like to swim with the dolphins here - in the waters off this peninsula, a complex marine system provides an abundantly rich habitat for marine mammals and seabirds, making it an ideal place for getting 'close to nature'. Stay in Kaikoura tonight.
Day 12.
Return to Christchurch (180 km, 1.5 hours) - GINZ can arrange accommodation in Christchurch or flights onto the North Island or Australia.
