Southern Spectacular
Southern Spectacular
Southern Spectacular
10 Days Starting and ending in Christchurch
Visiting: Christchurch, Canterbury Plains, Lake Tekapo, Oamaru, Dunedin, Fiordland National Park, Pomona Island, Waiau River, Lake Manapouri, Glowworm Caves, Te Anau, Mirror Lakes, Milford Sound/Piopiotahi, Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, Arrowtown, Franz Josef/Waiau, Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere, Hokitika, Punakaiki, Monteith’s Brewery, TranzAlpine train
Tour operator:
Tour code:
ZCQR24
Age range:
16-
Tour operated in:
EnglishInterests:
Cultural, Eco Conscious, History, Rail Tours, Wildlife Tours
Activities:
Tour Overview
Southern calling? This trip to New Zealand unites some of the country’s most fabled playgrounds – think adventure-filled Queenstown tours, a World Heritage listed Milford Sound/Piopiotahi tour and possible gem-like Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere tours – with some of its must off-the-radar pockets. Have you heard of the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, or glimpsed the turquoise lakes outside Twizel?
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Welcome To Christchurch
Location: Christchurch
Accommodation Name: Distinction Christchurch Hotel
At once forward-thinking and fun, Christchurch is the kind of city you could lose yourself in for a week – or more. You have this afternoon, so make the most of it. We recommend riding the rails on the vintage Christchurch Tram, a narrated hop-on, hop-off experience that loops around town, your host pointing out historic architecture and new developments that have popped up since the 2010/2011 earthquakes. Time to meet your fellow adventure-seekers over a Welcome Reception.
Day 2 : Christchurch - Twizel
Location: Christchurch, Canterbury Plains, Lake Tekapo
Accommodation Name: MacKenzie Country Hotel
If you didn’t get your Christchurch bearings yesterday, you certainly will on today’s city tour, taking in the record-breaking Transitional Cathedral – who knew you could build a church from cardboard? The buildings of the city fade into a patchwork of farms as you ease across the Canterbury Plains toward Morelea. Here, Angie and Stan Taylor welcome you to their home with a slap-up Be My Guest afternoon tea and tales about life on the land. And this land is truly dramatic, backdropped by powdery mountains and cut with turquoise lakes, none quite as pretty as Lake Tekapo, on its banks the stone-hewn Church of the Good Shepherd.
Day 3 : Twizel - Dunedin
Location: Oamaru, Dunedin
Accommodation Name: Scenic Hotel Southern Cross
Oamaru has a rich history and proud heritage, enriched by passionate and perhaps quirky locals. Explore the shops, galleries and traditional crafts within some of the Southern Hemisphere's most complete Victorian streetscapes. You’re en route to Dunedin, replete with rolling green meadows and grand stone castles. It kind of feels like you’ve been transported to Scotland – small wonder it’s known as the ‘Edinburgh of the South’. Afternoon at your leisure, we recommend a visit to Speight’s Brewery – a New Zealand institution. And pretty much everything in between. There’s always that castle to explore… Larnach may not have the history of Scotland’s grand estates, but it’s just as pretty in our humble opinion. A NZ holiday must.
Day 4 : Dunedin - Te Anau
Location: Dunedin, Fiordland National Park, Pomona Island, Waiau River, Lake Manapouri, Glowworm Caves
Accommodation Name: Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas
Leave Dunedin’s pastoral sheep-farming countryside behind as you venture into World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park, a place of yawning gorges and gem-like glaciers, and azure lakes so large they have their own islands. Case in point Pomona Island, where a charitable trust of passionate volunteers works to restore flora and fauna. With your help. Take a thrilling jet boat ride down the Waiau River to Lake Manapouri and if that's not enough water for one day, you may choose to cruise to the iconic Glowworm Caves. Can we tempt you?
Day 5 : Te Anau - Queenstown
Location: Te Anau, Fiordland National Park, Mirror Lakes, Milford Sound/Piopiotahi, Queenstown
Accommodation Name: Millennium Hotel, Queenstown
Nature rules again today, from the moment you depart Te Anau and begin your journey deep into the heart of Fiordland National Park. Think native rainforests, beech forests, alluvial flats and meadows; Mirror Lakes perfectly reflecting mountain scenery; and precipitous lookouts holding guard over alpine rivers. And this is just the entrée. The main course is your Milford Sound/Piopiotahi tour, where you cruise in the company of dolphins that frolic under the torrent of mighty Bowen and Stirling Falls, and gaze at misty escarpments so sheer they appear to cleave off the edge of the Earth. You’re in the company of a naturalist who knows every nook and cranny of this mighty cavern and will point out flora and fauna you would have never spotted on your own.
Day 6 : Queenstown Free Time
Location: Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu
Accommodation Name: Millennium Hotel, Queenstown
Take today at your own pace. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on a high-octane jet boat ride, perhaps. Prefer wine to get your heart started? See why Central Otago makes some of the world’s most raved about cool-climate pinots on a cellar door tour. Wherever your daily wanderings take you, reunite with your companions come dusk to glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw, your barbecue Highlight Dinner served on the grounds of Walter Peak High Country Farm.
Day 7 : Queenstown - Franz Josef/Waiau
Location: Queenstown, Arrowtown, Franz Josef/Waiau, Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere
Accommodation Name: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier
In the shadow of the Remarkables, Queenstown is pretty spectacular. But it has some stiff good-looks competition from neighbouring Arrowtown, with its movie-set tree-lined avenues and 19th-century buildings that once housed gold-rush fortune-seekers. Things grow well in this verdant countryside, from cherries to pinot grapes and all manner of stone fruit. Prepare for a flavour explosion. The next explosion is a visual one as you arrive in the town of Franz Josef/Waiau, home to Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere. Get some perspective of this immense ice fall on an optional helicopter flight – you may even get to land on it.
Day 8 : Franz Josef/Waiau - Punakaiki
Location: Franz Josef/Waiau, Hokitika, Punakaiki
Explore the small but lively Franz Josef/Waiau village before venturing to Hokitika, home of New Zealand's native jade greenstone. Then soak in the natural surroundings as you head to Punakaiki to view the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, where waves thunder through cracks in the Earth. This is the soundtrack that lulls you to sleep at tonight’s eco-resort.
Day 9 : Punakaiki - Christchurch
Location: Punakaiki, Monteith’s Brewery, TranzAlpine train, Christchurch
Accommodation Name: Distinction Christchurch Hotel
Wine may steal the scene across much of New Zealand, but at legendary Monteith’s Brewery, beer rules. Sip your way through a tasting paddle of XPA, IPA, lager and pale ale because, hey, you’re not driving to the station where your TranzAlpine train awaits. Just as well lunch is included. This is one of those experiences where the journey matters just as much as the destination, as you sweep through tunnels and over viaducts with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys. What a way to end a day.
Day 10 : Farewell From Christchurch
Location: Christchurch
Wait, the last 10 days flew by. Return home with new friends, a full SD card on your camera – and even more memories.
What's Included
Mode of Transport
Day 1 – flights to arrive by 4.00pm into Christchurch Airport
Day 10 – flights to depart any time from Christchurch Airport
Flights are not included in the holiday price
Return airport to hotel transfers are included in the holiday price
Accommodation
Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodation for your comfort. The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes: Distinction Christchurch Hotel, MacKenzie Country Hotel, Scenic Hotel Southern Cross, Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas, Millennium Hotel, Queenstown, Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier.
Check out our Q&As
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Who will be my travelling companions on the tour?
The beauty of taking a holiday with us is you’ll have the opportunity to meet and travel with people from all over the globe.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
It is important to adhere to departure times while on tour for the comfort of everyone on-board, and to make sure no one misses out on the planned experiences. The coach will not be able to wait for you, and in some instances, if you miss a departure time you will need to make your own way to the next destination to re-join the tour.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
AAT Kings operated Guided Holidays have competitive single supplement rates available if you prefer to confirm your own room. Or we can match you to share with a guest of the same gender at no extra cost. If we fail to match you, we will accommodate you in a single room at no extra cost.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Over 100 years
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
We will email your documents to you approximately four weeks before your departure date provided you have completed your pre trip registration using the My Travel Portal. If you’ve booked through a travel agent, your documents will be emailed directly to your agent.
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Low Deposit
AAT Kings requires a minimum deposit of 100 GBP per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 60 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of aat kings charges.
Up to 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 59 days before tour starts: Forfeit 30% of booking price.
At 15 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 7 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.
At 1 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.