2-Day Christchurch to Queenstown Tour via West Coast | La Vacanza Travel

2-Day Christchurch to Queenstown Tour via West Coast

Duration: 1 day 8 hours
Destination: New Zealand, Canterbury, Christchurch
from
1862.17

Check Availability

  • 1 day 8 hours
  • Christchurch
  • E-Voucher
  • Lowest Price
  • Not-Cancellable

Overview

This a very popular 2 day and 1 night trip from Christchurch to Queenstown ( or in reverse ) via the South Island's rugged West Coast. Your guide will pick you up from your hotel and deliver you to the World renowned Tranz Alpine train, which bisects the Canterbury farming plains, foothills and mountains, before reaching the alpine village of Arthur's Pass. Your guide will meet you, show you some of the area before travelling onto the West Coast. You'll hear the history of Maori, greenstone, gold, visit historic towns like Hokitika and travel on south through stunning rain forests to the glacier country. Staying in Franz Josef the night gives you the opportunity of a helicopter glacier landing ( not included in the tour price ) as well a stunning photo opportunities. From here the journey continues south along the coast before eventually swinging inland over the dramatic Gates of Haast, finally heading past Lakes Wanaka and Hawea  and over the Crown Range road to Queenstown.

What Can You Expect?

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: TranzAlpine: Scenic Train Christchurch - Greymouth, Troup Drive, Addington, Addington, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand

Depart Christchurch on the world famous TranzAlpine™ train and cross the vast expanses of the Canterbury Plains. Travel through the dramatic gorge of the Waimakariri River and enter Arthur’s Pass National Park. Here, your guide will meet you and show you some of the highlights of the national park.

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Stop At: Franz Josef Glacier, Glacier Access Road Westland Tai Poutini National Park, Franz Josef, Westland Tai Poutini National Park New Zealand

Explore this unique glaciated region with its glaciers pushing into re-generating temperate rainforest and happening on a Pacific Island - truly very special! Short walks can be made to experience the rainforest with the glacier in the background and it’s shattered, glacier formed landscape. Overlooking this are the Southern Alps and the high peaks of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman. Walks that are available are to glacier viewpoints to witness the glacier’s descent down the mountain into the rainforest. An exciting helicopter ride to view the Southern Alps with a snow landing on the upper reaches of the glacier is also available. (Please note that the optional helicopter trips and scenic flights are not included in the tour cost)

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Gates of Haast, Haast Pass-Makarora Rd Mt Aspiring National Park, Haast 9382 New Zealand

A short stop to witness the Haast River passing through the gorge can be spectacular.

Duration: 10 minutes

Inclusions & Exclusions

Inclusions
  • Bottled water
  • Driver/guide
  • Live commentary on board
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Transport by air-conditioned minivan
  • Lunch
  • Entry/Admission - TranzAlpine: Scenic Train Christchurch - Greymouth

Exclusions
  • Overnight accommodation in Franz Josef

Additional Info

  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infant seats available
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
  • Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability

Departure Point

Departure Point

Christchurch Railway Station, Addington, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
Traveler pickup is offered
This tour has the option to run in reverse if requested. Longer pick up time required for Port/ Airport pick ups

Airports

  • Christchurch Intl Airport, Christchurch New Zealand


Ports

  • Lyttelton port


Departure Time

09:00 AM


Return Details

1: Queenstown, New Zealand
2: Wānaka, New Zealand

Duration & Voucher Info

Voucher info

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Duration

1 day 8 hours

Cancellation Policy

User's Reviews

cookingqueen2016

24 Jan, 2024

We had a great experience traveling from Queenstown to Christchurch with a 2 night stopover at the Hermitage in Mt Cook. Dave was an excellent guide. He showed us the best places to take photos, eateries, history etc.

sondraw139

05 Jan, 2024

We spent 9 days with Stewart, our guide from Canterbury Trails touring much of the South Island. Christchurch, Flying over Mt Cook, Queenstown, Arthur's Pass and more. Stewart loves his country-I know that because he shared his incredible knowledge on customs, geography, ecology, local industry-you name it! Every time he stopped for a meal, lunch or breakfast, the place he chose had excellent food. The BMW he drove was very nice and his driving was always with safety first. We spent many hours in the car in those 9 days getting from one place to another and we never got bored. Canterbury Trails is the best!

Sis H

13 Feb, 2023

We had a great guide (Dave) who allowed us to have a memorable trip under trying times (LOTS of rain). By driving incredibly scenic roads from Queenstown to Franz Josef, he took the stress of driving on the "other" side of the road so we could enjoy the sights. We stopped where we wanted and he made sure the roads ahead were safe. and passable. (About an hour after we arrived, the roads closed!) Even though the power was out in Franz Josef and our excursions were canceled, Dave came up with alternative activities that were truly memorable. (He knows the area really well and has lots of connections:) He didn't even blink an eye when I discovered I'd left my phone at a previous stop halfway up the Arthur Pass. Back we went, picked it up and had plenty of time to finish our journey. I would highly recommend Canterbury Trails (and Dave in particular).

TravelinMan1426

02 Mar, 2019

During our over three week tour of Australia and New Zealand where we experienced a variety of tours operators in both countries, we found that that Canterbury Trails was the absolute best operator in either country. While a huge part of this extremely positive experience has to do with our specific tour guide, Mandy Mitchell, that the company itself provides small personal touches from beginning to end made the experience a joy. Unlike other day tour operators we faced throughout our journey, Canterbury Trails pays attention to the details that make a travel experience memorable and positive. For example, when we checked into our hotel, a letter was waiting from the company welcoming us, telling us who our guide was going to be and instructions about appropriate clothing for the tour. Although the time of the tour start was already on our itinerary from our U.S. travel agent, that written Welcome was reassuring as our U.S. agent had gotten several tour times wrong. That Canterbury provided Mandy’s and the owner’s name, and the local contact information the day before the tour was reassuring and considerate. We first used Canterbury for the Akaroa day cruise in a small group and then the next day our party of three undertook a separate private tour, by train, and then by SUV through Arthurs Pass and then back east down to Queenstown. In both cases Mandy was our tour guide. She was superb, knowledgeable, energetic, friendly, and helpful throughout. As there was some inclement weather during parts of private tour, Mandy made several key suggestions that allowed us see more of the key sights along the way, making much better use of our time than what our travel agent had outlined. We expected to carry home memories of the South Island’s scenery and history. We didn’t expect that we would also bring back such fond ones of our tour guide.

klevycole

05 May, 2018

Canterbury Trails provided us with private tours of Christchurch & local wineries, then dropped us off for the Alpine train, followed us to Arthurs Pass where they picked us up & drove us down the west coast to Queenstown. Tea, our guide, was on time, professional, and thoroughly knowledgeable about all parts of the two tours we took. She went above & beyond -- from helping us find a replacement camera battery to making sure we were able to see Fox Glacier before dark -- all the while sharing a wealth of stories, local history, and particularly moving eye witness account of Christchurch in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake. We were truly sorry to part from her. We HIGHLY recommend Canterbury Trails -- this was one of the best experiences of our two week trip to New Zealand!

User's Picture Gallery

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Great Tour no matter what the weather

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