2-Day Christchurch to Queenstown Tour via West Coast | 32 hours

6 Reviews | Christchurch
From $1,433.80 per person Lowest Price Guarantee
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Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Bottled water
  • Lunch
  • Driver/guide
  • Live commentary on board
  • Transport by air-conditioned minivan
  • Overnight accommodation in Franz Josef

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.

Pickup points

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Pickup details

This tour has the option to run in reverse if requested. Longer pick up time required for Port/ Airport pick ups ... Read more â–Ľ

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Meeting points

Guide will be holding a sign displaying Guest booking name at check-in area.

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Itinerary

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    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.

    2 hours 30 minutes

  • Franz Josef Glacier

    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)

    2 hours

  • Gates of Haast

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

    10 minutes

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Specialized infant seats are available
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult

Free Cancellation

January 21100% refund
January 22No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews

5.0

6 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    6
  • 4 stars
    0
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    0
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Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 6 reviews with 5 stars

Great time with our driver David!

Published on Jun, 2024

5/5 review because David was fun, knowledgeable, efficient, and accommodating to requests. Especially driving Kate, our daughter, to bungee jump for the first time! It was fantastic! Sights are incredible the whole way… NZ is one of our favorites! Thank you for a fun 2 days!

Queenstown to Christchurch Road trip

Published on 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.

Would do it again in a heartbeat if NZ wasn't 13,000 miles away!

Published on 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!

Great Tour no matter what the weather

Published on 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).

Excellent Tour Operator Highlighted by a Superior Guide

Published on 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.

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