From Christchurch: Queenstown via Tekapo & Mt Cook Day Trip

About This Experience

This one-way small-group tour turns the drive from Christchurch to Queenstown into a full sightseeing day, with a stop of 2 to 2.5 hours at Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. It takes about 13 hours, picks up from central Christchurch hotels and the Bus Interchange, and finishes in Queenstown, so it does not return to Christchurch. The guide gives commentary from the start, pointing out central city sights on the way out of Ōtautahi Christchurch.

The first breaks are 10 minutes in Geraldine and 10 minutes at Fairlie Bakehouse, where your lunch is pre-ordered. You then have 15 minutes at Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepherd, among the tussock country of the Mackenzie District, and 10 minutes at a lookout over glacier-fed Lake Pūkaki, whose color shifts from ice blue to deep blue with the weather.

At Aoraki/Mount Cook you can take the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint Track or the Hooker Valley Track, or stay in the village for the visitor center and the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. The guide can arrange a scenic flight, booked and paid separately. Delays on the road can cut this time short, so a full walk may not fit. At 2:15 pm the guide gives the collection time for the drive on to Queenstown.

The afternoon leg stops at High Country Salmon to feed the fish and taste the salmon, climbs to Lindis Pass for views down the valleys, then passes through Kawarau Gorge with a stop at the Kawarau Suspension Bridge before Queenstown. The listing says bookings from 1 November no longer guarantee the salmon stop and add brief stops at Wānaka and Cardrona. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours ahead.

Highlights

• 2 to 2.5 hours in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park for the Hooker Valley Track, the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint Track or the village
• 15 minutes at Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepherd
• A 10-minute lookout stop over glacier-fed Lake Pūkaki
• A 10-minute stop at High Country Salmon to feed the fish and taste the salmon (not guaranteed on bookings from 1 November)
• A photo stop at Lindis Pass, with views down through the valleys
• Kawarau Gorge and a 10-minute stop at the Kawarau Suspension Bridge on the final run into Queenstown

What's Included

• ✓ Pickup from central Christchurch hotels or the Christchurch Bus Interchange, with the tour ending in Queenstown
• ✓ Lunch pre-ordered from Fairlie Bakehouse, plus bottled water and Kiwi snacks
• ✓ Wi-Fi and USB charging on board
• ✓ Commentary from your guide throughout the day
• ✓ Small-group tour
• ✓ Carbon-neutral travel

Not Included

• Extra activities at Mount Cook or Lake Tekapo, such as scenic flights (book separately)
• Tips
• Return transport to Christchurch (the tour is one way)

What to Bring

• Everything you are taking to Queenstown, since the tour does not return to Christchurch
• Walking shoes if you plan to walk the Hooker Valley or Tasman Glacier track
• Warm, waterproof layers for 2 to 2.5 hours outdoors in the national park
• A card or cash for optional extras such as a scenic flight or the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre

Good to Know & Caveats

• This tour is one way and you will not return to Christchurch.
• Delays from other customers or road conditions can shorten your time in the national park, and you may not be able to finish a walk.
• At 2:15 pm the guide gives the collection time for the drive on to Queenstown, so keep an eye on the clock on the trails.
• Optional extras at Mount Cook, including scenic flights, are not included and are booked separately.
• From 1 November, bookings no longer guarantee the High Country Salmon stop, and brief stops at Wānaka and Cardrona are added to the route.
• The listing does not state a luggage allowance, so check with the operator before you travel with large bags.

Meeting Point

Pickup is included from central Christchurch hotels, including Rydges Latimer, Novotel Cathedral Square, Crowne Plaza, Sudima and The George, or from the Christchurch Bus Interchange. The tour finishes in Queenstown.