This was a fabulous overview of the entire country. Highlights were the wilderness experiences - the forest bathing and the sound of silence on Doubtful Sound. This was a trip of a lifetime!! Well done.
I love, love, love New Zealand. This was one of my favorite GAdventures trip. Seeing New Zealand, with all the multi-sport activities, felt exciting and invigorating. I successfully did a couple of activities that were outside of my comfort zone. I didn?t want the trip to end. Eamonn Grant, as our CEO, was one of the best parts of the trip! How can I select my next GAdventures trip to be lead by Eamonn?
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Hostel
Age Range
12-100 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Auckland, Christchurch, Nelson
Auckland, Christchurch, Nelson, Lake Brunner, Franz Josef, Wanaka, Queenstown, Twizel, Rotorua, Tongariro National Park, Whanganui National Park, Raglan, Kaikoura
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This is the New Zealand you’ve always heard about – endless lakes, snow-capped mountains and pristine glaciers. Spend nine days discovering the best of the South Island with a passionate local leader at the helm. Encounter creativity and resilience in Christchurch, gaze at out-of-this-world stars in Lake Tekapo, get your adrenaline pumping in Queenstown, take your time in postcard-pretty Wanaka and stand in awe of the Franz Josef Glacier. With thrilling activities available around every corner, this adventure is sure to get your heart racing (and that’s just from the views!).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Accommodation on this trip is in mixed-gender multi-share dormitory style hostels with shared facilities. We are aware of a system functionality limitation incorrectly indicating "twin-share" when you manage your booking on our website.
This tour is a great way to see the major sights in New Zealand. Many optional activities offer for an additional price which you can choose to participate in or not. Our tour guide George, made the trip very memorable. He loves his country and his enthusiasm was contagious. Our group started as strangers and left as friends.
Our trip to the South Island of New Zealand was amazing. James, our guide was phenomenal, his passion for his country, traveling and guiding was contagious. We had the right amount of planned activities with time for optional experiences, also enough free time to do our own thing. G Adventures seems to attract like minded travelers. It was fun getting to know and hang out with our fellow travelers of different ages and from across the world.
Today is a free day to explore Christchurch at your own pace. Maybe chill out in the Botanic Gardens to see some of the native plants, or stop by the Canterbury Museum to learn about the region’s cultural heritage. Tonight, you’ll have another welcome meeting at a 6 pm to meet the new travellers joining you for the next leg of your adventure. After, why not head out to dinner at a local restaurant and get to know each other better.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Accommodation on this trip is in mixed-gender multi-share dormitory style hostels with shared facilities. We are aware of a system functionality limitation incorrectly indicating "twin-share" when you manage your booking on our website.
New Zealand’s South Island has a reputation as one of the most naturally beautiful places on earth, yet it still manages to defy expectations. On this 10-day round trip from Christchurch, you’ll be met with astonishing sight after astonishing sight as a local leader shows you what they love about their country. Get your heart racing in Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, discover the laidback delights of postcard-perfect Wanaka, stand in awe of the Franz Josef Glacier, and cross the Southern Alps on one of the world’s most spectacular train journeys. Between glacial lakes and snow-capped peaks, you’ll soon see what all the fuss is about.
Taking you from Christchurch to Queenstown via glaciers, wineries, lakes and fiords, this 10-day Premium trip showcases the natural beauty and thriving food and wine scene in New Zealand’s South Island. Forage for fresh ingredients with a local chef in Otago, cruise the quiet waters of Doubtful Sound and come face to face with endangered species – including New Zealand’s rarest kiwi bird – at a wildlife centre on the West Coast. With a knowledgeable local leader to guide the way, you’ll get to know the history and stories of landscapes shaped by the elements over thousands of years.
Hi, i have had the most exciting experiences of my life, we have seen and done every thing, accommodation was amazing,ing, we did have one night in a hostel which we all frowned upon but actually it was very clean and was in the town centre of Wanaka and actually turned out really well as we went out to dinner and came back and had a drink in the chill room where everyone came and met and we all chatted all evening which was lovely, our guide Kreig took us to a really lovely place for breakfast the following morning. We had to take a bit of a detour due to a landside which couldn't be helped but our guide more than made up for it making sure we were entertained on the coach doing quizzes with us, he made the trip so exciting for us so I believe we saw more than we would of done had we taken the route we should of taken and explore treated us to dinner to make up for it to.
I really do think we had the best guide we could of had ,Kreig became our friend and on the last night we all got quite emotional. His knowledge was phenomenal and was extremely passionate about his country, explained everything in a way we could understand and answered every question we asked, such a lovely man, he made the trip exciting for us and was an excellent driver, anyone that gets Kreig as their guide would be very lucky.
Dramatic peaks, glittering glaciers and geothermal wonders await on this 18-day Premium adventure through New Zealand. With a passionate local leader to guide the way, you’ll journey through a landscape shaped by the elements over thousands of years. Begin in the volcanic North Island, where you'll sip your way around wineries on Waiheke Island, explore the mythical world of Hobbiton and experience the generous hospitality of Tamaki Māori Village. Then, make your way to the South Island to walk through the ancient Rimu and Kamahi tree canopy, forage for fresh ingredients with a local chef in Wanaka and cruise the calm, quiet waters of Doubtful Sound.
Step into a captivating world of dazzling peaks, glittering glaciers, icy blue lakes and misty rainforests – it could only be New Zealand. Tucked among these awe-inspiring landscapes you’ll find contemporary cities and laidback little towns, every bit as intriguing as their epic surroundings. Spend 20 days uncovering the very best of New Zealand with a local leader at the wheel. In the South Island, the high-adrenaline activities of Queenstown, fabulous wineries of Marlborough, and awe-inspiring scenery of Franz Josef await. In the North Island, travel through the geothermal wonders of Rotorua, chill out on the beaches of Coromandel and Raglan, explore the otherworldly landscapes of Tongariro National Park and get to know Wellington’s creative side.
The tour operator was amazing. I fell in love with New Zealand. Simon was great guide and the small tour group made it even better as we all became close friends. I would highly recommend the tour operator to all my friends and Family. I loved every moment that I was in New Zealand. I would come back in a heart beat and travel with the operator again.
Fall in love with the highlights of this 10 day South Island itinerary that takes you on a circuit of spectacular mountains, lakes, rivers, glaciers, waterfalls and rainforests and gives you the opportunity to enjoy all the bucket list adventures you could wish for.
Created for travellers in their mid-thirties and upwards, on this New Zealand South Island itinerary you’ll visit Christchurch, Queenstown, Lake Wanaka, Lake Tekapo (and Lake Wakatipu, Lake Mapourika, Lake Hawea, plus more lakes!), the Mackenzie Country, and Franz Josef, plus you’ll get to take one of the world’s greatest train rides! Your comfortable 3–4 star accommodation on tour includes a boutique hotels and a rainforest retreat.
We’ll travel from the wide plains of Canterbury, through the mountains and lakes of Central Otago, to the glaciers and pristine rainforest of the West Coast via the spectacular Haast Pass. By the end of this New Zealand South Island itinerary, you will have lost count of the number of times you’ve uttered the words: “Wow!”, “So beautiful!” and “It’s breathtaking!”.
You’ll have the opportunity to swim, kayak, jet boat, skydive, hike, bike, see kiwis, relax in hot pools, eat and drink like a local, and more.
But only if you want to; this is your trip, and it’s designed to be flexible. Across this 10 day South Island itinerary we include some of the things that we reckon are absolute essentials, but rather than force you into activities you’re not so sure of, we leave the choice up to you. You can pre-book activities that you definitely want to do before the trip starts, and then add more while you’re on tour.
As our tours are made up of a combination of tours, the composition of your group may change throughout your tour (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch are the hubs where the group may change).