Day 4: At leisure in Queenstown - activities and day tours
Today is yours to make the most of the infinite number of activities Queenstown has to offer.
Your Kiwi Guide can help you choose - a jet boat ride on the Dart River in Lord of the Rings scenery, wine tasting at vineyards, e-biking or cruising on the heritage steamship tss "Earnslaw" on Lake Wakatipu, and many more.
Day 5: Queenstown - Arrowtown - Cardrona Valley - Wanaka
We call into picturesque Arrowtown where gold mining history comes alive beside the Arrow River.
From the Crown Range we take in the last views of the Wakatipu basin. We stop for refreshments at historic Cardrona Hotel before arriving at Edgewater Resort, our lakeside hotel in Wanaka.
Enjoy a walk or bike along the lakefront trail.
Day 6: Wanaka - Haast Pass - Lake Matheson - Franz Josef
We drive beside lakes Hawea and Wanaka and into the mountain and river scenery of the Haast Pass.
There are short walks in the beech forests to waterfalls and coastal scenery at Ship Creek to enjoy. Lush rainforest lines the road as we head north to Fox Glacier, Lake Matheson and on to Franz Josef.
Day 7: FranzJosef - Hokitika - Punakaiki
The morning is free to walk to Franz Josef Glacier lookout, take an optional helihike or flight onto the Glacier, or cruise out on Okarito Lagoon in search of the rare Kotuku, White Heron.
In Hokitika meet the carvers of the treasured Pounamu (greenstone) before reaching Papamoa National Park and Scenic Hotel Punakaiki, our home for two nights.
Day 8: Punakaiki - Paparoa National Park - Cahrleston - Cape Foulwind
See the Pancake rocks, blowholes, limestone cliffs, karst rock formations and river valleys of subtropical rainforest. Further up the coast historic Denniston Plateau gives an insight into the lives of early coal miners and their families.
Walk to an isolated beach and the seal colony at Cape Foulwind or enjoy a favourite option, the glow worm cave at Charleston before returning down the coast road to Punakaiki. Celebrate our adventures over dinner tonight at the Scenic Hotel.
Day 9: Punakaiki - Arthur's Pass - Christchurch
Leaving the West Coast we drive up the Otira Viaduct, a spectacular cantilevered road, to the alpine beech forests and river scenery of Arthur’s Pass National Park.
We stop to take short walks in the forest and to the massive rock formations at Kura Tawhiti Castle Hill. The dramatic landscapes make a fitting finale to your adventure. We descend Porter's Pass and leave the mountains behind, crossing the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch.
