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Mount Cook and Christchurch Tour from Queenstown

Hotel Pick up included

Activity Schedule

  • When does it run?

    Daily

  • Duration

    11 hours

  • Start time

    7:45am

  • Meeting Point
    Your hotel in Queenstown
    (Please mention your hotel details at the time of booking. If you do not have this information now, please contact the local activity operator 24 hours prior to the start of the tour with these details.)
  • Ending Point

    Ashburton or Christchurch Hotels

Key Highlights

  • Marvel at New Zealand′s largest glaciers and highest mountains
  • Spectacular views and fabulous photo-opportunities at every turn
  • Be amazed at the intense blue waters of Lake Tekapo

Overview

Discover the breathtaking beauty of New Zealand’s Southern Alps on this delightful trip from Queenstown to Christchurch.

Drive through an alpine landscape of soaring mountains and plunging gorges to the magnificent Aoraki Mount Cook National Park.

Gaze in wonder at this starkly beautiful world of ice and rock. Blink at the dazzling white of the glaciers and the pristine loveliness of the tall peaks. See New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook, and her longest glacier, the Tasman.

Marvel at the brilliant blue of Lake Tekapo and learn the reason for the glorious colour of its waters. Visit the Church of the Good Shepherd and enjoy the peace and the tranquillity that surrounds it.

There are two options for the tour, with lunch included. The one-way trip ends at Ashburton or Christchurch, where you will be dropped at your hotel.

Itinerary

There are two options for your Mount Cook and Christchurch Tour from Queenstown, one with lunch included in the package. At the start of the day you will be picked up from your Queenstown hotel. Throughout the journey an informative commentary will be provided by your driver/guide.

Departing Queenstown you will enjoy a picturesque drive through magnificent scenery. The route takes you over the Lindis Pass into the Mackenzie Country, before continuing on to the stunningly beautiful Aoraki/ Mount Cook National Park. This is New Zealand’s great alpine park, home to the country’s highest mountains and largest glaciers. It contains 19 peaks over 3,000 metres, including New Zealand's highest mountain – Aoraki/Mount Cook at 3754 metres. Near the park entrance, you will see awesome views of New Zealand’s longest glacier – the Tasman Glacier, which covers an area of 101 square kilometres (39 sq m).

You will stop at Aoraki Mt Cook village for lunch at The Hermitage restaurant. (This is included in the package or payable direct depending on the option chosen and a sample menu is given under Additional Information section on this website.) Then re-board the vehicle for the journey past Lake Pukaki to Lake Tekapo. The lake is famous for the amazing turquoise blue of its waters. This intense colour is caused by the sunlight reflecting off particles of suspended rock dust.

On the lake shore you will see the solitary Church of the Good Shepherd, built in 1935 to commemorate the pioneers of the Mackenzie Country. Nearby is the bronze statue of a sheepdog, a tribute to the dogs that make the grazing of this mountain country possible.

From the Church you can enjoy magnificent panoramas of the spectacular Southern Alps mountain range.

Your journey then continues through the farmland of the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch where you will be dropped off at your hotel.

Inclusions

  • Hotel pick-up (Queenstown) and drop-off (Ashburton or Christchurch)
  • Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle (vehicle size depends on number of passengers)
  • English-speaking driver/guide
  • Entrance fees
  • 3- course lunch with coffee or tea (if option chosen)

Additional info

The confirmation voucher includes the local activity operator’s contact details and local telephone numbers at the destination. They will happily answer any logistical questions you may have.

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