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Queenstown to Christchurch: Mt Cook and Southern Alps
3.8
64 Ratings
Queenstown
Embark on a scenic journey from Queenstown to Christchurch via Mt Cook. Witness Lake Tekapo, Canterbury Plains, and Aoraki’s grandeur. Book your adventure now.
Embark on a scenic journey from Queenstown to Christchurch via Mt Cook. Witness Lake Tekapo, Canterbury Plains, and Aoraki’s grandeur. Book your adventure now.
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- GreatSights - The tour starts here
- Omarama - Take a rest break
- Aoraki/Mt. Cook - Welcome to Mt Cook National Park, one of New Zealand’s 14 National Parks. Spanning 70,696 hectares, it boasts the country’s highest mountains and largest glaciers. Established in 1953, the Maori name for Mt Cook is Aoraki, meaning ‘Sky Piercer’. This rugged…
- GreatSights - The tour starts here
- Omarama - Take a rest break
- Aoraki/Mt. Cook - Welcome to Mt Cook National Park, one of New Zealand’s 14 National Parks. Spanning 70,696 hectares, it boasts the country’s highest mountains and largest glaciers. Established in 1953, the Maori name for Mt Cook is Aoraki, meaning ‘Sky Piercer’. This rugged terrain of ice and rock features 19 peaks over 3,000 meters, including Mt Cook at 3,753 meters, the tallest mountain in New Zealand, though it was once 3,763 meters.
- Lake Pukaki - Lake Pukaki is the largest of three nearly parallel alpine lakes running north-south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin on New Zealand’s South Island. The other lakes are Tekapo and Ohau.
- The Church of the Good Shepherd - The stunning location of the Church of the Good Shepherd draws visitors worldwide. Take a few quiet moments to appreciate the serene beauty of the lake and mountains; it is considered God’s greatest cathedral.
- Geraldine Visitor Information Centre - Geraldine is a charming town known for arts, crafts, and market days, home to talented artists like Austen Deans and John Badcock, who have studios here. The town also offers culinary delights, including a local cheese maker, chocolatier, and the internationally acclaimed Barkers fruit products, all with outlets in Geraldine. Stop at the Kiwi Country Visitor Centre for morning and afternoon tea breaks and a comfort stop.
What's Included
- On-board WiFi
- Driver/guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- On-board restrooms
- Live commentary on board
- On-board WiFi
- Driver/guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- On-board restrooms
- Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Embark on a one-way scenic journey from Queenstown to Christchurch through Mt Cook, and marvel at the breathtaking beauty of the New Zealand Southern Alps. Witness the stunning views of the glacier-fed Lake Tekapo, the expansive Canterbury Plains farmland, and New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki (Mt Cook), located in a national park and UNESCO World…
Embark on a one-way scenic journey from Queenstown to Christchurch through Mt Cook, and marvel at the breathtaking beauty of the New Zealand Southern Alps. Witness the stunning views of the glacier-fed Lake Tekapo, the expansive Canterbury Plains farmland, and New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki (Mt Cook), located in a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your day tour of Mount Cook wraps up in Christchurch, the largest city on New Zealand’s South Island.
- All tours are operated by luxury 5 star coaches, equipped with air conditioning, rest-room facilities and reclining seats
Location
Athol Street
Bus stop Athol St in middle of the carpark (all-day parking is NOT available here)
Please arrive 15minutes prior to departure time.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.8
(64 Ratings)
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Jeevadavid
May 7, 2024
Best Coach Driver gives the best expereince - We are here to share our poistive feedback about Brian our Coach Driver / Tour Guide/ Encyclopedia etc.
It was an epic tour all because Brian went out of his way to explain and provide information about things we did not even know existed in the first place.
Thank you Brian.
We did the Greymouth to Franz Josef (Great scenery)
Franz Josef to Queenstown (almost dream and picturisque)
Queenstown to Christchurch via Mt Cook (the best because Brian was heading it)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Frandavies57
Mar 27, 2020
Stunning scenery & outstanding commentary - something to interest every passenger - We did the full day trip last month with driver Stuart on a GreatSights bus. It was a well-paced day with lots of stops at places with good travel food, clean toilets and/or photo opportunities. Stuart quietly explained the landscape & told stories that highlighted an aspect of places all along the journey. He pointed out glaciation evidence, infrastructure projects and historically important locations. We heard about famous people & animals who hailed from places along the route, eg Rutherford the physicist, Shrek the sheep and many more. He touched on issues such as the politics of the fur trade, the growth of the dairying industry & explained what we were looking at as we cruised comfortably in the well appointed bus. A thoroughly enjoyable day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vule
Feb 14, 2020
Highly recommend - Very informative, friendly and efficient bus driver. Scenic route. Would love to have more photo stops when reaching near mt cook (before heritage hotel)
Overall - an enjoyable experience
Review provided by Viator
Lcoo2020
Feb 1, 2020
Long but beautiful drive - Our bus driver/guide was Stewart. He has full of information about the geography of the land, farming practices in NZ, as well as important (but unknown to us) Kiwis. It helped to pass the LOOONG drive. The scenery through the mountains, Aoraki/Mt Cook, lakes Putaki and Tekapo were all amazing. Buffet lunch at the Hermitage was delicious. Great way to see the country as you travel from one place to another without having to drive the mountain roads yourself.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Geminican
Dec 31, 2019
Long but an awesome way to travel from Queenstown to Christchurch - A very long trip but you get to see the one of the most beautiful scenic route in New Zealand. Lunch buffet in Hemitage Hotel was great. Really enjoyed it after a long morning ride from Queenstown. They gave you plenty of time to enjoy the buffet and take pictures.
The afternoon journey was also great by stopping by the Church of Good Shephard, it's beautiful, wish we had a bit more time, like 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes stop.
Arrived Christchurch around 8pm. Long but worthwhile.
Great views from both sides. But sitting on the right side of the bus gives you a higher chance for a better view, the frequency is higher.
There is a toilet on the bus.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shereenp
Feb 26, 2020
Touring in the rain - The bus was comfortable. The driver friendly and informative. Both my husband and I enjoyed the bus ride very much.
Unfortunately it was a little dampening because it was raining the whole way through.
Review provided by Viator
Ramupapa
Jan 10, 2020
Sightseeing - You can also stop off at Mount Cook or Lake Dekapo for a full day. Because of the one flight a day, I got off the train and it was a full day stay. It was very convenient because it could be used as a transportation and sightseeing. A bus from Christchurch and a bus from Queenstown met at Mount Cook in between, with the cars intact but drivers changing buses and returning to the starting point.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bevzaifman
May 9, 2020
Very long day - Not sure this was worth it...it was a very long day to see some beautiful scenery which we had seen all over New Zealand. Although Mt Cook is historically significant, and beautiful, once you've seen the Rocky Mountains in Canada, it pales in comparison (I know I shouldn't compare)....I'll repeat: it's a very long day with most time spent on a coach bus.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donya_a
Feb 7, 2020
Bus ride - Beautiful countryside and views of Mt. Cook...it is a very nice ride if you have the time...a lot of it is dropping off and picking up people along the way...
Review provided by Viator
261carolh
Jan 8, 2020
Very long day. - Our very long day began with a pickup problem. We had specified a hotel pickup and booked a hotel that would accommodate that, but our confirmation specified that we would be picked up at a lot several blocks from our hotel, so, at extra expense, we booked a cab to that location. When we arrived at the lot, the tour bus was there, loading passengers, but the driver, Stuart, was surprised to see us because we were on his list to be picked up at our hotel! In the end everything worked out, except for the extra cost ($11.20) and a half hour earlier start to our day.
Stuart was very knowledgeable and full of interesting bits of knowledge. The scenery was spectacular but there were too many stops for snack and coffee breaks which made for a very long day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
