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West Coast Adventure: Queenstown to Franz Josef
5.0
61 Ratings
Queenstown
Journey from Queenstown to Franz Josef via Wanaka. Enjoy stunning landscapes, local stories, and a comfortable ride. Book your adventure now!
Journey from Queenstown to Franz Josef via Wanaka. Enjoy stunning landscapes, local stories, and a comfortable ride. Book your adventure now!
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Cardrona - Nestled on the stunning Crown Range Road between Queenstown and Wānaka, the Cardrona Hotel stands as one of New Zealand’s oldest and most iconic establishments. Its rustic allure, magnificent mountain backdrop, and rich history make it a must-visit in Central Otago.
- Wanaka - Enjoy a leisurely stroll to the lakeside for the iconic…
- Cardrona - Nestled on the stunning Crown Range Road between Queenstown and Wānaka, the Cardrona Hotel stands as one of New Zealand’s oldest and most iconic establishments. Its rustic allure, magnificent mountain backdrop, and rich history make it a must-visit in Central Otago.
- Wanaka - Enjoy a leisurely stroll to the lakeside for the iconic photo of the Wānaka Tree. Absorb the beauty of this vast lake, framed by Mt Aspiring and the Southern Alps—a true paradise for photographers.
- Lake Hawea - After crossing the mighty Clutha River, travel westward past the breathtaking Lake Hāwea. Pause for a quick photo at a scenic lookout between Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea.
- Blue Pools Track - Situated in Mt Aspiring National Park, the aptly named Blue Pools are a must-visit. This easy 3km round trip is well worth the effort to see the stunning blue waters of the Makarora River.
- Thunder Creek Falls - A simple 5-minute walk will reward visitors with a spectacular view of Thunder Creek Falls. This 28-metre waterfall, a remnant of a once-great glacier, cascades from a hanging valley.
- Ship Creek Walks - Traveling north along the border where ancient rainforest meets the ocean, stop at Ship Creek. Feel the sand between your toes and the crash of the relentless Tasman Sea waves. Explore the dunes via an easy 1km walking track.
- Bruce Bay - Here, dense native rainforest meets the seemingly endless open ocean. Bruce Bay truly highlights the best of the West Coast!
- Lake Matheson Walk - Continue to every photographer’s dream: Lake Matheson. On a calm day, capture Mt Cook elegantly reflected across this picturesque lake. This easy walk offers breathtaking views of the Southern Alps.
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Lunch
- Luggage allowance - 1 large & 1 small per person
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Lunch
- Luggage allowance - 1 large & 1 small per person
What's Not Included
- Scenic Flights / Heli Hike
- Scenic Flights / Heli Hike
Additional Information
Experience the ultimate adventure along New Zealand’s West Coast from Queenstown to Franz Josef via Wānaka. Our small group, fully-guided tour takes you to the picturesque Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea, over the stunning Haast Pass and along the beautiful West Coast beaches to Franz Josef.
Led by our passionate guides, this tour goes beyond the…
Experience the ultimate adventure along New Zealand’s West Coast from Queenstown to Franz Josef via Wānaka. Our small group, fully-guided tour takes you to the picturesque Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea, over the stunning Haast Pass and along the beautiful West Coast beaches to Franz Josef.
Led by our passionate guides, this tour goes beyond the destinations, offering secret stops, wildlife viewings, and delightful surprises along the way. Travel in comfort with modern minibuses, enjoy complimentary refreshments and provided lunch as you journey through one of New Zealand’s most picturesque regions.
At Cheeky Kiwi Travel, it’s the journey, the stories, and the small group experience that truly set our tours apart.
- Children safety/booster seats available to hire for NZ$20 per seat
- Tour duration includes travel time between locations
- Lunch is provided - kindly advise any dietary requirements
Location
The Station - Home of Adventure in Queenstown
Shotover Street
Pickup time: 7:00am. If your accommodation is yet to be confirmed, we ask that you select The Station - Home of Adventure for now. You can update this later.
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
5.0
(61 Ratings)
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Benjorama3
Mar 9, 2026
Intimate and personal - Fantastic, intimate tour taking in lots of incredible sights on the road between Queenstown and Franz Josef. Colin was a wonderful guide, the lunch was spot on at Hard Antler in Haast (I can recommend the venison burger) and the complimentary WiFi on the minibus was a nice touch. Cheeky Kiwi Travel really do offer a more personalised experience than most and utilising smaller transport means they can get to places the larger buses can’t access. Also, do not pass on the freshly-baked cheese scones at the Cardrona Hotel for breakfast!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ingridd809
Mar 1, 2026
One for the bucket list - Couldn't have wished for a better day to appreciate the Geography. Culture and history given to us by a driver who parted with a world of knowledge and pride and some very clever (and some corny)humour. All the makings of a great day..
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightseer22259089145
Feb 26, 2026
Amazing adventure on the west coast packed with tons of activities - Despite of the rain and skipping most of the longer hikes Jess did an amazing job keeping us entertained. A lot of activity packed in it including hikes and the included lunch at the pub in Hast was very yummy! Highly recommended. I also recommend to spend two nights in Fran’s Joseph to be able to do a hike or scenic flight to see the glacier. Glacier not visible from the town.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Krismede123
Feb 21, 2026
Excellent driver Ashur - Excellent driver. She knew all details. She wanted to help. She went out of her way to show the glacier
Review provided by Viator
Annadg5081pf
Feb 21, 2026
Great relaxed way to explore - A lovely relaxed tour up to Franz Josef, Shura was super accommodating, going above and beyond to be flexible and helpful throughout the trip and always checking in with the group to ensure everyone was happy with the schedule and the coach was super comfortable, the best we have had in New Zealand! We had snacks and water provided and the lunch stop was also delicious - a local restaurant with flexible menu options. The stops were all well timed and super scenic and we had ample time to stretch our legs and take photos, previous tours have been much more rushed. Our group ranged from mid 30s to mid 80s for a range of backgrounds. Shura’s commentary was interesting and knowledgeable and she made the effort to chat with the group and get to know us all - it was a great day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Treadwell129
Feb 14, 2026
Cheeky Kiwi a reat company with a great guide Logan - Collection from our motel was on time. We joined a full minibus, but there was ample room for our large suitcases. The seats were very comfy. Logan was a fabulous host on out trip very informative.
The toilet stops,coffee stops and lunch were all great.
Logan looked after us when we met up with friends in Greymouth.
Lunch options were great.
He brought our pre ordered lunch out to us so that we could spend every minute with our friends who live in Greymouth. They had come to meet us at Speighs.
You can book the trip but not the weather but we enjoyed the best of both today.
So glad we booked the trip. I would highly recommend Cheeky Kiwi and especially Logan as your guide .
Thanks 👌
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annafy9585oi
Feb 4, 2026
Great trip - This was a fantastic trip, filled with different stops, walks and views. So much packed into one day and with a friendly, welcoming and informative guide. With limited time in New Zealand this gave me a great taste of lots of different areas I'd love to come back to.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariaig3366um
Jan 28, 2026
Queenstown to Franz Josef Experience - Kristina and Shura were wonderful and knowlegeable. Took us to wonderful places and gave us a thorough enjoyable experience. Thank you for a fantastic day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
V216ujfionaf
Jan 28, 2026
Great way to get a taste of the western wilderness of South Island. - Informative fun tour guide/s and a very well designed itinerary with enough time to really get the feel of the location stops. Enjoyed the walks and commentary.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kentj884
Feb 4, 2026
Well done. Highly recommend for fewer cars & planes in travel. - Nice small group experience.
Informative guide.
Great stops for walking, sights, meal & bathroom breaks.
Speaker in back would be helpful or connection to ear buds (wired or wireless). Combination of poor sound volume & unclear voice resulted in most of commentary missed (sitting in back row)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
