Ultimate South Island 10 Days
South Island (Reversible)
The South Island was chosen by US News as the world’s best place to visit in 2022, with Fiords, Glaciers, and Mountains, this tour has it all. Combine this with our 10-day Ultimate North Island tour to experience ultimate New Zealand.
Travel Style: Private driver I Self-drive I Independent Coach
Accommodation Style: Motel I Hotel I Boutique Lodges
Talk to us today about planning all the details.
Day 1: Arrive Christchuch
Suggested activities for Christchurch
Explore: Christchurch
New Zealand's garden city is steadily being transformed into a vibrant urban destination. Encompassing a large green belt, it is known for its wide tree-lined avenues and lush gardens. A great way to explore is to take the double-decker hop on/hop off bus for an easy way to see the sights – or ride a historic tram across town to the renowned botanic gardens and the unique cardboard Transitional Cathedral.
Day 2: Christchurch to Franz Josef Glacier
World Famous: The TranzAlpine Scenic Train
Considered one of the world's great train journeys, the TranzAlpine Scenic Train takes you from Greymouth to Christchurch. You'll travel across the South Island from the west to the east coast through Arthur's Pass National Park. From the comfort of your carriage see lush beech forest, deep river valleys, and the spectacular peaks of the Southern Alps. Descend to the windswept Canterbury Plains before arriving in the city of Christchurch.
Day 3: Franz Josef
Suggested activities for Franz Josef
Explore: Franz Josef Glacier
Franz Josef is a small but lively town in the heart of the West Coast, known for its 12km long glacier. Surrounded by lush rainforest-clad mountains the township has a vibrant and bustling atmosphere. To see the ice from a viewpoint you can walk along the valley floor to the viewpoint below the terminal face. However, to go on the glacier itself you must take a licensed helicopter tour.
Adventure: Half Day Franz Josef Glacier Eco Tour
Enjoy walking through regenerating forest for your first glimpse of the magnificent Franz Josef Glacier. Your experienced guide will take you off the beaten track as much as they can safely, to discover hidden waterfalls and 'dead' ice, and lots of other treasures.
Adventure: Franz Josef Glacier Helihike
Take a scenic flight over all three Franz Josef glacier icefalls. Landing high on the glacier, take a two-hour guided trip through some of the most beautiful terrain in the country. Your guide will choose the route as you go through a wonderland of blue ice and frozen pinnacles. You'll have endless views of the surrounding mountains and rainforest as well as plenty of opportunities to take photographs.
Day 4: Franz Josef to Queenstown
Heading south, you pass through the small town of Fox Glacier. A short side trip to view the glacier is recommended before heading along the coast and through more classic West Coast bush scenery. At Knights Point Lookout, fur seals and even elephant seals can often be seen basking on the sandy beaches at the far end of the point. Crossing the Haast River, you’ll turn inland and through the mountainous valley studded with waterfalls. Continue on past lakes Hawea and Wanaka into the alpine township of Queenstown
Day 5: Queenstown
Suggested activities for Queenstown
World Famous: TSS Earnslaw cruise to Walter Peak including gourmet BBQ dinner and a farm tour
Enjoy a quintessential Kiwi experience – a delicious gourmet BBQ buffet meal and a farm demonstration in a stunning lakeside setting.
Take in the stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and its surroundings as you cruise across the lake to the historic Walter Peak high country farm aboard the TSS Earnslaw Steamship.
After dinner, watch the farm dogs in action with a sheep-herding demonstration and say hello to the other farm animals.
Adventure: Arrowtown and Skippers Luxury 4WD Private Tour
Embark on an immersive journey through the historic charm of Arrowtown and the exhilarating adventure of Skippers Road on our luxury 4WD private tour. With the comfort and safety of our premium vehicle, you'll experience the thrill of this historic route like never before
Day 6: Milford Sound from Queenstown
Suggested activities
Nature: Tour Cruise Tour 12 Hours
This full-day experience journeys to Milford Sound via road with photo stops in Te Anau and the Fiordland National Park. Next, take a Milford Sound cruise famous for its wildlife and epic waterfalls. The experience ends with a return road tour to Queenstown
Optional scenic flight return to Queenstown (this reduces the tour to 7.5 hours)
Nature: Fly Cruise Fly 4 Hours
Take a 30-minute scenic flight of the Southern Alps followed by a 90-minute boat cruise in Milford Sound. Then return to Queenstown by another scenic flight.
Nature: Milford Ultimate Heli-Tour 4 Hours
Relaxed and unhurried, this remarkable tour takes off from Queenstown and flies over high-country peaks before venturing into the World Heritage-listed Fiordland National Park, a wonderland filled with towering mountains, waterfalls, and native rainforest. Take in the majestic Milford Sound, stroll along the wildly beautiful, uninhabited West Coast beaches, see the blue ice glaciers high in the Alps and discover the fiords' coastal rainforests. As you touch down at each of the four landing sites, the helicopter will shut down so you can enjoy the sublime quiet of the mountains.
Day 7: Queenstown to Aoraki/ Mount Cook
Travel through Central Otago past the stone fruit capital of Cromwell and the amazing Lindis Pass. Catch your breath in Omarama before taking in the view of Aoraki Mount Cook (New Zealand's tallest mountain) from the shores of Lake Pukaki, known for its glacier-fed turquoise blue color. Continue along the lake to your final destination, Mount Cook Village.
Food: High Country Salmon
Caught from the crystal clear water of Lake Pukaki, high country salmon is a popular delicacy on the way to Queenstown.
Day 8: Aoraki/ Mount Cook
Suggested activities Aoraki Mount Cook
Scenery: Heli or Ski Plane Flight
This Mount Cook helicopter tour or ski plane adventure is the ultimate way to see the Southern Alps. Traverse the Main Divide to the West Coast and view the magnificent landscape of the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. Track north along the Tasman Sea before recrossing the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps to the Tasman Glacier.
Adventure: Mt Cook Helicopter Experience
Landing amidst the crevasses of the Tasman Glacier, you will put on snowshoes or crampons to explore the glacier’s seracs, icefalls, and astonishing caves of ancient blue ice.
Scenery: Glacier Explorer
Cruise around the Tasman Glacial Lake and experience the enormity of NZ's largest glacier. The towering ice wall is really quite incredible, with an astonishing history.
World Famous: Big Sky Star Gazing
Take a mesmerizing journey through the cosmos as you explore the wonders of the night sky, home to planets, stars and a whole other world we only dream about.
Day 9: Aoraki/ Mount Cook to Christchurch
Today you'll drive through the heart of the South Island, you'll come to the picturesque lakeside town of Tekapo then onto the vast Canterbury plains. Catch your breath in Geraldine before continuing to Christchurch.
Suggested activities Tekapo
Relax: Tekapo Springs Hot Pools
Experience the total relaxation of soaking in hot water in an alpine environment 720 meters above sea level. Our three hot pools are filled from an underground source near Tekapo.
World famous: The Church of the Good Shepard
Visit the most photographed stone church in New Zealand. Situated on the shores of Lake Takapō amongst the natural beauty of the lake and the mountains, the Church of the Good Shepherd was built to the glory of God and as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackenzie Country.
Day 10: Christchurch
Suggested activities for Christchurch
Culture: Ko Tāne Māori Experience and Guided Kiwi Tour
Get a unique glimpse into New Zealand's indigenous Māori culture when you visit the Ko Tāne Living Māori Village and Willowbank Wildlife reserve. This activity begins with a guided Kiwi Tour of the reserve with one of Willowbank's experienced guides. The performance also gives you an opportunity to learn the poi and the haka, then enjoy a four-course hāngī dinner.
World Famous: International Antarctic Centre
Journey through modern-day Antarctica and experience a taste of this unique and breathtaking continent. Learn about the human impact on the continent, the wildlife and ecosystems and Antarctica’s effect on the globe. Brave an Antarctic storm, go off-road in a Hägglund, befriend a husky, mingle with the penguins, experience Antarctica from all four dimensions and leave with a head full of knowledge, a heart full of love and an inspiration to take action. Just like the explorers before you.