07 Day Escorted Tours South Island New Zealand

Experience the best of New Zealand on escorted tours of the South Island, New Zealand. We offer the best flexible New Zealand escorted tours with no date or itinerary restrictions.

See the highlights with a private guide on escorted tours of the South Island, New Zealand. Each tour is all-inclusive and fully customisable.

7 Day South Island Guided Tour Itinerary

Day 1 Christchurch

Your fantastic guided South Island holiday begins in Christchurch, New Zealand’s “Garden City.” 

Discover the vibrant and picturesque garden city, renowned for its natural beauty, lively entertainment scene, and strong cultural heritage.

Explore Christchurch with your guide, options include; experiencing Christchurch Tramway, Gondola, Botanic Gardens, visiting the International Antarctic Centre, Canterbury Museum or venturing to Sumner Beach.

In the evening option to add dinner aboard the Christchurch Tram. The Tramway Restaurant offers curated seasonal dining combined with evening sightseeing in central Christchurch for a truly unique experience!

Stay 1 night in Christchurch.

Day 2 Lake Tekapo + Mount Cook + Mount Cook Alpine Centre Explorers Pass

Travel time Christchurch to Mt Cook Village – 4 hours 

Your scenic journey through the Mackenzie Basin begins today. As the Southern Alps loom before you, there will be photo opportunities around every corner.

You will pass an amazing smoky turquoise lake, which is called Lake Tekapo, take a break in Lake Tekapo if you wish and visit the most photographed church in New Zealand – the famous Church of the Good Shepherd. Other attractions in Lake Tekapo include the spa complex Tekapo Springs and of course the world-famous Mt John Observatory.

Continue past Lake Pukaki on your way to Mt Cook Village, nestled at the foot of New Zealand’s highest mountain, Mt Cook.

At 27 kilometres in length, the mighty Tasman Glacier is a powerful place to visit. While it slowly carves the valley sides, it provides a landing place for helicopters making it one of the best places in the country for a scenic flight or glacier heli-hike. You can also explore Tasman Glacial Lake in a small boat and experience the enormity of NZ’s largest glacier as you weave in and out of floating icebergs.

In the evening, visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre to view the displays and watch any of a wide offering of films and planetarium shows in New Zealand.

Aoraki Mount Cook National Park forms the majority of New Zealand’s only International Dark Sky Reserve and there are only eight in the world. The stargazing here is magnificent and stargazing tours can be added to your tour. The perfect way to enhance your escorted tours of South Island New Zealand.

Stay 1 night in Mt Cook Village.

Day 3 Queenstown + Arrowtown + Queenstown TSS Earnslaw Cruise, Dinner & Farm Tour

Travel time Mt Cook Village to Queenstown – 3 hours 

Continue south to Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand. Along the way, your guide will take you to sample fresh fruit from the orchards of Cromwell. You also have the option to visit top wineries on the drive through the Kawarau Gorge.

Option to visit Arrowtown prior to reaching Queenstown. Arrowtown is charming and quirky – a delightful gold rush village nestled below the beautiful peaks that surround the sparkling Arrow River. The heart of its history is Buckingham Street, a procession of heritage buildings that stretches into a tree-lined avenue of tiny miner’s cottages. The buildings in this lovely precinct house shops, galleries, bars and restaurants. Continue on to Queenstown, New Zealand’s stunning alpine resort and adventure capital.

In the evening, relive the elegance of turn-of-the-century travel with a cruise aboard the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw. Disembark at Walter Peak High Country Farm for a stunning gourmet BBQ meal and farm tour.

Stay 2 nights in Queenstown.

Day 4 Queenstown + Milford Sound Boat Cruise

Embark on a scenic journey to Milford Sound, known as the “eighth wonder of the world.” As you venture deep into the heart of Fiordland National Park, you will get the chance to stop and view a number of must-see locations along the way.

Upon reaching Milford Sound you will enjoy a 2 hour Milford Sound Nature Cruise. With specialist nature guides on board, offering a close-up experience of Milford Sound’s rainforest, soaring rock walls, towering snow capped mountains, cascading waterfalls, hanging valleys and wildlife… words just don’t do it justice, you have to see it for yourself! Throughout the cruise, the guides share stories of the fiord’s history and are happy to answer your questions.

Day 5 Wanaka

Travel time Queenstown to Wanaka – 1 hour 

Enjoy the scenic drive over the Crown Range to Wanaka – your guide will stop for photos at panoramic viewing points. Option to stop at the historic Cardrona Hotel and the Cardrona Distillery.

Wanaka has a reputation for great food and wine, with a wide variety of lakefront bars, cafés and restaurants serving exceptional local cuisine.

The crystal-clear water of the lakes and rivers are ideal for kayaking, fishing, lake cruises, and jet-boating, or to get an aerial perspective of the region and take a scenic helicopter flight.

Explore Wanaka with your guide – you may want to visit Puzzling World, Wanaka’s illusional attraction; the National Toy and Transport Museum or the Wanaka Lavender Farm located just a few minutes from Wanaka, where you can experience 20 acres of beautiful lavender fields, farm animals & display gardens.

Test out your fishing skills at “Hook”, Wanaka’s very unique interactive Lake to Plate dining experience. Catch a Chinook salmon from the scenic spring-fed fishing lakes and then relax as the team prepares it for you. No experience is necessary and fishing equipment can be hired on the day.

Stroll the streets and be inspired by galleries and stylish shops, visit ‘That Wanaka Tree’ for the perfect photo, or enjoy one of the many famous walking tracks such as Mt Iron.

Stay 1 night in Wanaka.

Day 6 Franz Josef + Franz Josef Glacier Helicopter Flight

Travel time Wanaka to Franz Josef – 4 hours 

After the Milford Highway, the Haast Pass Highway is one of the most scenic alpine routes in New Zealand. Explore the pass with your guide, stopping to view cascading waterfalls, broad alpine meadows, craggy snowcapped mountains, and the turquoise depths of the Blue Pools.

Continuing along the West Coast, your guide can take you to Lake Matheson, where you can take a 20 minute walk (one-way) to the jetty, to admire the reflected views of the Southern Alps on the surface of the lake.

In the afternoon, take an unforgettable helicopter flight over Franz Josef Glacier, where you will land in the snow to enjoy incredible views of the majestic Southern Alps.

Stay 1 night in Franz Josef.

Day 7 Hokitika + TranzAlpine New Zealand Train + Christchurch

Travel time Franz Josef to Greymouth – 2.5 hours 

Train travel time Greymouth to Christchurch – 4.5 hours 

Enjoy more West Coast beauty today. You may wish to visit Hokitika Gorge, where an impressive turquoise river flows through a narrow canyon. Also closeby you will find a great attraction in the West Coast Treetop Walk. The walkway is 450 metres in total and reaches heights of 20 metres giving you fantastic panoramic views. Hokitika is a great location worth exploring, famous for its rugged beach and arts and crafts scene. Carry on to Greymouth, which is located 30 minutes north of Hokitika.

Leave the rugged West Coast behind today as you board the TranzAlpine Train for a fantastic journey through Arthurs Pass. Travel past the soaring peaks and braided rivers of the Southern Alps, through the gorges of the Waimakariri River, and past the rolling Canterbury Plains.

Choose from your guide’s range of restaurant recommendations as you celebrate your final night in paradise.

Stay 1 night in Christchurch.

Day 8 Depart Christchurch

Your guide will deliver you to Christchurch Airport for your departing flight.