Alps and Glaciers — Eight Nights from Christchurch to the West Coast
This loop takes the South Island's western side, where the Southern Alps drop almost directly into the Tasman Sea and glaciers come down into rainforest.
Journey overview
The moments that make this journey unforgettable — the signature experiences we have woven through every day, so the best of the destination is never left to chance.
This loop takes the South Island's western side, where the Southern Alps drop almost directly into the Tasman Sea and glaciers come down into rainforest.
Journey highlights
The moments that make this journey unforgettable — the signature experiences we have woven through every day, so the best of the destination is never left to chance.
- Eight nights taking in the Southern Alps and the West Coast glaciers.
- The TranzAlpine train from Greymouth to Christchurch.
- A full-day Milford Sound excursion with a catamaran cruise.
- Franz Josef, where a glacier descends into temperate rainforest.
- The Haast Pass crossing and the Tasman coast at Knights Point.
Day-by-day itinerary
You are met at Christchurch Airport and transferred to your hotel. Christchurch is the South Island's largest city, laid out flat around the Avon River and still visibly rebuilding after the earthquakes. The rest of the day is free to recover from the flight. · Christchurch
No touring is scheduled today. Christchurch is flat, walkable and compact, and the Botanic Gardens and the river run right through the centre. The day is yours, and anything you arrange is at your own cost. · Christchurch
You leave the city and cross the Canterbury Plains into a landscape of glacial blue lakes and tussock-covered hills. Mount Cook is reached in the middle of the day, with optional scenic flights available at your own cost, before you continue south to Queenstown. · Queenstown
No touring is scheduled today. Queenstown is New Zealand's adventure capital and sits on a lake ringed by mountains, so the day is easy to fill or easy to do nothing with. Anything you choose to arrange is at your own cost and is not part of this package. · Queenstown
An early start along the shore of Lake Wakatipu and through Te Anau into Fiordland. The road runs through beech forest beneath steep mountains and finally through the Homer Tunnel, cut straight through rock, to reach the water. You board a catamaran and cruise Milford Sound past Mitre Peak before returning to Queenstown. · Queenstown
You travel through the Kawarau Gorge past Lake Dunstan towards Wanaka, stopping at Makarora before crossing the Southern Alps through the Haast Pass. At Knights Point the road opens onto the Tasman coast, and you continue past Lakes Moeraki and Paringa into the glacier country. · Franz Josef
No touring is scheduled today. Franz Josef is a small township beneath a glacier that descends into temperate rainforest, which is an unusual combination anywhere in the world. Optional activities can be arranged locally at your own cost and are not included in this package. · Franz Josef
You continue up the West Coast through Hokitika to Greymouth, where you board the TranzAlpine train. The line climbs from the coast through river gorges and valleys and across the farmland plains of Canterbury before reaching Christchurch — widely held to be one of the world's great rail journeys. · Christchurch
Breakfast at the hotel, then check out and a transfer to Christchurch Airport for your onward flight. Christchurch is the South Island's main gateway. Your onward flight is not part of this package, so allow the check-in time your airline requires. If your flight leaves later, ask the hotel about storing luggage.
What's included & excluded
Exactly what your journey covers — set out clearly, with no surprises, so you know precisely what to expect.
Included
- Eight nights' accommodation — Christchurch, Queenstown and Franz Josef.
- Daily breakfast at the hotel, from Day 2 to Day 9.
- Private airport transfer on arrival, Christchurch Airport to your hotel.
- Private airport transfer on departure, your hotel to Christchurch Airport.
- Surface travel Christchurch to Queenstown via Mount Cook, Queenstown to Franz Josef via the Haast Pass, and Franz Josef to Greymouth, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Full-day Milford Sound excursion from Queenstown including the catamaran cruise, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- TranzAlpine train journey from Greymouth to Christchurch.
Excluded
- GST is extra and is charged on the final amount.
- TCS is extra and is charged on the final amount.
- International airfare is extra and is not included.
- Domestic and internal airfare is extra and is not included.
- Visa is extra and is not included — visa fees, associated service charges, airport taxes and any related charges.
- Travel insurance is extra and is not included.
- All meals other than the daily breakfasts listed above. The source operator states plainly that its FIT tours do not include any lunch or dinner, and no lunch or dinner transfer is provided.
- Drinks with meals.
- Any optional activity, scenic flight, cruise or admission described as optional or recommended rather than included.
- Any sightseeing, entry ticket or excursion not specifically listed under Inclusions.
- Tips and gratuities.
- Personal expenses — laundry, telephone, minibar, and anything of a personal nature.
- Early check-in and late check-out charges, and any hotel upgrade.
- City taxes or resort fees charged directly by the hotel.
- Anything not specifically listed under Inclusions.
Related to this journey
Every destination on this journey has its own guide — attractions, where to stay and what to eat — and the journeys that pair with this one are a click away.
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