Queenstown to Christchurch — Five Nights with Milford Sound and Mount Cook
A short South Island route that starts where most itineraries end. You fly into Queenstown, take Fiordland and the high country, and finish in Christchurch — so no day is spent returning to where you began.
- Duration
- 5 Nights / 6 Days
- Destinations
- Christchurch · Queenstown
- Travel style
- Adventure
- Stays
- Comfort standard
Journey overview
A short South Island route that starts where most itineraries end. You fly into Queenstown, take Fiordland and the high country, and finish in Christchurch — so no day is spent returning to where you began.
Route
- Queenstown3 nights
- Christchurch2 nights
Photographs: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 — credit given as courtesy, not required)
Why you'll love this journey
- Five nights from Queenstown to Christchurch with no backtracking.
- A full-day Milford Sound excursion with a catamaran cruise past Mitre Peak.
- The Lindis Pass and Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest peak.
- A Christchurch city tour including the International Antarctic Centre.
- Private airport transfers and daily breakfast.
Day-by-day itinerary
You are met at Queenstown Airport and transferred to your hotel. The approach into Queenstown is one of the more dramatic landings in the country, dropping between mountains onto a lake shore. The rest of the day is free.
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.
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.
You travel over the Lindis Pass and reach Mount Cook around the middle of the day — New Zealand's highest peak, standing above glacial lakes and tussock country. Scenic flights over the snowfields are available here at your own cost. You then continue across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch.
A Christchurch sightseeing tour is included today, taking in the Botanic Gardens, the Avon River, the Canterbury Museum and the parks and gardens beyond the inner city. The tour also includes the International Antarctic Centre, which traces the city's long role as a staging post for Antarctic expeditions.
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.
Make this journey yours
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Inclusions & exclusions
Included
- Five nights' accommodation — Queenstown and Christchurch.
- Daily breakfast at the hotel, from Day 2 to Day 6.
- Private airport transfer on arrival, Queenstown Airport to your hotel.
- Private airport transfer on departure, your hotel to Christchurch Airport.
- Full-day Milford Sound excursion from Queenstown including the catamaran cruise, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Surface travel Queenstown to Christchurch via Mount Cook, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Christchurch sightseeing tour including the International Antarctic Centre, on a seat-in-coach basis.
Not included
- 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.
Accommodation, meals & transport
What the journey covers day to day, taken from this package's own inclusions.
🏨 Accommodation
- Comfort standard
- Five nights' accommodation — Queenstown and Christchurch.
🍽 Meals
- Daily breakfast at the hotel, from Day 2 to Day 6.
🚆 Transport
- Private airport transfer on arrival, Queenstown Airport to your hotel.
- Private airport transfer on departure, your hotel to Christchurch Airport.
- Full-day Milford Sound excursion from Queenstown including the catamaran cruise, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Surface travel Queenstown to Christchurch via Mount Cook, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Christchurch sightseeing tour including the International Antarctic Centre, on a seat-in-coach basis.
Flights, visa & practical
Arranged separately from the journey itself — listed here so there are no surprises.
✈ Flights
- International airfare is extra and is not included.
- Domestic and internal airfare is extra and is not included.
- Any optional activity, scenic flight, cruise or admission described as optional or recommended rather than included.
🛂 Visa
- Visa is extra and is not included — visa fees, associated service charges, airport taxes and any related charges.
🛡 Insurance
- Travel insurance is extra and is not included.
Every journey is quoted individually for your travel dates and party. Read our pricing terms for how a quotation is prepared. Cancellations and amendments follow our Refund & Cancellation Policy and Terms & Conditions.
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