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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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. · 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
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
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. · 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. · 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
- 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.
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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