APT Southern Tourer

Arrive into Christchurch where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Spend the rest of the evening getting to know your APT tour director and fellow passengers over dinner. 

Board the Tranz Alpine train through the Canterbury Plains before travelling across the Southern Alps. Disembark at Arthurs Pass where you will travel to Hokitika by coach. Here you will have the opportunity to see Jade being carved into jewellery before continuing onto to Franz Josef. Take in the dramatic landscape and icy terrain of the magnificent Franz Josef Glacier before checking in to your accommodation for the night.

Start your day with some truly breath taking scenery as you view the glacier, stunning waterfalls and lush rainforest before arriving into Queenstown. This evening you will have a choice of dining options including boarding the gondola up to the Skyline restaurant to enjoy magnificent views as you dine, waterside seafood restaurants or cruising Lake Wakatipu on the famous TSS Earnslaw.   

Known as the adventure capital of New Zealand, there are plenty of opportunities to discover all that Queenstown has to offer with a range of Freedom of choice tours. Movie fans may wish to spend today discovering filming locations for the Lord of the Rings, while adventure seekers can embark on a 4WD tour or take an exciting ride down the Shotover River on the Shotover Jet Boat.   

Embark on one of New Zealand's most scenic drives today as you make your way from Queenstown to Milford Sound. Here you will board a cruise to enjoy the stunning beauty of this pristine fiord as well as spotting some of the local wildlife. After making your way to Te Anau spend the evening enjoying the Taste of Fiordland dinner where you can sample the finest artisan produce of the local area    

Travel to the east coast of the South island today to visit the former gold mining town of Dunedin. Choose from a range of touring options including Lanarch Castle, Taieri Gorge railway or an off road tour of the Otago Peninsula.  

Discover the spectacular Mount Cook National Park with your choice of touring option today. Perhaps visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre which includes a star gazing experience with an astronomer. Alternatively take in a guided nature walk or board a MAC boat to get up close to icebergs on the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake.

This morning board your coach and travel to Lake Tekapo where you will visit the tiny Church of the Good Shepherd built of stone and oak as a tribute to the early pioneers of the region. Continue on to spend your final night in Christchurch where you will enjoy a memorable farewell dinner with your fellow travellers.   

As your journey comes to an end you will be transferred back to the airport to catch your departing flight.