MoaTours - Southern Beauty: Aoraki/Mt Cook, Milford & Franz Josef

From Christchurch, head to Akaunui Farm to lunch with Di and Ian Mackenzie before driving through Burkes Pass to the tussock lands of the Mackenzie Country. Take a photo stop at Lake Tekapo's church and sheepdog statue and stay at The Hermitage where Aoraki/Mt Cook (3,724 metres) dominates the view.

Always a memorable time on tour, your day in Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain and ‘home ground’ of the most famous Kiwi of all, Sir Edmund Hillary. Wake up to the beauty of this alpine wonderland and enjoy the fresh air and wide-open spaces with a stroll in Aoraki National Park.
Your adventure continues on to Omarama, over the Lindis Pass and through the rugged Kawarau Gorge and Gibbston onto Queenstown - home for three nights.

Today is all about the one and only Milford Sound! From Queenstown follow the shores of the great southern lakes Wakatipu and Te Anau before heading into the heart of Fiordland National Park on the spectacular Milford Road. 
On arrival at Milford cruise by launch out onto the sound dominated by iconic Mitre Peak and home to birdlife, seal colonies and marine life. A magical flight over the Southern Alps returns you to Queenstown at the end of a fantastic day of touring by land, sea and air.

Today you can explore everything Queenstown has to offer. Start your day by catching the Skyline Gondola for the best views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables. Then take the Glenorchy road to the stunning head of Lake Wakatipu for a lakeside lunch and the famous Lord of the Rings scenery.
Once back in town you'll enjoy a cruise on Lake Wakatipu aboard the famous TSS Earnslaw before dinner.

Your day starts with a short hop to leafy Arrowtown, where gold mining history comes alive. Then climb up into the tussock country of the Crown Range and our last views of the beautiful Wakatipu. The picture-perfect Cardrona Hotel is your lunch venue and stop in at the family-owned distillery for a wee dram before carrying on to Wanaka.

You'll arrive with plenty of time to explore the town centre, take a leisurely stroll along the lakefront or one of the many excellent local walks. This evening's accommodation is the only hotel right on the waterfront, it's a beautiful secluded setting for the evening.

We drive beside lakes Hawea and Wanaka and through the mountain and river scenery of the Haast Pass. There are short walks in the beech forests to waterfalls and coastal scenery at Ship Creek to enjoy. Lush rainforest lines the road as we head north to Fox Glacier, Lake Matheson and on to Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier.

At Okarito take an hour’s cruise on the lagoon looking out for birdlife in wetlands bordered by ancient forests. Your local guide Paula takes us on a walking tour of this tiny settlement of 30 people. Visit the artists of Hokitika before reaching Paparoa National Park and Punakaiki Resort Hotel, your home for two nights.

See the pancake rocks and blowholes, limestone cliffs, karst rock formations and river valleys of subtropical forest. Further up the coast, Denniston Plateau gives an insight into the lives of early coal miners and their families. Stroll to the seal colony near Cape Foulwind before returning down the coast road to Punakaiki.

Today is a real day of contrasts, you'll wake up to the sounds of the Tasman Sea, traverse the Southern Alps and into the stunning Canterbury High Country and across the plains into Christchurch. 

Highlights include the Otira Viaduct and Arthur’s Pass National Park - one of the best places in the country to see the hilarious antics of our alpine parrot, the Kea. Enjoy the mountain air with short walks at Arthur's Pass and the limestone rock formation at Castle Hill before you reach Christchurch airport in the late afternoon.