Christchurch to Queenstown: Mt Cook and Southern Alps Tour

Embark on a scenic day tour from Christchurch to Mount Cook, passing through the stunning Southern Alps. Experience the beauty of Lake Tekapo and the Canterbury Plains before reaching New Zealand’s tallest mountain. Don’t miss this unforgettable journey!

Duration: 11 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Geraldine Visitor Information Centre - Geraldine is a charming town known for its arts, crafts, and market days. It is home to talented artists like Austen Deans and John Badcock, who have studios in the area. The town also boasts culinary delights such as local cheese, chocolates, and the internationally acclaimed Barkers fruit products. We take…
What's Included
  • Modern air-conditioned coach with free WiFi
  • Live commentary on board
  • Local driver guide
What's Not Included
  • Scenic Flight
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on a singular scenic journey from Christchurch to Queenstown through Mt Cook and behold the majesty of the NZ Southern Alps. Marvel at the awe-inspiring spectacle of the glacier-fed Lake Tekapo, the pastoral Canterbury Plains farmland, and Aoraki (Mt Cook), New Zealand’s tallest mountain, nestled in a national park and recognised as a UNESCO…

Location
Lichfield Street
Outside Bus Interchange on 72 Lichfield St, Near Colombo Street
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.2
(68 Ratings)
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Yuan_f
Feb 14, 2025
Stewart is a very... - Stewart is a very knowlegble tour guide and keep feeding us valuable information during his long-time driving. Thank you Stewart!
Review provided by Viator
Rematkotp
Jan 28, 2025
It was a road trip and we stopped at places to take pictures or walk etc. Not at all rushed. Excellent guide cum driver. - Great road trip, not rushed, comfortable and guide/driver had vast knowledge of the place and history and educated is.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Livingthegoodli
Nov 10, 2024
What a day! - My husband and I travelled throughout NZ without a car (newly retired). Figuring out how to get to Queenstown from Christchurch was challenging and then I found this tour! Worth the cost as you get to your destination and get to see New Zealand's South Island stunning scenery. Awesome, clean, comfortable coach with large windows-we sat back and watched the magnificent scenery unfold. They gave us the pickup place in Christchurch for 7am and it appeared right on time-I could not believe it. Paul was our expert driver-especially on those windy roads. So happy he was driving and not me! From Lake Tekapo, to Mt Cook, small towns, stopped for lunch at Hermitage Hotel (our cost) and the amazing drive into Queenstown arriving on time about 7pm. A long day but it never felt it. Stopped along the way where you could get snacks and fresh muffins and coffees (our cost) - clean bathrooms. it was one of our favorite days in the breathtaking country of New Zealand. I thoroughly recommend this trip. Thank you Greatsights for providing a phenomenal travel experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Garvan_m
Dec 20, 2023
A lot of talk to get to the mountain - Stuart the driver very informative. Like commentary which tell me all about what we see. However very little time to do anything up at Mt Cook before having to take the long journey back to Christchurch.
Review provided by Viator
Lucille_c
Mar 6, 2020
Relax and enjoy the views - I highly recommend this tour, particularly if you are looking for transportation to Queenstown from Christchurch. It is an ideal means of getting there. The views are extraordinary, the luncheon (if you choose the premium option) was excellent. The driver was a great source of information. Lake Tekapo itself was worth the trip, not to mention Mount Cook.
Review provided by Viator
Janalbert_l
Mar 5, 2020
Christchurch to Queenstown via Mount Cook - Interesting drive through agricultural and wilderness Canterbury with a fantastic driver/guide. High class lunxh at Mount Cook Lodge.
Review provided by Viator
Amelitamaria_h
Mar 20, 2020
Worth the trip - Our trip was from christ church to queenstown .Show your confirmation at the counter inside the christchurch building along lichfield st for your data then you’re all set to go. The driver guide was not that knowledgeable compares to ours last november. Did mot tell us the history of mount cook. But still it was a good tour for it was scenic and still worth the trip. Food at hermitage hotel was good. Buy friuts along the route.
Review provided by Viator
Ashwatramani
Dec 25, 2024
Well planned journey. Poor Guide. - My wife & I along with our 4 year old son did this tour from Christchurch to Queenstown on the 22nd of December. My rating is low mainly because of the driver. The Good - Very well planned trip and really nice stops along the way. We stopped at Geraldine for breakfast. We then stopped at Lake Tekapo, followed by Lake Pukaki and then Mount Cook. On the way down from Mount Cook, we stopped at a couple more places including an orchard and then finally Queenstown. The bus was very very comfortable - had USB charging for phones and wi-fi as well. The Bad - We spent 10 days in New Zealand and every single person we met and interacted with were very nice, except for this driver. I think his name was Nui, and he was extremely unpleasant, rude and short all along the way to me and my wife. He seemed very grumpy whenever we asked him a question, and his narration along the way was also very dull and seemed as if he was just doing the narration for the heck of it. Except for our driver, i think the overall tour was good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
431dmitryb
Jan 20, 2025
AVOID BY ANY MEANS!!! - Terrible tourist company - they have left me on the Mt.Cook. I was 5 min before, but the driver Paul decided to leave earlier. I called customer service less then 10 min after the bus departed, but they didn't return the bus. Nor they booked a hotel for me or gave me food vouchers. Total ignorance of their customers! AVOID BY ANY MEANS, especially the driver Paul - very unfriendly and messy driver that constantly leaves people on Mt.Cook. On the next day he left 2 ladies! This is not funny!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bob_h
Apr 1, 2024
Fixed problems, otherwise Viator will lose customers. - I booked two Day-Tours from Viator. Each one had its own problem. Especially the trip to Mountain Cook, booking number 1113052315, was totally ruined. According to this booking, it should be a round trip. Both start and end points are Christchurch. However, what the local provider had are two programs. One started from Christchurch and ended in Queen's town. The other started from Queen's town and ended in Christchurch. The local provider helped my wife and I to fix this problem but it did not work. So we could not join the tour. The Viator should refund me this part totally. The other reservation is the Arthur's Pass, booking number 1112631717. Due mainly to the schedule change of tranzAlpine train, the local tour provider modified the way we travel and informed me in time such that my wife and I can enjoy this trip. But even the day before this tour, I still received an email from Viator that gave me wrong information. It tells me that Viator does not communicate with local providers often such that it gives your customer a lot of wrong information. The Viator should fix problems otherwise you will lose customers totally.
Review provided by Viator
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February 2025
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