View Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere (Franz Josef Glacier) from a panoramic viewpoint in Westland glacier country. Take in the glacier’s setting among steep Southern Alps terrain and the surrounding West Coast landscape.

The glacier is one of the region’s defining natural landmarks. Seeing it from a viewpoint gives perspective on the meeting of ice, mountains and temperate forest that makes this area distinctive, without requiring a flight or a walk onto the ice.

• 8 Breakfast (B)
• 3 Dinner (D)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• Day 1: Flights to arrive prior to 4.00pm into Christchurch AirportDay 9: Flights to depart anytime from Christchurch Airport
  Airport to Hotel transfers are available to purchase on request.
  Flights to and from your tour are not included in the tour price.

• Medium level of fitness required.

• Comfortable walking shoes
  Warm layers
  Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
  Water bottle
  Camera

AAT Kings

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over welcome drinks in Christchurch. The hosted gathering introduces the small group and gives everyone a chance to hear about the South Island journey ahead.

Christchurch provides a distinctive starting point: its rebuilt city centre combines contemporary design with reminders of its English heritage. Share first impressions and settle into the company that will accompany you across the island.

Explore Christchurch on a city sights tour and get acquainted with the South Island’s largest city. See how established streetscapes sit alongside inventive new buildings and public spaces in its evolving centre.

Christchurch’s urban character has been shaped in part by the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. This introduction offers a grounded look at a city still expressing its heritage while making room for contemporary architecture and community life.

View the Church of the Good Shepherd beside the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo. Its modest stone walls and lakeside setting frame one of the Mackenzie Basin’s most recognisable scenes, with mountains rising beyond the water.

Built in 1935, it was the basin’s first church and reflects the lives of the region’s early farming families. The visit is an opportunity to appreciate both the building’s simple design and its relationship to the surrounding high-country landscape.

Join Angie and Stan Taylor for afternoon tea at their Lake Tekapo home. Watch Angie, known as the Pavlova Queen, demonstrate her baking and explain the friendly trans-Tasman debate over the dessert’s origins.

Stan shares stories from a lifetime of farming in the Mackenzie Country. This hosted visit brings local hospitality into focus through conversation, home baking and a personal connection to the high-country community.

Visit the Jones Family fruit stall near Cromwell to browse fresh produce from Central Otago. The stop offers a close look at the fruit-growing tradition that is part of the region’s identity.

Warm summers, cold winters and an inland setting help make this part of New Zealand well suited to orchards. Look over the seasonal selection and get a feel for a local food culture rooted in the surrounding valleys.

Explore the Highlands Motorsport Park Museum in Cromwell, where a collection of rare, exclusive and high-value vehicles appeals to committed car enthusiasts and curious newcomers alike. Spend time viewing the machines and their varied designs up close.

The museum adds a different dimension to Central Otago’s orchard and mountain scenery. Its focus on automotive engineering and performance makes this a distinctive indoor visit in a region better known for its landscapes.

Visit historic Arrowtown and explore a village shaped by Central Otago’s nineteenth-century gold rush. Its preserved streets and old buildings offer a tangible sense of the settlement that grew beside the Arrow River.

Gold drew prospectors from around the world, including Chinese miners whose history remains an important part of Arrowtown’s story. The village setting makes it easy to picture how a remote river valley became a busy mining community.

Enjoy a burger at Fergburger, Queenstown’s much-talked-about gourmet burger eatery. Choose from its menu and take in the lively atmosphere around a food stop that has become a recognisable part of the town’s visitor culture.

Queenstown is known for outdoor adventure, but its energetic dining scene is part of the experience too. This casual inclusion gives you a taste of a local institution without turning a meal into a formal restaurant occasion.

Travel through Fiordland National Park on the route towards Piopiotahi (Milford Sound). The journey takes in mountain ranges, glacier-shaped terrain and the reflective waters of Mirror Lakes before passing through the Homer Tunnel.

Fiordland forms part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage area. Its steep valleys, rainforest and high peaks reveal the scale of the forces that shaped this corner of New Zealand, making the route a scenic experience in its own right.

Cruise overnight on Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) aboard the Milford Mariner. Watch waterfalls, rainforest and sheer mountains from the viewing decks, hear insights from a specialist nature guide, and explore the shoreline by kayak or tender boat.

Keep watch for fur seals and seabirds around the fiord. An evening aboard, with dinner and breakfast included, offers time to experience this glacier-carved landscape beyond a brief daytime visit, including its quieter overnight atmosphere.

Take a high-speed jet boat ride during your time in Queenstown. Feel the rush of travelling close to the water as the boat’s manoeuvrability turns the surrounding scenery into an active part of the experience.

Jet boating is closely associated with New Zealand’s adventure scene, and Queenstown is a natural place to try it. This optional activity is at additional cost and bookable on tour for travellers who want a fast-paced outing.

Visit Kiwi Park in Queenstown to discover some of New Zealand’s native birdlife. This wildlife-focused outing offers a contrast to the town’s high-energy activities and a closer look at species associated with Aotearoa.

New Zealand’s long isolation produced birdlife found nowhere else, making its wildlife an important part of the country’s natural identity. The visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour for travellers keen to spend time learning about native fauna.

Fly over Fox and Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere (Franz Josef) glaciers on an optional scenic flight from West Coast glacier country. An aerial perspective reveals the scale of the ice and the steep mountain landscape around it.

If conditions allow, the flight may include a glacier landing; it is not guaranteed. Weather permitting, this experience offers a different view from the included ground-level viewpoint. It is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Travel past Lake Hawea and over Haast Pass, taking in the shift from alpine lake country towards the West Coast. The route passes Makarora, where river valleys and mountain scenery give way to lush temperate rainforest.

Haast Pass crosses the Southern Alps through a landscape of marked contrasts. This scenic journey is valued for the changing views themselves: open water and high peaks on one side, dense native forest and the wetter western slopes on the other.