14 Day South Island Tour

14 days & 13 nights of South Island wonder!

Tour Description & Details

Suggested Fourteen Day Tour Itinerary

Our custom 14 day/13 night tour includes everything from the 10 day tour, all accommodation and the following, starting in Christchurch and ending in Auckland:

Day 1: Fly direct to Christchurch from your hometown for your first night in New Zealand.
Hotel Ibis or similar. Dinner included.

Day 2: Private coach to Kaikoura. Evening classic sunset kayak cruise.
Kaikoura Gateway Motor Lodge or similar for the following two nights. Dinner included.

Day 3: Kaikoura: Whale Watching Cruise or Albatross Encounter and Wildlife Cruise, or small upgrade to Swim with Hector’s Dolphins (yes, you actually get into the water with one of the world’s rarest and smallest dolphins in their natural habitat!). Afternoon Llama trek.

Day 4: Private coach to Picton and water taxi to Punga Cove.
Punga Cove Resort. Dinner included.

Day 5: Punga Cove: Free time to explore. Late checkout and private coach to Nelson.
Nelson DeLorenzo’s Studio Apartments or similar. Dinner included.

Day 6: Private coach to Hokitika via Punakaiki.

Night 6 to Day 14: Follow the 7/10 Day Itinerary exactly, as from night two onwards.

Prices start from NZ$9500 pp sharing. This is a custom tour so the itinerary is totally flexible and will be tailored to your exact needs as you require. Contact us and let us work with you to plan your dream!

Tour Time: 14 days and 13 nights
Tour includes:

  • Everything from the 7/10 day tour
  • Personal guide throughout
  • All accommodation, meals and activities described plus kayaking, whale watching, Llama trekking and Punga Cove excursion
  • All transport on your own private coach and return flight to Auckland

Minimum two families (6 people) on this tour
Tour excludes: Free time activities of your choice.

Day 1
Fly directly from your hometown to Christchurch where we check in to a great hotel for your first night in New Zealand.

Depending on your arrival time, we can take a stroll around the city centre, see the earthquake damaged Cathedral, or visit the Earthquake Museum, all within walking distance of your hotel.

Day 2
We board our private coach and head north up the coast to Kaikoura, a small coastal settlement with a rich whaling history known for its abundant marine life and sperm whale population.

Kaikoura is famous for its sunsets and there is no better way to experience this than by sea kayak, so after checking into our accommodation we get to enjoy a classic evening sunset kayak around the harbour. You are guaranteed to see fur seals and surreal visuals of the seaward Kaikoura Mountains as the light changes towards the end of the day. You can watch the seals dive and manoeuvre around and under your kayak as the sun sets and paddle with them as they swim around the Peninsula hunting for octopus!

Along our way we’ll keep an eye out for Blue Penguins or Albatross and perhaps a chance encounter with Dusky Dolphins.
This kayak tour is suitable for all ages and abilities with no experience needed!

Day 3
Staying in Kaikoura for the day, we hop on board a luxury catamaran in the morning and head out of the bay for a unique whale watching experience not to be forgotten. Kaikoura is the whale watching capital of NZ and depending on the season we should get to see any of the following: sperm whales, dusky dolphins, seals and albatross all year round, and in other months you could get to see Orca, Humpback Whales, Blue Whales, Hectors dolphins and many other coastal seabirds.

After lunch we enjoy a really unique activity especially for animal lovers, we go on a three hour Llama trek! Llamas are relaxed and very gentle animals and on this guided trek we’ll also visit Fyffe House, an old whalers’ cottage and museum, and see the Kaikoura peninsula seal colony, one of the ‘must-do’ activities in Kaikoura!

Day 4
This morning we continue north along the coast with many signs of the 2016 earthquake still visible along the way. We will also see numerous seal colonies along the rocky coastal outcrops on our way to picturesque Picton. This is the major transport hub connecting the South Island road and rail network with ferries across Cook Strait to Wellington and the North Island, and the gateway to the picturesque Marlborough Sounds region at the top of the South Island.

After lunch we board a water taxi for the journey to Punga Cove Resort along the gorgeous Queen Charlotte Sound with spectacular views in all directions. Queen Charlotte Sound is a coastal paradise, rich with island sanctuaries where native birdlife thrives, pristine waters where dolphins, penguin, orca, stingrays and all manner of seabirds can be discovered, with beautiful beaches bordered by native bush.

Day 5
Staying at Punga Cove for the morning, we have free time to indulge in any of the many eco activities on offer in this beautiful spot at the ‘top of the South’. This could be as simple as a late sleep in followed by breakfast down at the Boatshed Café & Bar, kayaking or paddle boarding around the various bays and inlets close by, playing some volleyball, petanque or croquet, lounging at the pool or soaking in one of the hot tubs.

After a late checkout and lunch, we board our private coach for a wonderfully scenic drive along a winding coastal road on the shores of Kenepuru Sound, which will take us to the city of Nelson Tasman for the night.

Nelson Tasman is the oldest city in the South Island in the sunniest region of the country and boasts one of the largest numbers of working artists and galleries in NZ. You will find an array of craftspeople living here and you can visit their studios, explore craft markets and taste the delicious locally made artisan products, not to mention sampling the outstanding local wines of this region.

Day 6
An early start will get us back on the road in our private coach, this time heading south and west till we reach the ‘Wild West Coast’ of the South Island, notorious for its sometimes crazy weather blasting up from Antarctica! We stop in for a wander around the incredible pancake rocks of Punakaiki, after which we head down to Hokitika where a great, home cooked Kiwi dinner and local NZ wine is waiting for us!

This tour now continues as for the 7/10 day tour, as from Night 2 onwards.

Four reasons to choose us

We are passionate about sharing our fabulous ‘back yard’ with you

We offer unique visitor experiences

We keep groups small and intimate

We are committed to sustainable tourism in NZ

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Contact

Geoff Dunne and Lily Sha
info@whitecloudtravel.com

 

 

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