10 Day South Island Tour - Self-Guided
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Travel Time10 days / 11 nightsDepartsChristchurchSouthern Highlights - Mt Cook Aoraki, Glacier Country, Haast Pass and Milford Sound.
Synopsis
On this 10-Day Southern Highlights motorcycle tour you can do a loop of the Southern Alps, view Mt Cook Aoraki, explore Glacier Country and see Milford Sound. This self-guided motorcycle tour offers a complete overview of the South Island for those who want to explore New Zealand, but don’t have the time to see everything.
Experience Southern hospitality and meet some of the local wildlife too! Spend time in Christchurch and Dunedin exploring New Zealand’s colonial past, get pumped up in Queenstown - the world’s adrenaline capital, and ride some of the most scenic roads that Aotearoa –The Land of the Long White Cloud, has to offer.Download the PDF brochure here
What's incuded?
- Motorcycle of your choice
- Panniers and top box with soft lift-out bags
- Motorcycle insurance
- Your route pre programmed on a GPS
- 24 hour roadside assistance
- 11 nights superior B&B or 4-5* luxury hotel/lodge accommodation with breakfast - if there's a view to be had, you'll have it!
- Airport transfers
- Tour booklet and maps
Bonus:
- Milford Sound cruise
- Paradise cap to take home
10% discount for low season period - End of Easter week - 30 November
Band A: Up to 800cc Band B: Up to 1200cc
Please Note: All tour prices are PER PERSON in New Zealand dollars and include GST (government service tax)
Superior Bed & Breakfast
Band A Band B 
Couple, 1 bike share double $3040 $3540 
Rider, own room $5880 $6880 
2 Riders 2 bikes, share twin $4040 $4860 Superior 4/5 Star Hotel/Lodge
Band A Band B Couple, 1 bike share double $3620 $4120 Rider, own room $6730 $7730 2 Riders 2 bikes, share twin $4620 $5440 -
Day 1 Christchurch to Tekapo 263km/163 miles 4 hours: Ride from Christchurch, via Burkes Pass and the Canterbury Plains to Lake Tekapo. This is the largest of the three lakes in the McKenzie Basin and offers breathtaking views of Mt Cook Aoraki-New Zealand's tallest mountain. At the Church of the Good Shepherd, admire the famous bronze statue of a sheep dog and views of the turquoise lake. Day 2 Tekapo to Dunedin 416km/258 miles 6 hours: Follow the Ahuriri River up the Lindis Valley and over Lindis Pass. Have lunch in Cromwell, the fruit bowl of New Zealand, and ride past Lake Dunstan - a manmade lake created for hydroelectricity. Spend the night in the very Scottish Dunedin and enjoy both the Victorian architecture and wildlife on the Otago Peninsula. Day 3 Free day to explore Dunedin: Dunedin is the heritage and wilderness capital of New Zealand. You can choose to explore the city or ride out to the Otago Peninsula to visit the Royal Albatross and yellow-eyed penguins. The Peninsula has winding roads with stunning coastal views, while the city has historic buildings, museums and art galleries waiting to be explored. Day 4 Dunedin to Te Anau 320Km/198 miles 5 hours: Ride towards Te Anau and Fiordland's primeval landscapes. This is one of the few places on the planet with untouched wilderness. Waterfalls tumble hundreds of metres into pristine forested valleys. The mirror surfaces of the fiords reflect the majestic towering mountains and the word 'silence' takes on a different meaning. Day 5 Te Anau - Milford Sound - Te Anau 110km/68 miles each way 2 hours: Ride along the shores of Lake Te Anau, through the famous Homer tunnel, and down to Milford Sound. The mountainous views on the road to Milford are almost as impressive as the Fiord itself. Keep an eye out for kea, an cheeky alpine parrot with a taste for rubber and plastic. Your cruise on Milford Sound is included. Day 6 Te Anau - Queenstown 170km/105 miles 3 hrs: Take a short, but stunning ride to Queenstown the 'adventure capital of the world'. There is plenty of time to soak in the scenery, explore and experience the adventure activities in the area. Elite tours enjoy an evening meal at the Skyline restaurant at the top the gondola overlooking Queenstown. Day 7 Free day to explore Queenstown: Paragliding, jet boating, bungee jumping and white water rafting are just a few of the adventure activities that you can try. Or, you could take a ride over the Crown Range to the Cadrona Hotel, visit a vineyard, or explore Arrowtown an old Gold mining town full of cafes and art galleries. Day 8 Queenstown to Franz Joseph Glacier 353km/219 miles 5.5 hrs: Ride the spectacular Crown Range and stop for photographs that will take your breath away. Visit the historic Cardrona Hotel for a coffee, and lunch in Wanaka, famous for its magnificent views across the lake and 'War Birds over Wanaka' air displays. Ride Haast Pass, known as motorcycle heaven then head to Franz Josef Glacier in the heart of Glacier Country. Day 9 Franz Josef to Punakaiki 213km/134 miles 3.5 hrs: Take the time to fly by helicopter over the Southern Alps and land on a glacier - a trip you'll never forget. Then drive the West Coast Road - reputably 'The best motorcycling in the world' to Punakaiki. At Punakaiki, see the Pancake Rocks - incredible rock formations and blowholes 30 million years in the making! Day 10 Punakaiki to Christchurch 284km/176 miles 4.5 hours Ride over the Main Divide, through Arthurs Pass and the heart of the Southern Alps. Cross the foothills and enjoy long straights and sweeping bends on the Canterbury Plains. Say your goodbyes at the farewell meal that night, knowing that your accommodation and transfer to the airport the next morning is part of the tour package. -
Fly Fishing
Our New Zealand Fly Fishing Guides offer you guided fly fishing in the classical style of stalking large wild trout in the pristine streams, rivers and still waters of New Zealand using dry flies and nymphs. Contact us for prices.Fox Glacier Heli Hike
The fly-in, fly-out Heli Hike combines the excitement of walking on the Fox Glacier with the thrill of helicopter flights. By flying in you are able to access and explore a part of the glacier where its forces work hardest. Your guide chooses the route as you go and with an eye for the most spectacular ice formations you'll soon be making your way through a wonderland of towering pinnacles and brilliantly blue ice. 2 hours ice-time. NZ$399Glacier Scenic Flight
Sub-tropical forest and snow-covered glaciers vie for space on this narrow strip of land sandwiched between the Tasman Sea and the Southern Alps on the West Coast of the South Island. Experience the seclusion of a snow landing in this largely inaccessible alpine region. 15 minute flight with snow landing NZ$215Mount Cook & Glacier Flight
The ultimate glacial experience! Glacial icefalls, crevasses and neves, views from ocean to alps. Cross the Southern Alps spine and circle the peak of magnificent Aoraki/Mount Cook. Get your camera ready for the spectacular snow landing. 40 minutes including snowlanding NZ$395Luxury Day Spa
Fancy a day off from the hectic pace? Why not have a day of relaxation at the Day Spa in Queenstown. While your partner goes off Bungy jumping or the like, you can just unwind and relax.Contact us for prices and treatmentsWhite Water Rafting - The Shotover
Be driven to historic Skippers Canyon then raft through deep river canyons that cut through golden tussock-covered mountain ranges. Encounter the white water action of 'Rock Garden', 'Sharks Fin', 'Toilet', 'Pinball', 'Jaws' and 'Sequel' rapids. $195Heli-Rafting - The Shotover
Climb aboard your jet-turbine-powered helicopter for a spectacular flight up Skippers Canyon, the site of one of the world's richest gold strikes. The flight pushes your adrenalin levels to the edge with a roller coaster ride through the Canyon. Half day NZ$279Jet Boat Ride Queenstown
Get ready for the world's most exciting Jet Boat ride! It's a thrilling ride - skimming past rocky outcrops at close range in your Shotover Jet 'Big Red', as you twist and turn through narrow canyons at breath taking speeds. NZ$119The Triple Challenge Adventure
The Triple Challenge is a great value outdoor adventure package, combining three awesome activities: an exhilarating jetboat ride on the world-famous Shotover Jet; action packed helicopter ride; and adrenaline fuelled white water rafting adventure!Half day NZ$384The Nevis Triple Challenge
This outdoor adventure package includes a thrilling jetboat ride on the world famous Shotover Jet, a helicopter ride into stunning Skippers Canyon, the Shotover Jet white water experience, rounded off with a Nevis Highwire Bungy jump. Full day NZ$624AJ Hackett Bungy Jumping
The Ultimate Challenge is Bungy jumping from Kawarau Bridge - where bungy jumping was invented! From nervous to completely elated in five seconds. 99% of clients say it's the best thing they have ever done. NZ$180Horse Trek & Cruise Queenstown
Step aboard - watch the stokers fuelling the fireboxes and hear the hiss of the steam engines working as the TSS Earnslaw takes you on a nostalgic cruise of beautiful Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown. Following your TSS Earnslaw cruise, join a guided horse trek with a local horseman at Walter Peak High Country Farm. Your experienced guide will take you across rolling farm terraces to an outlook with spectacular views of the Wakatipu scenery. Your horse trek takes around 40 minutes and is followed by morning or afternoon tea. Suitable for riders of all abilities, including first-time riders 3.5 hours NZ$110Tandem Paragliding
Take an exhilarating Tandem Paragliding flight from the top of the Skyline Gondola in Queenstown. An adrenaline flying trip or a relaxed sightseeing tour - it's your choice. NZ$199Tandem Sky Diving
It takes a certain kind of person to jump from 15000ft into thin air. Harnessed to an experienced, qualified Jumpmaster, you step out that aircraft door and for some 60 seconds you plummet towards the ground at 200KPH, Terminal Velocity. Altitude Prices : 15,000ft $429 (60 second freefall) 12,000ft $329 (45 second freefall) 9,000ft $269 (25 second freefall)Te Anau Glowworm Cave
Have you ever seen limestone passages sculpted by water up-close? Have you drifted in silent darkness beneath the luminous blue-green shimmer of thousands of glowworms? A visit to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves is a must-see. NZ$70Milford Sound Cruise
Milford Sound is a simply stunning natural wonder of world fame. In Maori legend, the fiords were created not by rivers of ice, but by Tu Te Raki Whanoa, a godly figure who came wielding a magical adze and uttering incantations. NZ$65 (included on Guided tours and self guided tours covering Milford Sound)Deep Sea Fishing South
Enjoy the thrill of big game fishing using a high class vessel, a well experienced crew in some of the most productive waters in the world. Marlin, Snapper and Tuna are common catches in the clean clear New Zealand waters. Contact us for prices.Whale Watching - Kaikoura
Every Whale Watch tour is a unique experience and the sightings vary. Giant Sperm Whales are the stars of the show and year-round residents. You may encounter New Zealand Fur Seals, pods of Dusky Dolphins and the endangered Wandering Albatross. NZ$145Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura
Dusky dolphins inhabit the coastal waters off Kaikoura all year round, making Kaikoura a unique place in the world where wild dolphins can be encountered every day, weather permitting. Our success rate swimming with dolphins is second to none! NZ$170 -
Examples of accommodation we use during tours.
Copthorne Lakefront Queenstown
The Copthorne Hotel is a year round resort, located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and within walking distance of Queenstown central shopping and entertainment area . Coronet Peak ski area is only 20 minutes away and Remarkables ski area is 25 kms drive away.
Distinction Fox Glacier
The Distinction Hotel Fox Glacier's location provides a real sense of privacy and peaceful seclusion, while being only a short stroll to the main street of the charming Fox Glacier village.
Eliza's Manor - Christchurch
Our boutique hotel offers quality bed and breakfast accommodation and combines historic ambience with comfortable and modern facilities. Built in 1861, Eliza's Manor on Bealey is one of Christchurch's earliest buildings and has been fully restored in the last year.
Hokitika Heritage Lodge
Hokitika Heritage Lodge offers superb Qualmark rated 4+ Bed & Breakfast accommodation. Sited on a terrace above Hokitika looking to the mountains and sea. All rooms have ensuites and there is a seperate guest lounge. We are experienced hosts and look forward to welcoming you. We also have a Gatehouse Cottage self-contained 2 bedroom unit.
Peppers Bluewater Resort - Tekapo
Set near the shores of Lake Tekapo and surrounded by the spectacular landscapes of the Southern Alps, Peppers Bluewater Resort is a glimmering spectacle on New Zealand's South Island.
Punakaiki Resort
Punakaiki Resort is a stunning complex located on New Zealand's wild West Coast at Punakaiki Beach - and near the world famous Pancake Rocks and Blow Holes
Rainforest Retreat, Tree Lodges - F
Nestled in six acres of idyllic native bush at the foot of precipitous mountains,Rainforest Retreat is centrally located in the heart of Franz Josef Glacier Village on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Tree Lodges and Tree Huts; each unit was built exclusively to embrace its beautiful, natural environment of the park providing guests with forest floor or mid canopy bush views.
Te Anau Lodge
Experience the genuine warmth of traditional hospitality in the relaxed and tranquil environment of our 1936 relocated former convent, in one of New Zealand's most scenic locations- stunning Fiordland.
Breakers Boutique B&B
Breakers is a beachfront haven - a retreat from the world, where you can relax, revive and indulge in sheer tranquillity. Stunningly located on the Punakaiki Coastline, overlooking the Tasman Sea, Breakers is a boutique bed & breakfast, offering true NZ hospitality with its beachfront location and amazing panoramic sea views.