New Zealand: The South Island ​

You depart from the U.S. for Christchurch. The particulars of your arrival are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

Flying from the U.S. to New Zealand requires crossing the International Date Line, so this day is “lost.”

Upon arrival at the Christchurch airport, gather your luggage at the international baggage collection area and proceed toward the main exit past the International Free phone area. Around the corner, look for the Super Shuttle vehicle. It will be parked in the International Shuttle Rank on your left. Use it to transfer (approximately 30 minutes) to your Christchurch hotel. If your flight is delayed, please notify Super Shuttle at 64 9 522 5100. Once you arrive at the hotel, the rest of the day is yours to relax or explore.

Your hotel room may not be available until 2 p.m. You may store your luggage with the reception desk. VBT provides you with City Information in your Final Travel Booklet that includes information and recommendations on what to see and do in Christchurch during your stay.

Please note: VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you fly in earlier than the scheduled program dates, transportation from the airport will be at your own expense.

After an early breakfast, shuttle with your Trip Leaders to the Christchurch train station. We board the 8:15 a.m. TranzAlpine Express for a breathtaking ride through the dramatic Arthur's Pass, a small township in the Southern Alps, to the sleepy fishing village of Jacksons. Our train passes through the Canterbury Plains and traverses the gorges and river valleys of the Waimakariri River.

Enjoy a pub lunch in Jacksons. From here we begin cycling through open farmland to Lake Brunner, followed by a shuttle to Hokitika. Hokitika boomed with gold-rush fever, and the main street once housed more than 80 hotels. Today there are only six.

This evening, you have free time to enjoy dinner on your own. Later, you might take a walk along the beach and look skyward for the Southern Cross, a constellation that can be seen year-round, but only from the Southern Hemisphere. The Southern Cross contains four bright stars that depict the extremities of a Latin cross. The stars are very bright and located close by one another, making the constellation very easy to pick out.

This morning, visit the Greenstone Jade Factory, featuring carvings from this beautiful native stone. Then shuttle to Ross, where we begin cycling toward Westland National Park and Franz Josef Glacier. The park covers an expanse of towering mountains and glaciers, dramatic waterfalls and icy, gray-blue rivers that tumble down to the Tasman Sea. A rolling ride through this beautiful forest takes us to a picnic lunch under a covered shelter beside the historic Puké Pub (pronounced poo-kay) in Pukekura. The Pub serves award-winning “Wild Foods” (including possum pate, venison, rabbit and others). After lunch, we continue cycling to Hari Hari. Spend free time in town before shuttling back to the hotel, where you can freshen up before dinner.

After breakfast, we have a free day to choose from a variety of optional pursuits. Head to Franz Josef Glacier for an exhilarating hike, or embark on a guided heli-hiking adventure (both options at your own expense). If you prefer, remain in Franz Josef to shop and explore the town. In the afternoon, cycle to Okarito Lagoon, a rich wildlife haven noted for its unspoiled beaches. Here you can find more than 70 species of birds. Experience the lagoon up close during an optional hike or kayaking excursion. Tonight, dinner is on your own at one of the many wonderful local restaurants.

A morning shuttle brings us over a scenic pass to Fox Glacier, where we pedal through native New Zealand rainforest along the Tasman Sea. Enjoy lunch at a salmon farm, and then continue on to the Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki. Surrounded by a thriving 1,000-year-old rainforest and pristine seacoast, the lodge's location is perfect for outdoor exploration and activity, or just relaxing and taking in the wonders of nature. The owner of the lodge, Dr. Gerry McSweeney, is the former president of the New Zealand Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, the country's largest environmental organization. 

Accordingly, the lodge is committed to the protection of the environment. Dinner is in the lodge's dining room, which overlooks the wilderness area.

Later, you may wish to join your lodge host for a walk on the grounds to view a colony of glowworms!

After breakfast, we spend a free day participating in optional outdoor activities provided by the Wilderness Lodge, including kayaking or hiking through the rainforest. Your trip price includes two shorter guided activities of 60-90 minutes, including the rainforest, bird and tree fern walks, freshwater eel feeding, canoe instruction on the river and lake, night sky walks and historical talks. Additional activities may incur extra costs. After a day of exploration and lunch on your own, rejoin the group for dinner at the lodge.

Take a brief shuttle along the dramatic cliffs above the Tasman Sea. We stop at the Haast Visitor's Center; from there, cycle beside the clear blue Haast River as you travel east toward Haast Pass. Descend into the Makarora River Valley and ride through Mt. Aspiring National Park. Spend the night at a local homestay and enjoy Kiwi hospitality and a home-cooked meal.

This morning we cycle along the Clutha River, lifeblood of the Otago region, to the historic town of Cromwell. Stop at a local pottery shop, featured in New Zealand House and Garden magazine, for a picnic lunch in its garden. While your picnic is being prepared, step into the shop to see wonderful pottery. Then head to Queenstown, via the shuttle van, with an optional stop at A.J. Hackett Bungy at Kawarau Bridge — home of the original, 130-foot-high bungy jump! Once at your Queenstown hotel, you have free time on your own before a group farewell dinner at a local restaurant. 

VBT No-Air Package guests: You are responsible for your own transfer arrangements to the airport. The hotel's Elements Restaurant opens at 6:00 am for any guests with early departure flights. 

VBT Air Package guests: Transfer from the hotel by Super Shuttle to the Queenstown Airport 2½ hours prior to your scheduled flight departure time. (This transfer is included in your package.) The Elements Restaurant opens at 6:00 am for any guests with early departure flights.

VBT Post-Trip Extension guests: If you have chosen the optional Post-Trip Extension, enjoy one of the many optional activities available in Queenstown. Perhaps you'll join an excursion to the breathtaking Milford Sound, a thrilling jet-boat ride through the Shotover River Canyons, a pleasant Lake Wakatipu cruise on the S.S. Earnslaw to a sheep station, or a scenic gondola ride. After a full day of exploration, relax at the hotel this evening. Dinner is on your own tonight.  VBT provides you with City Information in your Final Travel Booklet that includes information and recommendations on what to see and do in Queenstown during your stay.

Please note: VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.