Southern Explorer

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- 5 nights lodge & motel accommodation
- 1 night hostel accommodation
- 6 breakfasts, 1 afternoon tea & 3 dinner
- Touring by air-conditioned coach
- Assistance of a Trip leader & driver
- Touring & sightseeing of all sites as per itinerary

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Christchurch to Fox Glacier

Take off like Frodo Baggins as we roll across the pastoral patchwork quilt that forms the Canterbury Plains & watch 50 shades of green melt into snow-topped peaks. Hang out in Hokitika for whitebait fritters & Pounamu (Jade) shopping, then take your best photography shot of NZ's two tallest mountain peaks reflected in Lake Matheson for the #picoftheday. Excited? You should be.

Included today: Lake Matheson Walk

Meals: Dinner.

Did you know:
Every kiwi has at least one baby photo of themselves naked on a sheep skin. Don’t ask

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Fox Glacier to Queenstown

Today's your chance to walk on water. Well, frozen glacial water to be precise. Scale a mountain in minutes to get amongst ethereal ice caves & formations. With barely enough time to let your heart rate slow, we journey back through the mountains past Lake Wanaka & Lake Hawea. Feel your pulse start to quicken as we roll into Queenstown.

Meals: Breakfast.

Did you know:
In Queenstown you can hire a hydro attack - a cross between a torpedo & a fighter jet, painted as a shark. Jump & dive to the point at which your heart cannot take it anymore.

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Queenstown

Here's some basic math: Queenstown has over 220 activities-you have two days. No rush. This lakeside city has adrenaline on tap & will match any adventure you had in mind & then throw a Fergburger (amazing Queenstown burger place) in there for good measure. Get your fix with bungy, a narrow canyon swing, Shotover Jet, or paragliding, hiking, horse riding & the skyline gondola. If you're bored here, there's something wrong. Need some time out? Head to the Kiwi Birdlife Park, soak in a Japanese onsen, or kick back with a local pinot.

Meals: Breakfast & dinner.

Did you know:
In Queenstown you can hire a hydro attack - a cross between a torpedo & a fighter jet, painted as a shark. Jump & dive to the point at which your heart cannot take it anymore.

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Queenstown

Free day, take two. Jump off more stuff or chill out & let your pulse drop. Your call.

Meals: Breakfast.

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Queenstown to Fiordland

Instagram account meltdown warning! Today is going to chew through your memory cards with the Mirror Lakes, Hollyford Valley & Milford Sound. Sheer rock faces towering 1,200m above sea level, wildlife & waterfalls combine like an inch-thick chocolate ganache… 100% pure mouth-watering decadence out on the sound. You probably won't see any woolly mammoths, but dolphins & fur seals? You can pretty much bet your snow boots on it. Steeped in Maori myth, this is a history & geology lesson rolled into one, minus the homework.

Included today: Milford Sound Nature Cruise & Fiordland National Park Walks

Meals: Breakfast.

Did you know:
Remember Xena the Warrior Princess? Yep, she's kiwi too.

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Fiordland to Lake Ohau

Back in the heyday of Arrowtown, everyone was here for the gold. Recharge your batteries with venison burgers & a central Otago pinot noir in Arrowtown then zigzag across the five bridges that span the ever-changing Arrow River. Test your nerves on the suspension bridge then chill out by the crystal clear river waters while you catch your breath. Then cue relaxation & a chance to practice your stone-skimming skills in Lake Ohau.

Included today: Mountain Bike ride (13km/2hrs) along Arrow River

Meals: Breakfast & dinner.

Did you know:
New Zealand is also the only country with hobbits printed on their currency. Everyone in New Zealand knows at least one person who worked on the films.

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Lake Ohau to Christchurch

Lap up Lake Pukaki under the shadow of Mt Cook. It's about as Kiwi as 'fush & chups' (fish & chips with a local accent). Then shift into sheep country, where these furry things outnumber humans 12:1. It makes sense that today includes the Church of the Good Shepherd, a monument to the faithful sheep dog & a chance to watch them in action on a Kiwi farm. Then back to into the city of Churches as our trip winds to a close.

Included today: Mt Cook Village (weather dependant) & Scenic walks

Meals: Breakfast & afternoon tea.

Did you know:
After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake there was a national shortage of Marmite sandwich spread that lasted over a year. The dilemma was named "Marmageddon". A pop-up mall project called Re:START was constructed from shipping containers over the destroyed pedestrian mall after the 2011 quake

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