Christchurch to Mt Cook via Lake Tekapo One Way Small Group Tour
Description
Christchurch to Mt Cook via Lake Tekapo Small Group Tour (1 way). This small group, fully-guided day transfer allows you to travel in style to Mt Cook while seeing all the key highlight along the way. Led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge and run in modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety. While the destinations you will be visiting are truly spectacular, we believe it is our small groups, our guides, the journey and the little details that set our tours well apart. Secret stops, wildlife viewings, specially designed vehicles and many other pleasant surprises ensure our tours are an experience to remember.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour starts in the stunning city of Christchurch. As we drive out of the city your guide will not only set the scene for your adventurous day but also point out and guide you past some of the area’s top highlights.
Wrapped around Christchurch are the Canterbury Plains filled with farmland as far as the eye can see. Most types of farming you can think of will be found on the plains such as crops, vineyards, dairy and livestock production.
A charming South Canterbury town known for its boutique shops and local produce. This is where we’ll pause to collect your lunch, take a short rest break, grab a coffee if you’d like, and use the facilities before we continue our journey.
We head towards the famous blue lakes of Lake Tekapo but to get there first we must go through some impressive alpine passes with amazing views. As we come over the hill to Tekapo you will be stunned by amazing view of the lake. Stop for a photo at the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd.
Turning west we begin to enter the Aoraki National Park and Lake Pukaki begins to emerge in front of us. Lake Pukaki is one of the bluest lakes you will ever see and is stunningly framed by the backdrop of Aoraki/Mt Cook and the Southern Alps. It’s not hard to see why many Lord of the Rings scene were filmed nearby and we will point them out for you.
Unfortunately, our tour must come to an end. Arriving at Mt Cook Village, weather depending, we should get some amazing shots of the mountain itself. At 3724m, Aoraki/Mt Cook is New Zealand’s highest peak, however, the mountain can be viewed without any acclimatisation whatsoever from the village which is just 750m above sea level.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
*If no pickup is selected at time of booking, you will be allocated our default meeting point (InterCity Bus Stop, Christchurch Bus Interchange). You are welcome to update this at any time. If your location isn’t listed, please choose your nearest available option & meet us there. *Pick-ups can begin up to 20 minutes before the tour departure time, depending on location. To ensure a smooth start, please be ready and waiting outside 5 minute prior to your specific pickup time. *Pick-up locations are carefully planned for each tour and may vary by day. If your pick-up location changes, kindly inform us in advance. *Our guides make multiple stops and may arrive within a 10-minute window. We are unable to wait for late guests.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- Guests can bring 1 large & 1 small piece of luggage each
- Kindly advise any dietary requirements per person at time of booking
Reviews(21)
Janus was an exceptional guide. Not only did he take care of my dietary restrictions from the get go, but he made sure that I got to Aoraki Alpine Lodge by 12.15pm, in time for my booked activity of a Heli-Hike at the Tasman Glacier at 12.45pm. A key highlight along the way was the scenic views of Mount Cook from Lake Tekapo, with the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in the background. Janus also surprised us with an additional quick photo stop by Lake Pukaki. We had amazing views of the reflections of the Southern Alps on what's an astounding clear day. The packed lunch I had was amazing- Chicken with cranberry sandwich. The chicken was sweet, soft and moist thanks to the cranberry marmalade. Props to the Team at Cheeky Kiwi for making this one-way trip such a memorable experience! NB: I highly encourage guests to consider spending one/ 2 nights at Mount Cook rather than to get the one day transfer from Christchurch to Queenstown via Mount Cook. Mount Cook was THE HIGHLIGHT of my trip.
Smooth ride. We got an unexpected late start due to some mix up with other passengers. This ate up 30 minutes and we ended up running half of a short trek to Tasman jetty when we realized we would be late to the vehicle. Driver Grant was very knowledgeable and gave us a mini geology lesson from Christchurch to Mt. Cook. He was very accomodating.
I really enjoyed the tour that cheeky kiwis organized to Mt Cook! It was very entertaining hearing all the history from Christchurch and Mt Cook. Whilst having a splendid and smooth trip it was very easy to ask or talk to the staff. I would definitely recommend this trip for anyone. Thank you again!
It was smooth and our driver Joe was chill and informative. Packed lunch was nice, with chips, fruit and water on the bus. Plenty of rooms for every one of us. Great stop for coffee at Geraldine.
Hi Sam Thanks for travelling with us! We are glad you enjoyed your journey and we could share our amazing country with you!
The journey with Grant was amazing, he guided us throughout the journey. I believe we did not miss even a single place and had sufficient time at every spot
Thank you for travelling with us! We are glad that you enjoyed your journey and Grants Guiding!
Stunningly beautiful scenery. Excellent guide, so knowledgeable, great insights into Maori culture and history which we found fascinating. Highly recommend!!
It was a great experience. Never miss visiting this part of New Zeland. This service was amazing. I was not sure to take this adventure but I can’t tell you enough how it was worth it and everyone should experience it.
Magical day travelling from Christchurch to Mt Cook with Cheeky Kea. From beautiful sunshine to intense fog we saw this region in all its glory.
We really enjoyed our trip with this company. Paul the guide was very knowledgeable and the snacks and lunch that was included was enormous and delicious.
Right from pick up to drop off (6 hours) we had an Excellent time. We went from Christchurch to Mt Cook. Grant was excellent, funny and informative. He made sure we were safe, comfortable and well fed. Thank you so much for Leg 1 of 3 with yours.
