Mount Cook Day Tour from Queenstown

Algreda from Altitude Tours drove us to Mt Cook from Queenstown and done a very good job, we made several stops along the way including Cromwell famous for fruit and vineyards and Omarama, big on sheep and Twizel, then along Lake Pukaki to lookouts and finally to Mt Cook village where we done a couple of walks to get views of the mountains and glaciers. We had lunch there as well and had a look in the visitor centre. Algreda is very knowledgeable about the region and is patient with us and a good bus driver too

We are here to share our poistive feedback about Brian our Coach Driver / Tour Guide/ Encyclopedia etc. It was an epic tour all because Brian went out of his way to explain and provide information about things we did not even know existed in the first place. Thank you Brian. We did the Greymouth to Franz Josef (Great scenery) Franz Josef to Queenstown (almost dream and picturisque) Queenstown to Christchurch via Mt Cook (the best because Brian was heading it)

Not sure this was worth it...it was a very long day to see some beautiful scenery which we had seen all over New Zealand. Although Mt Cook is historically significant, and beautiful, once you've seen the Rocky Mountains in Canada, it pales in comparison (I know I shouldn't compare)....I'll repeat: it's a very long day with most time spent on a coach bus.

We did the full day trip last month with driver Stuart on a GreatSights bus. It was a well-paced day with lots of stops at places with good travel food, clean toilets and/or photo opportunities. Stuart quietly explained the landscape & told stories that highlighted an aspect of places all along the journey. He pointed out glaciation evidence, infrastructure projects and historically important locations. We heard about famous people & animals who hailed from places along the route, eg Rutherford the physicist, Shrek the sheep and many more. He touched on issues such as the politics of the fur trade, the growth of the dairying industry & explained what we were looking at as we cruised comfortably in the well appointed bus. A thoroughly enjoyable day.

The bus was comfortable. The driver friendly and informative. Both my husband and I enjoyed the bus ride very much. Unfortunately it was a little dampening because it was raining the whole way through.

Very informative, friendly and efficient bus driver. Scenic route. Would love to have more photo stops when reaching near mt cook (before heritage hotel) Overall - an enjoyable experience

Beautiful countryside and views of Mt. Cook...it is a very nice ride if you have the time...a lot of it is dropping off and picking up people along the way...

Our bus driver/guide was Stewart. He has full of information about the geography of the land, farming practices in NZ, as well as important (but unknown to us) Kiwis. It helped to pass the LOOONG drive. The scenery through the mountains, Aoraki/Mt Cook, lakes Putaki and Tekapo were all amazing. Buffet lunch at the Hermitage was delicious. Great way to see the country as you travel from one place to another without having to drive the mountain roads yourself.

You can also stop off at Mount Cook or Lake Dekapo for a full day. Because of the one flight a day, I got off the train and it was a full day stay. It was very convenient because it could be used as a transportation and sightseeing. A bus from Christchurch and a bus from Queenstown met at Mount Cook in between, with the cars intact but drivers changing buses and returning to the starting point.

Our very long day began with a pickup problem. We had specified a hotel pickup and booked a hotel that would accommodate that, but our confirmation specified that we would be picked up at a lot several blocks from our hotel, so, at extra expense, we booked a cab to that location. When we arrived at the lot, the tour bus was there, loading passengers, but the driver, Stuart, was surprised to see us because we were on his list to be picked up at our hotel! In the end everything worked out, except for the extra cost ($11.20) and a half hour earlier start to our day. Stuart was very knowledgeable and full of interesting bits of knowledge. The scenery was spectacular but there were too many stops for snack and coffee breaks which made for a very long day.