Escursioni a Lyttelton: Christchurch Sightseeing with Sheep Farm

The trip we booked was not the trip we got! The trip as advertised; Sign of the Takahe Mona Vale Gardens Cathedral Square Riverside Market Toby Hill Farm What we got? A long drive in a very poor van with no leg room straight out to Arakawa so that 6 people could get out and catch their Black Cat Excursion?? We were left to wander around for 45 minutes before continuing on to Coombs farm for the sheep demonstration and tea. This was the only good part of the tour. The setting was idyllic and the farmer’s wife made us a lively afternoon tea in her garden. I understand they run a B&B as well and would highly recommend it. I will never book with Leisure Tours again.

The tour operator changed this tour and didn’t tell us. We did not get what we signed up for. They apparently combined our tour with a jet boating tour and they changed the sheep farm we visited to accommodate the jet boating people. The result was we missed all sightseeing in Christchurch. The van was very old and very uncomfortable. Everyone complained that their knees hurt, and there was no legroom. The tour operator seemed unsure of what he was supposed to do. We drove well over an hour and a half to a town on the water so the jet boating people could get off Then he took us to a sheep farm COMBS farm, which was lovely. He did not tell us how long we would be there. We did get a demonstration of the dog, bringing the sheep down the hill into a paddock and sheep sharing demo. The farmer explained everything and we got to touch the animals which was wonderful. Their place is idyllic. His wife was so sweet. She made tea and coffee and scones and biscuits for us and we sat outside in just the most peaceful place you’ve ever seen, it was stunningly beautiful there. They were very gracious. They also run a B&B (Combs Farm) so if you’re ever in the area and want to stay there, I would recommend it. Then back in the awful van to go collect the boating people and an hour on our own in a town we didn’t plan to visit. Cute but nothing to do except walk around aimlessly to kill time. Back in the awful van more than an hour back to Christchurch where the driver pointed things out as we whizzed by them. The tour description listed several stops in Christchurch and we didn’t get any of them because of the time wasted in unknown town. I’d be happier if they had told us our tour was changed and gave us the opportunity to cancel but there was no communication about the change. Id wish for a refund but that wouldn’t compensate for completely missing Christchurch. It took 3 days for my knee to stop hurting from the awful old van. Here is what we DID NOT get (from tour description) Stop At: Sign of the Takahe, 200 Hackthorne Road, Cashmere, Christchurch 8022, New Zealand Best spot to admire some spectacular views over the City, Canterbury Plains and Southern Alps. Duration: 30 minutes Stop At: Mona Vale, 63 Fendalton Rd Riccarton, Christchurch 8004 New Zealand Time spent walking through Mona Vale Gardens with its picturesque Gardens, Ponds & river. Duration: 30 minutes Stop At: Cathedral Square, Christchurch New Zealand Time spent on foot exploring Cathedral Square Duration: 30 minutes Stop At: Riverside Market, 96 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand Very dissatisfied. Only good thing was Combs farm.

Quite a bit of driving, the upside is experiencing the stunning scenery and hearing about New Zealand. We really enjoyed the Sheep farm visit. Seeing the working dog, sheep shearing and delightful Tea and cookies. Lovely gardens at the farm. ChristChurch was a drive by today, fine with me but not as advertised.

Wonderful, fulfilling tour of countryside, sheep farm experience, and Christchurch city tour. The tour guide was a great driver but should not be assigned guiding duties. Unable to hear his diminutive voice and he was unable to exude a sense of wonder that we expect from Viator Tour Guides.

The length of the tour time was ideal. The drive was lovely and the selection of stops was well-planted. We highly recommend the tour. The driver/guide drove us safely and had a lot of interesting information. However, her language at times was unnecessarily coarse and she made a racial slur which was unacceptable to us.

We loved the sheep farmland the sheep shearing. We saw lots of the countryside and hills outside of Christchurch, and enjoyed the time on Christchurch. Our driver, Diane was great. We only w9sh we would have stopped for photos at the top of the pass near the end. (but we may have been in a time crunch)

Our guide Graham provided little commentary during the one hour plus drives to and from the sheep farm. Seeing the sheep dog herd sheep and watching a sheep being sheered was interesting. The hosts Trevor and Heather were informative. Graham was much more talkative during the Christchurch portion of the tour.

It's a long ride to the farm so be prepared. Our driver was a pleasant gentleman perhaps a little low-key. We had some difficulty hearing his commentary from the back of the van, but he shared quite a lot about the Christchurch earthquake devastation and rebuilding. For us, the highlight of the trip was the sheep herding and shearing demonstrations. Trevor, the owner, is very personable and so interesting. At 83, he performs his farming activities like someone 20 years younger! His dog, Ted, is a sweetheart that has a real enthusiasm for his work :) We very much enjoyed our time at the farm.

Guide not a guide, just a driver. Did not share much info. Just pointed out if buildings were destroyed in earthquake or not. Only shared layman's knowledge that most locals probably know. No depth. Uncomfortably crammed in back seat that should not accommodate more than 3 people. Sound system in van poor. Nice way to see the countryside, but don't expect much more. Sheep farm visit ok. Cute sheep, 2 friendly working dogs, nice couple who are friendly, but may be a bit tired from years of tours. Perhaps find another tour company, other than Leisure Tours Cruise Excusions, if you want a better tour.

Excellent driver/guide very knowledgeable. Very informative farm visit, gracious hosts, lovely snacks we’ll set up location. Drive to and from farm very scenic.