New Zealand South Island for three generations: Tekapo, Queenstown and Milford Sound

Arrive in Christchurch

Christchurch International Airport to your hotel in the city centre

• Welcome dinner at about 6 pm
• Nuit : Christchurch
• Environ 18 min de route

Soir

Most flights from Canada connect through Auckland after a long night in the air, so today asks nothing of anyone: check in, nap, and if the children need to run, walk a few minutes to the Botanic Gardens beside the Avon River, which have a large playground and wide lawns. Christchurch lost much of its old centre in the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, and the rebuilt city mixes new buildings, street art and open sites. At about 5:30 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the ten days ahead: what to pack for mountain mornings, how each day is paced for grandparents and grandchildren alike, and what we do if the weather closes the road to Milford Sound. Then we walk to an early welcome dinner together at about 6 pm, so everyone can be in bed early.

Compris

• Pick-up at Christchurch International Airport (CHC)
• Welcome briefing with your guide
• Early welcome dinner

Penguins, then across the plains to Lake Tekapo

Christchurch to the International Antarctic Centre, Geraldine and over Burkes Pass to Lake Tekapo

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Lake Tekapo
• Environ 3.5 h de route

Matin

The centre makes Christchurch's Antarctic links into a morning children remember: little blue penguins, a storm room that drops to Antarctic temperatures, and a ride in a tracked Hägglund vehicle over a rough course.

Après-midi

Then we drive south-west across the Canterbury Plains, about 1 hour 50 minutes, to the country town of Geraldine for a sit-down lunch. From there it is about 1 hour 15 minutes over Burkes Pass into the Mackenzie Basin, a wide tussock plain ringed by the Southern Alps, and we reach Lake Tekapo by mid-afternoon, when the water shows its milky turquoise, coloured by rock flour ground fine by glaciers. Walk down to the small stone Church of the Good Shepherd on the shore, then spend the late afternoon at Tekapo Springs, whose warm outdoor pools look across to the mountains.

Soir

If the sky is clear tonight, a local astronomy guide takes anyone who wants to stay up stargazing in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Compris

• International Antarctic Centre, Christchurch, with the Hägglund ride
• Sit-down lunch in Geraldine
• Church of the Good Shepherd and the Lake Tekapo shore
• Tekapo Springs hot pools
• Guided stargazing in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve (weather permitting; night 3 is the backup)

Aoraki/Mount Cook at a family pace

Lake Tekapo to Aoraki/Mount Cook Village along Lake Pukaki, and back

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Lake Tekapo
• Environ 3 h de route

Après-midi

Lunch is a sit-down meal in the village. Afterwards the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre at The Hermitage tells the story of the mountain and its climbers, a good place to sit down if the wind gets up.

Soir

We drive back along Lake Pukaki, stopping at Peter's Lookout, and are in Tekapo by late afternoon for a free evening. Tonight is the stargazing backup.

Compris

• Hooker Valley Track to the swing bridges with your guide
• Sit-down lunch at Aoraki/Mount Cook Village
• Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre
• Peter's Lookout over Lake Pukaki

Activités en option

• Scenic flight over the Tasman Glacier from Aoraki/Mount Cook Airport (weather permitting, booked on the day)

Over the Lindis Pass to Wanaka

Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki and Omarama, then over the Lindis Pass to Wanaka

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Wanaka
• Environ 3 h de route

Matin

We leave at 9 am and stop first at the south end of Lake Pukaki, where on a clear morning Aoraki stands at the head of the lake. Then we drive past Twizel to Omarama, about an hour from Tekapo, for coffee and a stretch; the town is known for gliding, and on a good day gliders circle over the hills. The road then climbs over the Lindis Pass, 971 m, through slopes of golden tussock, and drops into Central Otago.

Après-midi

We are in Wanaka by about 1 pm for a sit-down lunch near the lakefront, and we check in for two nights. The afternoon is for the lake. The beach at Roys Bay is a short walk from the centre, the water is clear and cold, and children like the stony shallows and the willow growing in the water near the shore, known as That Wanaka Tree. Grandparents can watch from a café table or a bench on the lakefront path.

Soir

The evening is free in town, with plenty of places that serve dinner early.

Compris

• Lake Pukaki viewpoint
• Coffee stop in Omarama
• The Lindis Pass
• Sit-down lunch in Wanaka

A slow day in Wanaka

Wanaka and Puzzling World

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Wanaka
• Environ 12 min de route

Après-midi

Lunch is on your own today: the lakefront has bakeries and cafés, and your guide suggests a few. The afternoon is free, and in summer it is the warmest part of the day for the lake beach again, a boat trip on the lake, or the town's indoor pool. For anyone who wants a walk, the Mount Iron track is a loop of about 4.5 km from the edge of town, climbing about 240 m to a summit with views over the lake, the Clutha River and the mountains towards Mount Aspiring National Park; your guide leads it in the afternoon.

Soir

Dinner is free, and the early-evening light on the lake is worth a stroll along the shore before bed.

Compris

• Puzzling World: the illusion rooms and the outdoor maze

Activités en option

• Lake Wanaka boat trip to an island in the lake
• Wanaka's indoor pool

The Crown Range, Arrowtown gold and on to Te Anau

Wanaka over the Crown Range to Arrowtown, then past Kingston to Te Anau

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Te Anau
• Environ 3.5 h de route

Après-midi

After a sit-down lunch in Arrowtown we drive about 2 hours 15 minutes to Te Anau, past the south end of Lake Wakatipu at Kingston and through the farmland of northern Southland, with a stretch stop on the way. We arrive by about 4 pm on the shore of Lake Te Anau, and check in for two nights.

Soir

The evening is free.

Compris

• Crown Range Road with stops at the Cardrona Hotel and the summit lookout
• Guided walk in Arrowtown: Buckingham Street and the Chinese Settlement
• Gold panning in the Arrow River
• Sit-down lunch in Arrowtown

Activités en option

• Lakes District Museum, Arrowtown

Milford Sound from Te Anau

Te Anau along the Milford Road through the Eglinton Valley and the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound, a cruise on the fiord, and back

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Te Anau
• Environ 4 h de route

Matin

We leave at about 8 am in our own van and stop whenever it helps: in the Eglinton Valley, where wide grassy flats open below beech forest; at the Mirror Lakes, a short, level boardwalk where on a still morning the Earl Mountains are reflected in the water; and near the Homer Tunnel, where kea, the alpine parrot, often hop around the car park. Through the tunnel the road drops steeply to the sea.

Après-midi

Our cruise of about two hours runs out to the Tasman Sea beneath Mitre Peak, 1,692 m, and close under Stirling Falls, with lunch on board. Fur seals rest on the rocks, and dolphins sometimes swim alongside.

Soir

We are back in Te Anau by about 4:30 pm for a rest before an early group dinner at about 6 pm. If heavy rain, snow or avalanche risk closes the road today, Milford moves to tomorrow.

Compris

• The Milford Road with stops in the Eglinton Valley, at the Mirror Lakes and near the Homer Tunnel
• Milford Sound cruise of about two hours, with lunch on board
• Early dinner together in Te Anau

Activités en option

• Scenic flight back from Milford Sound to Te Anau or Queenstown (weather permitting, charged only when it flies)

Glowworms, then Queenstown and the luge

Te Anau by boat to the glowworm caves, then by road via Kingston to Queenstown and up Bob's Peak

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Queenstown
• Environ 2 h de route

Matin

A slower morning. Late in the morning we take the boat across Lake Te Anau to the Te Anau glowworm caves, a guided trip into a young limestone cave where an underground river rushes past the walkways, then a small boat glides in the dark beneath thousands of glowworms. Even the most talkative children go quiet.

Après-midi

Back in town in the early afternoon, lunch is on your own, then we drive about 2 hours, 170 km, to Queenstown, via Kingston and along the shore of Lake Wakatipu below the jagged Remarkables, with a stop at the Devil's Staircase lookout. We check in for two nights by late afternoon. Then we ride the Skyline Gondola up Bob's Peak, about 450 m above the town, for the view over the lake as the light softens, and everyone who meets the age and height rules rides the Skyline Luge, a cart track that winds down the hillside; smaller children ride with an adult.

Soir

The evening is free in town. If Milford moved to today, we see Milford first, skip the caves and reach Queenstown in the early evening.

Compris

• Te Anau glowworm caves, with the boat across Lake Te Anau
• Devil's Staircase lookout on Lake Wakatipu
• Skyline Gondola to Bob's Peak
• Skyline Luge rides

The TSS Earnslaw and a high-country farm

Queenstown by steamship across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak High Country Farm, and back

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Queenstown
• En bateau

Matin

Late in the morning we walk to the Steamer Wharf and board the TSS Earnslaw, a coal-fired steamship that has worked Lake Wakatipu since 1912; children can look down into the engine room, where the stokers shovel coal into the boilers. The crossing to Walter Peak High Country Farm takes about 45 minutes.

Après-midi

At the farm a shepherd works the sheepdogs on the hillside, there is a sheep-shearing demonstration, and children can feed the farm animals before a sit-down lunch. We steam back by mid-afternoon.

Soir

The rest of the afternoon is free: the Queenstown Gardens on the point have a playground and lake views, the town beach is a short walk, and the Kiwi Park, where kiwi live in a darkened night house, sits by the foot of the gondola. Lake Wakatipu is cold even in summer, so a swim is a quick paddle for most. We meet at about 6 pm for a farewell dinner together, early enough for the youngest to stay awake for dessert.

Compris

• TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm and back
• Sheepdog and sheep-shearing demonstrations at the farm
• Sit-down lunch at Walter Peak
• Farewell dinner in Queenstown

Activités en option

• Kiwi Park, Queenstown
• Shotover River jet boat (age and height rules apply)

Depart from Queenstown

Queenstown to Queenstown Airport (ZQN)

• Petit-déjeuner
• Environ 18 min de route

Matin

A last breakfast together and a free morning. If your flight is later in the day, walk the lakefront and the Queenstown Gardens one more time, take the children back to the playground, or browse the town's shops for the gift to take home; your hotel will store bags after check-out. When it is time, our van takes you about 8 km, 15 minutes, to Queenstown Airport (ZQN) at Frankton, and your guide checks your flight before saying goodbye. Queenstown has direct flights to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and several Australian cities, and most families flying home to Canada connect through Auckland; allow at least two hours there for the connection and the transfer between the domestic and international terminals. If you have more time, we can quote extra nights in Queenstown or a few days on the North Island before you fly home. The trip ends after the airport drop-off.

Compris

• Drop-off at Queenstown Airport (ZQN)

Activités en option

• Extra nights in Queenstown