Plan Harmony

Itinerary

Day 1: Christchurch to Marahau (Abel Tasman)

Stop At: Marahau, Marahau, Nelson-Tasman Region, South Island
Kia Ora (hello) and welcome to Christchurch, where you’ll begin and end your tour. Depart early this morning aboard a public bus service (unguided) to Picton where you’ll meet your Stray Guide and group. We’ll depart from the Picton Villa around and set off through the picturesque Marlborough region. We’ll continue through to Marahau, situated right on the edge of the spectacular Abel Tasman National Park where we’ll spend our evening relaxing around the campfire and looking at the stars.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
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Accommodation included: The Barn, Marahau

Day 2: Free Day in Marahau

Stop At: Abel Tasman National Park, Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson-Tasman Region, South Island
Count yourself lucky - you have a full day to explore New Zealand’s most popular national park. From our accommodation you can hike straight into the park (no water taxi required!). It’s a cool 12kms to Anchorage and you’ll see the park’s natural golden sand beaches and brilliant blue waters along the way. The walk is approx. 4 hours each way but there’s enough photo stops en-route to spend an entire day exploring. Enjoy a picnic on the beach before checking out Cleopatra’s Pools, moss lined fresh water pools with a natural water slide.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
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Accommodation included: The Barn, Marahau

Day 3: Marahau to Hokitika

Stop At: Punakaiki Pancake Rocks And Blowholes, Punakaiki New Zealand
Buckle up for an awesome day driving down the incredibly scenic ‘wild’ West Coast, an area known for its untamed beaches and spectacular rainforest. Through Buller Gorge and down a stretch of road named one of the top drives in the world by Lonely Planet, there’s not much cell phone reception but you are NOT gonna need it – we dare you to peel your eyes away from the window for even just a second. We’ll stop at the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and blow holes to explore this unique part of coastline before continuing on to the quaint township of Franz Josef, set amongst the rainforest.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Hokitika, Hokitika, West Coast Region, South Island
Our final stop of the day
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Beachside hotel

Day 4: Hokitika to Franz Josef

Stop At: Franz Josef, Franz Josef, Westland Tai Poutini National Park, West Coast Region, South Island
It’s a short drive today towards the charming little village of Franz Josef. The landscape will change from coastline to dramatic, lush rainforest so basically another day of incredible views and stunning scenery (have your phone charged for pics). We’ll get to Franz Josef around lunchtime and we’ll have the rest of the day to explore the town or relax at our accommodation.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Rainforest Retreat

Day 5: Franz Josef Non-Travel Day

Stop At: Franz Josef, Franz Josef, Westland Tai Poutini National Park, West Coast Region, South Island
Ice, ice baby! Today is about experiencing Franz Josef Glacier, an iconic highlight of the West Coast and New Zealand in general. We can get a shuttle to the beginning of the track and then hike through native bush and across glacial streams to the terminal face of the glacier for spectacular photos or just relax in the township and enjoy the views. If you’d like to see the glacier up close (before that pesky climate change melts it for good) you can go for an incredible heli-hike and actually stand on the glacier!
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
•
Accommodation included: Rainforest Retreat

Day 6: Franz Josef to Queenstown

Stop At: Lake Matheson Walk, Lake Matheson Road, Fox Glacier, Westland Tai Poutini National Park New Zealand
This morning we’ll go for a scenic walk around Lake Matheson, known for its stunning views and mirror-like quality on particularly still days, and then we’ll make our way to Queenstown.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Queenstown, Queenstown, Otago Region, South Island
Known in New Zealand as the ‘Adventure Capital of the World’ and the spiritual home of bungy jumping, Queenstown is a crazy combination of adventure and entertainment. We’ll stop at Kawarau Bridge on our way into town a.k.a. the first commercial bungy jumping site in the world and watch people jumping off with only a rope tied to their ankles. We highly recommend ticking this off your list if you’re feeling brave but otherwise we’ll just cheer on our mates from the viewing platform! When we get to Queenstown we’ll head straight to our accommodation. Stay at the Mercure Resort will provide a touch of luxury to your Queenstown adventure, with a swimming pool, fitness centre and sauna, it’s the best way to relax and ease yourself into life in this truly stunning resort town.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Central Queenstown hotel

Day 7: Day Cruise to Milford Sound

Stop At: Milford Sound, Milford Sound, Southland Region, South Island
Today we’ll hop aboard a Coach which will take us to the iconic Milford Sound. We’ll drive along one of the most scenic alpine roads in the world and then cruise across the Sound (fun fact: it's not actually a sound, it’s a fjord!) to see towering Mitre Peak plus rainforests and waterfalls, as well as spotting some amazing wildlife like Fur Seals, Penguins and Dolphins. Once we’ve snapped as many pics as we possibly can, it’s back to Queenstown. This evening, we recommend checking out the buzzy nightlife and sampling a famous Fergerber or just checking out one of the many restaurants Queenstown has to offer.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
•
Accommodation included: Central Queenstown hotel

Day 8: Free Day in Queenstown

Stop At: Queenstown, Queenstown, Otago Region, South Island
Yaaaasssss Queen(stown)! We’ve got a full day in the adventure capital today. With beautiful mountain scenery and plenty of outdoor activities, it’s easy to understand why so many backpackers refuse to leave this place. We’ll have brekkie at the hotel and then the rest of the day is freeeee.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
•
Accommodation included: Central Queenstown hotel

Day 9: Queenstown to Mount Cook

Stop At: Mt. Cook Village, Mt. Cook Village, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu), Mackenzie District, Canterbury Region, South Island
We’ll depart Queenstown early to drive over the Lindis Pass and through the Mackenzie Country, past the vivid blue waters of Lake Pukaki on the way to our amazing stop at the base of New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki/Mt Cook. We’ve made this drive sound great but honestly - we reckon it’s one of the most stunning days you’ll have in the whole of NZ.

We arrive in the early afternoon with time to do an optional experience like a boat tour on a glacial lake surrounded by snow capped alps (sounds epic? It is.) Alternatively we can check out the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre or do one of the many great short walks in the park. We would be remiss if we didn’t recommend the Hooker Valley track (weather dependent) which in our opinion is in the top 3 day walks in NZ. If it’s a clear night, head outside to experience one of the best stargazing spots in the country.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Alpine lodge

Day 10: Mount Cook to Christchurch

Stop At: Lake Tekapo, Lake Tekapo, Mackenzie District, Canterbury Region, South Island
Leaving Mount Cook we make our way through a landscape made famous by the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films. We’ll stop to check out the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepherd (an iconic photo stop) and if you like you can go and relax in the Tekapo hot pools, do some snow tubing or ice skating (winter only) or hike up to the Mt John Observatory for incredible views of the lake from above.
Duration: 12 hours

Stop At: Christchurch, Christchurch, Canterbury Region, South Island
After lunch, we’ll continue to our overnight stop in Christchurch where we’ll spend the afternoon wandering the city streets and laneways to discover creative street art intended to bring cheer and colour to a city once buried in rubble.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Central Christchurch hotel

Day 11: Depart Christchurch

Stop At: Christchurch, Christchurch, Canterbury Region, South Island
Today our adventure comes to an end, we’ll say goodbye (or see you soon) to our mates and go our separate ways for now. We hope everyone had a blast and remains Stray Mates for 4ever!
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
•
No accommodation included on this day.

• Fun and knowledgeable Stray Guide
• Access to 'off the beaten track' destinations and national parks
• Transport on modern, comfortable air-conditioned coach
• A wide selection of free and optional activities
• 10 nights accommodation
• Public bus from Christchurch to Picton
• Day Trip to Milford Sound
• 11x Breakfast
• Accommodation included: 10 nights
• 1x Dinner

• Optional activities
• Food and drinks

• Not wheelchair accessible
• Near public transportation
• Most travelers can participate
• Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
• Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
• Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
• Guides required to regularly wash hands
• This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
• This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

See Availability

If you cancel at least 7 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.