Bike 'n Hike South Island

Day 1: Arrive Christchurch

Meet and greet service with rental car pick up at Christchurch Airport.

Hotel: The Classic Villa

Day 2: Christchurch

Day at leisure in Christchurch to either explore on foot or by one of the many bikes available to hire around the city centre.

Hotel: The Classic Villa
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3: Christchurch to Oamaru (249km)

Travel south to Oamaru. With its unique mix of historic and contemporary attractions, the town offers a chance to enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and stunning natural environs. Blue Penguins are nocturnally active on land. They leave the colony before sunrise each morning and return at dusk each night. This evening, watch the Blue Penguins come ashore from a purpose built outdoor viewing area and listen to an informative commentary on the life cycle, breeding habits, biology and feeding habits of the penguins.

Hotel: Pen-Y-Bryn Lodge
Meals: Breakfast

Day 4: Oamaru to Clyde (224km)

A morning free to enjoy historic Oamaru before the short drive inland to Clyde.

Hotel: Olivers Central Otago
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5: Clyde

The Otago Central Rail Trail originally provided a link to the country’s major goldfields. Now a recreational facility designed for walkers, bikers and horse riders, the trail follows the former railway line and is similar to a good gravel road – without vehicles or hills. Your accommodation is perfectly positioned in the centre of the trail providing the perfect opportunity to spend the day cycling this region, steeped in a sense of history and remoteness, at your own pace.

Hotel: Olivers Central Otago
Meals: Breakfast

Day 6: Clyde to Queenstown (83km)

Drive today to the exciting, sophisticated and scenic resort town of Queenstown.

Hotel: Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel
Meals: Breakfast

Day 7: Queenstown

Routeburn Trail – this relaxed tour explores the region’s fascinating flora and fauna; whilst wandering through beech forest, surrounded by the sounds of rivers and local birds, to a world of peace and tranquillity. An average fitness is required for this easy to moderate walk in well-graded, steady inclining terrain.

Hotel: Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel
Meals: Breakfast

Day 8: Queenstown to Wanaka (113km)

Today you have time to enjoy the adventure capital of New Zealand before travelling on to the lakeside resort town of Wanaka. From Queenstown travel through the Kawarau Gorge and via Cromwell and Lake Dunstan to Wanaka. An alternative route today is via the Crown Range Road which is New Zealand’s highest sealed highway. This route is shorter than the one via Cromwell however travel time may take longer due to the winding nature of the road (note this route is not recommended over winter).

Hotel: Maple Lodge
Meals: Breakfast

Day 9: Wanaka

Today’s unique wilderness jet boating experience explores the braided channels of the Matukituki River. Travel past filming scenes from the Lord of The Rings as you jet towards Mount Aspiring National Park. This guided eco-tour, shares stories of the past of how these ancient lands were carved by ice and of the first peoples to come here. Learn about the forces that created this amazing landscape and enjoy a 50 minute walk into native beech forest to a hidden waterfall.

Hotel: Maple Lodge
Meals: Breakfast

Day 10: Wanaka to Twizel (144km)

A scenic drive past opaque turquoise lakes, the colour of which is caused by fine, glacier-ground rock particles held in suspension.

Hotel: Matuka Lodge
Meals: Breakfast

Day 11: Twizel – Mt Cook – Twizel (130km)

Drive through high country tussock via beautiful Lake Pukaki to Mount Cook Village. Bus to the beautiful Tasman Valley where your guide will lead you on a gentle stroll to the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake where you will board a boat to explore the fascinating glacial landscape dotted with icebergs and the ever-changing ice face of the glacier. The boat passes so close to the icebergs you can touch them! Spend some time enjoying Mt Cook before making your way back to Twizel.

Hotel: Matuka Lodge
Meals: Breakfast

Day 12: Twizel to Christchurch (285km)

Drive across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch where your journey ends with the return of your rental vehicle to the airport depot.