SCENIC SOUTHERN CIRCLE – featuring Tranz Alpine Train and Coastal Pacific Train

Today we are taken to Auckland Airport to join our flight to the ‘garden city’ of Christchurch. On arrival we are met by our driver and coach and transferred to our hotel where we stay for 2 nights. Join our Tour Manager for dinner at the hotel.

This morning we enjoy a sightseeing tour of this beautiful city. Christchurch has been rebuilding and revitalizing itself following the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 so you will find everything is a little bit different. You’ll enjoy the new, emerging city which is modern, greener and more creative than ever before ! We’ll take in the sights of the Garden City’s crowning glory—Hagley Park which offers 165 hectares (407 acres) of mature introduced tree plantings, see the beautiful Botanical Gardens not to mention the shallow Avon river meandering through the city centre. We will have some time at leisure this afternoon. Early evening we’ll experience a unique dinner onboard the Christchurch Tramcar Restaurant. Enjoy the luxury of an air-conditioned, colonial style dining tram and be treated to fine service, beautiful cuisine and beverages as we travel through the inner city.

A highlight today ! After breakfast we will be transferred to the Railway Station to board the renowned Tranz Alpine train for what is considered to be one of the world’s greatest rail adventures.

Along this journey you’ll see epic vistas, travel the edges of the ice-fed Waimakariri River, traverse the Southern Alps, and see miles of native beech forest. The scenery is just breathtaking! Upon arrival at Greymouth we will join our coach and travel to Punakaiki—the gateway to the dramatic limestone country of the Paparoa National Park.

This afternoon we’ll visit the Pancake Rocks & Blowholes  Punakaiki is world famous for limestone formations that began forming 30 million years ago, when lime-rich fragments of dead marine creatures were deposited on the seabed then overlaid by weaker layers of soft mud and clay. The seabed was raised above sea level by earthquakes to form the coastal cliffs and coastline.

After breakfast we make our way to the historic gold mining township of Charleston. It is here we join the Nile River Rainforest train recreating a bygone era where bush trams once prevailed. Completed in 2002 the train provides visitors with a fantastic way to experience the spectacular wilderness landscapes of the Nile River Canyon in Paparoa National Park. Arrive at Softrock Station nestled beneath the  towering limestone buff. You can take the short walk from the station through the rainforest to the Nile River Suspension Bridge before your return to the festival  station.  We then travel on to arrive at Cape Foulwind Walkway & Tauranga Bay, home to one of New Zealand’s most accessible seal colonies. A short 10 minute walk will lead us to viewing platforms directly overlooking the colony and offers panoramic views of the cape and rugged coastline including rock stacks and steeples.  The best time to view is October to March when the bull seals return to mate and the pups are at their most playful.
Make our way to Westport near the mouth of the Buller River and gateway to the Northern West Coast.  Continue onto Murchison—an historic gold rush town and as you journey through the township, you’ll discover many buildings still in their original  form from the late 1800’s.  It’s then via Richmond and on to Nelson (with more sunshine hours anywhere else in the country) where we will stay for 2 nights.

Another highlight of our tour is a visit to Abel Tasman National Park. After breakfast we will coach to Kaiteriteri to join our boat and cruise in style from Kaiteriteri to Totaranui return with their stunning golden sand beaches and blue-green water and the southern gateways to Abel Tasman National Park. Enjoy a picnic lunch onboard as we call into popular beaches along the coast, pause for photographs at famous Split Apple Rock, view sea birds and seals at Tonga & Adele Islands. A day to remember. Return to Nelson later afternoon.

This morning is at leisure to explore . Our early afternoon drive to Blenheim is both beautiful and interesting. We will pass through the Rai Valley—gateway to Pelorus Sound then through the mussel capital of Havelock North before arriving into Blenheim for two nights.

After breakfast we will take in the sights of Blenheim including a visit to  Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre where we get to see Sir Peter Jacksons collection of WW1 artefacts including personal items belonging to the Red Baron.  Also WW2 exhibition featuring a range of Warbirds. We then enjoy a light lunch before returning to our hotel.

This morning after a short drive to Picton, we join our boat for a cruise on Queen Charlotte sounds to Lochmara Lodge. Here we can spot native birds on the native trail and enjoy some yummy homemade treats and a coffee or tea overlooking the bay. We return to Picton in time for you to have a look around the shops or get some lunch (own expense). Early afternoon we join the Coastal Pacific train and enjoy the astonishingly beautiful scenery as we travel breathtakingly close to the Pacific Ocean.  With the sea stretching up to the Horizon in the East and the Kaikoura mountains in the west. As our train doesn’t arrive into Christchurch until 7.20p.m. please purchase your dinner on board the train.

Most of today is at leisure . Our baggage will be stored for us at the hotel after the 10.00a.m. check out. Time for a last wander round this vibrant city before we are transferred to the airport for our flight home. On arrival we are transferred back to our home addresses.