Best 9-Day Private South Island Tour with Kids

Queenstown is quick to calm, whatever the prevailing mood. A ring of mountains hangs majestically above Lake Wakatipu with snow-capped peaks that reflect in the lake’s glassy surface. The town is small and bucolic, making it an easy place to explore, even with a stroller. With its magical location and pure serenity, Queenstown is the perfect place to start a family vacation. You will be greeted at the airport by a local guide and transferred into the town to your lakeside accommodation. The evening will be at your leisure, and you will find this to be an excellent place to stretch your legs and absorb the New Zealand atmosphere.

After a leisurely morning, you will transfer to a rugged and arid valley, where an icy blue river cuts through stark canyon walls. A jetboat will lead you further, and it will be quite a ride as you zip up the river with the pilot navigating 360-degree turns. Anyone aged over the age of eight can join the ride. Afterward, your guide will lead you to a nearby spa for something more laid-back to complete the morning. Visiting Lord of the Rings filming locations is a huge family highlight, and much of Middle-earth is within one hour of Queenstown. This afternoon, you will explore epic valleys and rolling fields, Gladden Fields, the Pillars of the Kings, and the Ford of Bruinen.

Today, you will witness New Zealand by helicopter on a private tour that explores all over Fiordland National Park. By helicopter, you can discover so much, and it is very exciting for children. Your flight will begin by sweeping over the mountains and touching down on a glacier, where everyone can walk on the ice and get a feel for the great unknown. After the glacier landing, you will fly over the fjords and admire how they cluster very close to each other. A second landing will provide you with lunch at a rarely visited part of Fiordland National Park before having you fly over the wilderness to another laid-back night in your Queenstown accommodation.

Queenstown is an outdoor paradise, and there are half a dozen great activities to try within one hour of your hotel. Today will be completely customizable, meaning that you can build a program of activities based on your interests. Single-track mountain biking is possible for all levels and ages, and a superb collection of hiking trails means that you can walk in the wild for 15 minutes or half a day. You can indulge in rafting down rivers or a slow tandem kayaking expedition on the lake. New Zealand is all about the outdoors, and Queenstown places all the opportunity you need at your fingertips.

Today, you will have a transfer along a meandering road with a series of superb viewpoints. Due to your private transfer, this journey can be split up in a few places. Central Otago’s vineyards are also en route and are great places for lunch with a view and some wine tasting. Afterward, you will cross a couple of mountain passes before venturing into the Southern Alps. As enormous peaks gaze down, you will settle into your lodge on the shores of Lake Tekapo. A local guide will lead you to the lakeshore for a stargazing experience this evening in one of the world’s first-designated dark sky areas.

The Southern Alps also offers a large range of activities, including hiking and ice climbing, which can be an option for active teenagers. Planned for today will be a journey on horseback into the mountains and wilderness that remains mostly unseen. After 90 minutes in the saddle, a boat will carry you further to one of only three world glaciers that terminate in a lake. Cruising this surreal lake is an incredible experience, especially when you reach out to touch the 500-year-old icebergs. After a leisurely afternoon, you will return to the sky this evening with a guided tour of an observatory and more searching for rare stars.

Just like with Fiordland, the best Southern Alps perspectives come from the air. Therefore, after your adventures on horseback and lake, you will soar above New Zealand’s highest mountains on an aerial safari. After 30 minutes of looping around the Southern Alps, the pilot will lead you across the Canterbury Plains to Akaroa, which is a small fishing village on the Pacific. The remainder of your day will be at your leisure, and there is a nice beach about 15 minutes away in addition to the untrammeled charms of a coastal New Zealand village.

Hector’s dolphins are the smallest of all dolphins species, and they are remarkably fast. Jumping and twisting out of the water, they may perform marine gymnastics for you. Today, you will swim with these wild dolphins and share their space and antics. It will not be like Sea World, and there is no touching; however, it is far more exciting because the dolphins swim around you. Even non-swimmers can have a great morning because you can watch Hector’s dolphins jump out of the water. This afternoon, you can stay in Akaroa or take a trip to Christchurch to learn about the 2011 earthquake and all the incredible art that is repairing the city.

After nine days on the South Island, you will depart from Christchurch’s international airport. As with each day on this adventure, your transfer will be private.