Canterbury West Coast
5
Day Itinerary •
New Zealand
Five days in Canterbury and the West Coast give you the full extraordinary sweep of the South Island's most dramatic landscapes, from the earthquake-rebuilt Christchurch and the remarkable French harbour of Akaroa to the turquoise Lake Tekapo, the Hooker Valley under Aoraki Mount Cook, the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers descending into rainforest, and the extraordinary Punakaiki Pancake Rocks on the wild West Coast. This route covers the complete Canterbury and West Coast experience. Christchurch and Akaroa, Lake Tekapo and the Mount Cook Hooker Valley Track, Franz Josef glacier heli-hike and Lake Matheson reflection, Fox Glacier and the West Coast wilderness beaches, and the extraordinary Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes on the return north.
Best Time To Visit
Oct to Apr. Glaciers open year-round. Summer best for Hooker Valley.
Getting There
Fly into Christchurch International from most major cities.
Getting Around
Car essential throughout. Christchurch to Franz Josef 4.5 hours.
Budget Per Day
Approx NZ$200 to NZ$450 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate. Glacier walks require guides.
DAY 1
CHRISTCHURCH
MORNING
CHRISTCHURCH REBUILD, STREET ART AND MUSEUM
Christchurch has undergone the most extraordinary urban transformation of any city in New Zealand following the 2010 to 2011 earthquakes, its remarkable rebuilt centre featuring the extraordinary Cardboard Cathedral, the fine Transitional Architecture precinct and the most significant collection of street art in New Zealand. The remarkable Canterbury Museum on Rolleston Avenue gives the finest natural history collection in the South Island. Museum free. Travel: 30 min walk
MIDDAY
CHRISTCHURCH BOTANIC GARDENS AND HAGLEY PARK
The Christchurch Botanic Gardens beside the Avon River give the finest free garden experience in the South Island, their extraordinary collection of native and exotic plants and the remarkable punting on the Avon River giving a peaceful contrast to the rebuild. The extraordinary new Riverside Market and the Oxford Terrace precinct rebuilt along the Avon give the finest lunch destination in the city. Gardens free. Punting approx NZ$35. Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
LYTTELTON HARBOUR AND THE PORT HILLS
Lyttelton Harbour below the Port Hills is the most extraordinary historic port in Canterbury, the arrival point of the Canterbury Association settlers in 1850 and still the finest working port character in the South Island. The remarkable Port Hills above Christchurch give the finest panorama over the city and the Canterbury Plains from the summit road. The extraordinary gondola to the summit gives the finest city view. Gondola approx NZ$35.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Re:START container mall in central Christchurch is the most extraordinary temporary architecture in New Zealand, a remarkable shopping precinct built from shipping containers that opened after the earthquake and became the finest example of community resilience architecture in the country. Entirely free. The most inspiring urban space in the South Island.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe on Oxford Terrace, Christchurch Outstanding rebuilt Christchurch cafe. Coffee and local produce. | Lunch: Riverside Market, Christchurch Outstanding food hall in the rebuilt city. Local Canterbury produce. | Dinner: Gatherings, Christchurch Outstanding Canterbury restaurant. Local lamb and Central Otago wine.
DAY 2
AKAROA AND BANKS
MORNING
AKAROA HARBOUR AND FRENCH HERITAGE
Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula is the most extraordinary harbour town in Canterbury, its remarkable French colonial heritage from the 1840 attempt at French annexation of New Zealand giving it a unique European character. The extraordinary harbour is the habitat of the world's smallest dolphin, the Hector's dolphin, visible year-round on boat tours. The remarkable French colonial buildings, the local boulangerie and the extraordinary harbour views are outstanding. Travel: 1 hour drive
MIDDAY
SWIMMING WITH HECTOR'S DOLPHINS
The Akaroa Hector's dolphin swimming experience is the most extraordinary wildlife encounter in Canterbury, the extraordinary opportunity to swim with the world's rarest dolphin in its natural habitat in the remarkable harbour. The dolphins are genuinely curious and approach swimmers closely. The experience is available October to April when water temperatures are sufficient. Multiple operators from Akaroa wharf. Approx NZ$150 per person. Travel: 1 hour drive
AFTERNOON
BANKS PENINSULA SUMMIT ROAD AND CHRISTCHURCH RETURN
The Banks Peninsula Summit Road above Akaroa gives the most extraordinary volcanic crater panorama in Canterbury, the remarkable view over the harbour crater and the extraordinary patchwork of headlands and bays visible simultaneously. The drive back to Christchurch via the Summit Road and the remarkable Governors Bay village on Lyttelton Harbour gives the finest farewell to the Peninsula.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum on Banks Peninsula is the most extraordinary small museum in Canterbury, its remarkable collection of authentic Maori artefacts and 19th-century colonial objects housed in an extraordinary setting in a remote bay. Entry approx NZ$15. The finest hidden museum on Banks Peninsula.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Christchurch before departure Early start for Akaroa. | Lunch: Akaroa Fish and Chip Shop or boulangerie Outstanding harbour fish and chips or French pastries. | Dinner: Restaurant in Christchurch Outstanding Canterbury lamb and Central Otago Pinot Noir.
DAY 3
TEKAPO AND COOK
MORNING
LAKE TEKAPO CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Lake Tekapo's extraordinary turquoise colour from glacial flour and the remarkable Church of the Good Shepherd on the shore, built in 1935 with the Southern Alps framed through its altar window, give the most photographed view in the South Island. The extraordinary collie dog statue, a tribute to the MacKenzie Country sheepdogs, and the remarkable Tekapo Springs geothermal pools beside the lake are outstanding. Church free. Travel: 1 hour drive
MIDDAY
AORAKI MOUNT COOK AND THE HOOKER VALLEY TRACK
The Hooker Valley Track from Mount Cook village is the finest free walk in New Zealand, its remarkable flat 3-hour return route past three swing bridges, through extraordinary alpine scrub and under the extraordinary 3,724-metre summit of Aoraki Mount Cook to the glacial Hooker Lake with floating icebergs. The remarkable Kea birds at the car park and the extraordinary Mueller Hut viewpoint above are outstanding. Walk entirely free. Travel: 3 hour drive
AFTERNOON
HAAST PASS AND WEST COAST ARRIVAL
The drive from Mount Cook to the West Coast via Burke Pass and the MacKenzie Country crosses the most extraordinary tussock high country in New Zealand before descending through the remarkable beech forests of Haast Pass into the extraordinary temperate rainforest of the West Coast. The remarkable Lake Paringa and the dramatic Haast River gorge are outstanding on the approach to the glacier village.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Tekapo Dark Sky Reserve stargazing tour from Mt John Observatory is the most extraordinary southern sky experience in New Zealand. The MacKenzie Basin has some of the darkest skies in the Southern Hemisphere. Tour approx NZ$45. Book ahead. The finest stargazing experience in Canterbury.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Tekapo Coffee at the extraordinary turquoise lake. | Lunch: Pack lunch at Mount Cook No facilities on the Hooker Valley Track. | Dinner: Restaurant in Franz Josef Outstanding West Coast whitebait fritters and local venison.
DAY 4
FOX GLACIER
MORNING
FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER HELI-HIKE
The Franz Josef Glacier heli-hike is the most extraordinary glacier experience in New Zealand, the helicopter landing on the extraordinary ice 600 metres above the valley and the guided walk through vivid blue seracs, crevasses and ice caves giving the finest glacial landscape encounter in the Southern Hemisphere. The glacier descends to just 300 metres above sea level in temperate rainforest, an extraordinary geological anomaly. Book well ahead. Approx NZ$280 to NZ$350. Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
LAKE MATHESON AND THE MOUNT COOK REFLECTION
Lake Matheson 20 minutes south of Franz Josef is the most photographed lake in New Zealand, its extraordinary mirror-calm surface reflecting the perfect double image of Aoraki Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in early morning or evening light. The 1-hour loop walk around the lake through extraordinary kahikatea forest gives the finest lake and mountain reflection in New Zealand. Best light is within 2 hours of sunrise. Entirely free. Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
FOX GLACIER VALLEY FLOOR WALK
Fox Glacier gives the finest ground-level glacier approach on the West Coast, the remarkable Valley Floor Walk to the glacier viewpoint through extraordinary braided river flats giving the finest free alternative to the heli-hike. The extraordinary glacier face visible from the viewpoint platform and the remarkable icefall above give the finest standing view of a New Zealand glacier from the valley floor. Walk free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
Okarito Lagoon north of Franz Josef is the most extraordinary coastal wildlife wetland on the West Coast, the only breeding site of the kotuku white heron in New Zealand. Kayak tours give the finest access to the lagoon. Approx NZ$80 per person. The most extraordinary wildlife experience on the West Coast.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Franz Josef Early breakfast before the heli-hike. | Lunch: Cafe at Lake Matheson or Fox Glacier Outstanding West Coast cafe. Local whitebait fritters. | Dinner: Cafe 1847, Franz Josef Outstanding glacier village. Local crayfish, venison and West Coast produce.
DAY 5
PUNAKAIKI PANCAKE
MORNING
PUNAKAIKI PANCAKE ROCKS AND BLOWHOLES
Punakaiki on the Paparoa Coast is the most extraordinary coastal geological formation in New Zealand, its remarkable Pancake Rocks of alternating hard and soft limestone layers eroded into extraordinary flat-stacked formations and the dramatic blowholes that fire spectacular jets of spray at high tide giving the finest coastal spectacle in the South Island. The extraordinary 20-minute loop walk around the rocks and blowholes is the finest short coastal walk on the West Coast. Entirely free. Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
PAPAROA NATIONAL PARK COASTAL WALK
The Paparoa National Park south of Punakaiki gives the most extraordinary coastal rainforest walk on the West Coast, its remarkable limestone bluffs, the extraordinary Truman Track through native bush to a stunning beach, and the remarkable Bullock Creek limestone arch giving the finest short walks in the northern West Coast. The extraordinary Pancake Rocks from the Bullock Creek side give the finest cliff top viewpoint. All walks free. Travel: 2.5 hour drive north
AFTERNOON
WEST COAST RETURN VIA THE BULLER GORGE
The return drive north from Punakaiki via the extraordinary Westport and through the remarkable Buller Gorge gives the finest river gorge scenery on the West Coast, the extraordinary Buller River carving through the remarkable ranges and the fine Murchison in the upper Buller Valley giving the best farewell to the West Coast. The drive continues over the Lewis Pass to Christchurch or north toward Nelson.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Truman Track at Punakaiki is the most extraordinary hidden beach walk on the West Coast, a remarkable 15-minute walk through extraordinary native bush to a dramatic beach with extraordinary wave action and the limestone bluffs above. Entirely free. Almost entirely missed by visitors who stop only at the Pancake Rocks car park.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Franz Josef or Hokitika Early departure north for Punakaiki. | Lunch: Punakaiki cafe or food van Outstanding West Coast cafe. Local crayfish and whitebait near the Pancake Rocks. | Dinner: Restaurant in Westport or Murchison Outstanding West Coast farewell dinner on the return journey.
Where To Stay
Christchurch, Night 1 The George Hotel or Sudima City. Central. Approx NZ$180 to NZ$380. Lake Tekapo, Night 2 Peppers Bluewater or Lake Tekapo Lodge. Lakeshore. Approx NZ$180 to NZ$380. Franz Josef, Nights 3 to 4 Te Waonui Forest Retreat or Rainforest Retreat. Approx NZ$180 to NZ$450.
Top Tips
1. Book Franz Josef glacier heli-hike months ahead. Weather cancellations are common, so allow flexible days.
2. Lake Matheson reflection is best in the first 2 hours after sunrise or the hour before sunset.
3. The Hooker Valley Track is the finest free walk in New Zealand. Allow 3 hours return for the full experience.
4. Punakaiki Pancake Rocks are most extraordinary at high tide when the blowholes fire. Check tide tables.
5. Lake Tekapo stargazing tours are extraordinary. The MacKenzie Dark Sky Reserve is one of the finest on earth.
6. Akaroa Hector's dolphin swim tours run October to April only. Book well in advance for December to February.
Total Budget
Approx NZ$200 to NZ$450 per person per day