Mount Cook & Queenstown Day Tours

Mount Cook

New Zealand’s highest mountain, Mount Cook (Aoraki in Māori) towers 3,724 metres into the sky, providing a stunning backdrop to the beautiful Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park in the centre of the South Island. Declared a World Heritage park in 1986, it boasts over 30 peaks 3,000 metres or higher. It also has five of New Zealand’s largest glaciers, including the Tasman Glacier at 21km in length. Scenic flights over the park provide unparalleled views of the Southern Alps. The region is also renowned for its clear, starry nights and was designated a Dark Sky Reserve in 2012 – the first in the southern hemisphere and the world’s largest, encompassing a 4300 km² area.

Queenstown

South of Mount Cook, past the distinctive tussock land of the Mackenzie Country and the vivid blue glacier-fed Lake Tekapo, is the world-renowned tourist destination of Queenstown. This lake and alpine resort is New Zealand’s adventure capital, with things to see and do in Queenstown in all seasons. From bungy jumping to wine tasting, Lord of the Rings film locations to historic gold mining towns and jet boating on the Shotover River, there are activities and attractions in Queenstown to whet every appetite. Sitting close to four excellent skifields, Queenstown is also home to boutique shops and a wide variety of bars and restaurants, making it a great spot to relax and spend time.

Queenstown is the home of bungy jumping – if you dare, launch yourself into the air from the Kawarau Bridge, 43 metres above the Kawarau River. Keep your adrenaline levels high with a jet boat trip on the Shotover River, where the dramatically narrow canyons and high speed ride will take your breath away. Movie buffs will want to visit the Kawarau Gorge, where scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed. Queenstown is part of the Central Otago wine region, where some of New Zealand’s best wines are made, especially Pinot Noir. In neighbouring Arrowtown you’ll feel you have stepped back in time to the 1860s when this historic goldmining town was booming. And of course Queenstown is the starting point for most day tours to Milford Sound, New Zealand’s most famous natural attraction.