Explore Christchurch, Queenstown and the West Coast glaciers with a South Island short stay. Choose five- to seven-day packages combining accommodation, transport and guided food, wildlife, family or adventure experiences.
South Island Short Stay Packages
South Island Short Stay Packages are five- to seven-day holidays based in Christchurch or Queenstown, or travelling from Christchurch to Queenstown through Glacier Country. They include four to six nights’ accommodation, selected experiences and rental-car hire or transfers. Allow three to five full sightseeing days; the glacier route adds a five-hour train journey and driving. Start dates are requested, with year-round options and seasonal ski adventures. They suit families, couples, food lovers and active travellers.
Which South Island short stay should you choose, and what will you do?
Choose your destination around the experiences you want to enjoy and the way you prefer to travel. Christchurch combines city attractions with Canterbury outings, Queenstown offers alpine sightseeing and outdoor activities, and the West Coast glacier escapes connect a scenic rail journey with guided adventures. Each destination offers a different balance of independent exploration and arranged experiences.
| Destination | Standard package lengths | Main holiday themes | Examples of included experiences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christchurch short stay packages | 5 or 6 days; 4 or 5 nights | Food and wine, nature and wildlife, family, adventure | Tram dining, Waipara wine tasting, wildlife encounters, Antarctic exhibits, kayaking and guided caving, depending on the package |
| Queenstown short stay packages | 5–7 days; 4–6 nights | Food and wine, must-do sightseeing, family, cycling, adventure, adrenaline, skiing | Walter Peak dining, Milford Sound, cycling, jet boating, bungy jumping, ziplining or skiing, depending on the package |
| West Coast glacier short stay packages | 5 days; 4 nights | Franz Josef or Fox Glacier adventure | Glacier heli hiking and nature touring, with Lake Mapourika kayaking at Franz Josef or valley e-biking and hiking at Fox Glacier |
Food lovers can compare Canterbury’s city dining and vineyards with Queenstown’s Central Otago and Wānaka experiences. Wildlife enthusiasts can explore coastal habitats from Christchurch, while travellers wanting to walk on glacier ice can choose a heli-hiking escape. These experiences belong to different itineraries, so select the package with the combination you most want.
For an active holiday, compare Canterbury’s walking, kayaking and caving with Queenstown’s cycling and river adventures. Family packages combine several interests, while dedicated ski and adrenaline escapes have more specific participant requirements. Think about everyone’s confidence and interests before deciding on a theme.
The destination pages explain each package’s daily programme, accommodation choices and alternatives. Use them to compare the complete holiday, including transport and overnight arrangements, before requesting your preferred dates.
Where do the packages start, where do they go, and where will you stay?
Christchurch packages start and finish in Christchurch, with four or five nights in the same city accommodation. Collect your rental vehicle as arranged and use it for independent sightseeing and the journeys specified in your itinerary. Some guided outings include their own transport, so you can leave the car parked on those days.
Canterbury experiences reach beyond the city in different directions. Banks Peninsula and Akaroa provide harbour scenery, wildlife and kayaking; Waipara brings vineyard landscapes; Kaikōura adds a coastal wildlife outing. The six-day programmes also include Canterbury high-country experiences, with Edoras in Family and Cave Stream and Castle Hill in Adventure. Your chosen package determines which places you visit.
Queenstown packages start and finish in Queenstown. Most keep the same accommodation throughout, with booked outings into the surrounding mountains, river valleys and Central Otago. The Must-Do Escape includes Milford Sound and Middle-earth filming locations, while cycling itineraries explore routes beyond the town itself.
The Queenstown Food & Wine Escape has a different overnight arrangement: three nights in Queenstown and one in Glenorchy. A rental vehicle connects the destinations, with guided wine experiences in Wānaka and Central Otago. Check the Glenorchy room and bathroom arrangements when choosing this option.
The standard glacier route starts in Christchurch and ends in Queenstown. Travel by TranzAlpine train to Greymouth, collect a rental car and drive south to Franz Josef or Fox Glacier for four nights. On Day 5, continue through Haast Pass towards Wānaka and Queenstown.
Choose accommodation for the room layout as well as the location. Couples may prefer a studio, while families may want separate bedrooms and cooking facilities. Confirm the actual room type and bedding configuration when arranging the holiday.
What accommodation, transport and experiences are included?
Each short stay combines accommodation with the transport and experiences named in its itinerary. The arrangements differ between destinations, so check how you reach your accommodation and which journeys you drive yourself. A package with guided activities can still involve independent travel to their meeting points.
Depending on the chosen package, inclusions cover:
- Four to six nights’ accommodation in the selected property and room type.
- Rental-car hire for the Christchurch escapes and Queenstown Food & Wine, or airport transfers for the other featured Queenstown escapes.
- A Christchurch station transfer, TranzAlpine journey and Greymouth-to-Queenstown rental car for the glacier escapes.
- Admission, guiding or participation in the experiences expressly listed as included.
- Specialist equipment, bike hire or activity transfers where specified by the operator.
- Selected meals or accommodation meal plans where stated in the confirmed booking.
Christchurch packages include hybrid SUV rental, with the rental cover specified in the booking. Most Queenstown escapes use airport transfers and the transport included with individual experiences. In the glacier packages, the rental vehicle connects Greymouth, your village accommodation and Queenstown, while guides lead the booked outdoor activities.
Equipment also varies by theme. Glacier operators supply specialist ice-walking equipment, cycling tours specify bikes and helmets, and the Ski Escape includes its stated lift access and mountain shuttles. Personal clothing, footwear and any additional equipment arrangements should be checked against the booked experience.
The Christchurch Adventure Escape, for example, includes the guided Cave Stream and Castle Hill outing alongside walking, kayaking and thermal pools. Its caving equipment and selected refreshments belong to that booked tour.
Optional activities require an additional arrangement, while an agreed alternative replaces an inclusion. Your final programme should show the selected accommodation, transport, activities and meals clearly, helping you plan the holiday around what has actually been booked.
When do the packages depart and return, how long do they take, and when do they run?
Allow five to seven calendar days for the standard packages. Arrival and departure form part of that total, leaving three to five full days between them. Flight times determine the usable time on the first and last days of the Christchurch and Queenstown stays. The glacier packages use both those days for substantial travel.
| Package group | Total holiday length | Full days between arrival and departure | Start and finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christchurch Food & Wine or Nature & Wildlife | 5 days, 4 nights | 3 | Christchurch to Christchurch |
| Christchurch Family or Adventure | 6 days, 5 nights | 4 | Christchurch to Christchurch |
| Queenstown Family, Food & Wine, Cycling or Ski | 5 days, 4 nights | 3 | Queenstown to Queenstown |
| Queenstown Must-Do or Adrenaline | 6 days, 5 nights | 4 | Queenstown to Queenstown |
| Queenstown Adventure | 7 days, 6 nights | 5 | Queenstown to Queenstown |
| Franz Josef or Fox Glacier Adventure | 5 days, 4 nights | 3 in Glacier Country | Christchurch to Queenstown on the standard route |
Request your preferred start date when enquiring. Accommodation, transport and operator schedules determine availability for the complete itinerary. Your booking confirms airport-transfer pickups or vehicle-collection arrangements and the check-in times for included experiences.
Glacier packages begin with a morning TranzAlpine journey, taking approximately five hours to Greymouth. Then allow around 2½ hours’ driving to Franz Josef or three hours to Fox Glacier, plus vehicle collection and stops. Plan to be in Christchurch before the morning departure. Day 5’s drive to Queenstown is listed at approximately five hours; allow a full travel day with stops.
Christchurch escapes and Queenstown Family, Must-Do, Food & Wine and Adventure offer year-round options, subject to availability. Glacier activities also operate year-round, weather permitting. Queenstown Ski is advertised for June–October, while cycling and the Adrenaline Escape’s canyoning and rafting need their seasonal arrangements checked.
The Queenstown Food & Wine route finishes after its Glenorchy overnight stay. Allow about an hour to drive to Queenstown Airport, then time for vehicle return and check-in. For every package, coordinate onward travel with the confirmed final-day arrangements.
