10 Day South Island Tour

Prepare for ten days of adventure and dramatic scenery with the only student tour that gives you 4 epic days in Queenstown.  

We only offer small group tours for international students wanting to travel around the South Island so make sure you reserve your place, this tour will fill quickly. 

The South Island has it all; turquoise lakes, glaciers, spectacular mountain peaks, picture perfect towns and epic activities. Our trip has been designed to suit the sight sightseer on a budget or the adrenalin junkie wanting to add on loads of awesome extras like; bungy jumping, skydiving, horse riding, off roading, canyoning and many more. 

This small group guided tour of the South Island will visit Christchurch, Kaikoura, Nelson, Motueka, Abel Tasman National Park, Westport, Franz Josef, Wanaka, Queenstown, Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo.

The South Island is AMAZING, that is why we have kept our tour groups small. The last thing you want is to get stuck on a large bus, having to wait in line for everything and still paying a fortune for it! 

What's included?

• Start and finish in at Christchurch airport.
• 3 nights in Queenstown Lake front accommodation. 
• 4 days to add on any fun optional extras in Queenstown. 
• Option to swim with dolphins or go whale watching in Kaikoura (optional extra)
• Sea kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park 
• Easy hike through lush New Zealand rain forest
• Fox Glacier hotpools
• Guided walk to Franz Josef Glacier face walk
• Option to Skydive in Fox Glacier, Wanaka or Queenstown.
• Puzzling World
• Mt Iron
• Mt Cook - Short walk
• Hokitika Greenstone factory visit
• Seal colony visit - Kaikoura
• Punakaiki Rocks – aka Pancake Rocks
• Comfortable, 5-star safety rating small coach.
• Airport transfer - we pick you up and drop you off at the airport
• All accommodation at clean youth hostels in private and safe dorm rooms or glamping tents (Lake Tekapo - summer months only)
• Tasty meals included - 9 breakfast, 4 dinners
• Experienced, welcoming and fun tour guides
• Small groups, making it easier to stop at every opportunity. There are many!

Question 1: Why do students choose to tour with Learning Journeys?

• We, have been awarded a Qualmark accreditation, unlike many of our competitors in this market. This is the result of a rigorous independent assessment of the quality of our product, processes and risk management.
• We are also full members of New Zealand’s Tourism Export Council.
• We are a well-known company with many 15 years’ experience with students.
• Our groups on long tours are small and friendly (around 20 rather than 40) so we can easily make sure everyone is having a great time.
• We stay in quality hostels, with bedding provided in private rooms, rather than camping and braving the elements.
• On long tours, all breakfasts and all dinners are included but one. 90% of dinners are in restaurants.
• All activities are INCLUDED in prices, except things like bungy, so what you see is what you get. Your programme will be full even if you have no extra money to spend on activities.
• Our tour managers are experienced professionals.
• We hold a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for our cruise ship tours. Our cruise ship clients unanimously rate their tours 5/5 (see www.cruisetauranga.com). (We can’t put Learning Journeys on Trip Advisor because companies offering multi-day tours are excluded)

Question 2: Can Learning Journeys help arrange airfares?

• For individual bookings, call our office between 9 am and 2 pm on week days for help booking internal flights. You will need to provide a credit card number. For group bookings on internal flights, please email your requirements and we will get back to you with some choices.

Question 3: What happens when we arrive at the airport at the start of a tour?

• You will be met at a prearranged meeting point by your Learning Journeys guide(s) who will look after you and your new friends for the whole of your tour.

Question 4: What is your safety record like?

• Our safety record is outstanding. Safety is absolutely our number one concern at all times. We do everything in our power to make sure each trip is as safe as it can possibly be.
• We do risk assessments for every excursion we run.
• We only use adventure activity accredited operators for specialist activities
• We carry a first aid kit in our vehicles, as well as on the guide's person when in remote areas.
• All guides are certified in first aid and CPR.
• We give every student a card with emergency numbers and safety information on it to carry, and we review safety measures as part of our orientation and as appropriate throughout the trip.
• Our guides are all police-vetted.
• Our transport safety is rated 5 star by Land Transport New Zealand
• We evaluate and re-evaluate the safety of each of our destinations and activities, and we always reserve the right to modify or cancel an itinerary if the guide feels that conditions are unsafe.
• We will gladly provide a risk management assessment specific to your trip on request.
• Learning Journeys' staff also adhere to a comprehensive Risk Management Strategy.

Question 6: What does it mean that Learning Journeys displays the Qualmark symbol

• Qualmark is New Zealand tourism’s official quality assurance organisation, providing a trusted guide to quality travel experiences. Qualmark makes it easy for travellers to select high quality places to stay, things to do, and ways to get around. When you see a business displaying the Qualmark symbol you can be assured that the business has met stringent quality standards and environmental criteria - earning New Zealand tourism’s official quality mark.
• FOR TRAVELLERS, THE QUALMARK SIGN MEANS THAT;
  1. You will have a great tourism experience
  2. You can book with confidence
  3. The business operates in an ethical, professional and environmentally sustainable way
  4. The business has the required systems and policies for a safe and happy holiday in New Zealand

Question 7: Why should we purchase travel insurance?

• We strongly recommend the purchase of travel insurance for your protection. Should a participant need to cancel their trip for any reason, our cancellation policy applies. However, travel insurance protects any loss they may experience should s/he or an immediate family member become ill or sustain an injury that prevents them from going on the trip.

Question 8: What is the educational value of these trips?

• Travel broadens your horizons, encourages you to try new experiences, challenges your view of the world and increases your tolerance and understanding of other cultures.
• Your social skills and capacity for empathy grow as you travel in a group, share accommodation, meals and new experiences and learn that not everyone perceives the world and reacts the same way.
• Your guides are not only there to look after you, to support you through a programme that may be challenging as well as highly enjoyable, but also to provide information to enrich your experience of each new place and activity.