New Zealand's North and South islands are separated by the narrow
Cook Strait.
Quick Links
Auckland,
Blenheim,
Canterbury,
Christchurch,
Dunedin,
Getting Around New
Zealand, Hawkes Bay,
Marlborough
Sounds, Picton,
Queen Charlotte
Track, Queenstown, Wellington.
Combining
North and South Island:
An epic tour of New Zealand allows you to
get up close and personal with New Zealand's
deepest and darkest secrets, as well as
encountering all the hottest must-sees. A
once in a lifetime adventure not to be
missed.
Auckland Art Gallery:
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki is the home of the visual arts in New Zealand; with over
14,000 artworks.
Auckland Sights:
Known as the City of Sails, but there are many things to see away from the harbour too.
Auckland Tourism:
Auckland New Zealand is the official web site for leisure and business travellers to New
Zealand's largest city.
Fullers Auckland:
Fullers is the leading ferry operator in Auckland; offering a range of ferry trips and
tours around Auckland Harbour and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf.
The Downtown Ferry Terminal is located just behind the historic Ferry
Building in Central Auckland, close to many cafes and restaurants.
Overlander Rail Service between Auckland and Wellington
The Overlander is a journey through the heart of the North Island
travelling between Auckland, New Zealand's largest city and home of the Sky Tower, to
Wellington, New Zealand's arts and culture capital - a great way to see the New Zealand
countryside.
Auckland Transport
Getting around Auckland by bus and
train; or discover the hidden treasures of
the harbour with a voyage on one of
Auckland's ferries.
The capital of New Zealand, sits on the edge of a spectacular
harbour and is often likened to San Francisco because of its hilly streets and harbour
views.
Wellington Transportation
Getting
Around Wellington:
Wellington is a very compact city, with downtown only being 2 kilometres wide. Walking is
one of the best ways to get around, while the transport infrastructure will enable you to
go further afield with ease.
GO Wellington:
Provides bus services throughout the Wellington City area.
Wellington Airport
Arrival Transfers.
Super Shuttle keeps fares rock-bottom by picking
up or dropping off other air travellers en route, to or from the airport.
If you're planning to do a lot of sightseeing, a Day
Pass gives you
unlimited travel on any Stagecoach bus all day. You can visit Wellington Zoo, Mt Victoria
Lookout or the South Coast Seal Walk with Stagecoach.
Wellington Visitors
Wellington is renowned for its compact size and one of the best and
easiest ways to explore the city, is on foot.
Wellington
Attractions:
Wellington has a huge range of attractions on offer. Home to Te Papa and New Zealand's
Parliament, Wellington is renowned for its heritage and cultural attractions, with events
and festivals all year round.
Explore Wellington's South Coast at dusk before driving up through
Mount Victoria's Greenbelt for fantastic views of the city lights.
Visit nine different locations where twenty
Lord of the Ring scenes were filmed; exploring Mount Victoria Greenbelt, Wellywood
suburbs, Hobbit's surfing coastline and the gorgeous native forest park of Rivendell.
Heading South
On the southern shore of North Island, Wellington is the gateway
to the south.
Wellington to Picton
InterIslander's
Cook Strait Ferries offers daily ferry
links between New Zealand's North
and South Islands.
Cruise across in 3-hours, whilst travelling in comfort and style as you
savour one of the world's most scenic ferry journeys.
South Island
Sightseeing.
There really is so much to do for the adventurous traveller in New Zealand's South Island.
Millennium
Art Gallery:
Marlborough's first public art gallery; located on Seymour Square, Blenheim.
Be There:
Christchurch and Canterbury events on-line - provided by Christchurch City Council
Leisure, as part of its vision to promote healthy lifestyles.
Destination Canterbury:
Packed with information on activities, attractions and accommodation in Canterbury, New
Zealand.
Christchurch city is not only a fantastic place to visit, but from
here you can easily access the heart of the South Island.
About Christchurch:
Located on the east coast of the South Island, Christchurch - just like the rest of New
Zealand - is a city of contrasts.
Internationally famed The Garden City,
Christchurchs well-established expansive parks and public gardens owe much to the
planning and foresight of the citys founding fathers.
Christchurch Art
Gallery:
The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu is situated on the corner of Worcester
Boulevard and Montreal Street, one block east towards Cathedral Square from the Botanical
Gardens.
Christchurch Casino:
Choose to play from almost 500 gaming machines in the Valley of Treasures or Gallery of
Gold. You can also learn any of the popular table games or relax in one of the restaurants
and bars. Located at 30 Victoria Street.
Cathedral Square was a main bus loading point in Christchurch, and buses left regularly
from Christchurch Airport for the Square. In addition, a tram route around central
Christchurch visited the Cathedral, among several other popular tourist attractions.
The original Cathedral was badly damaged in
the Christchurch earthquake in February
2011. The
transitional cathedral is located at 234
Hereford Street.
Arts Centre - Christchurch:
Highlights include over 40 speciality shops, fine art galleries, world-class theatre, art
house cinemas, bars, restaurants and cafes, a bustling weekend Art, Craft and Produce
Market, and an array of festivals and special events throughout the year. Located on
Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch.
Christchurch City
Council:
An A-Z about living in Christchurch.
Christchurch
International Airport: (CBD)
A public bus service (30-40 mins) operates to and from Christchurch City Centre at a cost
of $5 per person. Door to door shuttles (20-30 mins) cost between $12 and $18 and a taxi
(15-20 mins) is around $25.
Christchurch
Tourism:
Christchurch continues to be the gateway to the wider Canterbury region and the
spectacular experiences that visitor's can have within the South Island of New Zealand.
Christchurch
Transportation
Interactive map of bus routes around Christchurch, with
timetables.
Christchurch Tramway:
A quality inner city tour experience that combines the heritage of the trams, attractions
and historic buildings with the culture of the Garden City. The beautifully restored trams
follow a 2.5 kilometre loop around central Christchurch taking in some of the most
interesting sites.
There's even a
Tramway
Dinner Tour - where you can be treated to the finest service, cuisine and beverages
New Zealand has to offer; as you watch Cathedral Square, Botanical Gardens and the River
Avon pass by your window.
Visiting Dunedin:
Visitors to Dunedin often comment that there is so much more to see and do in the city and
surrounding area than they had expected. This information will give you a good idea of
what you 'must see' and 'must do' when you are in Dunedin.
This is one place in New Zealand where there seems to be more boats than people and with
good reason. Queen Charlotte Sound with its fascinating maze of bays and inlets, its
sheltered anchorage and excellent fishing is a boatie's paradise.
Picton:
Picton is the port of entry to the South Island. In the 1850's they even talked of making
it New Zealand's capital. The locals are glad they didn't.
Picton
Beachcomber Inn:
Situated in the heart of Picton, on the waterfront, within easy walking distance to shops,
restaurants and the wharf, and the ferry terminal. Daily launch cruise, fishing trips,
native bush walks and the Marlborough Wine Trail all in close proximity.
The Villa Backpackers Picton:
Hundred year-old character home with home-style hospitality, in Picton.
Small and
friendly with beautiful gardens, relaxing veranda, large private backyard, great music and
all the facilities you expect from a good hostel.
Queen Charlotte
Track:
The Queen Charlotte Track runs almost the entire length of New Zealand's Queen Charlotte
Sound. It stretches from Ship Cove to Anakiwa; offering 71km of spectacular walking track
as it passes through historic sites, secluded bays and lush coastal bush.
Sea
Kayaking on The Sounds:
A fun and easy introduction to sea kayaking and the Marlborough Sounds. Experience the
beauty of the Queen Charlotte Sound and learn about the wildlife and history of the area.
Any time's a good time to visit Queenstown.
The only thing that changes is the seasonal scenery and the activities
on offer to the adrenaline junkies.
White Water Rafting
and other Queenstown Activities.
Queenstown:
Surrounded by majestic mountains and nestled on the shores of crystal clear Lake Wakatipu,
Queenstown is New Zealands premier four season lake and alpine resort.
Queenstown Site:
Queenstown's only official Visitor
Information Centre and part of the
nationwide Tourism New Zealand and Goverment
approved i-SITE Network.
Picton to Christchurch
The TranzCoastal (now known as the Coastal Pacific) runs between
the delightful port of Picton
and Christchurch;
South Islands largest city.
TranzCoastal Rail
Tours.
This journey is a scenic feast of New Zealand, with the Kaikoura
mountain ranges on one side of your train and the rugged Pacific Ocean coastline on the
other.
The Coastal Pacific travels through 22 tunnels and crosses 175
bridges, one of them being New Zealand's only road-rail bridge.
Along the way this scenic
train passes though the village of Kaikoura; where, if
you're touring New Zealand, you can break your journey to take in the whale watching or
swim with the dolphins.
Coastal Pacific - KiwiRail:
As a summer train, the Coastal Pacific
operates daily between September and May.
Between
Greymouth and Christchurch
From the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea, the TranzAlpine train is
a daily rail service operating coast to coast between Greymouth and Christchurch.
TranzAlpine Rail Tours.
The TranzAlpine rail is rated as one of the top scenic train journeys
in the world.
Between Christchurch and Greymouth, the train crosses the patchwork
farmlands of the Canterbury Plains, winds its way through the Waimakariri Gorge, crosses
the spectacular Southern Alps, via the alpine village of Arthur's Pass and past beautiful
Lake Brunner.
TranzAlpine - KiwiRail:
The TranzAlpine runs daily, except Christmas
Day, departing Christchurch at 08:15 and
returning at 18:31; stopping for an hour in
Greymouth from 13:05 to 14:05.
New Zealand Travel Tips
The sheltered waters of the Sounds are a boatie's paradise, while
others who prefer to explore the Sounds on foot will find many scenic walks. This area is
also well known for many world famous wineries.
Well known to many New Zealand travellers is the 'Edwin
Fox', the last surviving wooden sailing ship that brought settlers to New Zealand. This is
sighted on the foreshore and is open 7 days a week.
By Picton Beachcomber
Inn.
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