Home > Tours > New Zealand Tours > South Island Tours

South Island Tours

Discover the stunning landscapes of New Zealand’s South Island. Explore majestic snow capped mountains, deep fiords, immense glaciers and sparkling lakes. Experience world renowned wineries, heart stopping adventure sports and the purest air imaginable. Indulge your senses on one of our 63 South Island coach tours and small group adventures, and if time permits venture further and explore all of New Zealand.

Popular Tours View all

Southern Wonders

9 Days Christchurch to Christchurch

Operator: AAT Kings

From 4,018

Save 90

Ultimate South Island

10 Days Christchurch to Christchurch

Operator: Grand Pacific Tours

From 5,172

Save 331

Ultimate Top of the South Island

11 Days Christchurch to Christchurch

Operator: Grand Pacific Tours

From 5,939

Save 263

Southern Spotlight

9 Days Christchurch to Christchurch

Operator: AAT Kings

From 4,018

Save 90

Discover Must do experiences and highlights on New Zealand's South Island

Queenstown from the Water

Set off across Lake Wakatipu on the vintage steamship, TSS Earnslaw, taking in the alpine scenery and soaring peaks that frame the shores of this serene lake.

Heli-Hike on Franz Josef

Enjoy a scenic helicopter flight over this icy wonderland coupled with a guided walk on Franz Joseph, discovering frozen caves and pillars of glacial ice.

Explore Mt Cook National Park

Travel through this stunning alpine landscape home to permanent snow fields, opaque lakes and towering peaks, crowned by Mt Cook at 3,724m (12,217ft).

Ride the TranzAlpine

Cross the Canterbury Plains and climb into the Southern Alps on this breathtaking rail journey. Watch from the outdoor viewing carriage as glistening rivers carve their way through the dramatic landscape.

Cruise Milford Sound

Discover the tranquil waters, soaring granite peaks and snow capped mountains of Fiordland National Park. Set off on a cruise to marvel at the tumbling waterfalls and lush vegetation visible through the mist.

Recent Reviews What our clients are saying about their journeys through New Zealand's South Island

Ultimate South Island NZ Robyn, NSW, Australia, Sep 2022

Enjoyed the tour. Chris was a great driver/guide. Hotels were very good - a pity, though, the hotel in Queenstown was so far out of town especially when there were several similar hotels in the centre near shops and restaurants. Disappointing that the TranzAlpine train trip wasn’t the whole journey from coast to coast. Favourite places were Te Anau ...read more

Ultimate NZ Ski Kelly Crawford, New Zealand, Oct 2021

A super fun and easy intro to skiing/snowboarding, with all the activities you would want in between.

Highlights of the South Island of New Zealand Debra, WA, Australia, Mar 2020

An enjoyable tour that showed us the highlights of the South Island. The coach held 48 people and it was full on our tour but that caused no delays. We were with a lovely group of people from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Canada and Australia. The tour moved at a consistent pace and we especially enjoyed the two night stopovers as that gave us ...read more

Wonderful AAT Kings Tour Diane, NSW, Australia, Feb 2020

Couldn’t have been better. ‘Southern Wonders NZ’ was a comprehensive and fun tour. I was blown away by the wonderful scenery in the South Island and the opportunities I had for extra tours like flights over glaciers and the alps. Our group was large - 47 people but we all got on well and everyone was really nice. Our Tour Leader Gina went out of her ...read more

Explore More Explore more Your guide to travelling through the South Island of New Zealand

22 May, 2022
Discover Top of the South Island
Have you travelled with Grand Pacific before and are now looking for a tour that’s a little bit different? Grand Pacific are have just launched a brand new Top of the South Island itinerary.A small group or coach holiday experience that has never been offered before, visiting several iconic...

12 August, 2020
Want to Heli Ski New Zealand’s Southern Alps? Do it with Haka Tours
The Southern Alps of New Zealand are considered one of the top 10 places to heli ski in the world. A heli skiing adventure may be something you dream about, did you know you don’t need to be an expert alpine skier to take on a heli skiing holiday? If you are an intermediate level skier who can...

30 July, 2020
5 Awesome Walking Trails on NZ’s South Island
New Zealand’s South Island is incredibly scenic. Raw beauty enchants at every turn and visitors are drawn to the impressive displays of nature that unravel between soaring peaks, glistening glaciers, and dramatic coastlines. Surround yourself with these incredible landscapes on a dedicated...

08 June, 2018
5 Reasons To Take A TranzAlpine Journey
The South Island is hard to traverse from east to west, with less than a few places where you can drive across the centre of the island. Starting in Christchurch on the east coast and travelling to Greymouth on the west – or the other way – the TranzAlpine Railway is a five hour train journey...