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 65 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 3,840

Save 470

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 6,286

Save 263

Southern Spotlight

9 Days Christchurch to Christchurch

Operator: AAT Kings

From 3,768

Save 470

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

Spectacular Signature South Island of NZ with Grand Pacific Penny, VIC, Australia, Jan 2023

I can highly recommend the Signature South Island tour from Christchurch to Christchurch. January was a great time to travel - we had excellent weather. The very smart coach can accommodate 32 passengers. There were 27 in our group - mostly Australians with a few from the UK, an American couple and a lady from Canada. The company has an ingenious seat ...read more

Hassle Free Luxury Travel in New Zealand Graham & Caroline, SA, Australia, Dec 2022

This was the best coach tour we have done. We only had 18 people out of a maximum of 20 on the tour. The coach is full size, modern with very comfortable seats and plenty of leg room for taller people. The hotels we stayed in were all of a very good standard and all the included dinners were excellent. Our Coach Captain Paul was exceptional and made ...read more

9 Day South Island NZ Elaine , NSW, Australia, Oct 2022

We had a lovely time. It was a tour not a holiday. It was tiring. Lots of travel and times to adhere to. We saw and did wonderful things. The accommodation and food were great and our driver Megan and tour manager Peter were both fabulous, informative, professional and courteous at all times. We travelled with a wonderful group who all got on and did ...read more

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

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...