Canterbury Trails

Just simply a great day. We got picked up by our guide at our hotel, brought to the trans-alpine train and shown to our seats where we then enjoyed the comfortable ride and spectacular scenery up to Arthur’s Pass. We then disembarked from the train and were met again by our guide who had simultaneously driven up to meet us there in a comfortable touring van. From there, our small group was treated to several short hikes for close up viewing of many beautiful sights a bit further into the pass, and then back down toward Christchurch via the very different car route, with a stop for an included hearty lunch along the way. The spectacular Castle Hill rock formations and their surrounding hills and mountains were just one of the truly memorable sights. Our guide, Maria, was terrific; friendly, knowledgeable, and interactive. Definitely the highlight of our stay in Christchuch.

We had the most wonderful wine tour. The trip to Bone-line wines was excellent, made even better by a great picnic among the vines by Kirk! It was a great way to view places outside Christchurch. Mandy our guide was the best, so knowledgeable and informative. We came back enriched with lots of interesting facts and figures we never knew. Highly recommend Canterbury Trails. We wished we stayed longer so we could do another one of their many tours.

Our private guide, Tia, from Canterbury Trails was with us for four days taking us from Queenstown to Lake Pukaki and on to Christchurch and Akaroa. She was very knowledgable, accommodating and with a great sense of humor. She made us feel very relaxed and unhurried and did all she could to make this a great experience for us, even staying with us late into the evening. She made our stay in New Zealand very special. We recommend Canterbury Trails most highly and without any reservation.

Our tour guide Mandy went above and beyond to make our tour amazing. We encountered a crazy snow storm, that was unseasonable, on the way up the mountain while on the train. Mandy was waiting for us at the pass ... and safely escorted us to the comfy van and took every precaution to not only get us down the mountain safely but to make my entire family happy. Roads were closing as we were making our way down the mountain and she drove like a champ. While we didn’t get to do the tour the way we had planned (due to the crazy weather) she planned out a gorgeous day in Christchurch. We had an amazing time exploring the city. She made sure each member of the family experienced something special. The van was tidy and comfortable. The service was beyond amazing and it was the highlight of our trip to the South Island.

Arthur's Pass tour with Kate was wonderful! We boarded the KiwiRail to Arthur's Pass. She met us there, took us up further to see waterfalls, take some walks, had a great lunch place set up for us, then on the road back took us to the large limestone rocks, and the final stop to feed some sheep. She is very knowledgeable of the area, lots if fun as well.

We went on a day trip to Akaroa. We were picked up at our hotel by the lovely Mandy who was our driver and guide for the day. Mandy was brilliant! She explained about the Christchurch rebuild and drove us past places of interest before driving out to Akaroa where she arranged our boat trip out to see the Hector dolphins. On return we had lunch before driving back to Christchurch. We thoroughly recommend this company for any escorted sightseeing trip in the Canterbury area.

A tour company that offers tours to small groups is only as good as the guide. We took the tour up to Arthur's Pass (train up, minibus back); our guide was Stu, who was simply excellent. I can thoroughly recommend this trip and specifically our guide!

I had booked a day tour to Akaroa. Tia picked me up from my hotel and I was the only one on that tour that day. Thank you Canterbury Trails for putting yourself out for a full day for just one client. After an enjoyable trip to Akaroa I was taken to the dolphin watch boat and on returning a very pleasant lunch and time to walk around the town, followed by an informative trip back to Christchurch via a drive through Lyttelton and finishing up with a tour around Christchurch, with Tia giving me a very informative commentary all the way and adding her personal experience through the earthquake. ( This was most appreciated) Thank you Tia for a most enjoyable and memorable day.