Christchurch to Mt Cook via Lake Tekapo Small Group Tour (One Way)

Overview

Available languages

English

Christchurch to Mt Cook via Lake Tekapo Small Group Tour (1 way). This small group, fully-guided day transfer allows you to travel in style to Mt Cook while seeing all the key highlight along the way. Led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge and run in modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety.

Description

Please note: the Hooker Valley Track is currently CLOSED while the Department of Conservation works on replacing one of the swing bridges. This is expected to be complete in Autumn 2026 so the track will be inaccessible to the public until then.

Highlights:

Lake Tekapo, Church of the Good Shepard
Mt Cook & Aoraki National Park
Lake Pukaki

Itinerary:

Christchurch - Your tour starts in the stunning city of Christchurch. As we drive out of the city your guide will not only set the scene for your adventurous day but also point out and guide you past some of the area’s top highlights.

Canterbury Plains – Departing Christchurch we then make our way through the impressive Canterbury plains with plenty of amazing New Zealand farmland and countryside to see along the way!

Fairlie Bakehouse (10 mins) - A Classic New Zealand farming town hidden away in Mackenzie. Fairlie goes through some stunning colour changes especially come Autum, this is truly one of the best locations to sit and relax with one of their world-famous meat Pies from the Bakehouse. And this stop is also where we will pick up your lunch to keep you full of energy for the rest of the day.

Lake Tekapo (5mins) – We head towards the famous blue lakes of Lake Tekapo but to get there first we must go through some impressive alpine passes with amazing views. As we come over the hill to Tekapo you will be stunned by amazing view of the lake.

Church of the Good Shepherd (10 mins) – Once in the township of Tekapo you will have time to explore the very popular Church of the Good Shepherd, see the Mackenzie Sheep dog and get those Instagram worth shots of Lake Tekapo before we continue to Mt Cook.

Lake Pukaki (10 mins) – Turning west we begin to enter the Aoraki National Park and Lake Pukaki begins to emerge in front of us. Lake Pukaki is one of the bluest lakes you will ever see and is stunningly framed by the backdrop of Aoraki/Mt Cook and the Southern Alps. We stop for some amazing photos and to just marvel at the sight that we are beholding. It’s not hard to see why many Lord of the Rings scene were filmed nearby and we will point them out for you.

Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park – Arriving at Mt Cook Village, weather depending, we should get some amazing shots of the mountain itself. At 3724m, Aoraki/Mt Cook is New Zealand’s highest peak, however, the mountain can be viewed without any acclimatisation whatsoever from the village which is just 750m above sea level. Let your adventure begin!

Cancellation Policy

Terms: Tours will only run if at least 5 people have booked on the tour, we reserves the right to alter the tour due to weather or operational needs.

A full refund will be issued for cancellations made a minimum of 10 days prior to the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Small Group

Fully Guided 1 way Tour

Picnic Lunch

Meeting points

Christchurch City Hotel

Crowne Plaza Christchurch, an IHG Hotel

Distinction Christchurch Hotel

Fino Hotel and Suites

Options

Reviews

4.89

19 reviews

Enjoyable and exciting!!
gretapM6385AW,,Jan 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I really enjoyed the tour that cheeky kiwis organized to Mt Cook! It was very entertaining hearing all the history from Christchurch and Mt Cook. Whilst having a splendid and smooth trip it was very easy to ask or talk to the staff. I would definitely recommend this trip for anyone. Thank you again!
Nice and smooth
Sam W,,Dec 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It was smooth and our driver Joe was chill and informative. Packed lunch was nice, with chips, fruit and water on the bus. Plenty of rooms for every one of us. Great stop for coffee at Geraldine.
Best experience with Grant — cheeky kiwi
106davinders,,Oct 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The journey with Grant was amazing, he guided us throughout the journey. I believe we did not miss even a single place and had sufficient time at every spot
Fabulous tour
W562BCsarahw,,Sep 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Stunningly beautiful scenery. Excellent guide, so knowledgeable, great insights into Maori culture and history which we found fascinating. Highly recommend!!
Not to miss adventure
Meander793099,,Sep 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It was a great experience. Never miss visiting this part of New Zeland. This service was amazing. I was not sure to take this adventure but I can’t tell you enough how it was worth it and everyone should experience it.
Magical
bronwynm2023,,Jun 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Magical day travelling from Christchurch to Mt Cook with Cheeky Kea. From beautiful sunshine to intense fog we saw this region in all its glory.
Fantastic Company. Highly recommend.
Kath M,,Apr 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We really enjoyed our trip with this company. Paul the guide was very knowledgeable and the snacks and lunch that was included was enormous and delicious.
Excellent trip and guide.
Jenni P,,Mar 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Right from pick up to drop off (6 hours) we had an Excellent time. We went from Christchurch to Mt Cook. Grant was excellent, funny and informative. He made sure we were safe, comfortable and well fed. Thank you so much for Leg 1 of 3 with yours.
One Way Travel With Style
schellps,,Mar 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our experience from pickup at Christchurch City Hotel to drop off at Mt. Cook/ Hermitage Lodge was fantastic. Paul was an excellent host and we stopped at the Fairlie Bakeshop for yummy breakfast treats, as well as the take away lunches that were part of the tour. Our 20 minute hike up to see Tasman Glacier Lake was worth the beautiful views!
Christchurch to Aoraki
REANREJU,,Feb 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It's as good as it gets. Many thanks to our driver Will! We can highly recommend Cheeky Kiwi and Cheeky Kea Ttravel!