10 Day South Island Family Holiday Package

Tour the family highlights of the South Island with the 10 Day South Island Family Holiday Package. Designed for children of all ages and comfortably paced, this itinerary offers an unforgettable family experience.

Highlights include the Walter Peak High Country Farm Experience, the Shotover Jet, and a Milford Sound cruise. This package includes family-style accommodation, child-friendly activities, and a rental car.

Read on for more details on the 10 Day South Island Family Holiday Package.

10 Day South Island Family Holiday Package

Day 1 Arrive Queenstown

Arrive in Queenstown, New Zealand’s adventure capital. Collect your rental car from the airport and make your way to your accommodation.

Relax and explore Queenstown, with the option to visit the Kiwi Birdlife Park, the Underwater Observatory, or the Ivan Clarke Gallery; ride the Skyline Gondola to the top of Bob’s Peak for panoramic views over the Wakatipu Basin, or simply enjoy a lakefront stroll or a bit of boutique shopping.

Stay 3 nights in Queenstown.

Day 2 Queenstown

In the morning, get a taste of New Zealand’s farming lifestyle at Walter Peak High Country Farm. Situated on picturesque Lake Wakatipu’s southwestern shores, the farm is the perfect place to spend a relaxing few hours.

The farm tour itself is a wonderful, interactive experience for the whole family, with something to keep everyone entertained and happy. Your rural host will meet you after you disembark from the TSS Earnslaw and take you for a walking tour of the farmyard. The first stop is the holding pens, where you can help feed the sheep and deer and even get up close to the Scottish Highland Cattle. Then stroll through the lakeside gardens to the charming Colonel’s Homestead for afternoon tea. Afterwards, the farmer will lead you over to the shearing shed where you can watch the farm dogs rounding up sheep from the hill paddocks and see the farmer shear a sheep. You will then board the TSS Earnslaw for your cruise back to Queenstown.

In the afternoon, choose from an exciting range of optional activities including rafting, scenic flights, 4WD safaris, winery tours and more.

Day 3 Queenstown

In the morning, get ready for the world’s most exciting Jet Boat ride! It’s a thrilling ride – skimming past rocky outcrops at close range in your Shotover Jet ‘Big Red,’ you will twist and turn through the narrow canyons at breathtaking speeds. And a major highlight – hold tight for the world-famous Shotover Jet full 360º spins!

Relax and enjoy Queenstown in the afternoon. You might like to make a trip to Arrowtown. You’ll be enchanted by historic Arrowtown, a New Zealand treasure located 20 minutes from Queenstown. Arrowtown is charming and quirky – a delightful gold rush village nestled below the beautiful peaks that surround the sparkling Arrow River. The heart of its history is Buckingham Street, a procession of heritage buildings that stretches into a tree-lined avenue of tiny miner’s cottages. The buildings in this lovely precinct house shops, galleries, bars, and restaurants – many classy, most individual, and not one from an international chain.

Day 4 Te Anau

Driving time Queenstown to Te Anau 172 km / 106  miles, 2.5 hours

Journey alongside Queenstown’s stunning Lake Wakatipu and then through lush green farmland to reach Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland National Park.

In the afternoon, join Southern Lakes Helicopters for a spectacular scenic helicopter flight! Sample the grandeur of the Fiordland scenery on your adventure into the untamed Kepler Mountains. See what lies beyond the Te Anau horizon! Views of the Kepler Track Great Walk and the Hidden Lakes spread out before you. Land at a mountain tarn to enjoy the rugged vistas from the Main Divide. Approx. 30 minutes, and includes mountain landing.

Stay 2 nights in Te Anau.

Day 5 Te Anau > Milford Sound

Driving time Te Anau to Milford Sound 119 km / 75 miles, 2.5 hours

Today, enjoy the stunning Milford Sound Nature Cruise! The Milford Road (between Te Anau and Milford) is one of the finest alpine drives in the world. The scenery is exceptional, ranging from broad grassy flats, dense rainforest, and towering mountains through to glacial lakes and alpine herb fields. No other road in Fiordland offers such a diverse glimpse into New Zealand’s alpine zone.

Upon reaching Milford Sound, you will enjoy a 2.5 hour Milford Sound Nature Cruise. With specialist nature guides on board, Real Journeys Nature Cruises offer a close-up experience of Milford Sound’s rainforest, soaring rock walls, and wildlife. Throughout the cruise, the guides share stories of the fiord’s history and are happy to answer your questions.

Relax and explore Te Anau for the afternoon.

Day 6 Dunedin

Driving time Te Anau to Dunedin 290 km / 181 miles, 4 hours

Travel to Dunedin, one of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the southern hemisphere. Dunedin offers a diverse range of experiences including the Speight’s Brewery, Larnach Castle and of course the stunning Otago Peninsula. Explore Dunedin and visit attractions of interest.

Stay 2 nights in Dunedin.

Day 7 Dunedin

Take a wonderful journey back in time on a personal tour of New Zealand’s Larnach Castle. Built in 1871, it took two hundred workers roughly three years to build the exterior shell and a further twelve years for master European craftsmen to finish the interior.

During the tour you’ll see the magnificent carved ceilings, antiques and painstakingly restored original features. Hear the scandalous and tragic history of the original owner, William Larnach.

Then join an invigorating Wildlife Cruise around Taiaroa Head, home to the world’s only mainland nesting place of royal albatross. Watch as these huge birds glide in from the ocean and soar high above their hillside nests.

You’ll cruise beneath a historic lighthouse, perched high above volcanic cliffs. Watch as NZ fur seals play and swim near their breeding colonies below. Then it’s a short way out to sea where you can spot other species of albatross, cormorants, petrels and other rarely seen ocean birds.

Day 8 Lake Tekapo

Driving time Dunedin to Lake Tekapo 303 km / 188  miles, 4.5 hours

The drive to Lake Tekapo is stunning. On the way you will first come across the Moeraki Boulders, a series of unusually large and spherical boulders lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach on the wave-cut Otago coast between Moeraki and Hampden. Next, you will pass through Oamaru, which is surrounded by stunning natural beauty and also features some of New Zealand’s best 19th–century architecture. Then follow braided rivers and glacial lakes to reach Lake Tekapo.

Lake Tekapo presents many world-class attractions such as the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd, the luxurious spa complex Tekapo Springs and of course the world-famous Mt John Observatory.

Stay 1 night in Lake Tekapo.

Day 9 Wanaka

Driving time Lake Tekapo to Wanaka 200 km / 124 miles, 2.5 hours

Venture past Lake Pukaki, a picturesque turquoise glacial lake, before you travel through the dramatic Lindis Pass which links the Mackenzie Basin with Central Otago. Wanaka awaits you, boasting panoramic views, a relaxing atmosphere and myriad walking tracks. Relax in Wanaka for the afternoon and soak in the views from one of the many lakefront restaurants and cafés.

Stay 2 nights in Wanaka.

Day 10 Wanaka

Relax and explore Wanaka – you may want to visit Puzzling World, Wanaka’s illusional attraction, or the National Toy and Transport Museum. Other options include strolling along one of Wanaka’s stunning walking tracks, relaxing on the lake’s edge or browsing through Wanaka’s boutique shops.

You could also visit Rippon Vineyard and Tasting Room to sample local wines, or catch a film at Cinema Paradiso, Wanaka’s quirky local theatre.

Day 11 Depart Queenstown

Driving time Wanaka to Queenstown 69 km / 43 miles, 1.5 hours

Return over the Crown Range, and make your way back to Queenstown Airport. Drop your rental car off at Queenstown Airport and depart.

Plan a South Island Family Holiday

Life is busy enough without adding travel planning to the mix. So we have done the work for you. From designing your itinerary to booking your full holiday package, our experienced travel consultants will be with you every step of the way.

This South Island family holiday package is entirely customisable. In other words, we can change the inclusions, amend the schedule, or upgrade the accommodation to suit your preferences. Your personal travel consultant will work with you to ensure your experience matches exactly what you are hoping for.

Contact New Zealand Travel Organiser today to begin planning your next family holiday.