Christchurch: Guided Castle Hill Tour Christchurch: Guided Castle Hill Private Tour
ID: GYG347646-743102
Category:
Country: New Zealand
Duration:
08:00 hours
Description
Discover Canterbury’s most impressive natural wonder, Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti, from Christchurch. Your local guide will take you along the "Great Alpine Highway" to these giant and reputable limestone-boulder fields.
Leaving Christchurch via the "Great Alpine Highway", you'll cross the flat farmland of the Canterbury Plains towards the mountains. Halfway across the plains you will discover the small rural town of Darfield, where you will enjoy a short stop which will allow you to sample some of the local delicacies from the famous Darfield Bakery. Your next stop is Springfield, just 20 minutes down the road. Complete with its giant doughnut statue it's well worth a photo, and your guide will explain just how the town ended up with this giant doughnut.
From Springfield the road winds its way up over Porters Pass at 900 meters, before continuing past Lake Lyndon and arriving at Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti. This area is an amazing labyrinth of giant limestone boulders that sit in the Craigieburn Basin, surrounded by mountains. The area is rich with cultural and recreational significance and has a Tōpuni status of a "symbolic cloak of protection”. It is also known internationally as a world-class climbing, bouldering, photography, and film-making destination.
Your guide will show you around and explain the geography and cultural significance of the area, before sitting you down for a picnic lunch. Following lunch you will have free time to explore the boulder fields in your own time, before meeting back at the car park at 2:00PM. From there, your return journey back to Christchurch takes approximately 1.5-2 hours.
Highlights
- Explore the giant limestone boulders of the Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti scenic reserve
- Capture the stunning photos in the heart of New Zealand's mountains
- Learn about the history and culture importance of Kura Tawhiti/Castle Hill
- Visit the famous Springfield Donut
- Choose from either a shared or private guided experience
Guiding languages
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
• Morning tea is not included in the tour, but can be purchased during the stop at a cafe in Darfield
The number of visitors is limited to reduce crowds
Your guide will meet you in your hotel lobby. Please be ready and wait at your scheduled pickup time. Your guide will be wearing a uniform and pick you up in a branded car or minivan.
When should I book?
To guarantee availability book as soon as possible. Early booking is worth consideration especially if you planning the trip during high season like public holidays or weekends.
Cancellations
This excursion you can cancel with no cost up to 48 hours before the start of the trip. If you cancel it after 48 hours or not show up on the excursion you will still be charged the full price of the activity. Being late on pick-up or departure will be considered as not showing up.
