Your day begins with you being met by your driver/guide on the wharf beside your ship prior to touring the historic township of Lyttelton, to then depart the region of Lyttelton (Christchurch City's port) travelling the bays of the harbour before winding your way over a road pass to the lakes of Forsyth and Ellesmere and the roadside township of Little River with its craft shop, art gallery and of course a café for a take-away coffee fix. From Little River you then begin the travel to the crater rim road of the long extinct Akaroa volcano, stopping for photo opportunities of the spectacular scenery from up high before traveling a number of harbour bays leading into the Akaroa township. Akaroa is a small holiday resort township that was settled by the French in 1840 and as a result is very proud of its French heritage.
The town is located within the extinct volcano crater that forms the harbour that is used as an alternative cruise ship port. The harbour is a marine sanctuary and home to the rare Hector dolphins. Your time in Akaroa enables the exploring at your leisure the township with it many restaurants and attractions such as a dolphin cruise, a visit to The Giants House, Alpaca or Sheep Farm experience, and not forgetting a visit to a boutique Cheese Factory or a Peninsula Winery for a tasting of their wine varieties.
On conclusion of the visit to Akaroa, on reaching Christchurch your journey will return to Lyttelton by way of an alternative route inclusive of a section of Christchurch's central city All our tours are by luxury mini-coach driven by experienced driver/guides who provide an extensive commentary about the day's experience and New Zealand in general. Your travel is not by large coaches that result in reduced flexibility and delays brought about by the stragglers associated with larger group travel.
Duration approximately 7 hours with your day tour returning to the ship well ahead of the scheduled departure time.