Arthurs Pass and Southern Alps Day Excursion from Port Lyttelton or Christchurch

A centre giving information on the geology, flora and fauna of Arthurs Pass, as well as a souvenir shop

Photo stop

Large trees from all over the world and well-maintained gardens....we can stop if time permits. The Arts Centre and Great Hall are also here and worth a visit (Gothic Architecture).

Option to take a stroll in this amazing scenery.....an ancient seafloor that is now giant limestone cliffs and rocks in the middle of the Southern Alps. Ancient giant sharks teeth have been found fossillised in these rocks and Narnia : The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was filmed across the road. The path is gentle and takes you into a very photogenic land which has been appreciated back into history since the gentle Waitaha people used it as a spiritual centre. Today you may see climbers from across the world making their way up or around these fascinating structures.

Behind this lovely small mountain chapel is the beech forest which covers most of the Southern Alps. A walk of a few minutes takes you to a small bridge and beautiful stream of clear mountain water flowing over a waterfall.

Take a photo by an imposing stone sign which signifies the start of Arthur's Pass National Pass....the route through here was opened up in the mid 1860's as gold was found on the West Coast and a road was hurriedly built in a year to connect east and west.

ory of Paddy Freeny and its possible rediscovery in the 1980's.

Enjoy the limestone of this area....a stream flows under the road at great depth and takes about an hour to go through....but not on this trip.

Traverse the Canterbury Plains from east to west from Christchurch to the skifields of the Cragieburn Range and into the Southern Alps . This fertile plain is one of the most productive on earth boasting world record yields of wheat and barley. This agricultural powerhouse also produces large amounts of the world's seed and provides potatoes, onions, wine, dairy products, animal feed, sheep etc. Look for the Waimakariri River ...a classic braided river connecting the mountain icefields to the Pacific Ocean.