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Christchurch: Guided Castle Hill Tour

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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 the giant limestone boulders.

Our Top Experiences and Tours in Christchurch:
If youʻre booking your trip to Christchurch last minute, we have you covered. Below are some of the top tours and experiences!

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

Description

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.

Includes

Hotel pickups and drop-off Lunch, tea, and coffee

Important Information

  • Morning tea is not included in the tour, but can be purchased during the stop at a cafe in Darfield

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund

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