11 Day 'Takahe' South Island Select Tour

What our customers ask about this tour

We couldn't find results

Try a different search term or ask a question to this adventure's experts

Ask a Question

• T

  Tracey

  Asked on December 10th, 2025

  I am very interested in this tour of your beautiful country. Never been to NZ - I am a very active 73 year old woman. Love walks and hikes but no bungy jumping or other sports please. Do you think this is a good choice for a first time visit of NZ? After this tour my plan is to meet friends in Australia for a few weeks. Is the accommodation comfortable? Don't need fancy just comfy and clean. Looks like we spend 3 nights in one place... sounds great. Is this tour rushed?

  Accommodation

  Age Range

  Tour Details
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written December 2025

    Being an active 73 year old, I think the Takahe is an excellent choice. There is a mix of hikes on route but also a good level of 2 night stays along the way for comfort and to ensure you're not on the move every single day. All the activities such as bungy jumping are optional activities so there is no need at all to add them on if you're not interested. The average age on our select tours are about 35-50. However, we very commonly get people in their late 60s-late 70s on board too. The accommodation on this tour is 3 star motel/hotel style. You can opt to book your own room if you prefer, or the standard option is that we will pair you up with another solo female traveller on the tour.
• G

  Grace

  Asked on October 15th, 2025

  Can I extend my stay at Mt Cook for one more night?

  Accommodation

  Tour Details
  • G

    Grace

    Traveler•Written October 2025

    Does this route include Arthur's pass route?
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written October 2025

    The tour does not include Arthurs Pass, however our Kaka Tour does. The tour does not allow for extending stay in Mt Cook as the tour continues along the route after the 1 night stay here. I can also confirm there is still availability on this departure date.
  
  1 more answer
• R

  Rick

  Asked on October 14th, 2025

  Is there an error description from the start and end destination. From the itinerary, the tour starts and ends in Christchurch, but it also mentions that the tour starts in Picton?

  Tour Details
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written October 2025

    For the Takahe Tour, the tour can be started from Christchurch (with an Intercity bus up to Blenheim to join the tour from there), Wellington (with the ferry across to Picton), or from Picton (making your own way to Picton to be picked up here). And the tour does finish in Christchurch. So you are 3 different starting options depending on what works best for your plans.
• H

  Harry

  Asked on October 5th, 2025

  What are the room options for three people (2 parents and one child)? Will there be additional costs for the three of us to be in the same room? How large is the tour group roughly? What kind of transport/buses will be used throughout the trip? Is there any more detailed itinerary of the vehicle travel times between locations? Is there any more details on the accommodation? Is the daily breakfast included refer to a hotel buffet at our accommodation or something else? What is the weather like in December? Are there likely to be weather issues that lead to detours or road closures?

  Accommodation

  Group size

  Meals

  Tour Details

  Transport
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written October 2025

    Our max group size is 24 people, in December, on average we are probably looking at 10-16 people. We use either a Yutong D7 or a Rosa with a luggage trailer. These are 18-22 seater buses. On average a travel day is about 3 hours. We try to make stops about every 2-3 hours to ensure comfort stops/ bathroom stops/ stretch of legs. A stop could be a quick 5-10 minute stop or a bit longer up to 1 hour depending on the day. It is a mix between hotel buffet breakfasts & continental breakfasts. New Zealand weather in December is generally warm, with average daytime highs of 20-25°C. Expect generally sunny conditions, especially in the South Island, but be prepared for variable weather, with the potential for cool nights, wind, and some rain, particularly in certain parts of the South Island like the West Coast.
  • H

    Harry

    Traveler•Written October 2025

    The child is 21 years old so we are ideally looking for a single room for 3 adults. I'd be grateful if you could let us know if this is possible with hotels, and if not, the other options. In terms of details on the accommodation, I was wondering if there is a list of the accommodation you usually book for each point just so I can see what the accommodation is like beforehand.
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written October 2025

    Unfortunately, there are not triple rooms available. The accommodation used is usually the following: Mercure in Queenstown, The Barn - Abel Tasman Coast, Blue Duck Station - Retaruke, Distinction in Rotorua. Would a Double/Twin room and a private single room be okay for you?
  • H

    Harry

    Traveler•Written October 2025

    A double/twin room and a private single room would work. How would the pricing change then if we were to take that option?
  • H

    Harry

    Traveler•Written October 2025

    We were actually looking at the 9 Day 'Kaka' South Island Select Tour and we think this might be a better option as 11 days is a bit longer than we would like. Is the transport used similar to the 11 day trip? And what are the accommodation usually booked for this trip? Is the twin/double room plus a single private room possible with this trip as well?
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written October 2025

    Yes, the transport is the exact same as the 11 day tour. With your child being 21 years old they are absolutely welcome to travel with us. We can ask the hotels to have the rooms next door to each other if preferred to ensure you're all sticking close. For the 13th December Kaka Tour departure, the hotels are: Beachfront Hotel, Scenic Franz, Mercure Queenstown (2 nights), Distinction Te Anau Luxemore (2 nights), Mt Cook Lodge, Cotswold Christchurch.
  H
  
  5 more answers
• L

  Lawrence

  Asked on September 1st, 2025

  1.Accommodation for day 1 & 2 is at barn. Does it mean sleeping on the floor, no room or divider to separate? Any bathroom?

  Accommodation

  Tour Details
  • L

    Lawrence

    Traveler•Written September 2025

    Are we supposed to get on a public bus from Christchurch to Picton on our own to meet Stray guide group? How long does it take and How many more hours of driving from Picton to MARAHAU (ABEL TASMAN) on day 1?
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written September 2025

    The Barn is just the name of the accommodation. We are booked to stay in Cabins with double beds in the rooms, these are private rooms and will just be 1 or 2 people per room. No sleeping on the floor. The room itself does not have an ensuite bathroom, the bathrooms are shared and are in a different building from your cabin.
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written September 2025

    If you opt to start this tour in Christchurch, we will book you an Intercity bus ticket (unguided) and you will then meet your tour guide in Blenheim when you get off the Intercity bus. This ticket is included in your tour so no additional cost. The drive from Christchurch - Blenheim on the Intercity bus is about 3-4 hours. And from there to Abel Tasman (The Barn), the drive is an additional 3 hours.
  
  
  2 more answers
• R

  Rhonda

  Asked on August 14th, 2025

  Is there a single supplement for this trip? How much? Also, the information is confusing. Does the tour start in Picton or Christchurch?

  Single supplement

  Tour Details
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written August 2025

    The single upgrade is not compulsory, travellers can choose to just book the twinshare option and we will room them with someone of the same sex on the tour. If they wanted to guarantee their own room, the solo upgrade price would be an additional NZ$1,385.00. This tour can be started in Wellington, Picton or Christchurch. Wellington start: We would book a ferry ticket to get to Picton. Picton start: We would pick the travellers up from Picton iSite. Christchurch: We would book the travellers an Intercity bus ticket from Christchurch- Picton and pick them up from there. The ferry ticket and the Intercity ticket do not increase the price, if they choose either of those options.
• C

  Caroline

  Asked on August 8th, 2025

  We are looking for this trip. It says on the site Picton to Christchurch. the map is showing Picton in the tekst on site and pdf shows Picton. But the start and adress from the first day is Christchurch. We don't understand. Can you please explain us?

  Tour Details

  Transport
  • C

    Caroline

    Traveler•Written August 2025

    Is it possible to make the trip for two 74 and 78 old women?
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written August 2025

    For the Takahe Tour, you can chose to start in Wellington, Picton or Christchurch, depending on what suit your travel plans. If you chose to start from Christchurch, we will book you an Intercity bus from Christchurch to Blenheim (included), and Blenheim is where you'll hop off and meet your tour guide. If you chose to start from Picton, we will pick you up from the Picton i-Site. If you chose to start from Wellington, we'll book you onto to the ferry from Wellington to Picton. Yes, I can confirm there is space for 2 travellers on the 15th January 2026 departure and we would love to have you both join!
  
  1 more answer
• R

  Robyn

  Asked on March 18th, 2025

  Any availability for March 20th, Picton to Christchurch?

  Price / Availability

  Transport
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written March 2025

    We currently have space on the bus Takahe Tour for March 20th 2025. However please note as this tour is starting in 48 hours - we would need to contact all our accommodations to confirm a spot in the hotels. If you want to book please let us know ASAP as we would need to get on to this right away. Please note this close to departure there would be a chance that we would need to book you into an alternative hotel from the group if they are unable to accommodate.
  • R

    Robyn

    Traveler•Written March 2025

    Trying to book and also look at itinerary. Seen can only book for April. Also looking for price. Can you help?
  R
  1 more answer
• S

  Samuel

  Asked on March 13th, 2025

  Could you provide me with more details on the group? Size, ages an nationalities?

  Age Range

  Group size
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written March 2025

    the trip is mostly female with a few males, and mainly European - some german, dutch etc.
• C

  Carmen

  Asked on December 27th, 2024

  Is there an additional cost?

  Price / Availability

  Single supplement
  • 

    Stray TravelOperator•Written December 2024

    As a solo traveller for the Takahe tour you have two options: Pay the twin-share price with the current sale: $3,785 NZD (this would mean sharing a room with another solo traveller of the same gender) or Pay the solo room upgrade price: $5,170 NZD (this would mean you would have your own room so there is an extra fee)