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1. Are you a travel agent or tour provider?
2. How large is your business?
3. What types of guests travel with you?
4. Do you have pre-scheduled tours?
5. What style of tours do you offer?
6. Do you offer tours in North Island?
7. What is there to see?
8. How do we travel?
9. How much driving is there?
10. How much walking is there?
11. Where will we be staying?
12. Do we pay for our own food?
13. Are there toilets where we travel or must we use a tree?
14. Will there be other people on tour?
15. Will you pick us up and drop us off?
16. What do you suggest we take with us on our trip?
17. What clothes should we wear?
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1. Are you a travel agent or tour provider?
We are a tour company offering fully guided small group tours in South Island.
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2. How large is your business?
Canterbury Trails is a privately owned NZ company based in Christchurch, operating a fleet of 7 fully customised 4WD tour vehicles. We offer a professional service and we are quality accredited company, holding the Qualmark endorsement of quality.
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3. What types of guests travel with you?
Guests from all ages and professions travel with us. Children are welcome and we also specialise in private tours for family groups.
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4. Do you have pre-scheduled tours?
Yes, we do offer pre-scheduled tours. There are 2 options for pre-scheduled tour…
- 9 day deluxe Wilderness South expeditions tour, and
- 14 day deluxe Natural North’South New Zealand tours.
Both of these trips are nature and wilderness "safari" style tours staying at fine accommodations.
Day tour options are available from Christchurch and we also offer "tailor-made" tour options.
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"Yours is the most professional and all-inclusive tour we have ever been on. Simply put, it was perfect. No detail was overlooked. We couldn't have been happier with our trip"
Wendy Madow
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5. What style of tours do you offer?
Our tours…
- are personally guided small group tours with attention to detail
- are professionally guided
- and for the discerning traveller.
The tour options that we offer are…
- genuine "small group tours" - a maximum group size of just 6 to 8 guests
- for travellers seeking educational and interactive experiences
- for those who do not wish to be part of a large group or totally on their own
- guided and escorted by friendly, knowledgeable local guides who take pleasure
and pride in looking after their tour guests
For our tours we use guides, not just "drivers".
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6. Do you offer tours in North Island?
No, we do not operate in North Island. We refer guests to our colleagues – Kiwi Dundee Adventures who provide a very similar experience and high level of service as we do.
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7. What is there to see?
There is actually a lot of variety to see in New Zealand and the South Island. The diversity of the landscapes is a real feature and truly amazing. Depending on the tour you take you may experience...
- incredible scenery
- rugged alpine vistas
- primeval rainforests
- rural countryside
- the garden city of Christchurch
- remote beaches and rocky headlands
- beautiful lakes
- clear rivers, creeks and streams
- country towns and villages
- art & craft stores and galleries
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8. How do we travel?
As most of our small group tours are 6 to 8 guests, we use our 9 seater 4WD Toyota Hiace minicoaches. For the exclusive private tours, we would use our deluxe Mitsubishi 4WD minicoaches or our Toyota 4WD Grand Cabin minicoach, depending on the party size. Our dedicated tour vehicles are extremely well appointed, being fitted with individual high back seats (with seat belts), stereo p/a systems and are air-conditioned. For added comfort and uniqueness, all vehicles are fitted with refrigerators and fully equipped for picnics.with hampers etc). Reference books, binoculars and maps are also carried onboard. The Toyota minicoaches are also fitted with high panorama windows for additional viewing capability. Our vehicle fleet size is seven and all are 4WD capable.
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9. How much driving is there?
On our trips, the actual "driving" time is normally restricted to no more than 45 minutes or so, and stops are made to take photographs or take a short walk. The idea is not to travel all day but to allow time to explore locations along the way. Generally, there is usually only 3 - 4 hours driving on the "travelling" days and no driving when we are based at the lodges (only walking to explore the surrounding landscapes, activities or relaxing). As a comparison a coach tour will generally travel 5 - 8 hours per day with strictly regulated time at each stop and very early starts!
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10. How much walking is there?
As a general rule, "travelling" days include a range of short walks of up to 45 minutes and the days where we are based at a particular location (Wilderness Lodges etc.) allow for longer walks and hikes of around 4 hours.
If you are not much of a walker, then the tour can be varied accordingly.
With our exclusive private tours and tailor made tours, walks and activities can be included to suit the guest's own personal wishes.
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11. Where will we be staying?
Depending on the tour, we normally stay at the best locations available in the region. This tends to be Grasmere Lodge (near Arthur's Pass), the Wilderness Lodges Arthur's Pass & Lake Moeraki, Lake Brunner Lodge, Te Weheka at Fox, Remarkables Lodge or Matakauri in Queenstown, Millbrook Resort near Arrowtown and Fletcher Lodge and Corstophine in Dunedin, to name a few. We also stay at farmstays and Bed & Breakfasts or will include your own preference. In Christchurch, we recommend The George, The Charlotte Jane, Huntly House and Hambeldon.
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12. Do we pay for our own food?
This depends on the tour that you take. The Wilderness South Expeditions trips include nearly all meals. Staying at the more exclusive lodges also includes most meals. You'll find that things like morning and afternoon teas are also included, served with delicious New Zealand cookies! The trip itineraries show what meals and snacks are included in your tour package.
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13. Are there toilets where we travel or must we use a tree?
Toilets can be few and far between in some of the more remote regions, however there are usually public toilets along the way. We always promote the "environmental care" guidelines, and promote the use of toilets, as against using the "green door", no matter how rustic some of the more remote facilities may be!
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14. Will there be other people on tour?
The "pre-scheduled departure" Wilderness South Expeditions and the Natural North'South New Zealand trips are designed for small groups of up to six to eight guests, so yes, there may very well be others on these trips.
Our days tours from Christchurch may also have other guests onboard unless you book as an "exclusive private" tour. Tailor made trips are offered on an "exclusive private basis" and these can be one day tours or multi-day tours.
Please note that we can also guide groups larger than six, particularly large family groups or special interest groups.
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15. Will you pick us up and drop us off?
Yes. We pick up and drop off from all city hotels, motels and homestays and B&B's. If you are staying in a residential accommodation, then it is also possible to pick you up from there.
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16. What do you suggest we take with us on our trip?
As we include guided walks on our tours, it is advisable to bring along sturdy walking shoes or boots, and because the weather can produce "4 seasons in one day", we suggest that you bring along a wind proof jacket and clothes suitable for cooler weather. On the longer tours, it is advisable to bring along a rain-proof jacket as we usually include a rainforest walk.
- Warm jacket for possible cool mountain weather (preferably rain proof)
- Personal items
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Flat walking shoes
- Camera and film
- Binoculars although our vehicles generally carry them
- Notebook or diary
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17. What clothes should we wear?
For a start, forget the formal clothes, as New Zealand is a very relaxed and generally informal destination. Neat and casual clothes that are comfortable are more than suitable. Preferably do not wear white clothes as we will be out in the bush where it can be muddy. Open collared shirts for men are a good idea as some of the locations where we could stop for evening meals have what we call a neat-casual dress standard. Flat soled shoes for walking. Solid hiking boots are generally excessive however light weight hiking boots are good. Bring a jacket always - mountain weather can change rapidly even in midsummer. A hat is also suggested as the sun can be intense here in New Zealand.
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