Loved our tour with Scotty. What a great way to see Christchurch, Mona Vale and the International Antarctic Centre - Loved our tour with Scotty. What a great tour guide and driver. After leaving Lyttelton, travelled via the inner bays of Lyttelton Harbour to Governors Bay via Dyers Pass to the Sign of the Takahe. Hike for a few minutes to enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the City of Christchurch and the Southern Alps which are snowcapped for up to 9 months. The Scottish "castle" is so charming. Next stop was the Mona Vale Gardens which was renamed by Annie Quayle Townend after her mother's house in Tasmania. Annie inherited one million pounds as the sole surviving child in her family. This made her the richest independent woman in 1905. Mona Vale was originally called Karewa when it was built in 1899-1900. Townend added the gatehouse, more land and gardens and a Fernery to the property. Ferneries are quite popular in New Zealand. After her death, the property went through several owners including the Church of Latter Day Saints. When the church tried to sell the property to a private developer, there was a major public outcry. Community fundraising helped to turn the homestead into a beautiful public park and gardens open for all to enjoy. Our guide, Scotty dropped us off at the Fendalton Road gatehouse. So nice to able to walk along the Avon River enjoying the weeping willows and the agapanthus until we reached the rose garden. The rose garden is gorgeous. Love all the different varieties. Also interesting to visit the Fernery which seem to be quite popular in New Zealand. So many different varieties of huge ferns. Loved seeing the purple cardoon, artichoke thistle, and large yellow garden dahlias. Spent a couple of hours exploring Christchurch which is still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2011. Amazing to see how the city is rebuilding historic landmarks and adding green spaces. Want to explore Antarctica without actually stepping foot on the continent? Visit the International Antarctic Centre to get an overview of what happens on the frozen land. So easy to get to the International Antarctic Centre with our guide Scotty. Booked a great tour of Christchurch and the International Antarctic Centre from the Shore Excursions Group. Adorable Little Blue Fairy Penguins. Hagglund Field Trip. A blizzard in the Storm Dome....and the cutest huskies! Started with a very bumpy ride on the Hagglund Field Trip. Sit back, buckle up and hold on. Get an idea of what scientists experience on the all-terrain amphibious vehicles designed to explore the icy crevasses on Antarctica. Up, down, over and through. The little blue fairy penguins are so cute! Since they usually are out hunting fish during the day, they are hard to find in the wild until they come back in a parade at night. So nice to be able to see the family of tiny penguins that are native to New Zealand who have been rescued due to physical ailments or injuries. Adorable! Brrrrrrrrr..... Feel the chill of an Antarctic Storm up close and personal. Bundle up in a long coat, put on shoe covers and enter the Storm Dome. Every hour, an Antarctic Storm drops the temperature from minus 8 degrees Celsius to minus 18. Amazed at how well the coats provided keep you comfortable. But still, so cold! Explore Antarctica in the galleries. Watch the 4D movie. The 360 gallery had such beautiful images of the continent, penguins and whales. Loved learning about the research that happens with international cooperation and how the scientists prepare to live in Antarctica. Huskies!! Who can resist playing with huskies? So cute and so friendly. My parents especially loved this part. A great way to end the day at the International Antarctic Centre. Support the center with a purchase in the gift shop. They had a sale on two tea towels for $2 NZD. We also grabbed some magnets and beanies for friends and family back home. On the return to Lyttleton, Scotty drove by the estuary and the beach suburb via Evans Pass which was closed for more than 7 years following the Christchurch earthquake of 2011 due to cliff collapse. Imagine the devastation, but nice to see how the community has banded together to help each other.

A comprehensive tour of Christchurch - Andrew, our Leisure Tours driver/guide, met us at the shuttle stop in Lyttleton. We drove along the harbor and up the crater rim to a scenic overlook of Christchurch and the Canterbury Plains. You could see the southern alps in the distance. Our next stop was Mona Vale Garden Park. There was a lovely walk along a stream with beautiful plants and gardens including rose and fern gardens. We drove through Christchurch, seeing the buildings that survived the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes and the ongoing rebuilding. We were dropped off in Cathedral Square and had time for lunch on our own and shopping. The International Antarctic Center, our next stop, was the highlight of the tour! We boarded a Hagglund vehicle that is used in the Antarctic. We strapped in and we’re taken over an obstacle course that simulates the Antarctic terrain. It was bumpy and rough, but a unique experience! The next stop was the “Antarctic Experience”. You put on a heavy coat and enter a chamber that simulates the cold and wind of the Antarctic. We then saw some little blue penguins which are native to New Zealand. The final experience was a 4 D theater with a movie about the Antarctic. The seats moved and air and water squirted at you. The International Antarctic Center is a must visit! On our drive back to Lyttleton we drove through areas where the earthquakes were so destructive that they cleared the area and will not rebuild. You could see only old roads and streetlights, it was eerie! Andrew was very friendly and informative. This excursion is appropriate for singles, couples and families. I definitely recommend this tour!

A great tour! - This was an interesting tour, seeing the Christchurch and the effects of the earthquake . Our guide was very knowledgable. We enjoyed the tram ride, in our free time so additional cost. The trip to the Antarctic centre was very interesting.

Good tour for cruise ship visitors if your time is limited.🚢 - Picked up directly from where the cruise ship transfer point in Lyttelton. Good overview of Christchurch if your time is limited. The Antarctic Centre was the highlight thanks to our guide Karen with the bonus of seeing the new Husky Puppy, Thanks also to Andrew for making the tour very enjoyable and informative. 🙂

One of the best excursions we’ve ever been on - This was by far one of the best excursions we’ve ever been on. The driver was extremely informative talked about Littleton and then the Antarctic portion was absolutely amazing. A must see when you go to Littleton New Zealand.

Excellent excursion - Great tour and the visit to Antarctic Center was a highlight. Our driver / guide Scotty was excellent. Lots of great information including where to get a delicious pie for lunch! Would recommend.

A great day! - What a great day with Scotty! There were many different components to this trip. His many years of experience ensured that we had all the knowledge that only a local can bring. He was mindful of the timing of each stage so we were back on board our ship without being rushed. Thank you Scotty.

The Antarctic Center was... - The Antarctic Center was great! Loved the 4-D movie and antarctic room. you are given a coat and booties to keep dry and warm.

Don’t Miss The Antarctica Center or Quake City - An OK tour overall, but the Antarctica Center made it worthwhile. We were dropped off in the middle of Christchurch without any kind of a map to get our bearings. Strongly recommend grabbing a map and walking several blocks to see the Quake City museum, very informative. Wish we had more time at the Antarctica Center, it was well worth it.

bus breakdown and no communication - Stay away from this vendor. It was the worst experience ever. We went out about 30 minutes and the bus broke down and all the anti-freeze poured out. The driver put water bottles in the bus and flagged down a bicyclist for a screw driver. He claimed it was fixed and we continued on. The first viewing stop, he added water into the empty water bottles into the bus. We continued on, instead of going back. We went into town for a lunch break, which was not long enough to eat. Then we finally got to the Antarctic Center. He was filling the bus up again with water. We expected another mode of transportation back, since we were there for over two hours. The bus started loosing water again as we headed back to the ship. He stopped again at a gas station and filled up the bus again. He communicated we would only make it back to the Princess shuttle busses. He did not refund us any money or apologize. We were lucky to get back to the Princess shuttles, otherwise we would have missed the ship. Never again. I sent a letter to the company and he sent back a very condescending email and never refused any of our money for this more than stressful excursion