00:09Enjoyed this all-day trip that included eight locations, half which consisted of 45-60 minute
00:15stops slash walks and half which were a literal 5-10 minute stop to see the location, hear about
00:21its historical significance and take a few photos, and then get back on the van to the next spot.
00:27Three highlights included walking amongst the Castle Hill limestone boulders, a sacred site in Maori
00:33legend, the Devil's Punchbowl, which is a 400-step climb to a beautiful waterfall. There is a bridge
00:40to cross before the steps and allows for great views and photo-omps, we made it up about 100
00:46steps and returned to the village to grab beverages and see the cheeky Kia birds. The third highlight,
00:52the Transalpine train ride, is the final leg of the tour. We were very excited to experience the
00:58ride and views, but keep in mind it's a slow-moving train. While it allows for good sightseeing,
01:05there is also one car that has open viewing for picture-taking, at that point we had been sightseeing
01:10and van riding for about seven hours, and the slow-moving train made me not off a couple times.
01:16Other good points were the small group number and the guide who was knowledgeable and respectful of
01:21the country's history. For the price of the tour, one low point was the box lunch, which was half a
01:28sandwich, chips, and a dry scone and dry brownie, although eating lunch on the beach was great.
01:34Would do the trip again
01:36If you're planning to enjoy a few days in Christchurch, then a trip to Arthur's Pass should
01:42be on your list. We drove through the beautiful Southern Alps and saw spectacular scenery all the
01:47way in spite of the cloudy and occasionally rainy weather, which did curtail some of the walking
01:52options. Our guide Paul was friendly and efficient as well as knowledgeable and informative. The rocky
01:59outcrops at Castle Hill were amazing, some of the strangest formations we have ever seen.
02:05Close to the top we were interrupted by traffic delays due to coinciding with the coast-to-coast
02:10bicycle event, perhaps better to skip that day next year, but Paul kept his cool and worked through
02:16it. But the most memorable part of the trip was the visit to Alpine Jet Thrills. To sign up for
02:23a ride
02:23is an optional extra as it is quite expensive and may not be for everyone, but we had to give
02:29it a go,
02:29and we were so glad we did. We enjoyed a terrific ride along the Wimacaree River,
02:35in between the thrills of a fast and exciting shallow water ride which included several high-speed
02:41turns we learned a lot from our pilot about the actions of weather and earthquakes on the river
02:46and its steep sides. We had lunch at the small town of Arthur's Pass and then a long train trip
02:52home on the trans-alpine scenic train. Altogether a most enjoyable and unforgettable day.
02:59Fantastic experience, we enjoyed every moment of it. Our guide Paul was knowledgeable and recommended
03:06multiple things for us to do in our free time. The views are spectacular and you spend the right amount
03:12of time at each stop. Jet Alpine Thrills has a beautiful bush walk you can do if you choose to
03:18not to the jet boat, we saw multiple fantails who flew around us it was incredible, Castle Hill was
03:24stunning, I couldn't believe my eyes. Then later in Arthur's Pass, my friend and I attempted the Devil's
03:31Punch Bowl and the others on our trip encouraged us to keep going when we thought about turning around.
03:36This experience was the best on my trip yet and I'm so thankful we chose this.
03:42A wonderfully and personalized narrated tour from downtown Christchurch in a modern minibus.
03:48Our driver slash narrator Hannah was extremely knowledgeable, courteous and friendly, sometimes
03:54her jokes were funny to smile. I was thinking that the bus ride to Arthur's Pass was to be endured
04:01before the star of the trip, the scenic train ride back to Christchurch.
04:05How wrong I was with Hannah at the wheel of the bus. We took the opportunity of a jet boat
04:10ride at one of
04:11the stops on the river for about 40 minutes and that was excellent too.
04:154-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-1-2-3
04:15-2-3-2-2-1-2-1-2-4-1-2-3.
04:15You
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