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The Best Half day tour in Queenstown

Guests walking through golden tussock towards the Diamond Lake viewpoint on Mt Earnslaw Station

Look at what one of our recent trip advisor guests had to say about the High Country Discovery Tour :

Thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon with Charles. He gave an exceptional personalised tour & is both knowledgeable & passionate about the region. Having access to private properties made the tour that much more enjoyable topped off with afternoon tea, with a view that would be hard to beat!

or this comment from the last Autumn:

Charles is a gem! He is very knowledgeable, kind and has a complete sense of the land. He will show you the incredible stunning beauty of the region…really peaceful special places that will be ingrained in your mind forever. To boot, he is a former cow farmer, having access to endless fields of livestock with the snow capped mountains in the background. Charles is an endless source of information about the area, his home, that he loves for good reason.

If you really want “authentic” give us a call… happy to accommodate your special interests, photography, or technical farm visit….cal now and book discounted rates for the summer season over the next 3 months.

Person standing by calm lake with mountains
Timeless Lake Wakatipu
Photography options
Photography options
Group pointing at mountain river view
Views over Isengard

Stories From Our Guests

Felix Fong
2 months ago
We highly recommend Lucy! She was such a friendly driver and shared so much amazing local culture and highlights along the way. She took us to the private farm to see cattle and sheep, and walked us through how sheep shearing works in real life. The hiking route she picked was perfect — not too hard, not too easy. She also taught us loads about the native bush and trees. It was such an unforgettable experience with her!
Mona He
2 months ago
The bespoke hike Sarah and her team put together for us was great. Combining 4 separate walks we saw lakes mountains and much more. Thank you! Lucy and Lee were fantastic on the hike and shared their local history and botanical knowledge with us. Could not have asked for a better day for a team bonding hike. Thank you.
Rose Maisano
6 months ago
We had Lucy Snelgrove as our tour guide for a private hike on the route burn trail and she was amazing :) we came from the US and didn’t have rain jackets. Knowing it would be rainy, she had extra jackets and ponchos for us, made our hike sooo much more enjoyable! She kept a great pace and was very knowledgeable about the trail, plants and birds we saw along the way. Would very highly recommend!! We had some extra time and instead of bringing us back to our hotel right away, she went out of the way to bring us to some more view points to check out the beautiful scenery.
Kirsten Mackey
7 months ago
My husband and I took a tour through a section of the Routeburn track and we had a great time! Lucy provided us with so many interesting facts about the area and was a great guide! We thoroughly enjoyed our walk through the track and would definitely recommend!
Phileas Fogg
11 months ago
My wife and I spent a fantastic day in Paradise Valley, guided by Charles. A journey through fairytale locations. Now we understand why The Lord of the Rings was filmed here. We come from a big city. Unspoiled places like those we saw today, where the sound of silence and the absence of people reign supreme, are a unique opportunity. Charles showed us places that are technically impossible to reach on our own. Breathtaking views, views of the lake, mountains with snow-capped peaks, forests, valleys... it's almost impossible to describe the details. Even the photographs don't do the reality justice. Congratulations to Charles, thank you very much.
Syd Gernstein
2 years ago
My wife and I had a full day Milford Sound tour with Charles. We could not have scripted a more perfect day of travel. Of course, the trip to Milford Sound was fantastic. The journey itself was great—we stopped at a ton of viewing points, one more beautiful than the next. And I really don’t have words to describe how impossibly beautiful Milford Sound itself is. But it was Charles who truly tied this day together and made it so memorable. Charles is everything you’d want in a travel guide—knowledgeable, interesting, and an amazing conversationalist. He also is just the consummate professional: the day was perfectly timed so that we were constantly doing things without ever feeling rushed. My wife and I have had an amazing time in Queenstown. Seriously, if we had any more time here, what we would do would be an absolute no-brainer: book another tour with Charles. In sum, I can’t recommend Charles more highly. A class act.
Sharon F.
2 years ago
Charles Fraser was the ultimate professional guide. He was totally knowledgeable & informative on all aspects of New Zealand. He knew so much about the country, its culture, its people, and the history. We spent two days with him & had a most memorable time hiking & exploring Milford Sound & the countryside of New Zealand. He is remarkably upbeat & happy and you feel like you’ve known him forever. He made a most favorable impression on us, and made the day’s exciting. We will never forget his graciousness. We highly suggest hiring him and his company to experience the very best of New Zealand.
@privatediscoverytoursnz

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