Franz Josef Tours West Coast Tours South Island Tours Tours from Wanaka

Wanaka to Franz Josef Small Group Tour

Name: Wanaka to Franz Josef Small Group Tour
Brand: Cheeky Kiwi Travel
Price: 290 NZD
Availability: InStock

From NZD$290

(66 reviews)

Departs from: Tours from Wanaka

Duration: 8 hours

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Set off from beautiful Wānaka and journey through some of New Zealand’s most breathtaking landscapes on your way to Franz Josef. From glacial rivers to ancient rainforests and mirror-perfect lakes, every stop is a photo waiting to happen. Our small-group tour is fully guided by passionate Kiwi storytellers who know all the hidden gems and cheeky legends along the way. Travel in comfort, enjoy a delicious local lunch, and experience the wild West Coast in true Cheeky Kiwi style: authentic, personal, and unforgettable.

Why you'll love this trip

Take the scenic route through New Zealand’s wildest and most beautiful landscapes

Soak up local stories and hidden gems with our fun, knowledgeable guides

Capture that iconic reflection shot at Lake Matheson (camera ready!)

Feel the power of nature at Thunder Creek Falls and Ship Creek

Enjoy a delicious Kiwi lunch in the heart of Haast

Travel in comfort with a small group and a big dose of personality

Itinerary

What's included

Fully guided small-group tour with a local expert

Lunch at a local café in Haast

Complimentary water and snacks onboard

Comfortable, modern mini-coach transport

Scenic photo stops and short nature walks

Plenty of cheeky stories and unforgettable moments

Why choose us

Famously passionate tour guides

Our guides share stories, laughs, and Kiwi charm on every journey.

Travel in comfort

Small groups, big comfort. Relax in our modern Mercedes minibuses with style and space.

Award-winning tours

Thousands of five-star reviews and top travel awards - experiences loved worldwide.

Kiwi owned. Kiwi operated

Proudly local and passionate about sharing authentic New Zealand with every traveller.

Stories worth sharing

10/16/2026

Great trip

Fabulous tour. Nikki our tour guide was amazing, funny, knowledgeable and made everyone feel welcome. Lots to see during the trip and the day went so quickly.

Rowena Y

10/10/2026

Super awesome trip,stunning views,super friendly guide,diversity of ocean & glacier on the same trip..highly recommended

This particular trip happened on 9th October 2026 starting from Queenstown to Franz Josef via the picture perfect town of Wanaka. The trip started on time and to my surprise, and to some extent excitement also, I was the only traveller that day. Although all the time these kind of small group tours offer you the chance to engage with people from different countries, share your moments and have a great time,however,travelling as the only passenger definitely blessed me with specific advantages,more on this later. We had a quick coffee stop at the iconic cardrona restaurant,soon after that we started piercing through the golden glaze of early morning with the evergreen willows welcoming us alongside the road. Arriving at Wanaka was pretty swift, since I was the only traveller I found myself alone in the shore of wanaka lake..I rushed towards the famous wanaka willow tree, the land of long white clouds truly kept its promise which you can experience from the photos below. The reflecting surface and the heavenly ambience followed by absolute solitude with only birds chirping, made me so excited,for a long time I could not have such joy. God bless this country, its beauty.The dept of conservation is doing fantastic. After Wanaka there are few other stops but the sea was calling me & we arrived at the ship creek. The mighty Tasman sea with its roaring waves and long stretched lonely beach was truly magnificent. But to me the most awaited part was still pending, the Bruce Bay which was among my top 3 attraction in New Zealand, beacuse of its serenity & the legend of ancient Maori landing here,but my guide Jay, from cheeky kiwi travel was generous enough to keep an additional 20 minutes just for Bruce Bay. When I arrived, dont know why tears came out from my eyes, there was almost nobody on the shore, the long stretched beach and the beech trees far stretched as far as eyes can go, was opening a gateway to another dimension. I was hugging the nature and every moment quenched the thirst of my soul. Being a solitude lover, you might guess my ecstasy. After Bruce Bay we said good bye to the west coast and headed inland towards east,within 45 minutes the weather changed drastically as we approached near the fox glacier, eventually stopping at lake Matheson walking track. There is also blue pool and river valley which is depicted well from the photos I captured, like I said, if you love exotic places with nature all around you this trip in New Zealans would be a great "detox" for you. I am especially grateful to Cheeky kiwi, and to my guide Jay, who was kind enough to tolerate constant "chat" with me all the way in many topics, he even offered me a beer during lunch. I am grateful for his hospitality & super friendly gesture. I will remember this trip & all the great moments as an escape from all the stress of life. 100% recommended to everyone. Thank you very much.

Nirmalya Chakraborty

10/7/2026

Heaven on Earth Queenstown to Franz Josef osef

Fantastic Tour with beautiful scenery and short forest walks, stops at convenience and a nice lunch. Tour Guide Jess is exceptionally good.

KIWIPAK

10/6/2026

A great experience

I am very satisfied with the arrangement of this trip. The tour guide girl explained in great detail. I hope to continue traveling next time.

yao p

4/22/2026

Terrific tour Queenstown to Franz Josef.

This tour was fabulous, thanks to a great guide, Hanna. She was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, personable and cheerful. Everything you could want in a tour guide and more. She went above and beyond to inform us all about the history and relevance of every stop of the tour, as well as most of what we were driving past. Our 12 hour tour, from Queenstown to Franz Josef, went by in a flash and we even managed around 16000 steps at the various stops along the way. Plenty of comfort stops, a great lunch at the Hard Antler, in Haast, just added to the value of this tour. Thanks Hanna, and Cheeky Kiwi.. it was a great day.

Susan H

4/18/2026

Great one way tour

Great way to transit with intentional sightseeing along the way. Good, quick hits and none of the stops feel overly long.

awgriff

4/14/2026

Brilliant guide and excellent back office.

Great tour, great guide and a back office that solved all challenges. They know what they are doing and they are good at it ☺️.

Holger K

4/12/2026

Excellent tour

We love the kind guide/driver. We like all spots to visit

Coastal725543

4/10/2026

Kindly recommended, very well done.

It was amazing! The nature was impressive even in a rain. The car was comfortable and I really feel myself good with our guide Hannah who was very smart and passionate with her work. She was really interested in telling and sharing with us more about Nzee's animals and plants, nature and it all. I really liked Cheeky kiwi company and will recommended it to all.

Elena F

4/9/2026

Experiencing New Zealand’s purity

We were just 2 people so it was basically a private tour and it was awesome! Udi came with us on the walks pointed out different plants and showed us cool things such as blue mushrooms. He also told us a lot about New Zealand’s history and culture and I could fire away all my questions. The scenery was just gorgeous and we saw some breathtaking places. My personal favorite was our walk at Ship Creek and generally crossing the Alps and entering this lush and dense vegetation! To sum it up: I saw beautiful places, I learned a lot about New Zealand, and we had a lot of laughs on the trip :)

Alberta C