Day trip

Christchurch: Guided Cave Stream and Castle Hill Tour

Activity provider: Adventure By Nature
Day trip

Christchurch: Guided Cave Stream and Castle Hill Tour

Activity provider: Adventure By Nature

From US$ 278.11 per person

Spend a day caving and exploring two of New Zealand's most spectacular natural wonders: Cave Stream and Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti. This day tour includes transport, lunch, caving, and a local guide.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
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Covid-19 precautions
Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
Duration 8 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
English
Pickup optional
Pickup is available from any accommodation within 3.5 kilometers of the Christchurch city center. Please wait in the hotel lobby 10 minutes before your scheduled pickup time. The guide will be wearing a branded uniform. you will be collected in a white branded car or minivan.
Private or small groups available

Experience

Highlights
  • Spend an hour underground exploring the 600 meters of limestone cave with your guide
  • Capture stunning photos at the giant limestone boulders of Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti
  • Pose with the Giant Donut in the small town of Springfield
  • Choose between a shared group or private tour
Full description
Your tour starts by following the "great alpine highway" west from Christchurch across the Canterbury Plains. After 45 minutes it will be time for a short break in the small rural town of Darfield. The Darfield Bakery is an excellent example of New Zealand cuisine, and a great place to pick up morning tea. Leaving Darfield and continuing west towards the Southern Alp's over Porters Pass, you will pass Lake Lyndon before arriving at Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti. Castle Hill/Kura Tawhiti is one of New Zealand's most spectacular natural wonders. Whilst there your guide will show you around and explain to you why the area holds so much spiritual, recreational, and geological significance. You'll then enjoy a picnic lunch, tea, and coffee, which will be served amongst the boulders by your guide. After some free time, meet your guide back at the carpark for the short drive down to Cave Stream. Once having arrived at Cave Stream, your guide will kit you out with caving gear and provide you with a safety briefing before you head down to the cave entrance. The 600-meter limestone cave follows an underground river and takes most groups 45-60 minutes to complete. Inside the limestone cave, the crystal clear water flows through large chambers and over some small waterfall steps. The cave gets as narrow as a standard hallway, and you can always stand up whilst inside. Hot drinks and afternoon tea will be provided afterwards back at the carpark, before you head back towards Christchurch. On the way back, a short break in Springfield allows for a photo with the giant doughnut, which your guide will explain the background of. Back in Christchurch, you will be dropped off back to either your hotel or the meeting point at the Canterbury Museum in the city center.
Includes
  • Hotel pickup/drop-off
  • Qualified local guide
  • Caving gear and safety equipment
  • Food
    Not suitable for
    • People with mobility impairments
    • People with claustrophobia
    • Wheelchair users

    Select participants and date

    Participants

    Date

    Meeting point

    Your pickup time is 8:30AM, please be ready and waiting. Your guide will be wearing a branded uniform. You will be collected in a white branded car or minivan.

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    Important information

    What to bring

    • Sunglasses
    • Swimwear
    • Sunscreen

    Know before you go

    • This tour is not recommended for people with limited mobility
    • Completing the Cave Stream is weather dependent, sometimes it is not suitable to go all the way through the cave (your guide will make the final decision on the day)
    • If the weather is terrible in the Castle Hill area and the tour cannot go ahead, you can choose to change your booking to another day, change the date of your tour or, or receive a full refund

    Product ID: 348551