Private Akaroa Day Tour from Christchurch
The French-settled harbour village on Banks Peninsula, over the crater rim from Christchurch, in a private vehicle.
Current day-trip rates
The pickup point chooses the rate card
Auckland & Christchurch
Starts within the Auckland or Christchurch service area
- Half day
- 4 hours · 100 km
- from $299
- Full day
- 8 hours · 200 km
- from $499
- Out of town
- 10 hours · 400 km
- from $799
Everywhere else
Regional North Island and the rest of the South Island
- Half day
- 4 hours · 100 km
- from $399
- Full day
- 8 hours · 200 km
- from $699
- Out of town
- 10 hours · 400 km
- from $999
Prices vary by season and vehicle. If no vehicle is based near the pickup, driver travel is shown as a separate line before payment.
Why book this one privately
- Akaroa harbour village and its French heritage
- Banks Peninsula summit road and crater views
- Hector's dolphin cruises from the wharf
- Cruise ship shore day from Akaroa or Lyttelton
About this day
Akaroa sits inside an ancient volcanic crater on Banks Peninsula, an hour and a bit from Christchurch and quite unlike anywhere else in New Zealand — the country's only French settlement, with street names to match.
The road over the hill is winding with a series of lookouts along the crater rim, and the summit road detour is worth taking if the weather is clear.
Harbour cruises to see Hector's dolphins leave from the wharf; your driver waits and takes you back over the hill when you are done.
A private driver, not a group tour or a shared ride
Highway 1 Tours & Transfers is a New Zealand owned private transfer company with NZTA-licensed, P-endorsed drivers. Everything here is a private hire: your own vehicle and chauffeur for the day, an agreed fixed price rather than a meter, and a plan you can change on the road. It is a calmer, more flexible alternative to a taxi or cab for the day, a rental car, or a seat on somebody else's schedule — and the same drivers handle airport transfers, intercity point-to-point trips and multi-day private touring anywhere in the country.
Return day or one-way? Both work — decide before you book
A private day tour does not have to finish where it started. You can do a return day, back in Christchurch that evening with the same accommodation waiting for you — or a one-way day, where we collect you and your luggage in Christchurch, sightsee along the way and drop you at your accommodation in the next town. Auckland out to Rotorua, or Christchurch through to Queenstown, are two of the most popular one-way days we drive.
Either way it is one private vehicle, one driver and one fixed price agreed before you travel. Just tell us on the booking form where you want the day to start and where you want it to finish, and whether your bags are coming with you.
Frequently asked questions
Other private tours nearby
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- Private Waipara Valley Wine Tour from Christchurch
North Canterbury's riesling and pinot country, less than an hour from Christchurch, with a driver for the day.
- Private Lake Tekapo Day Tour from Christchurch
Turquoise water, the Church of the Good Shepherd and the wide Mackenzie Basin, a private day out of Christchurch.
- Private Day Tours from Christchurch
Canterbury reaches from the Pacific to the main divide. Every trip here is a private vehicle with a driver for the day, door to door.
Other services we offer
A private transfer is only part of what we do. The same NZTA-licensed drivers and vehicles cover tours, hourly hire, airport and cruise work, corporate travel and group bookings throughout New Zealand.
Private, luxury & multi-day travel
Private touring, chauffeur hire, honeymoon travel and a driver for your whole New Zealand trip.
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Event transport
Please note: by-the-hour driver hire is only suitable when your travel starts and finishes in the same town. If you're finishing somewhere else, book a private transfer or a day trip so your fare covers the driver's travel.