Christchurch to Queenstown Scenic Day Trip (One Way)
The classic South Island crossing done properly — Christchurch in the morning, the Mackenzie Country through the middle, Queenstown at the end of the day.
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
- One-way day that replaces a long, tiring self-drive
- Mackenzie Country and Southern Alps scenery through the middle of the day
- Luggage carried door to door, hotel to hotel
- Also runs in reverse, Queenstown to Christchurch
About this day
Almost everybody travelling between Christchurch and Queenstown by road wants to see the country in between rather than just get there. A private scenic day gives you the whole vehicle, a driver who knows the road, and the freedom to stop whenever something is worth a photograph.
You are collected from your Christchurch hotel or the airport with your bags in the morning and dropped at your Queenstown accommodation at the end of the day. Nobody in your group spends the day behind the wheel on an unfamiliar alpine highway.
This is a one-way day by design. If you would rather be back in Christchurch the same evening, look at the shorter return day tours instead — Tekapo, Akaroa, Kaikōura or Arthur's Pass.
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
- 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.
- Queenstown to Christchurch Scenic Day Trip (One Way)
Head north out of Queenstown with a private driver, take the scenery slowly, and finish at your Christchurch hotel or the airport.
- Private Mount Cook Day Tour from Queenstown
Aoraki Mount Cook and the turquoise lakes of the Mackenzie Country, in a private vehicle that stops wherever the view demands it.
- 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.
Explore private travelArriving in New Zealand
First-time visitor guides to landing at Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington and Dunedin.
Read the arrival guidesIsland & region guides
What each part of New Zealand is known for, how long the drives really take, and how to travel it without a rental car.
Explore destinationsVisiting New Zealand
Driving on the left, kilometres to miles, money and tipping, the seasons, and travelling without a rental car.
Read visitor infoAirport shuttle alternative
Private airport transfers instead of a shared shuttle — your group alone, direct to the terminal, price agreed first.
Compare the optionsCity taxi, upgraded
A fixed-price private car instead of the taxi rank — city-by-city guides across New Zealand.
See your citySuburb airport transfers
Local detail on the run to Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington Airport from your own suburb.
Find your suburbPrivate day tours & sightseeing
Keep the same driver for the day and shape the route around what you'd like to see nationwide.
See private toursBy-the-hour driver hire
A driver and vehicle held for a block of time — best when your travel starts and finishes in the same town.
Book hourly hireAirport transfers
Flight-tracked pickups and drop-offs at every main New Zealand airport, door to door.
Airport transfersCruise port transfers & shore days
Met at the terminal in Auckland, Tauranga, Akaroa or Picton — back on board well before all-aboard time.
Cruise transfersSki field transfers
Winter-ready vehicles and alpine drivers for Queenstown, Wānaka, Mt Hutt and Ruapehu — gear included.
Ski transfersCorporate & executive travel
Business accounts, client and staff runs, event movements and consolidated invoicing.
Talk to usGroups, fleets & rental car alternative
Multiple vehicles on one booking for larger parties, or a driven alternative to hiring a car.
Rental car alternativeWhat transfers and taxis cost
Plain answers on what moves the price of an airport run in New Zealand, and how a fixed total compares with a meter.
Fares & costsWeddings, balls & big occasions
Private transport for weddings, school balls, corporate events, funerals, large groups and accessible travel.
Occasion transportConcerts & event transport
Ride there and ride home for the big nights — concerts, festivals and events across New Zealand.
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.