Name: Stray Hop On - Hop Off South Island (Willy Pass: 15 Days)
Brand: Flight Centre
SKU: 45fec1ab-20c5-11ec-b778-42010a8003c8
Price: 749.00 NZD
Availability: InStock

&quot;We love Stray because they take you further off the beaten track than anyone else, to remote destinations known as their Strademark Places!&quot;

Stray will charge the following fees in the event of booking cancellations. Cancellations should be made with your original booking agent as they may charge an additional cancellation fee:

8+ days before departure (or open dated): 35% of fare

3-7 days before departure: 50% of fare

Less than 48 hours: 100% of fare

<ul>
	<li>Accommodation cost - you have the flexibility to choose and pay-as-you-go at exclusive Stray prices!</li>
	<li>Meals</li>
	<li>Activities -&nbsp;you have the flexibility to choose and pay-as-you-go!</li>
</ul>

Yes &ndash; as long as it&rsquo;s along your pass route then you are welcome to hop off at any point. You can do this spontaneously, but you will then need to re-book your next leg of travel with us in order to hop back on.

No, there is no limit. You can hop off at every stop if you want to.

We recommend you book any travel on the bus at least 48 hours beforehand. This is necessary in order to guarantee your seat (particularly in peak season when it gets busy, i.e. November &ndash; March).

Unfortunately we can get busy in the summer months and so we recommend you book your seat at least 48 hours in advance. However if you find that the bus is already full, please call the reservations team and we will put you on a waiting list. Nine times out of ten you will still be able to get on the bus you want, as we do get cancellations. Otherwise we will work with you to get you on the next departure.&nbsp;

Hop-On Hop-Off Passes:&nbsp;No, accommodation is not included in the pass price. This can be easily booked through your driver on a pay-as-you-go basis and&nbsp;we guarantee your first night&#39;s stay at every location as we pre-book beds for you.

All dorm share accommodation can be booked through your Stray driver. We guarantee we will find you a bed for the first night when you travel on the bus, which is really helpful for during peak season.

You book and pay for any activities as you go, through your Stray driver. Feel free to ask him/her for recommendations!

In winter our average group size is 20, in summer 30. Our buses range from 14 to 45 seaters. We try to use the appropriate bus for the group size, keeping it as small and nifty as possible! This means you can do and see more in a day.

Totally! A lot of our travellers arrive alone, others are with friends or partners. It doesn&rsquo;t matter because by the end of day 1 you have already made a great group of friends on the bus! (&ldquo;Meeting liked-minded travellers&rdquo; frequently is rated in the top 5 reasons to travel with us.)

You don&rsquo;t have to be an athlete to travel with us &ndash; all walks and activities are optional and there is something for everyone.

No&nbsp;we don&rsquo;t have WIFI on our buses. We trialled it but found that using Prepaid SimCards with data plans provided faster and better coverage across New Zealand than we could provide on the bus. Free SimCards are available at&nbsp;the Auckland International Airport when you arrive, from the Stray Travel Shop (Auckland City) and some Driver Guides also carry these. The data packages are flexible and affordable.&nbsp;&nbsp;

When you&#39;re on the bus, share stories and make friends!&nbsp; It makes the experience even more memorable.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Who are Stray?

&nbsp;

Stray is an independently owned travel company, made up of a group of young travellers&nbsp;who are passionate about making sure you experience awesome&nbsp;adventures. They are known for their flexible travel passes that take you completely off the beaten track.&nbsp;Every one of their chosen&nbsp;locations has tonnes of things to do and see, you can choose to stay in each place for as long as you like and tailor the trip to your style&nbsp;- from learning to surf to climbing mountains, from helicopter rides to thermal pools, Hobbiton to Maori weaving - you can do it all in New Zealand!

&nbsp;

The Willy Pass Itinerary

&nbsp;

DAY 1:&nbsp;CHRISTCHURCH TO KAIKOURA 
We start off by picking&nbsp;up some Strayers from&nbsp;Christchurch&nbsp;Airport as we depart early for a beautiful drive up the coast to&nbsp;Kaikoura. We&#39;ll arrive in Kaikoura around midday, you&#39;ll have the afternoon free to go whale watching and enjoy other marine activities. Get out on the water and experience one of Kaikoura&rsquo;s famous dolphin and whale watching&nbsp;tours, spot seals at Goose Bay or wander around the peninsula and enjoy a delicious seafood BBQ. 
 
Where are we staying? 
Dusky Lodge&nbsp;-&nbsp; a warm modern hostel.

What can we do here? 
Whale watching by boat or by plane, swimming with dolphins, join a guided fishing trip.

Free Activity 
Walk around the peninsula and up to the&nbsp;lookout.

&nbsp;

DAY 2:&nbsp;KAIKOURA TO PICTON 
We&#39;ll leave Kaikoura in the morning and wind our way up the rugged coastal roads towards the top of the South Island. Tonight&#39;s stop is in the&nbsp;port town of&nbsp;Picton, so enjoy an afternoon exploring this pretty little place and the surrounding Marlborough Sounds. There are plenty of short walks to enjoy around the town and waterfront, such as the Queen Charlotte Sound view walk. Feel free to unwind this evening in the spa pool at the accommodation.

Where are we staying? 
Picton Villa&nbsp;- a cosy villa.

What can we do here? 
Take a boat trip through the Marlborough Sounds.

Free Activity 
Enjoy the Queen Charlotte Sound view walk, go fishing, cycle around town, relax in the accommodation&rsquo;s spa pool! 
&nbsp;

DAY 3:&nbsp;PICTON TO MARAHAU (ABEL TASMAN) 
This morning is a relaxed one, so take time getting to know charming&nbsp;Picton. Get ready to meet your Stray group at the accommodation at midday. Then we&#39;ll jump on board and&nbsp;drive through the world famous wine region of&nbsp;Marlborough. Depending on how the&nbsp;group&#39;s feeling, we may stop for a wine tasting and sample Marlborough&#39;s famous Sauvignon Blanc. We&#39;ll&nbsp;stop in Motueka to stock up on supplies for the next couple days and then make our way to our amazing overnight destination Marahau, on the edge of the incredible&nbsp;Abel Tasman National Park. 
&nbsp;

Where are we staying? 
The Barn&nbsp;- unique Stray accommodation on the edge of the national park.

What can we do here? 
Wine tasting or if you&#39;re feeling brave,&nbsp;skydiving!

Free Activity 
Walks, mussel tasting around the fire and&nbsp;stargazing.

&nbsp;

DAY 4:&nbsp;MARAHAU (ABEL TASMAN) 
Today is up to you! Make the most of being in one of New Zealand&#39;s sunniest spots and take time to explore every inch of Abel Tasman. Go hiking on some of NZ&#39;s Great Walks, try kayaking across the national park&#39;s turquoise waters, go sailing or hop on a water taxi and find&nbsp;a secluded beach to while away the day.&nbsp;

 
Where are we staying? 
The Barn - unique Stay accommodation on the edge of Abel Tasman National Park.

What can we do here? 
Join a sailing trip, hop on a water taxi, go kayaking, try stand-up paddleboarding or hang gliding even board a scenic microlight flight - there is so much on offer in Abel Tasman!

Free Activity 
Go for a swim, hike one of NZ&#39;s great walks and relax on a golden sand beach.

&nbsp;

DAY 5:&nbsp;MARAHAU (ABEL TASMAN) TO FRANZ JOSEF&nbsp; 
Buckle up for an awesome day driving down the incredibly scenic &lsquo;wild&rsquo; West Coast, an area known for its untamed beaches and spectacular rainforest. We&rsquo;ll pass through Buller Gorge and down a stretch of road that was labelled one of the top ten drives in the world by Lonely Planet. We&rsquo;ll take a walk along the craggy cliffs at&nbsp;Cape Foulwind&nbsp;to view the seal colony before continuing further down the coast to the geographic wonder of Punakaiki&rsquo;s&nbsp;Pancake Rocks&nbsp;and blowholes. Here we&rsquo;ll take a walk around these unique limestone rock formations and stop for a bite of lunch. Our next stop is the historic gold mining town of Greymouth to collect passengers connecting from Christchurch. From here we&rsquo;ll make one last stop via Hokitika (the best place to buy &lsquo;Pounami&rsquo;, a native greenstone) before continuing onto the quaint township of Franz Josef, home of the mighty&nbsp;Franz Josef Glacier&nbsp;where we&rsquo;ll spend the next two nights.

Where are we staying? 
Lodge in the middle of the rainforest.

Free activities&nbsp; 
Buller Gorge, Cape Foulwind Seal Colony, Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, Hokitika greenstone store

&nbsp;

DAY 6: FRANZ JOSEF 
You have the whole day to explore Franz Josef Glacier, a West Coast highlight. The best way to experience the glacier is on a guided&nbsp;tour. One of the most popular tours with Stray passengers features a heli-hike&nbsp;onto the glacier with a guided educational tour on the ice and includes entry to the hot pools afterwards. You can also take a scenic flight over the top of the mountains or join a bush walk in the region.

 
Where are we staying? 
Rainforest Retreat&nbsp;- a lodge in the middle of the rainforest.

What can we do here? 
Glacier heli-hike&nbsp;(entry to hot pools included),&nbsp;kayaking, quad-biking or skydiving.

Free Activity 
Relax in one of NZ&rsquo;s largest spa pools at your accommodation. 
&nbsp;

DAY 7:&nbsp;FRANZ JOSEF TO WANAKA&nbsp; 
Today we&#39;re saying goodbye to the West Coast and heading south towards Wanaka. We&#39;ll make a quick stop in Fox Glacier for pick-ups before heading on to the beautiful Lake Matheson for a little stretch of the legs after which we&#39;ll head inland along Haast Pass towards Wanaka. This is one of the most scenic drives on the itinerary so we&#39;ll make sure we stop for plenty of photo opportunities. We&rsquo;ll pass by the beautiful Lake Hawea and arrive in Wanaka around late-afternoon with plenty of time to enjoy this gorgeous&nbsp;lakeside town.

 
Where are we staying? 
Base Wanaka - central Wanaka hostel.

What can we do here? 
Skydiving, lake cruise, visit Puzzling World.

Free Activity 
Lake Matheson walk, Ship Creek walk, Blue Pools walk or Thunder Creek Falls walk.

&nbsp;

DAY 8: WANAKA TO QUEENSTOWN 
Start your day with a brisk walk up Mt Iron, a skydive over Lake Wanaka or learn how to fly a stunt plane - the morning&#39;s activities are up to you! Around mid-morning, we&#39;ll head to the adventure capital of Queenstown, also known for being the home of bungy jumping, as the first commercial bungy jump took place on the Kawarau Bridge. We&#39;ll make a stop here, so you have the&nbsp;chance to take a leap of faith, are you brave enough?&nbsp;Queenstown has a buzzing nightlife with excellent restaurants, pubs, bars and live music venues for you to party the night away!&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Where are we staying? 
Base Queenstown - a central accommodation in the heart of all the action!

What can we do here? 
Puzzling World, skydiving,&nbsp;mountain biking,&nbsp;bungy jumping.

Free Activity 
Walk up Mt Iron or&nbsp;watch people jumping off Kawarau&nbsp;Bridge!

 
DAY 9: QUEENSTOWN 
Today is up to you! Make the most of your free day by experiencing all of the activities Queenstown has on offer. With a buzzing&nbsp;night life, stunning mountain scenery and with so many activities available, it&rsquo;s easy to see why Stray passengers often extend their stay here in Queeno! Take your pick from bungy jumping, swing&nbsp;on the world&#39;s largest swing, go ziplining, canyoning, jet boating, skiing, skydiving or just relax by the lake with a tasty Fergburger.

&nbsp;

Where are we staying? 
Base Queenstown - a central accommodation in the heart of all the action!

What can we do here? 
Anyone of the crazy activities on offer here! Go bungy jumping, jet boating, luging, skydiving, horse riding... to name but a few!

Free Activity 
Go swimming in the lake or walk up Bob&#39;s Peak.

&nbsp;

DAY 10: QUEENSTOWN TO AORAKI/MT COOK 
This morning we head out over the Lindis Pass through the beautiful Mackenzie Country. We&#39;ll pass&nbsp;picturesque Lake Pukaki on the way to our amazing stop at the base of New Zealand&rsquo;s highest mountain,&nbsp;Aoraki/Mt Cook. That afternoon we&#39;ll join&nbsp;a 4WD &amp; Argo Tour, check out the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre and do one of the many great short walks in the park. If you want to hop off the bus for a few days there are some incredible longer walks you can do!

&nbsp;

Where are we staying? 
Mt Cook Backpacker Lodge&nbsp;-&nbsp; a stunning alpine lodge.

What can we do here? 
Argo tour of the alpine region &amp; visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre.

Free Activity 
Take photos of the impressive scenery, do a short walk to the Hooker glacial lake, go stargazing.

&nbsp;

 
DAY 11: MOUNT COOK TO RANGITATA 
Leaving Mt Cook we make our way through a landscape made famous in the Lord of the Rings films. We make a stop at turquoise Lake Tekapo for a photo op before heading through Geraldine to get to our overnight stop in Rangitata Peel Forest. Arriving in the afternoon, there is plenty of time for thrill seekers to raft the top-notch whitewater on the Rangitata River. Tonight spend the night in one of Canterbury&rsquo;s original sheep stations, a great place to get outdoors, go horse trekking or wander through the native bush of Peel Forest.&nbsp;

*Winter only: We stay longer in Tekapo for ice skating, snow tubing and visiting the relaxing hot springs.

&nbsp; 
Where are we staying? 
One of Canterbury&#39;s original sheep stations. 
 
What can we do here? 
Walk through Peel Forest, Rangitata River Rafting (late September &ndash; late March only). 
 
Free activity 
Take photos of stunning scenery, go for a walk.

&nbsp;

DAY 12:&nbsp;RANGITATA TO CHRISTCHURCH 
This morning, you will have the opportunity to sign up to a top-notch grade 5 white water rafting experience on Rangitata River under the foot of the Southern Alps or to explore the stunning Peel Forest scenery on horseback. Tonight, we&rsquo;ll stay in Christchurch - a city where old meets new, as an enormous rebuild continues following the devastating 2011 Earthquake. You will find some of New Zealand&rsquo;s most modern architecture nestled next to some of our oldest buildings. Wander the city streets and laneways to discover creative street art intended to bring cheer and colour to a city once buried in rubble. Spend your afternoon exploring the city or getting involved in one of the activities on offer.

&nbsp;Where are we staying? 
Comfortable, modern backpackers near the city centre

What can we do here? 
Whitewater rafting, horse trekking

Free activity 
Explore Christchurch by foot, check out the Re-Start Mall, Cardboard Cathedral and inner-city street art

Duration

Max Group Size

Minimum Age

Fitness Level

Meals

Start & End Location

Stray Hop on-hop off south island (willy as: 15 days)

Stray NZ bus deals

Stray NZ bus pass discounts

Stray bus pass voucher

Stray NZ bus pass reviews

Stray

<ul>
	<li>New Zealand bus pass valid for 12 months</li>
	<li>Flexible,&nbsp;guided travel around New Zealand</li>
	<li>Hop on hop off where you like</li>
	<li>Start in Christchurch and end in Chirstchurch</li>
	<li>Comfortable private buses</li>
	<li>Stray Driver Guide - source of local knowledge, can help with booking activities &amp; accommodation</li>
	<li>Off the beaten track - authentic, local culture</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>The supplier operates on a&nbsp;hop-on-hop-off service where you can &quot;hop off&quot; the bus at an overnight stop along the Stray route. You cannot hop off along the route of identified non-Stray run sectors, i.e. Paihia-Cape Reinga and Christchurch-Greymouth.</li>
	<li>Stray&rsquo;s passes are valid for 12 months from the first day of travel. The pass must be activated within 12 months of purchase. You can hop on and hop off the Stray bus as often as you want, within this 12 month period.</li>
	<li>&quot;Unlimited Travel&quot; is on a space available (i.e. standby) basis only. The travel days north of Auckland (Auckland - Paihia - Cape Reinga) and Christchurch - Greymouth sector is not included. Photo ID must be presented to drivers, and all unlimited travel must be booked.&nbsp;If anyone is deemed to be abusing unlimited travel, they will be immediately removed from the bus and charged for any additional sectors used.</li>
</ul>

For full terms &amp; conditions please visit:&nbsp;www.straytravel.com/about/privacy

Please note that the bookings are processed manually and please chat to us before making the booking or you can book with us and your booking is confirmed only once confirmed by the tour operator.

Stray Hop On - Hop Off South Island (Willy Pass: 15 Days)

Australia

Cairns

Melbourne

Sydney

Darwin

Tropical North Queensland

Adelaide

New Zealand

Queenstown

Brisbane

Perth

Gold Coast

United States

Oahu

Airlie Beach

Uluru

Hobart

Port Douglas

Sunshine Coast

Honolulu

North Island

South Island

Whitsundays

South East Queensland

Christchurch

Byron Bay

Hawaii

Tasmania

Surfers Paradise

Great Barrier Reef

Alice Springs

Auckland

Exmouth

Margaret River

San Francisco

Broome

Hunter Valley

East Coast Australia

Las Vegas

Kakadu

Rotorua

Noosa

Great Ocean Road

Big Island

Barossa Valley

Kangaroo Island

Milford Sound

Ayers Rock (inactive - do not use, tag uluru)

New York

Kona

Cape Tribulation

Mooloolaba

West Coast Australia

Coral Bay

Fraser Island (K'Gari)

Wanaka

Blue Mountains

Bay of Islands

Magnetic Island

Katherine

Phillip Island

Miami

Mornington Peninsula

Hervey Bay

Franz Josef

Townsville

Pokolbin

Northland

Mount Cook

Daintree

Paihia

Taupo

Albany

Wellington

Akaroa

Thailand

Bangkok

Indonesia

Bali

Rainbow Beach

Jabiru

Yulara (inactive - do not use, tag uluru)

Launceston

Kaikoura

McLaren Vale

Kuranda

Vietnam

Hanoi

Hanmer Springs

Port Stephens

Port Lincoln

Yarra Valley

Litchfield

Phuket

Fox Glacier

Newcastle

Waikiki

Kingscote

Hahndorf

Port Arthur

Maui

Waitomo

Tauranga

Kimberley

Rottnest Island

Fremantle (inactive - do not use)

Mexico

Costa Rica

Japan

Fiji

India

Cambodia

Spain

Croatia

Greece

Sri Lanka

Argentina

Viet Nam

Peru

Italy

Morocco

Nepal

Ecuador

South Africa

Canada

Hungary

Colombia

Iceland

Flight Centre

Backpackerdeals

A flexible travel pass that takes you completely off the beaten track around New Zealand's South Island. On this pass there are tonnes of things to do and see, plus you can choose to stay in each place for as long as you like and tailor the trip to your style - from learning to surf to climbing mountains, from helicopter rides to thermal pools - you can do so much New Zealand's South Island!

Backpackerdeals rss

Stray Hop On - Hop Off South Island (Willy Pass: 15 Days)

Stray Hop On - Hop Off South Island (Willy Pass: 15 Days)

Stray Hop On - Hop Off South Island (Willy Pass: 15 Days) Highlights

What's Excluded

Why Do We Love This

What to Expect

Frequently Asked Questions about Stray Hop On - Hop Off South Island (Willy Pass: 15 Days)

Can I hop off anywhere?

Is there a limit to the number of times I can hop-on hop-off?

How far in advance do I need to book my travel on the bus?

Help – the bus is full on the day I want to travel. What do I do?

Is accommodation included?

How do I book accommodation?

How do I book activities?

How many people will I be travelling with?

Is it OK to travel alone?

How fit do I need to be?

Is there wifi on the bus?

Reviews for Stray Hop On - Hop Off South Island (Willy Pass: 15 Days)

Policies