Canterbury Trails has been named Best Luxury Guided Tour Company in New Zealand at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2026. What the award recognises, and what guests can expect when they travel with us.
Canterbury Trails has been named Best Luxury Guided Tour Company in New Zealand at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2026. The family-owned Christchurch company has guided guests across the South Island since 1995, and specialises in private, guided journeys from Christchurch to Queenstown and beyond.
We are honoured by the recognition and grateful to every guest and travel partner who has journeyed with us. Above all, it belongs to our guides.
About the award
The Luxury Lifestyle Awards is an international programme recognising luxury goods and service providers around the world. Canterbury Trails won the 2026 award in the category Best Luxury Guided Tour Company, New Zealand. See the winner listing on the Luxury Lifestyle Awards website.
What guests can expect from us
- One guide, start to finish. On multi-day journeys the same expert driver-guide travels with you from the first pickup to the last drop-off, a practice we explain in one guide, the whole journey.
- Private by design. Our luxury tours are for your party alone, shaped around your interests and your pace.
- Three decades of local knowledge. A family business since 1995, now led by its third generation. Read our story.
- Independently assessed. We hold a Qualmark Gold award, New Zealand tourism's official quality mark, and are Carbon Positive certified.
- A premium fleet. Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including luxury Sprinters with individual reclining leather seats. See our luxury fleet.
Where we travel
Our private day tours from Christchurch reach Akaroa and Banks Peninsula, Arthur's Pass, Kaikōura and the Waipara Valley wine region. Multi-day journeys continue across the Southern Alps to Aoraki Mount Cook and Queenstown, and we also guide private day tours from Queenstown. For something entirely your own, we design bespoke itineraries across the South Island.
Common questions
Who won Best Luxury Guided Tour Company in New Zealand in 2026?
Canterbury Trails, a family-owned luxury tour company based in Christchurch, won Best Luxury Guided Tour Company in New Zealand at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2026.
What does Canterbury Trails offer?
Private luxury day tours from Christchurch and Queenstown, multi-day private journeys across the South Island, bespoke itineraries, and small group day tours of up to eight guests, all led by an expert local driver-guide.
Is Canterbury Trails Qualmark rated?
Yes. Canterbury Trails holds a Qualmark Gold award, the highest level of New Zealand tourism's official quality assurance.
Where is Canterbury Trails based?
In Christchurch, New Zealand. Tours run across Canterbury and the wider South Island, including Akaroa, Arthur's Pass, Kaikōura, Aoraki Mount Cook and Queenstown.
Thank you to everyone who has travelled with us. To plan a private journey, get in touch with our team or meet our guides.
