How booking works
- Pick a tour. Each card on our pages opens our own page for that tour, with the operator’s details and our notes. The Check availability button there takes you to the same tour on Viator.
- Choose a date, a start time and how many are going, then pay on Viator. You’ll see the live price before you pay, including whether it’s per person or per group. Some Milford Sound overnight cruises are priced per group of two, so check the unit.
- Read the confirmation email. Viator sends it, usually straight away. A few operators confirm within 48 hours instead, and the listing says so when that applies.
- Turn up at the meeting point on your voucher, or be ready for pickup, by the time it gives. Show the voucher on your phone. Most operators don’t need a printout.
That’s the whole process. You never pay us, and you don’t need an account with us to book.
Who holds your money
Viator does. When you pay, the payment goes to Viator, which holds the booking and pays the operator. Southern Lakes Tours never sees your card details, never takes a deposit and can’t issue a refund, because the money was never with us.
Viator shows prices in your chosen currency. Your bank may add its own foreign transaction fee if you pay in New Zealand dollars on an Australian card, which is between you and your bank.
How this site is paid
We’re paid a commission by Viator when someone books a tour through a link on this site. The commission comes out of Viator’s share. You pay the same price you’d pay booking that tour on Viator directly.
The commission is a share of the price, at the same rate for every tour, and it doesn’t decide which tours we list or the order they appear in. Operators don’t pay us to be listed, and they can’t pay to move up a page. Links to Viator carry a sponsored tag so search engines know they’re commercial.
The rules we use to choose and rank tours are set out on how we choose tours, and how our pages are written is on our editorial policy.
What your confirmation says
The email comes from Viator, not from us. Look for these five things in it:
- The operator’s name and phone number. This is who runs your day and who to call if you’re running late.
- The date and start time, in New Zealand time.
- The meeting point or pickup details. For Queenstown pickups, it says which stop or hotel and the pickup window.
- What’s included, copied from the listing.
- The cancellation terms that applied when you booked.
If any of those is missing or doesn’t match what you chose, contact Viator before the day. If you booked a trip that confirms within 48 hours and nothing has arrived after that, contact Viator too.
Keep the email somewhere you can open it offline. Phone signal drops out on the Milford Road and across much of Fiordland.
Departure points and how to reach them
The voucher is the final word on where to be. These are the places most trips on this site start from.
| Where | Which trips | Getting there |
|---|---|---|
| Queenstown, hotel or central pickup | Coach day trips to Milford Sound, Wanaka and Mount Cook, most adventure activities | The operator collects you. Some pick up at hotels, others at a named stop in town. Early Milford coaches leave around 7am, so check the window the night before |
| Milford Sound Visitor Terminal, Freshwater Basin | Every Milford Sound day cruise | Drive SH94 from Te Anau, about 2 hours, or about 4 from Queenstown. Each cruise operator has its own desk inside. Paid parking near the terminal, a free car park further back |
| Te Anau | Milford day trips from Te Anau, Doubtful Sound cruises | Most operators collect from accommodation in town or meet at their office on the lakefront |
| Franz Josef village | Glacier heli hikes, scenic flights, valley walks | Check in at the operator’s base in the village. It’s a long drive from Queenstown, so most people stay the night before |
| Wanaka | Wanaka tours, lake trips | Meet in town, or join a day trip from Queenstown over the Crown Range |
For the Milford Sound terminal in particular, allow 40 minutes from the last lookout to boarding. Parking and the walk in take longer than people expect in summer.
If a trip’s meeting point is a building you can’t find on a map, the operator’s phone number on your confirmation is the quickest fix.
Cancellations and changes
Most day trips on this site can be cancelled for a full refund up to 24 hours before they start. The card on each of our pages shows free cancellation where the listing offers it.
Some can’t be refunded at all. Both Milford Sound overnight cruises are non-refundable and can’t be changed for any reason, and a few multi-day trips work the same way. Check the cancellation line on the listing before you pay, not after.
- To cancel, use the Viator booking itself, from the confirmation email or your Viator account. The refund goes back to the card you paid with.
- To change a date or time, most listings treat it as cancel and rebook. If you’re inside the 24 hour window, ask the operator; some will move you if there’s room, but nothing obliges them to.
- If you don’t turn up, it’s usually counted as a no show, with no refund.
The 24 hours runs on New Zealand time, which is 2 to 3 hours ahead of the east coast of Australia depending on the time of year.
Weather and road closures
The operator makes the weather call, not Viator and not us. When an operator cancels for weather, you’re offered another date or a full refund.
Rain on its own rarely stops a trip here. Milford Sound cruises run in the rain, and plenty of travellers say the waterfalls are better for it. What does stop trips:
- Helicopter and plane trips need cloud clear of the peaks. Glacier heli hikes at Franz Josef and scenic flights to Milford are the trips most often called off, sometimes on the morning itself.
- The Milford Road (SH94) closes for snow, avalanche risk and slips, mostly in winter and spring. The road authority makes that call. If the road shuts, coach and self-drive cruise days can’t go ahead.
- Wind on the lakes can cancel jet boats, kayaks and lake cruises.
If you’re on a flight or heli trip, keep a spare day in the plan if you can, and book that trip early in your stay so there’s room to rebook.
Accessibility
It varies by trip, and the listing is the place to check. Each Viator listing says whether it’s wheelchair accessible, stroller accessible, and whether infants sit on laps.
On Milford Sound, for example, four of the day cruises we compare list wheelchair access and the rest don’t. Glacier heli hikes have their own fitness and footwear requirements, set by the operator.
If you need something the listing doesn’t cover, such as a ramp, a seat near the door or help with a mobility aid, ask the operator before you book. Their contact details are on the listing and on your confirmation.
Who to contact about what
| If it’s about | Contact | How |
|---|---|---|
| Payment, refunds, cancelling, a missing confirmation | Viator | The booking in your Viator account, or Viator’s help centre |
| The day itself: pickup, running late, what to bring, access needs | The operator | The phone number on your confirmation |
| A weather or road cancellation | The operator first, then Viator for the refund | As above |
| Something wrong on one of our pages | Us | hello@southernlakestours.com, or see our corrections page |
| Anything else about this site | Us | Our contact page |
We reply within 3 business days, but we can’t change, cancel or refund a booking. Writing to us first about a booking only slows you down.
Questions people ask
Is the price higher because I booked through this site?
No. You pay the price Viator shows, the same as going to Viator directly. Our commission comes out of Viator's share.
Can you hold a spot for me?
No. Availability is live on Viator, and a place is only yours once you've paid.
The operator cancelled. Who refunds me?
Viator, to the card you paid with. The operator can usually offer a new date first.
Do I need to print my voucher?
Usually not; most operators accept the voucher on your phone. The confirmation says if a printout is needed.