Explore Canterbury is owned and operated by Linda Ward.
In her own words…..

“I was born in Christchurch and brought up on a farm nearby. As children we visited Banks Peninsula often as my mother had been brought up at the base of the Port Hills in Heathcote. Lyttelton and the adjacent bays had been a vital part of my mother’s childhood days and we loved to visit these with her. I loved them too and as an adult always wanted to live there. However, like many young New Zealanders, I left to work in Australia and was a geologist in Perth, Western Australia for many years. How I missed those mountains, the lovely green hills, and often would imagine myself walking along the tops of the Port Hills looking out over the harbour.

In the course of my work and leisure I visited many countries and found my appetite for travel was quite insatiable. I learned much about what pleases the independent traveller and, as a woman often travelling alone or with another woman, learned much about what makes independent travel as a woman more comfortable. It seemed a natural course of events for me to become involved in travel once back home in ‘God’s Own’ and, like a dream come true, living in Lyttelton. The result is here for you to see – I unashamedly invite both the independent traveller and travelling women to join me on small, convivial tours based around Christchurch and the Lyttelton and Akaroa Harbours of Banks Peninsula.”

Our passion

Our style

Our tours are small – up to 8 people – with people of like mind.
Ours is a relaxed pace so no rushing and no early starts. There
is time for you to breathe in and absorb your experience.

We want you to have a unique holiday, one that you will always
remember.