You will be picked up from your Kaikoura accommodation at around 9:00am and transported via a very scenic route to the start of the track. The drive will take approximately 50 minutes. Your luggage will be transported to Shearwater Lodge - your overnight accommodation. The first part of the walk is a pleasant mix of bush and forest environments; kanuka, manuka, beech, and fern dominate but specimens of rimu and totara can be seen. This first part of track takes approximately 1.5 - 2 hours, and climbs to the vantage point at Totara Saddle, where you will have a picnic lunch and enjoy views from the ocean to the mountain top at 732m (approx 2402 ft).
The second part of the walk is downhill from Totara Saddle to the stream below. It then gradually climbs through beech forest for about an hour, before entering an ancient totara forest. Climbing gently for two hours the walk emerges unexpectedly onto alpine meadows blanketed in mountain daisies (Celmesia), before a short climb to another saddle. From here the first view of Shearwater Lodge can be seen in its outstanding alpine setting. The last hour traverses several streams before reaching the Lodge where you will be welcomed by the Lodge Host.
Relax for a while, take a rest, and settle into your room. Simply take in the atmosphere and let the cares of the world become a distant memory. A complimentary glass of wine is on hand to assist the winding down process before dinner is served.
After a hearty breakfast, leave behind Shearwater Lodge and experience extraordinary alpine valleys and dramatic vistas. On this section the track traverses Happy Valley and walkers enjoy the alpine vista of spectacularly rugged mountains which rise steeply from each side of the valley.
A keen eye should be on the alert for red deer, Arapawa sheep and the elusive, and nimble, chamois. Leaving the valley we climb up on to a high ridge arriving at Surveyor's Peak Lookout some 1522m (4995ft) above sea level. The panoramic views from here are simply breathtaking and if the skies are clear, you can see as far south as Banks Peninsula and as far north as the eastern coast of the North Island. Walkers may enjoy a picnic lunch at Surveyor's Peak Lookout or return to Shearwater Lodge for a late lunch. The afternoon then allows time to relax, explore, or just savour the delights of this alpine environment from the comfort of Shearwater Lodge.
You may wish, however, to spend the morning relaxing around the Lodge enjoying the natural alpine environment.
After breakfast, take a leisurely walk to the beautiful Beverley Falls through the ancient forest. Lunch is served at Shearwater Lodge and after, it is time for the walk out. A different track is taken to that on the way in and much of this is downhill following the ridge line before re-entering the beech forest. Once again, there are plenty of opportunities to see the birdlife and wild animals on the descent. The end of the track, and return to Puhi Peaks Station, is reached at approximately 4.30 pm where your luggage and transport back to Kaikoura will be waiting. Arrival time in Kaikoura is approximately 5.30pm.
