After meeting your guides and fellow travellers in Queenstown, we’ll head to Fiordland National Park. The Kepler Track is renowned for its vivid green moss, native beech forest, and stunning mountain ranges. We’ll walk the section from Rainbow Reach up to Moturau Hut following the Waiau River through beech forest and wetlands. Includes lunch and dinner.
Enjoy the quiet setting of Matai Lodge as you gaze over the spectacular backdrop of the Fiordland mountain ranges. The Lodge offers modern and comfortable ensuite studio rooms with a communal living area only available to guests of the Lodge.
Described as the “eighth wonder of the world”, today we will explore Milford Sound by sea and on foot. We will start the day with a hike on the famous Routeburn Track up to Key Summit. The view from the top is across to the snow-capped Mt Christina. This afternoon we will enjoy Milford’s towering granite cliffs and thundering waterfalls on a cruise of Milford Sound.. You’ll sleep soundly tonight in your lakefront accommodation in Te Anau. Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Enjoy the quiet setting of Matai Lodge as you gaze over the spectacular backdrop of the Fiordland mountain ranges. The Lodge offers modern and comfortable ensuite studio rooms with a communal living area only available to guests of the Lodge.
Today we leave the rainforest behind and head for the beautiful mountain resort town of Wānaka, gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. We’ll spend the afternoon hiking the Rocky Mountain Track to appreciate the sweeping views out over the Southern Alps and Lake Wānaka. Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Te Wanaka Lodge is a European-style ski lodge located in the heart of Wānaka. The boutique hotel was designed in 1993 and constructed from contemporary local materials. It was designed and built around the beautiful gardens which are a legacy of the much-admired property that once existed on the site. Rooms that are cosy in size but are stylish, warm and very comfortable. All rooms have their own ensuite bathrooms and private terraces. Guests also love the many cosy lounges offered throughout the accommodation.
Today's adventure begins on one of Southern Alps Air’s Cessna bush planes, taking in expansive views of the 355,000ha Mount Aspiring National Park. Look out across winding rivers, virgin beech forest, glaciated valleys, alpine lakes, glaciers and the towering Southern Alps, before landing on the remote Siberia Valley air strip. Once on the ground, we'll head up the valley to a backcountry hut with outstanding views of the surrounding peaks.
We'll have a tasty picnic lunch on the deck of the hut, we'll begin our walk along a well-marked track through the thick forest linking the Siberia Valley to the Wilkin Valley wilderness below. Be on the lookout for native birds along the way and the many photo opportunities as you immerse yourself in nature. The track was originally used by Mount Albert Station to take stock into the valley for grazing. The track is 6.8km in length, the first half of which climbs gently 200m in elevation from the airstrip, before heading downhill for the second half of the walk - a total drop in elevation of 470m.
On reaching the Wilkin River at Kerin Forks, jet boats will be waiting to take us for a thrilling 30-minute ride down the Wilkin and Makarora Rivers back to the Makarora Village. Jet boats were invented in 1954 in New Zealand by Sir William Hamilton for the shallow waters of our braided rivers. Jet boating originally started on the Wilkin River in 1968 transporting venison out of the mountains before hiking and commercial work became more commonplace. Get a whole different perspective on this dramatic valley as you watch the landscape rush by and feel the wind in your hair. Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Te Wanaka Lodge is a European-style ski lodge located in the heart of Wānaka. The boutique hotel was designed in 1993 and constructed from contemporary local materials. It was designed and built around the beautiful gardens which are a legacy of the much-admired property that once existed on the site. Rooms that are cosy in size but are stylish, warm and very comfortable. All rooms have their own ensuite bathrooms and private terraces. Guests also love the many cosy lounges offered throughout the accommodation.
We’ll start the day off with a peaceful guided kayak trip on Lake Wānaka. Nestled at the foot of the towering Southern Alps, Lake Wānaka is the perfect spot for a peaceful kayak trip. We'll join our specialist guides this morning on a paddle out to Ruby Island. Ruby Island is a small island about 1km off the shores of Lake Wānaka. It has quite the interesting history and was the rather unlikely site of a tearoom and Saturday-night 'cabaret' back in the 1920's and 30's. Now it is a popular kayak and picnic destination for the locals.
This afternoon we’ll make our way to the Mackenzie Country and Lake Tekapō, an area of jaw-dropping beauty, wide-open skies, glacial lakes and distant towering peaks. Our afternoon hike takes us on a steady climb up Mount John though forest and tussock to the observatory at the top. As we walk, we’ll look out over 360-degree views across the impressive Mackenzie Basin flats and surrounding mountains and lakes. After our hike, we’ll check out the famous and much-photographed Church of the Good Shepherd, as well as Tekapo’s statue to the working dog, commissioned in 1968 by local farmers to pay tribute to the role these intelligent canines played in working the land. Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
You'll stay in one of only two beautiful lodges in the Mount Cook National Park, at either lodge, you’ll be treated to incredible views from your doorstep. Settle into your comfortable, warm and modern room to rest your legs after a day in the hills. If you want to explore further you’re close to numerous marked walkways and the local visitor centre too.
Home to not only its namesake, known as “the Cloud Piercer” to Māori looming at 3,724 metres (over 12,000 feet), Aoraki Mount Cook National Park boasts a further 19 peaks topping more than 3,000 metres. These are the mountains where Edmund Hillary honed his skills before becoming the first to successfully summit Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay in 1953. This incredible outdoor playground is a hiker’s paradise, and you have several experiences to choose from today.
Check out the many hiking tracks and trails, or simply explore the village at your leisure. Whatever you decide, it’s an incredible place to spend the day. Get up close to the icebergs on a glacier boat tour, or even splurge on a heli-hike if you’d like.*
After a full day of activities, we’ll meet up and return to our accommodation for a tasty meal and a chance to trade stories from the day as well as gaze up at the impressive night sky in this internationally recognised Dark Sky Reserve. Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
* Please advise us at the time of booking if interested in the option add-ons, Glacier Heli-Hiking (NZD$875), Glacier Lake Boat Tour (NZD$195)
You'll stay in one of only two beautiful lodges in the Mount Cook National Park, at either lodge, you’ll be treated to incredible views from your doorstep. Settle into your comfortable, warm and modern room to rest your legs after a day in the hills. If you want to explore further you’re close to numerous marked walkways and the local visitor centre too.
