Hike into the rugged mountains of Fiordland National Park to beautiful alpine lakes with stunning mountain views. Kayak beneath massive sea cliffs in Milford Sound while watching out for basking seals and leaping dolphins. Explore the spectacular Catlins coast, with beautiful beaches, luxuriant rain forest, fossilized trees, and rare species of sea lions, dolphins and penguins. Hike up the rocky slopes of the Ohau range and look down on turquiose glacial lakes. Gaze in awe at the contorted forms of glaciers and the snow capped peaks of Mt Cook. Explore the remarkable volcanic topography of Mt Somers with its waterfalls and narrow canyons.
Your Itinerary
Day 1: Head south to Te Anau (optional pick-up point by arrangement). Hike with daypacks, to Black Lake and Gertrude Saddle. Enjoy amazing views of Milford Sound (a fiord carved by a huge glacier). Return to vehicle and camp. 5 hours hiking.
(L, D)
Day 2: Up early for a morning kayak ($48) in Milford Sound, with its cascading waterfalls and views of Mitre Peak (1722m). Fiordland crested penguins and NZ fur seals often play near our kayaks. Drive back through the Homer Tunnel and south to Lake Monowai. Camp. 4 hours kayaking.
(B, L, D)
Day 3: Drive up to Borland Saddle. Hike above the bush line onto the Hunter Range with great views into Fiordland National Park. Traverse along range to Mount Burns (1634m), then descend to Green Lake. Stay in a cosy shelter or camp. 7 hours hiking.
(B, L, D)
Day 4: Hike through beech forest and across tussock basins to Borland Road. Drive to Curio Bay in the Catlins. Stay in a crib (NZ summer house). Evening walk along this beautiful beach. 3 hours hiking.
(B, L, D)
Day 5: Hector’s dolphins are often seen in the bay. Explore a fossilised forest (180 million years old). Head to Cannibal Bay and visit New Zealand sea lion and yellow-eyed penguin colonies. Camp near the beach and enjoy a hangi meal. 2 hours hiking.
(B, L, D)
Day 6: Drive up the Clutha Valley through the Central Otago goldfields. Drive to Lake Ohau and hike through beech forest in Freehold Creek to a sub-alpine camp on the bushline. 3 hours hiking.
(B, L, D)
Day 7: With daypacks, hike up into a mountain basin filled with tarns (small alpine lakes) onto Ohau Range (1915m). Superb views of the Southern Alps and the Mackenzie Basin. Return to our camp, pack up, and vehicle camp at Lake Middleton. 7 hours hiking.
(B, L, D)
Day 8: Hike to Sealy Tarns and possibly Mueller Hut for a view of the Hooker and Mueller Glaciers, Mt Seefton Ice Fall, and New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki/Mt Cook (3754m) – ‘The Cloud Piercer’. Return to base and camp. 5 hours hiking.
(B, L, D)
Day 9: Drive through Mackenzie Basin, past Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo, to south Canterbury and Mount Somers. Hike/rock-hop up the Woolshed River Canyon to an old musterer’s hut. Enjoy a log-cabin sauna with refreshing swims in a stream. 4 hours hiking.
(B, L, D)
Day 10: Explore water caves, and Tri-Falls Stream before returning to vehicle via the coal-mine route. The rare NZ falcon is often seen in this area. Clean vehicle and gear. Drive across Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. 4 hours hiking.
(B, L)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Allow extra $20 per day food and camp/hut fee fund.
Also see tour packages in:
Australia and Oceania
New Zealand
Hiking & Trekking
Email it to a friend:
Click here to email this vacation to a friend
|
| Check out these similar vacation offers: |
|
|
