An active exploration of New Zealand
The Happy Isles,” Kipling called New Zealand, “last, loneliest, loveliest, exquisite, apart.” Our look at the happiest and loveliest of the isles, the South Island, takes us to its dramatic coastline and high mountains for a series of well-crafted walks and stays in superb lodges.
After flying to Christchurch, we drive up to the Wilderness Lodge at Arthur’s Pass, high in the Southern Alps, for guided walks in the beech forest, a visit to a local sheep farm, a mountain lake walk, and more. Crossing to the west coast via the TranzAlpine train, we visit Paparoa National Park’s Punakaiki Rocks, a series of enchanting limestone towers misted with the spray of geyser-like blowholes. We continue south to Fox for a guided walk on the mammoth Fox Glacier and continue to Wanaka, where we’ll make the invigorating Rob Roy hike: dramatic waterfalls, parrots, and glaciers all in one swoop. We cross the Crown Range to beautiful Te Anau, which bills itself as the “Walking Capital of the World.” Then to a night aboard the Fiordland Navigator in Doubtful Sound (which is more than wonderfully named; richer in flora and fauna than more visited Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound’s cloistered serenity contrasts mightily and enrichingly with its physical drama). Now on to Queenstown for a jet-boat excursion on the Dart River and, just perhaps, a little bungee jumping or helicopter touring, followed by an optional three-day hike, the famed Routeburn Trek.
The Happy Isles,” Kipling called New Zealand, “last, loneliest, loveliest, exquisite, apart.” Our look at the happiest and loveliest of the isles, the South Island, takes us to its dramatic coastline and high mountains for a series of well-crafted walks and stays in superb lodges.
After flying to Christchurch, we drive up to the Wilderness Lodge at Arthur’s Pass, high in the Southern Alps, for guided walks in the beech forest, a visit to a local sheep farm, a mountain lake walk, and more. Crossing to the west coast via the TranzAlpine train, we visit Paparoa National Park’s Punakaiki Rocks, a series of enchanting limestone towers misted with the spray of geyser-like blowholes. We continue south to Fox for a guided walk on the mammoth Fox Glacier and continue to Wanaka, where we’ll make the invigorating Rob Roy hike: dramatic waterfalls, parrots, and glaciers all in one swoop. We cross the Crown Range to beautiful Te Anau, which bills itself as the “Walking Capital of the World.” Then to a night aboard the Fiordland Navigator in Doubtful Sound (which is more than wonderfully named; richer in flora and fauna than more visited Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound’s cloistered serenity contrasts mightily and enrichingly with its physical drama). Now on to Queenstown for a jet-boat excursion on the Dart River and, just perhaps, a little bungee jumping or helicopter touring, followed by an optional three-day hike, the famed Routeburn Trek.
Day 1: arrive in Christchurch • Day 2: Christchurch, drive to Arthur’s Pass • Days 3 & 4: Marlborough Sound area • Days 5 & 6: to Seddonville • Day 7: head to Glacier Country with a stop at Hokitika; Franz Josef • Day 8: Franz Josef glacier; on to Lake Moeraki • Day 9: Lake Moeraki • Day 10: to Wanaka• Day 11: Doubtful Sound • Day 12: to Queenstown • Day 13: depart Queenstown.Optional Extension: The Routeburn Track
Day 13: pre-departure briefing, across the Divide to Lake Mackenzie • Day 14: to Routeburn Falls • Day 15: to Routeburn Road and back to Queenstown • Day 16: depart.
Wonders of the South Island
Trip Details
Departures:
13 Days
Activity Type:
Touring,
Walking
Trip Price:From $7795
- Offered Daily Jan - Apr & Oct - Dec. Please call us to schedule your Private Departure.
13 DaysActivity Type:
Touring,
Walking
Trip Price:
From $7795
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