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.
Days 1 & 2: en route from USA • Day 3: arrive in Auckland, fly to Christchurch • Day 4: Christchurch, drive to Arthur’s Pass • Day 5: hikes around Arthur’s Pass • Day 6: TranzAlpine train, Punakaiki Rocks, Paparoa National Park • Day 7: south to Fox, view Franz Joseph Glacier • Day 8: walk on Fox Glacier, on to Wanaka • Day 9: Rob Roy hike from Wanaka, time at leisure • Day 10: drive across Crown Range to Te Anau • Day 11: short drive to Manapuori to begin Doubtful Sound overnight cruise • Day 12: to Queenstown • Day 13: Queenstown, Dart River jet boat • Day 14: return to USA.Routeburn Classic Journey: Day 14: across the Divide to Lake Mackenzie • Day 15: to Routeburn Falls • Day 16: to Routeburn Road and back to Queenstown • Day 17: return to USA.
Wonders of the South Island
Trip Details
2008 Departures:
14 days
Activity Type:
Touring
,
Walking
Trip Price:From $5995
- November 18 - December 1
- March 9 - March 22
14 daysActivity Type:
Touring
,
Walking
Trip Price:
From $5995
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