Tour Overview
Our hiking adventure takes you to areas of New Zealand seldom visited by other travellers. It starts with 4 days hiking and kayaking in Fiordland National Park. We then head to the Catlins, famous for its beautiful beaches and abundant wildlife - Hector's dolphins, New Zealand sea lions and yellow-eyed penguins. The Dunstan Trail is an old goldmining route that takes us across the Central Otago plateau. Then it's on to the Mount Cook region to view our highest mountain. In South Canterbury we hike to an old musterer's hut.

Flexible Itineraries
The itinerary shown is intended as a guide only indicating a typical itinerary & series of activities. While our intention is to adhere to the published day by day route, the itinerary, distance travelled, type of accommodation and available activities may vary due to group input, weather, road conditions & local restrictions. Early or late season treks can be affected by extreme weather.

The hikes on this tour are of medium grade with some alpine hiking and uneven terrain with some off-track hiking and river crossings. Average day hike will be 3-4 hours with the longest day, 7 hours. The average altitude gained is 200m per day with the maximum 500m.

No previous hiking experience is required but you should ne reasonably fit and enthusiastic.

Tour Description

Day 1: Christchurch - Queenstown
Departing from the Garden City of Queenstown we drive through Mackenzie Country to Queenstown stopping for a picnic lunch and a swim in the crystal clear waters of Lake Tekapo. We make a few other "photo and stretch" stops before arriving in Queenstown in the late afternoon. Head into town for dinner (only meal not included in food kitty) and talk over the plan for the next 10 days.

Day 2: Queenstown - Fiordland - 3 hrs/6 km hiking
We head south into Fiordland National Park. This spectacular World Heritage Site is the largest national park in the country and one of the largest in the world. The huge glacial lakes of Te Anau and Manapouri border the dramatic inland coastline that is Fiordland. The area is dominated by water, either in the form of lakes or as falling rain, which has enabled the establishment of temperate rainforest. We prepare for our first hike to Key Summit on the renowned Routeburn track - a fantastic hike of around 3 hours. From here there are fantastic views across to the Darren Mountains. We return to the vehicle and make our way to our camp in the Hollyford Valley to maximise our time in this wilderness wonderland.

Day 3: Milford Sound - 4 hrs kayaking
We rise early and after a short drive via the Homer Tunnel we arrive at Milford Sound itself. Here we can take a cruise or hire kayaks and kayak out into the fiord with its cascading waterfalls and views of Mitre Peak (1722 metres straight out of the sea). Fiordland Crested Penguins and New Zealand fur seals often play near our kayaks. After lots of stops for photos of the jaw dropping scenery, we head back to shore and drive back through the divide to our camp at Lake Monowai.

Day 4: Fiordland National Park - 7hrs/12 km overnight hiking
This morning we drive to Borland Saddle (1000 metres) in Fiordland National Park where we have lunch and organise food for our first overnight hike. The visual impact of this park is stunning - during the Ice Age, the glaciers gouged the fiords and lakes, hollowed out the rounded valleys, and shaped the granite mountain peaks.

There are different forest types all over the park; on the eastern side red, silver and mountain beech fill the valleys, and in the northern sections, podocarp forests of matai, rimu, and totara can be found. From Borland Saddle we climb above the bush line onto the Hunter Range with great views into the Park. We traverse along these tops to Mt Burns. For those with extra energy, there is an option to climb to the top of Mt Burns (1634 metres) for expansive views of the area while others may wish to take an afternoon swim before our first night in our mountain hut by Green Lake.

Day 5: Fiordland - Catlines Coast - 3hrs/7 km hiking
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast in this most idyllic site, before hiking out through beech forest and across tussock basins to the road. Have lunch and then drive through to Invercargill for a food shop. This is the southernmost city in New Zealand and its roots, as reflected by its name, are from Scottish settlers who came here in the late 1800's.

Many of the cities tree-lined streets bear the names of Scottish rivers. We carry on to Curio Bay in the Catlins, an unspoiled scenic region of coast, rivers and podocarp forest - once an area inhabited by the giant moa (largest bird in the world - now extinct). We relax here and stay in a cosy crib (a New Zealand summerhouse). There is a chance to enjoy a swim in the sea and then a hot shower to complete our day.

Day 6: Cannibal Bay - 2hrs/5km hiking
This morning we explore Curio Bay and often see Hector's dolphins, which sometimes surf on the waves. We walk to a nearby tidal platform that contains tree stumps from a fossilised forest 180 million years old - it is one of the most extensive fossil forests in the world. The platforms are a palaeontologist's dream. The fossils are evidence of New Zealand's location in the ancient Gondwanaland; plant species identified here are similar to those found in South America.

We drive along the coast and reach our next destination of Cannibal Bay. The bay takes its name from human bones discovered here last century that were part of a Maori feast. Tonight we prepare a hangi (Maori earth oven), it takes about 2 hours to cook, so while that's happening we drive out to a private beach where we can see Yellow Eyed penguins coming ashore. These penguins are very rare and are the third tallest species of penguin in the world. Back at our campsite we dig up the hangi and enjoy a feast around the campfire.

Day 7: Central Otago - 2hrs/5km hiking
After breakfast we take a stroll along the beach where we may see the Hooker Sea lion resting on the beach. We then drive up through the majestic high country landscape of Central Otago. During the nineteenth century, it was the lure of the gold that brought thousands of diggers to the Dunstan goldfields and places like Gabriels Gully where we stop for lunch and a swim.

Today it is liquid gold in the form of vineyards that lures people to the area. Central Otago contains some of New Zealand's largest high country sheep stations, many measuring tens of thousands of hectares. Tonight we stay at one of these stations in the heart of the Mackenzie country.

Day 8: Mt Cook National Park - 5hrs/8km hiking
It is just a short drive on to the village of Mt Cook, where we set off early with day packs to hike up to Sealy Tarns and Mueller Hut. Amazing views of the Hooker and Mueller glaciers, Mt Sefton icefall, and awe inspiring views of New Zealand's highest peak, Aoraki/Mt Cook - 3754 metres (the Maori name translates to 'Cloud Piercer'). On our walk we'll learn about glaciers, mountain building and the New Zealand climate. We descend back down to the village and set up tents at a nearby campsite, and enjoy a night of star gazing amongst the lofty peaks of Mt Cook National Park

Day 9: Rangitata Valley - 2.5 hrs rafting
Leaving Mt Cook we drive around Lake Pukaki - artificially raised 30 metres for hydroelectric power generation. This lake is a beautiful turquoise colour caused by the fine glacial silt suspended in the water. We continue on through into South Canterbury and up the Rangitata Valley, another huge U shaped valley carved out by glaciers in the last ice age.If you think the scenery here looks familiar it may be because you saw it as the backdrop for "Edoras" in "Lord of the Rings".

At Peel Forest we check in with the local rafting operator and get fitted out in wetsuits and helmets and briefed for an exhilarating 2.5hr rafting trip on the Rangitata River. After coming off the river, hot showers await and we spend the evening relaxing after a classic kiwi barbecue dinner. Accommodation tonight is in a lodge nearby.

Day 10: Mt Somers - 4hrs/5km overnight hiking
A short drive this morning to Mt Somers. Mount Somers is an old volcanic rhyolite dome, quite distinctive from the greywacke that makes up most of surrounding area. The hard volcanic rock of Mt. Somers withstood glaciation, and has created an interesting topography with rock outcrops, waterfalls, and narrow gorges. We rock-hop up a river canyon, with lots of excellent swimming holes and climb out to Trig Point with great views west to the Southern Alps. We frequently see the New Zealand falcon flying in this area. Tonight we stay in a tramper's hut.


Day 11: Christchurch - 4hrs/5km hiking
We spend our final day together exploring water caves (you get a bit wet!), Tri-falls stream and swims in Emerald Pool or under a pounding waterfall known as the 'Spa'. Before leaving this beautiful park we'll have lunch and then hike back along the canyon rim to an abandoned coal mine to explore some relics. It's then a short drop back to the car park. After cleaning up the vehicle and sorting our gear we drive across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. We arrive in the early evening.

Back to top