We set off with daypacks to hike up to Sealy Tarns. There are impressive views across the Hooker and Mueller glaciers to the Mount Sefton icefall and Aoraki/Mount Cook. On this walk you can see the forces of nature at work – huge moraines deposited over thousands of years by glaciers, and more recently avalanches and rocks that tumble down distant mountain faces. There is time in the afternoon to either hike up the Hooker Valley or relax in the village and visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. This is a great place to be inspired by the courageous stories of pioneering mountaineers and to learn about the park’s natural history. If you are lucky, you will see the summit of Aoraki/Mount Cook turn from white to pink as it catches the last of the sun’s rays. 

This morning has two hike options. For the more demanding option, hike up the steps to the Red Tarns, named for the red pondweed that grows in them. These tarns nestled beneath Mt. Sebastopol offer stunning views across to Aoraki and the Hooker glacier. For an easier option, the gentler Governors Bush awaits you. After the hikes, we depart Aoraki Mount Cook Village and drive through the Mackenzie Country crossing Lindis Pass into the Central Otago High Country. Our final destination for the day is the lakeside resort town of Wānaka. There’s time for a hike along the lakeshore in the afternoon, a great way to soak up the majestic mountain views. 

This morning’s hike leads us toward the peaks of Aspiring National Park. We hike in the lower Matukituki Valley on the Diamond Lake walk and on up Rocky Mountain, a distinctive glacially sculpted “roche moutonnee” (rock sheep) for spectacular views over the lake, and to the Southern Alps and Mount Aspiring/Tititea. There are several options with today’s hike ranging from 1 hour to 3 hours in duration. After the hike we drive over the Crown Range and descend into the Wakatipu Basin and drive around the lakeshore to the vibrant resort town of Queenstown.

Free day in Queenstown – New Zealand’s famous alpine resort town. Choose from a range of adventure activities or just relax and enjoy the vibe of this fun town. You may want to visit Milford Sound today. Milford Sound is accessible by coach or plane. Your guide will talk you through the different options for this incredible day trip. There are 3 departure times for the fly-cruise-fly options.

Leave the Patagonian-like landscape of Central Otago to the contrasted lush rainforests of the West Coast. Our drive takes us through the Kawarau Valley, also known as the “Valley of the Vines” after all the vineyards in the area, before following the shores of lakes Wānaka and Hawea before crossing the Southern Alps at Haast Pass. Soak up the scenery of the pristine wilderness of South Westland. We stop for a short walk at Ship Creek and walk on a boardwalk over a swamp beneath a canopy of giant Kahikatea trees. From the beach you may see the rare and endangered Hector’s dolphin playing in the surf. The West Coast of the South Island is one of the few places in the world where you will find a glacier descending into rainforest, and we will take a short drive up the Waiho Valley to get a closer view of the Franz Josef glacier. This glacier descends from a height of 2700 metres to 500 metres above sea level in just 9kms. We stay in the nearby village of Franz Josef, nestled below the breathtaking panorama of towering mountains, magnificent glaciers and lush forests.

This morning, we visit the tiny coastal village of Ōkarito and take a guided kayaking trip across Ōkarito Lagoon into virgin rainforest. This lagoon is New Zealand’s largest unmodified wetland and home to huge variety of migratory birds, including the kotuku (white heron). After lunch we hike along this wild, windswept, and driftwood-strewn beach and up to a trig point for panoramic views of the Southern Alps. Spend a second night in Franz Josef.

We drive to the historic and quaint town of Hokitika this morning and get fitted out with e-bikes and set off for a ride on the stunning West Coast Cycle Trail. The trail meanders its way along the historic Kaniere Water Races (hand-dug in 1875) towards Lake Kaniere. At 8km long and 195m deep, Lake Kaniere is home to towering kahikatea trees and a stack of cheeky birdlife. Head back the way you came, grab a coffee, and have a wander around the streets of Hokitika before we follow the coastal highway to Paparoa National Park and the village of Punakaiki.

A whole day to hike and explore Paparoa National Park. We hike the Pororari River track which passes through groves of Nikau palms as it winds its way up this spectacular limestone canyon. There are great opportunities to swim in the beautiful deep pools of the Pororari River. Pack your bathing suit! The trail then climbs gently up and over into the Punakaiki Valley where we meet the vehicle, it is just a short drive back to our accommodation from here. There is the option of a hike to Cave Creek in the afternoon, a river resurgence surrounded in primeval rainforest. Alternatively, you may want to enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the accommodation, fossicking on the beach and watching the thumping waves crash ashore. Before dinner at our holiday home, we head down the Truman Track through glades of Nikau palm and swathes of harakeke (native flax) to a headland. Tides permitting, explore coastal sea caves that were used as shelter by early Māori while collecting the abundant seafood found in this area.

We start our last day together with a visit to the Pancake Rocks. These 30 million-year-old limestone rocks have formed into what look like immense layers of pancakes. When the tide is high, or the weather is rough, water surges into caverns below the rocks and squirts through mighty blowholes, bearing a great resemblance to natural geysers. We then head east along this engineering marvel of a road as it ascends the rainforests of the West Coast region into the alpine zone to Arthur’s Pass National Park, stopping for a short hike to the Punch Bowl Falls before continuing. Bid your guide farewell in Christchurch at the end of a fantastic journey.