Ultimate South Island Adventure

From Kaikoura, we’ll travel along spectacular coastline for a couple of hours to Blenheim, a town in the Marlborough wine region. We’ll have a picnic lunch before we head off to St Arnaud.

DAY 2 ACTIVE OPTION
Nelson Lakes Comfort Hiking: St Arnaud to Lakehead Hut
Your hike begins in the charming village of St Arnaud, on the edge of Nelson Lakes National Park. This is serious wilderness country, with incredible views and marvelous solitude. The park straddles the upper Southern Alps, an area composed of beech forests, big lakes and even bigger mountains. You’ll hike the relatively gentle trail through the forest alongside Lake Rotoiti to Lakehead Hut and jetty. From here, we’ll board a water taxi to take us back to St Arnaud, where you’ll stay for the next couple of nights.
Accommodation: Alpine Lodge, St Arnaud
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking: 6.8 miles (11 kilometers), 3-4 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 65 feet (20 meters) ascent, 65 feet (20 meters) descent

DAY 2 CHALLENGING OPTION
Nelson Lakes Backcountry Hiking: St Arnaud to Lakehead Hut
The Nelson Lakes Backcountry Hiking option begins in the charming village of St Arnaud, on the edge of Nelson Lakes National Park. This is serious wilderness country, with incredible views and marvelous solitude. The park straddles the upper Southern Alps, an area composed of beech forests, big lakes and even bigger mountains. You’ll hike the relatively gentle trail through the forest alongside Lake Rotoiti to Lakehead Hut, a small mountain cabin at the head of the lake and our home for the night. Our guides are pretty tough and they’ll carry the lion’s share of the load. All you’ll be carrying is a backpack with your sleeping bag, a few spare clothes, and a share of our food. To protect this beautiful and fragile environment, we always keep our group sizes small and our exact route flexible. (Note: The Angelus Hut Challenging Option is rated a Level 4 on our Activity Scale)
Accommodation: Lakehead Hut, Nelson Lakes National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking: 6.8 miles (11 kilometers), 3-4 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 65 feet (20 meters) ascent, 65 feet (20 meters) descent

DAY 3 ACTIVE OPTION
Nelson Lakes Comfort Hiking: Coldwater Hut to St Arnaud
After breakfast, you’ll return by water taxi to the top end of the lake, and this time you’ll arrive at Coldwater hut and jetty – just across the river from Lakehead hut. From here you'll follow the trail as it gently winds its way around Lake Rotoiti to Whisky Creek, and the beautiful Whisky Falls. Feel free to fill up your water bottles from Whisky Creek, but it IS only water, honest! After a picnic lunch on the lakeshore, you’ll continue on to West Bay and loop back to St Arnaud for the evening.
Accommodation: Alpine Lodge, St. Arnaud
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking: 8.7 miles (14 kilometers), 4-5 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 295 feet (90 meters) ascent, 295 feet (90 meters) descent

DAY 3 CHALLENGING OPTION
Nelson Lakes Backcountry Hiking: Lakehead Hut to Angelus Hut
Today is an unforgettable day – the scenery gets better with each step! You'll follow the Travers River through beech forest, before heading up the Hukere Stream towards the ridgeline. This is a challenging hike, with an elevation gain of 3,280 feet (1,000 meters), but it’s absolutely worth it. The Angelus Circuit has exceptional scenic diversity, so it provides a great reward for the efforts you put in. There’s no rush and your guides will be there to encourage you the whole way. It’s a tremendous feeling at the top when you reach Angelus Hut, nestled beside a gorgeous alpine lake. Many people tell us this hidden gem was the highlight of their New Zealand adventure, and a lot of Kiwis prefer the Angelus Circuit to better-known tracks.

IMPORTANT: For guests participating in early season departures (i.e. September, October, and sometimes early November) access to Angelus Hut can be impeded due to the removal of the Hukere Stream bridge on the upper section of the Cascade Track, during the New Zealand winter months, to prevent possible avalanche damage. The reinstallation of the bridge depends on the amount of snow in the area and so in the event Angelus Hut cannot be accessed, we will either enjoy alternative hikes in the area and stay a second night at Lakehead Hut, or venture to Bushline Hut. 
Accommodation: Angelus Hut, Nelson Lakes National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking: 6.2 miles (10 kilometers), 6-8 hours. Note: Rated a Level 4 on our Activity Scale
Elevation Gain/Loss: 3,445 feet (1,050 meters) ascent

DAY 4 ACTIVE OPTION
Nelson Lakes Comfort Hiking: Hike Roberts Ridge
After breakfast, don your hiking boots and set out for this morning's walk. You'll explore the beautiful peninsula track, stretching out into Lake Rotoiti, before making our way to the Pinchgut Track. This trail gives access to Mt. Robert, and Robert's Ridge, where the rest of the group will be approaching from the Angelus Circuit. You'll wind our way up the trail through the native beech trees and manuka scrub to meet the group. Once we’re back together we’ll enjoy a picnic lunch, before carrying on to the West Coast. 

Hiking: Up to 6.2 miles (10 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: Up to 1,312 feet (400 meters) ascent, up to 1,312 feet (400 meters) descent

DAY 4 CHALLENGING OPTION
Nelson Lakes Backcountry Hiking: Angelus Hut to Lake Rotoiti
Wake up on top of the world! After breakfast, you’ll hike out along the barren Robert Ridge with dramatic views of Tasman Bay and the mountainous Kahurangi National Park in the distance. You’ll descend below the tree line again into native beech forest completing our hike on the shores of Lake Rotoiti. Here, you’ll meet up with the Rotoiti Circuit explorers and share stories of our adventures, before carrying on to the West Coast.

Hiking: 6.8 miles 11 kilometers(), 4-6 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 230 feet (70 meters) ascent, 2,755 feet (840 meters) descent

DAY 4
Regroup, travel to West Coast
After regrouping in St Arnaud, we’ll head across the Southern Alps to the West Coast – a dramatic and rugged coastline stretching 372 miles (600 kilometers), with a population of only 40,000 people. You’ll mingle with the ‘Coasters’ tonight in the seaside village of Punakaiki, exchanging tales of our adventures over dinner.
Accommodation: Scenic Hotel Punakaiki
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Spend the morning hiking the Inland Pack Track through temperate rainforest and limestone canyons, following in the footsteps of gold miners who established this trail over a century ago. While we’re in Punakaiki, you’ll also check out the famous Pancake Rocks and blowholes – aptly named limestone formations that have been sculpted through the relentless pounding of the Tasman Sea.

Traveling along the scenic coastline, we’ll stretch our legs in Hokitika and check out local art galleries and pounamu-carving workshops (pounamu is Maori for jade), before carrying on to the township of Franz Josef where we’ll stay for the next couple of nights. Nestled in the rainforestclad foothills of the Southern Alps, Franz Josef is the heart of New Zealand glacier country.
Accommodation: Rainforest Retreat, Franz Josef
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking: 4 miles (6 kilometers), 2-3 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 425 feet (130 meters) ascent, 425 feet (130 meters) descent

This morning we’ll take a short journey over to Okarito, a little-known beach community on the coast. You'll take to the water in sea kayaks and glide along a picturesque lagoon, set against a stunning backdrop of snow-capped peaks. Okarito is home to the only native white heron colony in New Zealand, as well as a host of other interesting birds.

Later we’ll head back to Franz Josef where you’ll have the option to take another walk or relax in the hot tub, before enjoying a night on your own for dinner.
Accommodation: Rainforest Retreat, Franz Josef
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hiking: 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers), 1-2 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 394 feet (120 meters) ascent, 394 feet (120 meters) descent

Kayaking: 2-4 hours

With some 140 glaciers making their way down from the Southern Alps, this area is fittingly known as glacier country. Few sights equal the spectacle of two of these giant frozen rivers (Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers) imperceptibly grinding their way down through temperate rainforest to just 820 feet (250 meters) above sea level. We’ll spend most of the day near Franz Josef Glacier hiking up through the forest to get incredible views of the ice. Wet weather can inhibit these hikes, so we may opt to hike around Lake Matheson and to the Blue Pools near Haast Pass instead.

From Franz Josef, we’ll travel down the coast through lush forest and then inland to Makarora, a small village bordering Mt. Aspiring National Park, with incredible views of the snow-capped mountains.
Accommodation: Wonderland Lodge, Makarora
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking: Up to 5.5 miles (9.5 kilometers), 4-5 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: Up to 1,640 feet (500 meters) ascent, up to 1,640 feet (500 meters) descent

The landscape this morning changes rapidly from dense beech forest to semi-arid mountainous terrain. You’ll hike the Rocky Mountain track today, a spectacular circuit through an area carved out by Ice Age glaciers, with native forest and shrubland.

Enjoy lunch after your hike in Wanaka before a short but dramatic journey over the Cardrona Saddle to Queenstown on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, our base for the next couple of days.
Accommodation: Heritage Hotel, Queenstown
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hiking: 4.5 miles (7 kilometers), 2-3 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,230 feet (375 meters) ascent, 1,230 feet (375 meters) descent

Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand (if not the world!) and all the comforts of civilization are packed into this tiny resort town: restaurants galore, sidewalk cafés, stylish lounge bars, day spas and boutiques. You’ll also find incredible optional activities here including horse trekking, a gondola, kayaking, fishing, winery tours, hang gliding, mountain biking, bungy jumping, jet boating and skydiving, as well as some great hiking opportunities. Or you can just soak up the atmosphere or lounge about reading a book. Your guides will happily share their favorite haunts and point you in the right direction for your free day today.
Accommodation: Heritage Hotel, Queenstown
Meals: No meals

This morning we’ll make our way around Lake Wakatipu, leaving behind the towering Remarkables, and head west to the small town of Te Anau, the gateway to Milford Sound. This afternoon we’ll take a hike on the famous Kepler Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks - we follow the track through mountain beech forest and along the Wainu River. It’s an awesome hike with spectacular views!

Tonight we’ll stay on the edge of Lake Te Anau, enjoying the scenery and the delicious local fare.
Accommodation: Matai Lodge, Te Anau
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking: 6 miles (9.5 kilometers), 2-3 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 165 feet (50 meters) ascent, 165 feet (50 meters) descent

It’s an early start this morning as we set off for our largest and perhaps most spectacular national park, Fiordland. We’ll take a short drive through the Homer Tunnel and emerge at the top of a spectacular glacier-carved valley for a memorable descent to the shore of Milford Sound. Rudyard Kipling rated this fiord as the eighth natural wonder of the world and it is truly breath-taking, with steep granite walls plunging over a thousand meters to the Tasman Sea and waterfalls cascading into deep inky water.

We’ll jump on board the first boat cruise of the day, where we’ll have the water to ourselves, as we gaze in wonder at the waterfalls tumbling down enormous vertical rock faces all around and journey right out to the entrance of the fiord. We may be lucky enough to encounter the friendly fur seals and dolphins that are sometimes in the area.

After the cruise, we’ll enjoy a tasty lunch before heading out to explore more of Fiordland’s wilderness on foot. We’ll hike part of the Routeburn Track for unsurpassed views of the Hollyford Valley, as well as Lake Marian and Mt. Christina, before making our way back to Te Anau for the night. 
Accommodation: Matai Lodge, Te Anau
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking: 4.2 miles (6.8 kilometers), 3-4 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1540 feet (470 meters) ascent, 1540 feet (470 meters) descent

After an early breakfast, we’ll head back through Queenstown and jump on e-bikes to cycle a portion of the Queenstown Trail, following the well-groomed trail along the Arrow River, crossing the Edgar Bridge. You’ll have the opportunity to watch adrenaline junkies bungy jump off the famous Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge (the birthplace of bungy jumping!) before we carry on down the Gibbston Valley. We’ll finish our ride with lunch at The Church Cellar Door & Café where you can sample the exquisite local wines of Central Otago – one of the world’s most famous wine regions.

After lunch, we’ll continue north, driving through the tussock country of Lindis Pass to the Mackenzie Country Basin where we’ll stay for our last two nights, with stunning views stretching across the Southern Alps. We stay in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, where light pollution is strictly controlled, so it’s the ideal spot to stargaze! 
Accommodation: We use a variety of accommodation for stays in this region
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Biking: 10 miles (16 kilometers),1.5 hours
Elevation: 360 feet (110 meters) ascent, 492 feet (150 meters) descent

Mt. Cook, named Aoraki or ‘cloud piercer’ by South Island Maori, is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Directly opposite the mountain, we'll set off on a stunning day hike to the main ridge above Mueller Glacier. It’s a challenging hike, but you’ll remember the view of the glacier and the surrounding peaks forever! The weather conditions are very important in this area, as it’s a true alpine climate notorious for sudden weather shifts.

If we aren’t able to do the Mueller Glacier hike, or you’d like to take it a little easier, there’s an impressive hike up to a glacial lake (complete with icebergs!) at the base of the Hooker Glacier.

Then you'll head back to your accommodation for the last night of your adventure, where we’ll enjoy a celebratory dinner together and watch the sun set over the Southern Alps.
Accommodation: We use a variety of accommodation for stays in this region
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Mueller Ridge Hike: 4.4 miles (7.2 kilometers), 5-6 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 3,200 feet (975 meters) ascent, 3,200 feet (975 meters) descent

Hooker Glacier Hike: 5.6 miles (9 kilometers), 3-4 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss: 328 feet (100 meters) ascent, 328 feet (100 meters) descent

After breakfast you’ll head to Christchurch, arriving in time for afternoon flights. We hope you'll leave refreshed and invigorated from the good food, exercise, rest, and great times you’ll have had with us in New Zealand! 
Accommodation: Not applicable
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

If you're keen to extend your trip and see what the North Island has to offer (Maori culture, pristine beaches and geothermal areas) check out our 11-day Ultimate North Island Adventure (5day options also available).