Itinerary

Monday Arrive, hike Castle Hill
Most people leave the Northern Hemisphere on a Saturday evening and arrive in Auckland early on Monday morning. You’ll lose a day to the dateline – but you get it back on the way home! You’ll immediately take a short flight to Christchurch in the South Island, arriving by around 10am. We’ll meet you there and head west into the heart of the Southern Alps to Castle Hill in the Kuru Tawhiti Conservation Area, for our first hike. We’ll take a gentle one-hour walk among imposing limestone tors, which were once a meeting place for Moa hunters of the Ngai Tahu tribe. The Dalai Lama visited this area in 2002 and described it as the ‘Spiritual Centre of the Universe’! This afternoon we’ll continue on to the West Coast and the gorgeous seaside village of Punakaiki where you’ll have the rest of the afternoon to relax or walk on the beach. We always make sure the first day of our trips is relaxing and undemanding so you can recover from your flight. Depending on where you’re coming from, you’ll probably find jetlag is no big deal – for instance, it’s a 12-hour direct overnight flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, and there’s only a three-hour time difference between New Zealand and US Pacific time. If you have more time, by all means arrive in New Zealand a day or so early.
ACCOMMODATION: West Coast lodgings, Punakaiki – comfortable and quiet (L,D)

 

Tuesday Rainforest and beach hikes in Punakaiki
We have all day in Punakaiki and we’ll certainly make the most of our time. We’ll hike part of the Inland Pack Track from Bullock Creek to the Pororari River, starting at a classic ‘submergence’, where the river suddenly dries up mid-stream and goes underground for a mile or so before resurfacing at Cave Creek. The rainforest in this area is unbelievably lush, and the limestone canyons and distant hazy mountains of Paparoa National Park make this an awesome day hike. We’ll also follow the Truman Track to a small surf beach and stroll around Punakaiki’s famous Pancake Rocks and blowholes. The Punakaiki coastline is a magnet to marine mammals, like the Hector’s dolphin, the world’s smallest marine mammal, often seen close to the inner shoreline. There’s also a great deal of marine birdlife, including Little Blue penguins that can be spotted at certain times of year.
ACCOMMODATION: West Coast lodgings, Punakaiki (B,L,D)

 

Wednesday Coastal hike, arts and crafts in Hokitika
We’ll start with a short drive down the coast for a hike through coastal forest and native flax. A traditional resource for the local Maori, flax was a widely used plant – for footwear and mats to rope to woven food storage baskets. Next it’s on to Hokitika where we’ll spend a little time checking out local art galleries and pounamu carving workshops (‘pounamu’ is Maori for jade). From here it’s a couple of hours down the coast to Franz Josef for dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, we can head out for a short night walk to look for the eerie lights of Arachnocampa luminosa – the native glow worm – and listen for some of New Zealand’s nocturnal birdlife, such as the distinctive hoot of the Morepork owl.
ACCOMMODATION: Franz Josef lodgings, Franz Josef (B,L,D)

 

Thursday Hike to Franz Josef Glacier
Today we’ll visit one of the formidable West Coast glaciers. We’ll take a morning hike to the historic Tatare Tunnels, and then continue on to Franz Josef Glacier, where we walk to a great view of the terminal face. Franz Josef Glacier is an enormous river of ice, unusual in that it comes right down through the rainforest to sea level from its névé high in the Southern Alps. It is one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world, moving up to ten times faster than other glaciers of its type, and if we’re lucky we may even see sections of ice calving off its massive face – from a safe distance of course!

 

Heli-hike option (add US$350 + tax)
A less strenuous, but outrageously scenic option today is to heli-hike on Franz Josef Glacier itself. After being fitted with crampons, ice axes and so on, you’ll board a modern turbine helicopter and fly towards the highest peaks of the Southern Alps, landing on the glacier at 4,000 feet (1300m) above sea level. Led by specialist glacier guides, you’ll hike through the grand ice formations of the glacier, checking out its crevasses, seracs and tunnels – no previous experience required! The constant movement of the glacier means every day is different, so your guides will cut steps in the ice and make sure you make the most of the conditions. At the end of your hike on the ice, you’ll take another helicopter ride out of the mountains and back to civilisation.

The heli-hike is extremely popular, so we offer advance reservations with the helicopter operators and guiding company. At the time of booking, or up until one month before your trip, you can reserve a space on the heli-hike, and we’ll make sure a spot is held for you. Or you can leave your decision until you’re actually on your trip, and we’ll get you a spot if it’s available.

 

Heli-hikers generally return a little earlier, so we all rendezvous at a local café, before heading south. From Franz Josef it’s about three hours down the coast to Makarora (pop. 30), a small farming village directly next to Mt. Aspiring National Park. At Makarora we have a lovely family-style homestead in the shadow of the mountains to ourselves for the evening.
ACCOMMODATION: The Homestead, Makarora – comfortable and spacious (B,L,D)

 

Friday Hike Mt. Aspiring National Park, Queenstown
We begin with a drive from Makarora to Raspberry Creek, where we start a stunning hike up the Matukituki Valley in the heart of Mt. Aspiring National Park. This is one of the best one-day hikes in the South Island, taking in tumbling rivers, towering snowfields, and huge mountain peaks straight from the set of “The Lord of the Rings”! We hike up a narrow glacial valley, coming out of the forest in a dramatic alpine cirque, with fabulous views of the Southern Alps. After lunch, we hike back to the trailhead and head to Queenstown. Queenstown, where ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND is based, is a picturesque town set in a basin on the edge of Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by mountains. It’s a great place to spend a couple of days before heading out on the Active Great Walks Discovery or the Milford Track.
ACCOMMODATION: Queenstown apartments, Queenstown (B,L)

 

Saturday Free day in Queenstown
You’ll find all the comforts of civilisation in Queenstown: massage therapists, restaurants, cafés and window-shopping. You can also go fishing, kiwi viewing, wine tasting, horse trekking, hang gliding and even bungy jumping! Your guides will help you arrange any extra activities and can also point out the best local hikes. Or you can do nothing and just soak up the atmosphere. This afternoon we’ll have a pre-departure briefing for the Milford Guided Walk.
ACCOMMODATION: Queenstown apartments, Queenstown

Sunday to Thursday - ACTIVE Great Walks Discovery or Milford Track Guided Walk

At the time of booking, you’ll have a choice of either ticking off part of 3 Great Walks, visiting Milford Sound and finishing off with an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound, or completing the 5-day Milford Track Guided Walk. Each is wonderful in its own way, so we’ll let you decide!
ACTIVE Great Walks Discovery
Milford Track Guided Walk Option [Add US$299 + tax]

Friday Hike Sam Summers Loop Track, visit local winery
After breakfast, we head out around Lake Wakatipu to 12 Mile Delta, where we’ll hike the Sam Summers Track. The area was mined for gold until the 1930s and there are still many relics to be seen along the way. After this hike, we’ll head to the historic village of Arrowtown for lunch before continuing on to Amisfield Winery. This region’s dry and sunny climate is ideal for grape growing, and is becoming well known for producing world-class, cool-climate Pinot Noir and other quality wines. We’ll enjoy a glass or two, and then head north to Lake Ohau Lodge. Here we’re staying beside a beautiful alpine lake, with stunning views stretching across to Mt. Cook and the Southern Alps.
ACCOMMODATION: Lake Ohau Lodge, Lake Ohau (B,L,D)

 

Saturday Hike Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park
It’s a short drive to Mt. Cook village, where we have a stunning and little-known day hike up to the main ridge above Mueller Glacier. This area has a unique alpine environment, and includes endemic flora such as Ranunculus lyallii – the world’s largest buttercup, more commonly known as the Mt. Cook Lily. It’s a tough three-hour slog up this track, but you’ll remember the view of the Mueller Glacier and the peaks of the Main Divide forever! Many of our clients have said this is the best hike they have ever done and it’s a fine way to finish off a great trip. There are other hiking options for those who’d like to take it a little easier. 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 ridge hike, we’ll take an impressive hike up the Hooker Valley to a glacial lake at the base of the Hooker Glacier, complete with icebergs! After hiking, it’s well under two hours to Lake Tekapo village. You’ll spend your final night in New Zealand in one last beautiful location, beside sky-blue Lake Tekapo with the mountains in the background.
ACCOMMODATION: Lakeside lodgings, Lake Tekapo (B,L,D)

 

Andrew: “I have often just filled a backpack, grabbed a couple of friends, and wandered up to Mueller Hut, which is where the late Sir Edmund Hillary practised his mountaineering techniques before climbing Mount Everest. The glacial valleys, active icefalls, and intimacy with our highest mountains mean this is a great place to sit by the hut and simply soak it all in.”

 

Sunday Depart for home
This is the last day of your two-week trip around the South Island. See the itinerary for the Kauri trip if you want to take a few more days to see the North Island as well. We’ll leave after breakfast for the three-hour drive to Christchurch, arriving early afternoon in time for flights back to Auckland. International flights after 4pm are ideal, and we can make domestic flights as early as 2.30pm with a little notice. International flights from Auckland usually leave early evening, so if you’re heading back to North America, you’ll get home some time on Sunday, even though you left on Sunday evening! Flights back to Europe take a little longer. But you’ll be refreshed and invigorated from the good food, exercise, rest, and great times you’ll have had with us in New Zealand! (B,L)

More information from Active New Zealand:

• View trip on provider's website
  activeadventures.com/new-zealand/trips/manuka-milford-hiking-…
• Company profile, experience, and history
• View all of their trips