Spectacular South Island

Meet The Wayfarers on the quayside in Picton Harbor for a 30 minute boat transfer to our hotel, which nestles in a quiet inlet between the Queen Charlotte and Kenepura Sounds. We take a short ridge top walk in the afternoon, offering splendid panoramic views of the Sounds and Torea Bay prior to the Welcome Dinner at the hotel.

On the next day our walks along the Queen Charlotte Track retrace the steps of Captain Cook’s landing in 1770 when we walk from Ships Cove to Resolution Bay. Our leader can mimic the call of the bellbird or tui and often is rewarded with an answering call.

We travel south between the snow-capped Southern Alps and along a coastline, where seals bask. We walk the Kaikoura Peninsula to observe migrating whales and then have lunch in Kaikoura before arriving at the George Hotel in Christchurch in the late afternoon.

We offer a variety of walks, which include the Bridle Path Trail with 360-degree views of Sumner Harbor, Port Hills and the Canterbury plain and another coastal walk at Godley Head. Alternatively, relax at your leisure in the Garden City where you can visit the grand Anglican Cathedral, stroll to over 40 studios in the Art Center, take a short taxi ride to the International Antarctic Center where you can see penguins in their native environment, relax at the Botanic Gardens or punt down the Avon River.

We journey by road across the Canterbury plain and traverse the Southern Alps by way of Arthur’s Pass stopping for a short invigorating walk with great views of the glacier valley, snow-capped mountains, farmlands and forests. In Paparoa National Park, we explore a luxuriant rain forest. Coastal trails take us to bizarre limestone formations called Pancake Rocks and awesome geyser-like blowholes. Our final afternoon walk takes us along the banks of the Fox River’s impressive gorge where subtle changes in the forest with strands of nikau palms and tangles of kiekie indicate that the warm coastal area is close by.

We pause for a seafood lunch and jade shopping at Hokitika. Our walks include a path around Lake Kanerie, a trek from the rain forest to the face of the Franz Josef Glacier and a hike to a mountain overlook where the bright red flowering Rata trees abound. Between walks you can choose to take an optional helicopter ride to the summit of Mount Cook (12,500 ft) on your own. After dinner, admire the sunset on the glacier or stretch your legs with a casual glowworm forest walk.

We admire Mount Cook reflected on the surface of Lake Matheson as we walk the lakeshore before traveling further down the West Coast Highway (actually a very scenic two lane country road) pausing at a salmon farm for a delicious lunch of either fresh or smoked salmon. Our afternoon drive begins by ascending the Haast Pass and then opens up to more desert like conditions with wonderful views of Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka on either side of the highway. We arrive in Wanaka, a favorite Kiwi resort town where we move into the Te Wanaka Resort for two nights.

Probably the most spectacular walk of the expedition is a hike to the base of the Rob Roy Glacier. We have a picnic lunch beneath the glacier, which offers wonderful views of the Matukituki Valley. We have other walks to Iron Mountain and rediscover landscapes originally inhibited by the Maoris over 1000 years ago. We enjoy a gourmet cuisine of New Zealand in local restaurants overlooking Lake Wanaka with impressive Mt. Aspiring in the distance.

We journey to the Millbrook Resort at Arrowtown which was made famous in the 1862 Gold Rush with several buildings from that era still surviving as a memento to a short but exciting period in New Zealand’s history. Our final full day of walking begins with a drive to Glenorchy along Lake Wakatipu surrounded by the snow-capped Remarkable Mountains and other peaks in Mount Aspiring National Park in the distance.

Our minds are transferred back to the days of Middle Earth as we spend the day near the Dart River, which provided many scenes for The Lord of the Rings movies. On our return, we meet a sheep farmer whose family was one of the original European settlers in Otago some hundred years ago. Queenstown also offers optional activities such as bungee jumping, exhilarating jet boat rides and a cruise on TSS Earnslaw (a working vintage steam ship) to the historic Walter Peak High Country Farm.

We say farewell at breakfast, but we can assist you with your travels in this lovely country. None is better than a cruise on the world renowned Milford Sound or a longer 24-hour cruise incorporating both Milford and Doubtful Sounds.