Essence of the South Island, 8-day adventure trip in New Zealand
Join us on this 8-day tour to discover the essential spots of New Zealand's South Island. We will go hiking, biking and kayaking on an adventure trip that you will never forget!
Group
Southern Alps
8 Days
Jan - May, Oct - Dec
Intermediate
All levels
Highlights
- Explore the essential spots of the South Island on a carefully planned itinerary
- Hike on the wilderness of Mt. Aspiring National Park and the Routeburn Track
- Spend the night on a cruise in the breathtaking Milford Sound
Description
Explore the most iconic sights of New Zealand’s South Island on this 8-day multi-activity tour. We will go hiking, kayaking and biking on the most remote and spectacular spots of the country’s wilderness.
We’ll meet in Christchurch on the first day, and during the 8 days we will visit and spend the night on a cruise in Milford Sound, hike in Mt. Aspiring National Park and the Routeburn Track, admire the impressive Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, and bike and relax by the lakeside in the charming Queenstown, among other activities.
The whole itinerary is carefully planned, so you can enjoy the activities and landscapes the South Island has to offer, while we take care of all the logistics and organization.
The Essence of the South Island tour is an adventure you’ll never forget. Check the scheduled dates, and contact us to join and discover all the amazing spots New Zealand’s South Island has to offer!
Price includes
- Accommodation included
- Guiding fee
- Transport during the trip
- Local flights
Price details
- NOT INCLUDED:
- The trip fare doesn’t include flights before or after your trip, or
- 15% NZ government tax. This is your allinclusive vacation
- and there are no hidden costs. You’ll have a few meals and
- drinks to cover, extra activities if you choose them, and you’ll
- probably feel like tipping your guides at the end of a fabulous
- trip, though you won’t need to pull out your wallet every few
- minutes on your Active Adventures trip!
- INCLUDED:
- The fare includes just about everything, specifically:
- • All guiding services. We have two guides per trip, a lead
- guide/driver and a coguide/chef. On our smallest trips, one of
- our most experienced guides will look after you.
- • Comfortable accommodation for the entire period you are
- with us. We can also organise pre and posttrip
- accommodation, if you like.
- • Breakfast, lunch and dinner on most days, as indicated, with
- many delicious meals prepared by your guides, who are adept
- at catering for all dietary requirements. In places like
- Queenstown there’s a wide variety of
- restaurants and we’ve found people prefer to check out the
- options on their own. Alcohol is not included, although we do
- spring a few drinks here and there!
- • All activities described in the itineraries including hiking,
- kayaking, biking, except the optional extra
- activities that are available at additional cost.
- • All transportation from trip start to end.
- • The highest level of service from our guides and from our
- experienced team behind the scenes. We’re always here for
- you and we always go the extra mile!
Itinerary
Day 1: Meeting in Christchurch and hike in Arthur's Pass
We will meet in Christchurch and travel into the Southern Alps to hike Devil’s Punchbowl in Arthur’s Pass, a beautiful hike to a 131-meter waterfall!
We’ll then drive and spend the night in Franz Josef, at the foot of the Southern Alps.
Overnight: Rainforest Retreat, Franz Josef (Lunch, Dinner)
Hiking Distance: 2 kilometres (1.2 miles), 0.5-1 hour
Elevation Gain: 100 metres (330 feet)
Elevation Loss: 100 metres (330 feet)
Day 2: Franz Josef Glacier
We’ll hike to Alex Knob or Roberts Point, magnificent viewpoints to admire Franz Josef glacier.
(As an optional alternative, you can go on a heli-hike up tp 1300m, and hike on the glacier. Extra fees apply).
From Franz Josef, we will drive south in the afternoon to Makarora, a small mountain village.
Overnight: Makarora Lodgings, Makarora (All meals)
Hiking Distance: 8 kilometres (5 miles), 5-6 hours
Elevation Gain: 1,100 metres (3,610 feet)
Elevation Loss: 1,100 metres (3,610 feet)
Day 3 to 4: Mt. Aspiring National Park
Flight into Mount Aspiring National Park.
OPTION A:
Day 3 -> Flight to Siberia Valley, hike to Lake Crucible, and overnight on Siberia Hut (all meals included). Hiking Distance: 7 kilometres, 6-8 hours, Elevation Gain 550 metres.
Day 4 (morning) -> Hike to the head of Wilkin River, and ride back on an exciting jet boat to Makarora.
OPTION B:
Day 3 -> Flight to Siberia Valley, hike to the head of Wilkin River, and ride back on an exciting jet boat to Makarora. Overnight on Makarora Lodgings (All meals included). Hiking Distance: 6.6 kilometres, 2-3 hours
Elevation Gain: 140 metres, Elevation Loss: 320 metres.
Day 4 (morning) -> Hike Haast Pass Lookout (3.5 km, 1 hour return) and Blue Pools (1.5 km, 1 hour return)
OPTIONS A and B:
Day 4 (afternoon) -> Drive from Makarora to Queenstown. Bike the Queenstown Bike Trail alongside the Arrow River to Arrowtown.
Biking Distance: 6.1 kilometres (3.8 miles), 1 hour
Elevation Gain: 127 metres (416 feet)
Elevation Loss: 100 metres (328 feet)
Overnight: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Queenstown (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 5: Hike Ben Lomond or free day in Queenstown
You can choose to join the Gondola ride to Bob’s peak and hike up the Ben Lomond track (8 km, 4-5 hours) to admire the views over Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu, or have a free day to explore on your own Queenstown, a beautiful and hip alpine town and New Zealand’s adventure capital.
Day 6: Fiordland National Park and kayak Milford Sound
We’ll start the day with a spectacular scenic drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound. There’s an option to explore the sound on kayaks, before boarding the Milford Mariner for an overnight cruise (all meals included)!
Day 7: Routeburn Track Hike
After having breakfast on the boat, we will hop off and get on a hike on the famous Routeburn track, to reach Key Summit. We’ll then drive back to Te Anau, for our last night on the shores of Lake Manapouri.
Overnight: Lake Manapouri Inn, Manapouri (All meals)
Hiking Distance: 3.4 kilometres (2 miles), 3-4 hours
Elevation Gain: 380 metres (1,246 feet)
Elevation Loss: 380 metres (1,246 feet)
Day 8: Queenstown and end of trip
After breakfast, we’ll return to Queenstown, where the tour ends.
About the guide
Active
5.0
(3)
Tour Operator
We're Kiwis, and for 25 years we've been sharing our love of adventures. We believe that you can't truly experience a country through a bus window, or on the tourist trails that you read about in Lonely Planet. Sure, we'll include some of those 'bucket-list' hikes and locations, but we're all about getting 'off the beaten track' and up close to the culture and people that make a destination and travel experience so special. You'll be guided by personable, friendly, active, empathetic people, who love showing off our superb trip destinations, but more than just that, they love watching you experience it. Our guides will entertain you, they'll cook delicious meals for you, make sure every aspect of your trip is safe, enjoyable, and full of lasting memories.
Languages
English
What people are saying about this trip
Justin
My trip with Active Adventures was great! Everything was as promised, and the advance-trip staff, trip leader, all were great and professional and I have no complaints!
Harry
Highly recommend! The trip was well planned and well executed with experienced local guides who were excellent. They worked hard to meet expectations and also to modify activities if needed. Best way to really see and learn about New Zealand!
Ryan
Well planned and executed experience. Great pace of activities and just the right amount of down time to make a two week adventure feel full but not exhausting.
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