"Great Hiking Tours since 1992"

Daily Tour Notes


Day 1: Queenstown
Your trip starts in Queenstown, the adventure 'capital' of New Zealand. Today is just an arrival day, so no activities are planned. Please make your own way to our centrally-located joining hotel (details will be in your travel documents). In the evening we meet our tour leader and our fellow travelling companions at a Welcome Meeting (this is usually at 6pm, but you will be advised as to the exact time and place on message on a noticeboard located near the reception of our hotel), where our leader will give us a briefing on what lies ahead on our tour and introduce the members of the tour, as well as answer any questions. Nearby, there are a variety of restaurants and our tour will start with dinner at one of them.
Meals included: D

 

Day 2: Milford Sound
Our tour starts with a drive across the southland plains to Te Anau in time to collect our lunch before heading towards the towering mountains of Fiordland National Park. Our destination is the beautiful Gertrude Valley, located right in the heart of the region. At end of the road we collect our packs and follow the trail to the top of the cirque, before winding our way up to a  remote and beautiful lake that is surrounded by rock slabs and nearby peaks. Then it is back to our coach and a drive through Homer Tunnel and down to Milford Sound to join our boat for an overnight cruise. On board our floating hotel we cruise the sound in search of dolphins and observing waterfalls that tumble into the sound down vertical walls. After a cruise into open water we have a chance to kayak with our onboard boats before heading back into the sound and anchoring for the night. Dinner and the overnight experience tonight are guaranteed to be memorable.
Meals included: B, L, D

 

Day 3: Te Anau - Tuatapere
After breakfast we get to cruise the sound again before finally heading back to shore. Returning to our coach we drive back through the Homer Tunnel and on to Te Anau, where we spend the afternoon exploring the town and enjoying a hike on part of the Kepler Track before travelling on to Tuatapere, a small rural township on the banks of Waiau River. Our overnight stay here is in a historic hotel, where we will have a briefing this evening for our hike on Hump Ridge Track starting tomorrow.
Meals included: B, L, D

 

Day 4: Hump Ridge Track (Okaka Hut)
(Walking distance: approx 13 km)
We finish breakfast by 7:30am and drive to the start of our walking trail. From the Track Burn we follow the coast to Flat Creek before climbing steadily up to Hump Ridge. The luxurious bush gives way to sub alpine scrub and tussock grasses. Finally the welcoming comfort of Ohaka Hut emerges, complete with spectacular views back to the coastline, some 13 kilometres away and 1000 metres below. Our hike is made more comfortable by the helipacking of your gear, allowing the climb to be undertaken with just a small daypack.
Meals included: B, L, D

 

Day 5: Hump Ridge Track (Port Craig Village)
(Walking distance: approx 19 km)
While today is mainly downhill we start early and it is still the longest walking day of the trip, covering a distance of 19 kilometres. Traversing along Hump Ridge we descend through the forests down to the coastal track that was originally put in to access the valuable timber in the days gone by. The rivers are bridged with spectacular wooden viaducts. Late in the afternoon we arrive at our overnight shelter in Port Craig Village.
Meals included: B, L, D

 

Day 6: Hump Ridge Track – Stewart Island
(Walking distance: approx 11 km)
Port Craig Village was created as the site for a forestry camp. From the seashore we often can sight Hector's dolphins swimming off the coast. After two solid days of walking, it’s a slow start today as we complete our last 11 kilometres of hiking. We are soon reunited with our transport and drive back to Tuatapere, before continuing through to Invercargill. Here we catch a short flight across to beautiful Stewart Island - our base for the next two nights.
Meals included: B, L

 

Day 7: Stewart Island
Stewart Island is the home of New Zealand’s newest national park and is only now starting to feature on travel plans, so travellers are just beginning to discover about its pristine wilderness. Situated 24 kilometres off the South Island, the Maori name for this place is Rakiura, which means 'glowing skies'. Our free day provides us with a large range of optional activities ranging from fishing and sea kayaking to a tour on nearby Ulva Island, which is a paradise for bird watchers. In general Stewart Island is a great place to relax and search for exotic wildlife including the Stewart Island kiwi. There is a better chance of spotting a kiwi in the wild here than anywhere else, as this particular subspecies is active during the day as well as at night. But please note that they are still notoriously hard to spot!
Meals included: B

 

Day 8: Queenstown
This morning we board a ferry for the crossing back to the mainland and then proceed to drive back to Queenstown, arriving there in the early afternoon. Before dropping everyone off at their hotels, there’s time for another hike on a hill high above Queenstown that offers awesome views across the town and also the lake below. This is an ideal ending to our adventure in this beautiful part of the world. After the walk the tour ends as we drop you off at your accommodation in Queenstown.
Meals included: B, L