Southern Alps Walk & Hike (12 Days)

You will be met by your guide at Christchurch International Airport and driven to your accommodation.

Here is a selection of the many options available in Christchurch:

Leaving Christchurch thismorning we travel through friendly towns and across the Canterbury Plains. You'll pass Kirwee, Darfield, Sheffield and Springfield. The road then winds up into the skiing areas of Porter Heights and Craigieburn before following the Waimakariri and Bealey Rivers to Arthur's Pass. Lakes Pearson and Grasmere are photo opportunities along the way.

Dobson Nature Walk

This track, on the summit of Arthur's Pass, offers a good introduction to the sub-alpine and alpine plants of this area. The alpine flowers are in bloom from November to February. When Lake Misery is low, you can carry on from the nature walk pass the wetland area and through the tall red tussock to the Otira Valley track.

Time: 1 hr 30 min return. Length 1.22km, lowest point 884m, highest point 921m.

Otira Valley Track

From the car park, the smooth benched track leads under power pylons and into the picturesque valley. The Dobson Nature Walk leads off to the left, and the Otira Track continues its sidle up the valley, bending gently to the left. After 45 minutes, the track drops to the valley floor and a foot bridge over the river. The track ends at the bridge becoming a lightly poled route up the valley. (3.1 mi)

Time: 3 - 4 hour return, Length 5.0 km, lowest point 880m, highest point 1,260m

Devils Punchbowl Falls Track

Walkers admire the Devils Punchbowl Falls from the viewing platform at the base of the falls. The top of this spectacular fall (131 metres) can be seen from the main road, but a walk to the base of the waterfall is well worth doing in any weather, any time of the year. The track goes up the side of the Bealey River and over two footbridges before zig-zagging up steps through the mountain beech forest to the waterfalls base. Return the same way.

Time: 1 hour return. Length 0.45km, lowest point 756m, highest point 839m

Bealey Valley Track

This is an attractive well-graded walk through mountain beech forest to the base of Mount Rolleston. The track is bridged across the Bealey River at "The Chasm". It then goes through a tussock clearing and into the forest again before reaching the river. From here you can scramble up the river-bed to go further up the valley. Avalanched snow often collects at the head of the valley in winter and remains throughout the year. This forms a glacier which is undercut by the Bealey River flowing below it.

Time: 3 - 4 hour return. Length 4.0 km, Altitude 842m (2,762.5 ft) – 1,113m (3,651.6 ft).

Sit back and enjoy the rugged scenery of the Otira Gorge as we make our way towards the West Coast and onto the coastal town of Greymouth. From there we head north to Punakaiki pancake rocks and blowholes.

These rocks really are remarkable pieces of natural sculpture, a series of stratified limestone stacks which, over many thousands of years, have been eroded to give the effect of giant piles of neatly stacked pancakes. Another prominent feature are the blowholes that, at high tide or in heavy weather, regularly throw up columns of dazzling spray high out of the blowholes – Best seen after wonderful westerly storms when the sun is reasserting itself.

From Punakaiki we return southwards to the small village of Franz Josef (pop 500) and the spectacular Franz Josef Glacier.

The Franz Josef is a glacier located in Westland National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Together with the Fox Glacier 20 km to the south it is a unique in the fact that it descends from the Southern Alps to just 200 metres above sea level amidst the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest. The glacier is currently 12 kilometres long and terminates 19 km from the Tasman Sea.

Today you may choose to take an optional flight over the glaciers and Mt Cook and enjoy the thrill of landing on a glacier.

Some  alternative sightseeing and activity options available:

Today, view incredible scenery as you travel past the untouched native forests and pristine lakes of the World Heritage Westland National Park and Haast Pass enroute to Mount Rob Roy and Wanaka.

Rob Roy Glacier Track

The experience begins with a one hour drive along the beautiful Matukituki Valley into the national park. At the roads end, the track follows the Rob Roy Stream through beech forest - enjoy waterfalls and the luxuriant understorey of ferns and mosses. At the tree line, the forest gives way to alpine vegatation and spectacular views of the hanging glaciers beneath Mount Rob Roy. From your safe viewing point you can watch and listen for avalanches. The walk to the viewing point is mostly uphill, but the incline is gradual. If you eat lunch at the viewing point, be aware that kea (mountain parrots) can be very persistent - turn you back for a second, and they'll steal your lunch.

Time: 3 - 4 hours. Length 3.94km, lowest point 396m, highest point 777m

Surrounded by majestic mountains, Queenstown boasts adventure & leisure activities in all forms, from extreme to relaxed exploration. There are numerous activities from which to choose and your Tour Guide will be pleased to offer advice and help you in your selection.

Here is a selection of the many options available:

Lake Alta Track

An excellent walk through alpine herbfields to the pretty lake behind the highest point of Queenstown's famous Remakables Range. During winter this area is occupied by a ski field. Begins at the Remarkables ski field car park, return via same track.

Time: 2 - 3 hour return. Grade Easy, Length 2.0 km, lowest point 1600m, highest point 1801m.

The Routeburn Track

The Routeburn, one of New Zealand's nine "Great Walks," is less crowded than its world-famous neighbor, the Milford Track, and the scenic payoffs along the Routeburn's alpine stretches far surpass those of the lower, often cloudier Milford. The Routeburn's easily traveled route connects two of New Zealand's conservation jewels, Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks, via a high alpine pass named the Harris Saddle.

We start our day by driving to the trail head in Dart River Valley - one of New Zealand's most scenic valleys and the site of the breathtaking Rohan scenes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We hike as far as Routeburn Falls before retracing our steps back to our transportation.

The descent from Routeburn Falls to Routeburn Flats takes you through a rich mixed Beech forest as you slowly lose altitude and reach the valley floor. Routeburn Flats Hut is set in natural grasslands surrounded by mountains rising straight up from the flat valley floor. Below the flats the Routeburn River enters its gorge, surging among boulders in frothing white torrents at one turn and resting in the clear jade pools at the next before finally disappearing underground at the Sump. Lunch is right by the river at Forge Flat, a great opportunity to cool off with a plunge in the rivers waters. From here it's a gentle downhill stroll to the end of the track, but not before you pass through the Red Beech section with it's huge gnarled ancient forest giants

Hikers who set out in December and January will witness an explosion of wildflowers, including the kotukutuku, the world's largest variety of fuchsia, and the Mount Cook Lily, the biggest species of buttercup on Earth.

Time: 6 - 8 hours. Lowest point 484m, highest point 980m.

This morning you are picked up early from your hotel to drive to Milford Sound deep in the heart of Fiordland National Park.

The Milford Road (between Te Anau and Milford) is New Zealand’s most remote highway providing access to spectacular mountain valleys. Travel from Te Anau  to the forested Eglinton Valley, through the Homer Tunnel and out into breath-taking Milford Sound.

Milford Sound is arguably the most scenic destination in New Zealand. Located in 3 million acres of the Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound is a “must-see” for any traveler – magnificent untouched native forest and bush, pristine waterways and lakes, glaciers and high peaks. Fiordland National Park is truly breath-taking, whether sunny or raining – when waterfalls flow like nowhere else. The Milford Sound Nature Cruise takes you out  to the Tasman Sea. It’s a stunning fiord landscape of waterfalls, rainforest, mountains and wildlife. We return to our accommodation in Queenstown by the end of the day.

Ben Lomond Walkway

The first portion of the track is through either native beech forest (One Mile Creek walk) or Douglas fir stands (Skyline Access Road). At about 800 metres, alpine tussocks and Dracophyllum dominate the landscape. There are magnificent views of the lake and mountains. The next portion of the track to the saddle is on a gentler slope, but the last pitch to the top of Ben Lomond is very steep. The demanding climb offers spectacular panoramic views and on clear days Mounts Earnslaw and Aspiring can be seen from the summit (1748 metres).

Time: 3-4 hr return to Ben Lomond Saddle, 6-8 hr to return to Ben Lomond Summit

Our drive thismorning takes us across Lindis Pass. The dramatic Lindis Pass links the Mackenzie Basin with Central Otago and adjacent to the highway is the Lindis Conservation Area. The actual pass crosses a saddle between the valleys of the Lindis and Ahuriri Rivers at an altitude of 971 metres above sea level. This alpine area of tall, tussock-covered mountains is beautiful in every season, but with a dusting of snow it's particularly enchanting.

Kea Point Walk

Start from the Hermitage lawn and cross the road to the track sign. This walk gently winds its way through sub-alpine grasslands and scrub to the Mueller Glacier moraine wall. The track passes through landscape that was formed in 1913 when a stream cut through from the glacier to the original Hermitage site, damaging the building. The walk ends at a viewing deck that gives stunning views of Mt Sefton and Footstool, the Hooker Valley, Mueller Glacier Lake and Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Time: 2 hours return. Length 3.05km, lowest point 749m, highest point 940m

Sealy Tarns Track

Begin as for Kea Point then branch off at the signpost to climb steeply up to the tarns. This energetic walk gives spectacular views of the Hooker Valley and the peaks of the area including Aoraki/ Mount Cook. An abundance of alpine flowers in summer and the view from the tarns makes the effort worthwhile.

Time: 3 - 4 hour return. Length 1.8km, lowest point 791m, highest point 1307m.

Hooker Valley Track

One of the most popular walks in the park, it leads up the Hooker Valley towards Aoraki/Mount Cook. The track passes close to the Alpine Memorial, which is a great viewpoint. Continue on to Hooker River and cross twice on swingbridges before reaching Stocking Stream Shelter. Continue beside the river to its source to reach the Hooker Glacier terminal lake.

Time: From the village: 1st swingbridge: 1 hr 30 min return, 2nd swingbridge: 2 hr return, Hooker Lake: 4 hr return

After lunch we head towards CHristchurch, the road to Lake Tekapo takes you down the Tasman Valley to beautiful Lake Pukaki. The opaque turquoise colour of this lake and others in the area is caused by fine, glacier-ground rock particles held in suspension. At the southern end of the lake you'll turn left and drive through golden tussock land to Lake Tekapo. The settlement of Lake Tekapo is at the southern end of the lake. The Church of the Good Shepherd and the sheepdog statue are great photo opportunities.

The scenic route to Christchurch leads you out of the Mackenzie Country, named after the legendary Scottish sheep rustler who once roamed the area. The South Island's largest city, Christchurch is an entertaining mixture of refined lifestyle and cultural excitement and the finishing point for our 12 day Southern Alps hiking experience. Onward flights should be booked for the following day when our service will conclude with your airport transfer.