South Island Lodge Based Tour

Welcome to New Zealand! Today we will pick you up at the airport and shuttle you to our first night’s lodging. Your Wildland Trekking guide will meet us at 5pm at our hotel for an orientation meeting in Christchurch. Here we will meet everyone on the trip and have a chance to ask questions to help prepare for the adventure ahead! After the meeting we will enjoy a delicious welcome dinner served up by a talented local chef. Our guides will provide the plan for the next day.

• Driving Duration: 4 hours
• Hiking Mileage: 3 miles (4.8 km)
• Elevation Gain: 150 feet (# m)
• Elevation Loss: 150 feet (# m)

On this New Zealand hiking tour we begin our first day with a hearty breakfast, then travel south where we’ll stretch our legs and hike in the Peel Forest, known for its diversity of flora, fauna and bird life. Subsequently, we’ll visit Lake Tekapo with its brilliant shade of blue, glacier-fed water and beautiful backdrop. It is the second-largest of three lakes that run north/south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin. It’s also the home to the Church of the Good Shepherd, arguably one of the most photographed church’s in New Zealand. After our visit and hike, we enjoy our drive to our accommodation for the night, where we have dinner and our guides will deliver the plan for the next day.

• Driving Duration: minimal
• Hiking Mileage: 4 miles (6.4 km)
• Elevation Gain: 3200 feet (975 m)
• Elevation Loss: 3200 feet (975 m)

Aoraki or ‘cloud piercer’ as named by the South Island Maori or more commonly known as Mt. Cook, is the highest mountain in New Zealand sitting at 12,218 ft. Today’s hike is stunning as we walk above Mueller Glacier. It is a challenging but rewarding hike to the main ridgeline and we have breath-taking views of the glacier and the surrounding mountains! The weather conditions are very important to this area, as it’s a true alpine climate that’s notorious for sudden weather shifts. If we’re not able to hike above the Mueller Glacier, or you’d prefer to take it easy instead, there’s another amazing hike up to a glacier lake (complete with icebergs!) at the base of the Hooker Glacier.

• Driving Duration: 2.5 hours
• Hiking Mileage: 4.5 miles (7.2 km)
• Elevation Gain: 1230 feet (375 m)
• Elevation Loss: 1230 feet (375 m)

This morning after a delicious breakfast, we’ll travel to the town of Wanaka and hike the Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain trail. This area has been carved out by glaciers and is home to a spectacular circuit lined with native forest and shrub land. We will enjoy a steady ascent until we get to one of the most beautiful view points in the area. We will have views of Mt. Aspiring, Roy’s Peak and beautiful Lake Wanaka. We will have lunch at the vista and then continue back down. We will have free time before dinner is served at the beautiful Edgewater hotel. Our guides will provide the plan for the next day.

• Driving Duration: 1.75 hours
• Hiking Mileage: 2.7 miles (4.3 km)
• Elevation Gain: 650 feet (198 m)
• Elevation Loss: 650 feet (198 m)

After a hearty breakfast, we begin our short and dramatic drive over the Cardrona Saddle to Queenstown. We finally reach the shores of Lake Wakatipu from where we’ll head up the most recognizable mountain range of the Southern Alps, The Remarkables. Our trail today begins at the ski resort and follows the rocky ski trails up and over through the alpine wetlands and up to the glacial carved bowl which forms picturesque lake Alta! It’s Amazing! We will have lunch in route and then weave our way out of Queenstown towards the beautiful and isolated hamlet of Glenorchy, the furthest and most stunning end of Lake Wakatipu. This peaceful little settlement is the gateway to a multitude of valleys, dense forest and mountains, a perfect spot to rest our head for the night.

• Driving Duration: 1 hour
• Hiking Mileage: 7.5 miles (12 km)
• Elevation Gain: 600 feet (182 m)
• Elevation Loss: 600 feet (182 m)

Today we will wake up early, have breakfast and begin our day. It’s worth the early start as we’ll hike part of the famous Routeburn Trail! Our trail will take us through lush beech forests, beautiful waterfalls until we reach Routeburn Flats! Upon arrival, we will have views of amazing mountains and glacial rivers. If we’re lucky, we will be able to view some beautiful native birds such as the Kea, Kakariki, Mohua or the elusive blue duck! We head back to our van and drive back to Queenstown, where we will spend the next couple of nights.

• Driving Duration: minimal
• Hiking Mileage: 5 miles (8 km)
• Elevation Gain: 3208 feet (978 m)
• Elevation Loss: 3208 feet (978 m)

This morning after breakfast we will enjoy the views of Queenstown as we ride on the gondola to the top of a tree-covered rocky mountain, known as Bob’s Peak! We will start our hike from here as we pass through open alpine tussocks to the Ben Lomond saddle. We are immediately rewarded with panoramic views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu, backdropped by the Southern Alps. For those eager to keep hiking, we will have the option to climb Ben Lomond’s summit which also reveals views of Mt. Earnslaw and Mt. Aspiring (2 of New Zealand’s highest peaks!) If the weather is clear we may even be able to see Mt. Cook. After we have enjoyed our time, we will descend, head back to our hotel and enjoy free time until we meet up for dinner. Our guides will provide the plan for the next day.

• Driving Duration: 2 hours
• Hiking Mileage: 5.5 miles (8.9 km)
• Elevation Gain: 165 feet (50 m)
• Elevation Loss: 165 feet (50 m)

This morning after breakfast, we will load up and begin hiking the world famous, Kepler Track. Interestingly, the Kepler Track differs from the Routeburn and Milford Tracks in that it didn’t actually evolve from a necessary Maori greenstone trail but was custom-built for hiking. The section we will hike passes over the control gates at the outlet of Lake Te Anau and meanders through ancient beech and podocarp forest to Brod Bay. At Te Anau, we will check into our accommodation and enjoy free time before meeting for dinner. Our guides will provide the plan for the next day.

• Driving Duration: 4 hours
• Hiking Mileage: 6 miles (9.7 km)
• Elevation Gain: 985 feet (300 m)
• Elevation Loss: 985 feet (300 m)

It’s worth the early start this morning as we set off for our largest and perhaps most spectacular national park, Fiordland. When we arrive, we’ll be greeted with jaw-dropping views of Mitre Peak and the surrounding jagged granite peaks – quite possibly the most picturesque mountain range in New Zealand – though we’ll let you be the judge of that! We’ll then take a short boat ride to where our hike will begin at Sandfly Point and we will walk until we get to the Giant Gates waterfall, a spectacular section of the Milford Track. The forest is quite lush and we begin to follow the Arthur River until we reach Lake Ada. From hiking from the Milford Sound trailhead, we get to enjoy the trail to ourselves, which is a luxury others rarely get to experience. Once we arrive back at the Milford Wharf, we’ll board a boat for a 2 hour nature cruise to the head of the beautiful Fjord. We then leave Milford sound and set out to hike some lesser-known trails in Eastern Fjordland before returning to Te Anau.

• Drive Time: 2 hours

This is our last day of the trip and we’ll all be refreshed and invigorated from the good food, rest, exercise, and great times we have had in New Zealand! We’ll drop you at the Queenstown Airport in time for your afternoon departure or stay on in Queenstown and have a few more adventures on your own. Thanks for choosing Wildland Trekking!