New Zealand South Island Wildlife and Wilderness
DAYS
15
Style
Accommodated
EX
Queenstown – Queenstown
From
AUD $6,775.00
Overview
Next Tour: 12th - 26th February 2022
This unforgettable tour looks at the natural history of the breathtakingly beautiful lower South Island and Stewart Island. It includes three of the country’s national parks plus the unspoiled coast of the Catlins region, the Otago Peninsula.
Most New Zealand tours only visit the popular highlights while we take you further to remote areas away from the crowds.
You will see spectacular high peaks, massive glaciers, glacial lakes with floating icebergs and wild alpine plants on the valley floor at Mt Cook National Park.
We visit the pristine Nothofagus beech forests of the Ohau and Mt Aspiring regions, home to many of New Zealand’s native birds such as the Tomtit, Bellbird, Rifleman, South Island Robin and Tui. Your naturalist guide knows the places to search for endangered birds such as the Yellowhead, Black Stilt, Wrybill and New Zealand Falcon.
On the Otago coast, we will be looking for NZ fur seals and endangered Hooker’s Sea Lions that have returned here to breed. The Catlins coast is captivating and comprises the last stands of the east coast temperate rainforest home to many bird species. On past tours in Stewart Island, NZ’s newest national park, we have seen endangered birds such as Kaka, Saddleback, Yellowhead and Red-Crowned Parakeet.
We finish the tour with three nights in Wanaka, where we will take a private boat cruise to the remote and pristine Mou Waho Island. A guided walk to the top of the island exposes a hidden lake on the summit, the perfect spot for an unforgettable view of the surrounding wilderness.
Your guide, Martin Curtis, is a well known New Zealand wildlife enthusiast, adventurer, mountaineer guide and folk singer. Martin lives in this part of the South Island and knows its natural history better than most. He loves sharing his “back yard” with our guests.
Itinerary
| Day 1 | Home Port to Queenstown | Today you’ll arrive in Queenstown and check in to your accommodation. Your hotel is right on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, with beautiful views of The Remarkables mountain range. Meet your guides and fellow passengers in the hotel restaurant at 7:00 pm for dinner. Accommodation: Kamana Hotel D |
| Day 2 | Drive to Lake Ohau | We leave Queenstown and drive through the picturesque Kawarau Gorge,to Cromwell, followed by a drive along the shores of the man-made Lake Dunstan, which is home to many species of waterbird. We cross the Lindis Pass and turn off into the isolated and beautiful Ahuriri Valley for lunch, and will have a couple of hours to search for the elusive unique wrybill and the endangered black stilt. We then continue north past Omarama, looking at a couple of exciting places on the way, before turning off into the little-visited Hopkins Valley and Lake Ohau Lodge on the banks of the beautiful lake. Accommodation: Lake Ohau Lodge BLD |
| Day 3 | Lake Ohau | Lake Ohau area is relatively unvisited by tourists. We will spend the whole day exploring the Hopkins River Valley north of Lake Ohau and the Temple Valley, where we will go for a walk on the track that ascends gently beside the North Temple River through pristine Nothofagus beech forest. We are not likely to meet anyone else in this delightful alpine valley, as we view many native birds along the track. In the late afternoon, we return to Lake Ohau Lodge to enjoy great food and superb views from the outdoor spa. Accommodation: Lake Ohau Lodge BLD |
| Day 4 | Lake Ohau to Mount Cook | After breakfast, we head back out to the highway across the McKenzie plain and head north a short way until we reach the turn off into the Tasman valley, the entrance to the Aoraki Mt Cook National Park. Given fine weather, we will have spectacular views of New Zealand’s highest mountain, which stands sentinel at the head of the valley, with the distinctive blue-coloured Lake Pukaki in front of it. The colour comes from the rock flour, brought down from the Tasman glacier. We’ll stop on the way up to look for the rare black stilt. We then continue to the spectacular Mt Cook village, where massive hanging glaciers tower above us. After lunch, we visit the Tasman Glacier Lake, now growing at an alarming rate. We will also spend some time around the village to search for NZ’s iconic mountain parrot, the kea, which is now seriously endangered. Accommodation : Mount Cook Chalets BLD |
| Day 5 | Mount Cook | This morning we will go on a beautiful walk up the Hooker Valley, crossing over several swing bridges and up to the terminal lake of the Hooker Glacier, where we should see icebergs that have calved floating in the lake. New Zealand’s highest mountain Aoraki / Mt Cook, is right in front of us here. We will see many unique NZ alpine plants on the way. The walk is on a formed gravel track and takes about 3-4 hours to return. We will then have more time in the Mt Cook area to do other walks and continue our search for the kea. We can also visit the National Park visitor centre, which has impressive displays about the surrounding area, botany, geology, and New Zealand mountaineering history. Accommodation : Mount Cook Chalets BLD |
| Day 6 | Lake Ohau to Dunedin | After breakfast, we leave Mount Cook and head down the Waitaki Valley past several dams and man-made hydro lakes, then through an area of strange limestone outcrops and on to the east coast. On our way south on Highway One, we will turn off to a couple of good coastal vantage points to look for seabirds and seals before arriving in the scenic ‘Scottish’ city of Dunedin. Accommodation: Leviathan Heritage Hotel BLD |
| Day 7 | Dunedin | We drive out to the Otago Peninsula today, which is world-famous for its diverse wildlife. We visit the Royal Albatross nesting site at Taiaroa Head, also home to many other birds and fur seals. We will then go to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, the largest predator-free forest on the South Island, providing safe habitat and conservation of endangered wildlife. After lunch, we spend a couple of hours walking on the tracks through the podocarp forest and observing the many birdlife species in their natural habitat. Accommodation: Leviathan Heritage Hotel BLD |
| Day 8 | Dunedin to Balclutha | A short two-hour drive takes us to the Catlins coast and the rugged headland of Nugget Point, home to many seals and seabirds. We’ll then drive a quick way south for a beach walk at Surat Bay to look for the endangered Hooker’s Sea Lion. Along with the coastal areas, the region boasts the last unspoiled temperate rainforest on the east coast of the South Island, where we take a bushwalk through the forest. Accommodation: Balclutha BLD |
| Day 9 | Balclutha to Stewart Island | Today we maintain our drive south, stopping for short walks to different viewpoints, including MacLean Falls, which at 22 metres are perhaps the best falls in the Southland region. We continue around this rarely visited coastal area before eventually reaching the southern city of Invercargill and the small port of Bluff, where we park the bus for three days and board the evening ferry across the Foveaux Strait to Stewart Island. On the way, we hope to see albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters that roam the Southern Ocean. We will stay at the island’s only pub, the basic but iconic South Sea Hotel on the shores of Halfmoon Bay. Accommodation: South Sea Hotel BLD |
| Day 10 | Stewart Island | We take a boat trip to see pelagic birds with a local wildlife expert. We’ll sail out to a group of islands to see many birds that traverse the Southern Ocean, including several species of albatross, Cape Petrels, shearwaters and prions. For the other half of the day, you may choose to take an enjoyable two-hour walk along the coastline and through the native bush. (NOTE: The two days on Stewart Island may be switched around depending on weather conditions and the availability of the pelagic boat trip). Accommodation: South Sea Hotel BLD |
| Day 11 | Stewart Island | A short trip this morning by water taxi will take us to Ulva Island, a bird sanctuary in the middle of Patersons Inlet. We will see the New Zealand bush as it was before humans arrived - full of native birds so tame that they will hop onto your boots and pack. We should see endangered species such as the Kaka, Saddleback, Weka, Mohua (Yellowhead) and perhaps even a Kiwi. Accommodation: South Sea Hotel BLD |
| Day 12 | Stewart Island to Wanaka | After an early breakfast, we board the ferry back to Bluff, collect the bus, and drive three hours towards Queenstown. We can visit several places of interest around the area, including Lake Hayes, where there is a large population of ducks, grebes and swans. Another option is the old gold-mining town of Arrowtown, which dates back to the 1860s. Finally, we have a one hour drive over the spectacular Crown Range (NZ’s highest public road) to the beautiful alpine town of Wanaka, situated on the shores of the pristine Lake Wanaka. Accommodation: Lake Wanaka Hotel BLD |
| Day 13 | Mt Aspiring National Park | The world heritage listed Aspiring National Park is regarded as the most pristine and untouched national park in New Zealand. We drive up to the speculator Matukituki River Valley in the national park to enjoy the natural scenery and sense of wilderness before continuing to the roads end at Raspberry Creek while exploring the area along the way. We should get back to Wanaka in the late afternoon. Accommodation: Lake Wanaka Hotel BLD |
| Day 14 | Lake Wanaka | We have several options for the morning in this lovely lake-side town, including a visit to the outlet where the lake becomes the Clutha River, NZ's most significant river by volume. After lunch, we will take a boat trip with a local eco-guide up the lake to the unique island of Mou Wahou. The island has been cleared of predators and was extensively replanted with native bush, encouraging the return of its birdlife and natural fauna, including the cheeky Buff Weka, who will be waiting for us at the landing stage. We'll take a short walk up to the island's summit, to a small lake and magnificent views of the surrounding mountains. Accommodation: Lake Wanaka Hotel BLD |
| Day 15 | Wanaka to Queenstown | Your New Zealand wildlife and wilderness experiences come to an end this morning. Your group transfer to Queenstown Airport will depart from the hotel after check out at around 10.00 am. It is about a one and a half hour drive to the airport and we will arrive at approximately 11.30 am. B |
NB: The above itinerary may be varied according to weather or sea conditions.
Although this is not a walking tour, some walking is necessary to get to the places where the flora and fauna are at their best.
availability
Places AVAILABLE ON 12 FEBRUARY 2022 DEPARTURE
Inclusions
- Land content as set out in the trip notes
- Coates tour leader/driver & specialist wildlife/botanical guide
- Accommodation and breakfast, lunch and dinner as shown in the trip notes
- All national park entrance fees
- Specialist wildlife/ botanical guides
- Entrance fee for the Royal Albatross nesting site at Taiaroa Head
- Ferry (Stewart Island)
- Stewart Island Pelagic Trip
Trip Reviews
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