Hiking the Milford Track, Kayaking the Tasman Sea

New Zealand Private Journey

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THE MIDDLE EARTH WONDERLAND of New Zealand offers every kind of adventure imaginable. Hike the world-famous Milford Track, with its spectacular lakes and silent fjords, then head to the remote northern end of glorious Abel Tasman National Park, a Pacific paradise of translucent blue waters, for hiking, exploring, and sea kayaking.

Below is an Itinerary-in-Brief. To view a complete Detailed Itinerary, Download Full Itinerary or Email our Area Specialist

Itinerary-in-Brief

Days 1-2
New Zealand’s Adventure Capital

Charming Queenstown is set in an impossibly beautiful spot—snuggled up against cobalt-blue Lake Wakatipu and the breathtaking Remarkable Mountains. This is the capital for adventure in New Zealand, and the possibilities are endless, from rafting or paragliding to bungee jumping off a bridge hundreds of feet above a turquoise river.

Days 3-5
Hiking the Milford Track in Spectacular Fiordland National Park

“The finest walk in the world” is the Milford Track, a long-distance hiking path that traverses the heart of New Zealand’s wildest fjord country. Few places on earth combine the Milford Track’s variety of precipitous mountains, high waterfalls, unbroken rainforests, lakes, and meadows. With your team of expert trail guides, begin the hike at the trailhead at the northern end of Lake Te Anau, majestic gateway to Fiordland World Heritage National Park. Cross the emerald-green Clinton River by swingbridge, hike up the forested Clinton Valley to the Hirere Falls lunch shelter, then continue to the Prairie, an open meadow with views of the ice-carved Clinton Canyon, with its walls towering to 4,000 feet. On your climb up and out of the valley, enjoy views of the spectacular cascades of St. Quintin Falls, then descend past towering rock cliffs, glacial streams, and moss-covered forest. On our Milford Track Guided Walk program, welcoming lodges greet you each night of the hike, offering a three-course dinner and a chance to toast to the day’s adventures with your guides. The camaraderie of your fellow hikers, usually hailing from around the world, is one of the delights of the hike.

Day 6
Mountains to the Sea

On this final hiking day, follow trails through luxuriant beech forest, with a view of Sutherland Falls and glimpses of Diamond Creek and Danger Mountain. After morning tea at Boatshed, cross the river by swingbridge and head to Giant’s Gate Falls for lunch. Catch a launch to a lodge right on the edge of magnificent Milford Sound, for a celebratory dinner with fellow hikers.

Day 7
Milford Sound

Journey by boat into this dramatic setting, one of the most spectacular meetings of sea and mountains on earth. Milford Sound—technically a fjord, not a sound—is flanked by dense thickets of austral rainforests and ringed by chiseled peaks. It is also a marine reserve where southern fur seals bask on the rocks, and pods of bottlenose and dusky dolphins are often seen performing leaps and flips. The gatekeeper of this famous fjord is mile-high Mitre Peak, with its incredible sheer rise skyward from the water’s edge. Return to Novotel Gardens in Queenstown this evening.

Days 8-10
Abel Tasman National Park

A sublime nature reserve of crystal-clear seas, golden sandy beaches, and spectacular coastal trails, Abel Tasman is a sparkling gem at the top of the South Island. There is no road access into this remote park and all of its magnificent forests are protected. Enjoy self-guided hikes on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track through magnificent native forests, breathtaking coastal trails, or optional guided sea kayaking.

Day 11
Depart

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Tour Costs

$3895 per person double occupancy
Single Supplement: $2850
Internal Airfare: $450 (Nelson/Awaroa/Nelson flight only) (subject to change)

*Prices valid through March 31, 2009

When to Go

Route Map

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