New Zealand Walk

Begin our adventure today with lunch followed by a pleasant two-mile nature walk that descends through native bush abounding with birdlife to Bob’s Cove and its excellent lookout point. From here, we can see much of Lake Wakatipu and the distant Remarkables mountain range. This evening, join fellow travelers for a welcome reception and dinner.

Drive to the Routeburn Shelter this morning to begin a full-day, 10-mile hike on the Routeburn Track. Walk through a beautiful ancient beech forest festooned with mosses, lichens, ferns, waterfalls and a river gorge, enjoying lake and mountain views throughout.

Depart Queenstown aboard the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw, crossing Lake Wakatipu to reach Walter Peak Ranch. From there, we take the secluded ‘backroads’ to Te Anau, winding through rolling hills dotted with livestock, stopping en route for a picnic lunch.

Today’s walk on the Kepler Track begins with a scenic helicopter flight, a 10-minute ride from Te Anau to Luxmore Hut, the starting point for our 10-mile walk. Begin in the alpine terrain above the hut and then it’s all downhill from the bush line, where we can take in sweeping panoramas of the Te Anau basin and several mountain ranges along our route before making our way down to Brod Bay, passing limestone bluffs en route. At the end of our walk, take a short boat ride from Brod Bay back to Te Anau.

Take in the scenic views as we drive to Milford Sound for our water taxi ride to Sandfly Point, the start of our relatively flat, seven-mile Milford Track hike. After our walk, enjoy a cruise on beautiful Milford Sound and return to Te Anau by helicopter (weather permitting), with breathtaking views of some of the highest and most-photographed mountains of Fiordland National Park.

This morning board a private charter flight from Te Anau to Nelson. Upon arrival, visit Tatou Studio, a creative workspace and gallery dedicated to the preservation and evolution of authentic Māori art. Enjoy lunch in town before continuing to Kaiteriteri, located just south of Abel Tasman National Park. Check in to our eco-resort, which offers a vegetarian restaurant, a spa and swimming pool, and beautiful views of Kaiteriteri beach and estuary.

We spend today in Abel Tasman National Park, famous for its golden-sand beaches, turquoise waters, estuaries in their original untouched state, lush bush and excellent walking tracks. Our six-mile walk covers the park’s most diverse sea- and landscapes, through beautiful regenerating forest alive with birds and past spectacular views of extraordinarily colorful estuaries and landforms.

Today’s half-day, five-mile hike begins at Flora Car Park in Kahurangi National Park. The walk follows a ridge, winding through beech forest and groves of candelabra-like mountain neinei (a species of grass tree) as we make our way to Mount Arthur Hut. Return to the resort where we enjoy dinner this evening.

Depart Kaiteriteri this morning, crossing the top of the South Island to Marlborough. Upon arrival, enjoy lunch at a local winery before driving to Picton for a ferry ride to Motuara Island Bird Sanctuary. Here, we have the chance to spot several endemic birds, including the tūī, the New Zealand bellbird, cheeky robins and fantails, as well as numerous seabirds such as little blue penguins, gannets, white-faced herons, and kingfishers. Continue by ferry to our lodge, situated on the Queen Charlotte Track and accessible only by boat or helicopter.

Today we walk 10 miles of the spectacular Queen Charlotte Track, starting at Ship Cove and ending at Endeavour Inlet. The landscape is a mixture of stunning podocarp (a conifer) and beech forest dotted with punga ferns and other New Zealand native foliage. Enjoy a picnic lunch along the trail, returning to our lodge on foot and toasting our journey at a farewell dinner this evening.

After breakfast, board a private water taxi to Picton and then transfer to the Blenheim Airport for flights returning home.