Kea family trip 13 days - south island
Family trips are different to our regular adventure trips
and over the years weve entertained lots of families here in New
Zealand. The Kea is specially designed so that parents, teenagers and
children enjoy a range of activities together while still giving parents
the chance to get away on their own every now and then, while our specialist
Kea guides entertain the kids! The itinerary is flexible so we can make
adjustments on the road, the accommodations are family-friendly and
the meals are designed to suit all ages.
We venture into several national parks
including a memorable overnight hike in Mt. Aspiring National Park
a big hit with people of all ages! We also explore spectacular glaciers,
go jet boating on one of the largest braided river systems in New Zealand,
raft down a river gorge, kayak a remote West Coast lake and much more.
We maintain plenty of options for all ages and parents are often pleasantly
surprised when their teenagers and younger children enjoy the trip at
least as much as they do! Our family guides have lots of experience
guiding children and adults alike such as Christiaan (or Lofty
as he is more affectionately known) who has been teaching kayaking,
climbing and teambuilding skills to Kiwi kids for years and is now one
of our main Kea guides. New Zealand is a safe destination, and the Kea
family trip is an awesome adventure for the whole family. To enjoy all
the activities children should be nine years or older, but with notice
we can often take families with younger children too.
Tuesday - Arrive, wildlife reserve and
kiwi viewing
Most people leave the Northern Hemisphere
on a Sunday evening, arriving in Auckland early Tuesday morning. Youll
lose a day crossing the dateline but you get it back on the way
home! Youll take a short flight to Christchurch in the South Island
arriving by around 10am and well meet your family either in central
Christchurch, or at the airport. Our first port of call is Willowbank
Wildlife Reserve, where youll get a great introduction the wildlife
of a country that has been isolated from the rest of the world for over
80 million years! Youll experience many of New Zealands
creatures first hand Willowbank is unique in that you can enter
a lot of the animal enclosures and even pat some of the more friendly
critters! You can see tuatara lizards, the elusive kiwi, wallabies (small
kangaroos), and of course the namesake of our trip the kea
our cheeky mountain parrot. After an afternoon exploring, well
head south and inland to Methven.
ACCOMMODATION: Methven Lodge, Methven (L,D)
Wednesday - Jet boat the Rakaia Gorge and star-gazing
After a hearty breakfast and relaxed start
to the morning, we have an adventure planned that will knock your socks
off! Youll head out on a thrilling jet boat ride through the winding
Rakaia Gorge. Jet boats are fast and manoeuvrable and were originally
invented by New Zealander William Hamilton, to navigate our narrow shallow
rivers. Youll be jetting down rapids, braided river sections and
through shallow water less than a foot deep in places. This fun, yet
safe, activity is suitable for the whole family. From Methven, well
travel a short distance south to Peel Forest to hike through ancient
podocarp forest dense with many varieties of ferns. The fern is New
Zealands national symbol worn by many of our athletes, including
our famous rugby team the All Blacks. After lunch, well
travel inland to Mt. Cook, New Zealands highest mountain, and
Lake Pukaki an unworldly turquoise-blue coloured glacial lake.
In less than 48 hours weve travelled from New Zealands second
largest city into the heart of the wilderness. Tonight, the wide open
spaces, regular clear evenings and lack of artificial light gives us
the perfect opportunity to gaze at the Southern Hemispheres constellations,
including the Southern Cross and Orions Belt. Lofty particularly
enjoys teaching the kids a bit of basic southern astronomy, and hell
really bring the sky alive.
ACCOMMODATION: Glentanner Lodgings, Mt. Cook (B,L,D)
Thursday - Hike Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park
This morning well take a short drive
to Mt. Cook village at the head of Lake Pukaki. We have a few hikes
to choose from in this area and our favourite is the stunning and little-known
day hike (weather permitting) to the main ridge above Mueller Glacier.
Its a tough slog, but its a real achievement for the whole
family to share and youll remember the view of the Mueller Glacier
and the surrounding peaks of the Main Divide forever! Of course, nothings
mandatory and we always have plenty of options, so there are easier
hikes available too. The weather conditions are very important in this
area, as it is a true alpine climate that sometimes has sudden weather
shifts. If we arent able to do the Mueller hike, well take
an impressive hike up the Hooker Valley to a glacial lake at the base
of Hooker Glacier, complete with icebergs!
ACCOMMODATION: Glentanner lodgings (B,L,D)
Friday - Rafting near Queenstown
Today well head through the mountains
to Queenstown. Well stop along the way for the best ice creams
in the whole of New Zealand youll soon find out why! Well
then continue on through fruit orchards and vineyards before arriving
in Queenstown for a family rafting trip in Skippers Canyon. Set in a
deep, beautiful, rose-lined schist gorge, its a spectacular trip
perfect for the whole family. Well have the next few days
in Queenstown, so youll have plenty of time to wander about and
explore while youre here, and youll find all sorts of options
to keep you and the kids busy.
The Kea trip operates year around, with minor changes
for the New Zealand winter. From June to September, rather than rafting
we continue on to Queenstown and jump aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw
steamship for a cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station.
At Walter Peak youll have a chance to learn about farming and
what life was like for the pioneers on this remote station. The views
back across Lake Wakatipu to Queenstown are amazing too.
ACCOMMODATION: Queenstown apartments, Queenstown (B,L)
Saturday - Free day in Queenstown
We are based in Queenstown for a good reason - its
the adventure capital of New Zealand! Youll find all the comforts
of civilization here, and plenty of family entertainment: lakeside walks,
gondola and luge rides, restaurants and cinemas. There are also some
more adventurous activities such as bungy jumping, horse trekking, skydiving
and fishing too - its all here! Queenstown is not a big place
- the population is about 8000 - so if you decide to take a break its
the perfect place to relax and just soak up the atmosphere. Your time
in Queenstown also offers the perfect opportunity to take a day trip
or overnight excursion to the world famous Milford Sound, in Fiordland
National Park. At the time of booking, or up until one month before
your trip let us know if you would like to do either of these options
and well be happy to arrange this for you.
A great winter option (June to September) for the family
is to spend a couple of days skiing or snowboarding at one of three
local ski areas: Coronet Peak, the Remarkables and Cardrona. If you
would like to go skiing while you are here, let us know and we will
be happy to organize this for you! (Skiing option includes transport,
lift pass and equipment rental and is about US$100 per adult, slightly
less for children).
ACCOMMODATION: Queenstown apartments (B)
Sunday - Explore Queenstown
Today you can check out more of the amazing
scenery and history of the area with your guide, or you can do your
own thing with your family. This is also a great chance for parents
to have some time on their own while we look after the kids. Well
take a short drive to the historic village of Arrowtown and explore
an old Chinese goldmining area. Chinese immigrants travelled to New
Zealand during the gold rush, and like many New Zealand pioneering stories,
theirs is one of adversity and adaptation. You can try your hand at
gold panning in 2006 a man found a gold nugget worth $15,000
in this area, so you never know your luck! After lunch, we have a couple
of options including a hike up Queenstown Hill, cycling around the lake
front or even a game of frisbee golf in the Queenstown Botanical Gardens.
ACCOMMODATION: Queenstown apartments (B,L)
Monday - Start Mt. Aspiring National Park and Wanaka
options
This morning well leave Queenstown and
head over the Crown Range to Wanaka. At the time of booking, you have
the choice of one of two different 2-day/1-night options a backpacking
trip in Mt. Aspiring National Park, or an overnight stay at Wanaka
a small alpine village on the shores of Lake Wanaka. After lunch, we
head off for our various activities:
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MT. ASPIRING NATIONAL PARK OPTION
Monday (continued) - Overnight hike in Mt.
Aspiring National Park
After leaving Wanaka well venture
up the Matukituki Valley and hike two to three hours into Mt.
Aspiring National Park, to reach our home for the evening
a mountain hut nestled in the valley. The track meanders through
a World Heritage Area with majestic peaks, fresh mountain streams
and natural beech forest. Everyone will carry a pack, but it wont
weigh much more than a regular day pack. Youll be carrying
a sleeping bag, a few spare clothes and some food no need
for any more than that, and we can provide tents and camping gear
if you want to camp under the stars. Mt. Aspiring Hut is a spacious
and modern mountain hut, albeit in the middle of nowhere, and
the scenery is off the charts with Mt. Aspiring looming 10,000
feet above you. For such a short walk, its amazing how far
youll feel from civilisation! Your guide will whip up dinner
in the backcountry kitchen, while you and the kids relax in front
of the fireplace and play cards or tell tall stories! To minimise
our impact on this beautiful but fragile environment, we limit
availability on this option.
ACCOMMODATION: Mt. Aspiring Hut (B,L,D)
Tuesday Hike to trailhead
We have a leisurely start today, enjoying breakfast
and a cuppa while admiring the view, before hiking back to the
trailhead. Along the way we might encounter the cheeky kea again
this time in its natural habitat and though we dont
feed them, youll find they come really close in the hope
youll throw some chocolate their way!
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WANAKA OPTION
Monday (continued) - Explore
Wanaka
Wanaka is a charming country town
set on the edge of our fourth largest lake and surrounded by
an amphitheatre of mountains. There are great walking trails
and biking tracks in the area as well as options like indoor
climbing (suitable for beginners and experts), jet boating or
a visit to the famed Fighter Pilots Museum, home to an amazing
collection of old fighter planes. Your time in Wanaka is also
a great chance to just soak up the atmosphere, whether youre
skipping stones on the lakes edge or relaxing by the fire
at the lodge.
ACCOMMODATION: Wanaka Lodge, Wanaka
(B,L,D)
Tuesday - Relax at Wanaka
After a relaxed breakfast youll
have the morning to do your own thing before meeting up with
the rest of the group
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Tuesday (continued) - Delve into Puzzling World
After regrouping at Wanaka well head
to Puzzling World for a run around one of the worlds largest modern
mazes with over a mile of passageways. Kids of all ages really enjoy
trying to beat our wily guides through the labyrinth! Tonight we spend
the evening in a lovely family-style homestead in Makarora, and share
stories about our experiences over the last couple of days.
ACCOMMODATION: The Homestead, Makarora (B,L,D)
Wednesday - Explore West Coast forests and beaches,
discover glow wormss
This morning well travel over Haast
Pass to the wild West Coast, stopping on a deserted West Coast beach
to stretch our legs and look out for friendly dolphins that often pass
by this area. A little further north takes us to Lake Matheson for a
short walk where you will be rewarded with awesome vistas of the Southern
Alps stretching away to Mt. Cook in the distance. This afternoon well
get settled into our accommodations in Franz Josef, where well
be staying for the next two nights. After dark we can head out with
flashlights for a short night walk to look for the native glow worm
and to listen for some of New Zealands nocturnal birdlife,
such as the Morepork.
ACCOMMODATION: Franz Josef Lodgings, Franz Josef (B,L,D)
Thursday - Kayak Lake Mapourika, explore Franz Josef
Glacier
Its an early start this morning for
our kayaking trip on Lake Mapourika. This ancient lake was formed during
the last ice age and its tranquility provides a great introduction to
kayaking. This is an awesome trip, run by specialist kayak outfitters,
and its equally suitable for beginners or experts alike. After
lunch back in Franz Josef, well take a hike up to the terminal
face of the Franz Josef Glacier for some breathtaking views. Franz Josef
Glacier is one of the steepest and fastest moving glaciers in the world,
and is unique in that it descends right down through the lush rainforest,
almost to sea-level, from its névé high in the Southern
Alps.
Heli-hike option (add US$299 + tax)
An outrageously scenic option today after
your kayaking is to heli-hike on Franz Josef Glacier itself. After being
fitted with crampons, ice axes and so on, youll board a modern
turbine helicopter and fly towards the highest peaks of the Southern
Alps, landing on the glacier at 4,000 feet above sea level. Led by specialist
glacier guides, youll hike through the grand ice formations of
the glacier, checking out its crevasses, seracs and tunnels no
previous experience required! The constant movement of the glacier means
every day is different, so your guides will cut steps in the ice, and
make sure you make the most of the conditions. At the end of your hike
on the ice, youll take another helicopter ride out of the mountains,
and back to civilisation. The heli-hike is extremely
popular, so we offer advance reservations with the helicopter operators
and guiding company. At the time of booking, or up until one month before
your trip, you can reserve a space on the heli-hike, and well
make sure a spot is held for you. You can leave your decision until
youre actually on your trip, and well get you a spot if
its available.
After weve finished our various activities, well rendezvous
at our accommodations for the night.
ACCOMMODATION: Franz Josef Lodgings (B,L,D)
Friday - Bushman's Centre and free time in Hokitika
Today well head further up the coast
to the Bushmans Centre a living museum that
combines an inter-active history of the West Coasts early settlers
with the chance to introduce the kids to brush-tail possums. Well
then continue to Hokitika, where you can spend a little time checking
out the local art galleries and pounamu carving workshops (pounamu
is Maori for jade). The beach here is also a great place for playing
games or making sculptures out of the driftwood and rocks washed up
on the beach.
ACCOMMODATION: Hokitika beachfront lodging, Hokitika
(B,L,D)
Saturday - Farm show and hike Castle Hill Basin
This morning, well head to the start
of our last hike together, to the top of Flock Hill near Cave Stream
in the Southern Alps. Its a bit of a climb, but its worth
every step as we arrive at an eerie limestone landscape where much of
the movie Narnia the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
was filmed. After lunch, well head to the small farming community
of Springfield at the foothills of the mountains, where well check
out a working New Zealand high-country sheep farm. Well watch
highly trained huntaway dogs rounding up stock and see a live sheep
shearing demonstration. All the kids (young and old!) will have the
chance to join in and give sheep shearing a go. This afternoon, we head
to Flock Hill Station a stunning location for our final night
together.
ACCOMMODATION: Flock Hill Lodge, Flock Hill (B,L,D)
Sunday - Depart for home
In the morning well travel back to Christchurch,
where we started our adventure 13 days ago. Well arrive by lunchtime,
so any international flights after 2pm are ideal, and we can make 1pm
domestic flights with a little notice. International flights from Auckland
usually leave early evening, so if youre heading back to North
America, youll get home some time on Sunday, even though you left
on Sunday evening! Flights back to Europe, of course, take a little
longer. Your family will be refreshed, invigorated, and have lasting
memories of the exercise, adventures, great food, rest and fun times
youll have had with us in New Zealand! (B,L)
DATES: 2009 - Mar 31 09 - Apr 12
09, Jun 30 09 - Jul 12 09, Jul 21 09 - Aug 2 09, Aug 4 09 - Aug 16 09,
Aug 18 09 - Aug 30 09, Dec 15 09 - Dec 27 09, Dec 22 09 - Jan 3 10,
Dec 29 09 - Jan 10 10
2010 - Jan 19 10 - Jan 31 10, Feb 16 10 - Feb 28 10, Mar 9 10
- Mar 21 10, Mar 30 10 - Apr 11 10, Jun 29 10 - Jul 11 10
INCLUDED: The trip fare is US$2799
+ 12.5% government taxes for adults, and US$1999 + tax for children
15 and under. We quote all prices in US dollars, so our guests from
all over the world can more easily relate prices to their own currencies.
You can also join for shorter periods of time, at a pro-rated fare.
The trip fare includes just about everything, specifically:
* All guiding services. We always have
at least two guides per trip.
* Comfortable accommodation for the entire period you are with us. We
can also organize accommodation for you if you want to arrive earlier
or leave later.
* All your meals, except in Queenstown where weve found people
prefer to check out the wide range of restaurants. Alcohol is not generally
included, although we do spring for a few drinks here and there!
* All hiking and kayaking described in the itinerary, except optional
extra activities, such as the heli-hike at Franz Josef. We have estimated
the rates for optional extra activities operated by local activity operators
in US dollars, but these rates may vary according to the USD/NZD exchange
rate of the day. There are many optional activities available at extra
cost, particularly in Queenstown. None of these activities are compulsory,
and nor will your trip seem less awesome if you do the cheap or free
options. Although some people enjoy sampling hang gliding, bungy jumping,
skydiving, and so on, others prefer to focus more on the hiking, paddling
and cycling, which is of course the reason youre coming to New
Zealand in the first place!
ACCOMMODATIONS: The Kea family trip
is an activity-oriented trip around the South Island. Weve chosen
interesting, comfortable and family-friendly accommodations throughout.
Where possible we will provide accommodation with two bedrooms for your
family. In some places its quite luxurious but many of the other
places we stay are off-the-beaten-track and dont have many
accommodation options but are really, really spectacular. We
think youll love the places we stay!
RECOMMENDED FLIGHTS: If youre flying in
on the first day of the trip, or out on the last day, we recommend arriving
in Christchurch by approximately 9 - 10am on Tuesday, and departing
from Christchurch after 1 - 2pm on Sunday. Other flight times may also
be possible if you are considering alternative flight times please
let us know.
PICK UP INFORMATION: On the first day of the trip we can either
pick you up from the Holiday Inn City Centre in Christchurch at 10.30am,
or at the domestic terminal at Christchurch Airport in front of the
information desk at 11am.
DROP OFF INFORMATION: On the last day of the
trip we can drop you off at Christchurch airport in time for the flights
above, or anywhere in central Christchurch in mid-afternoon.
TRIP DIRECTION: To keep our group sizes down,
we run the Kea in two different directions around the South Island
southbound and northbound (refers to initial direction of travel from
Christchurch). This itinerary happens to be written up in the southbound
format. Whichever trip you take, youll do all the activities weve
mentioned, just in a different order. The Kea is a product of many years
of evolution and fine-tuning it works well whichever direction
you go.
FITNESS: You and your kids need to have a reasonable
level of fitness to enjoy yourself on the Kea family trip, but no more
than the average family. This trip is all about family fun so the activities
are suitable even for people with short legs! If youre concerned
about your fitness level, or whether your kids are up to it, have a
chat with us so we can help you choose between the Kea family trip and
our other trips.
EXPERIENCE: You dont need any outdoor experience
at all to enjoy our trips. All our trips allow you to make the most
of New Zealands incredible environment. Our experienced guides
are highly trained and will look after you and your kids. You dont
need to have ever been in a kayak to enjoy kayaking Lake Mapourika or
in a raft or jet boat to enjoy those activities either. All we ask is
that you be in reasonable shape, and that everyones keen to have
fun in New Zealands amazing outdoor playground. We guarantee youll
have an incredible time. We manage the level of commitment to suit your
experience, and we have an impeccable safety record. We hold all relevant
government licenses and permits.
FLEXIBILITY: Because of the off-the-beaten-path
and non-commercial nature of some of our accommodation on this trip,
we sometimes need to change a night stop. We try to make as few changes
as possible but we might have to make slight changes to make sure your
trip is as good as it can be.
We'll see you soon!