New Zealand

10 Day Secret South Safari

Start: Queenstown Visitors Centre, Cnr. Shotover & Camp Sts. 8.00am
Finish: Christchurch 7.00 pm
Grade: Medium - Some alpine hiking and uneven terrain

This safari takes you to areas of New Zealand seldom visited by other travellers. It starts with 4 days hiking and kayaking in Fiordland National Park. We then head to the Catlins, famous for its beautiful beaches and abundant wildlife - Hector's dolphins, New Zealand sea lions and yellow-eyed penguins. The Dunstan Trail is an old goldmining route that takes us across the Central Otago plateau. Then it's on to the Mount Cook region to view our highest mountain. In South Canterbury we hike to an old musterer's hut.

Day 1 (Sunday): Join tour in Queenstown 4 hours hiking.
We meet at the Queenstown Visitor's centre early in the morning and after a short briefing by our Guide, head south to Te Anau - a pretty town situated at the edge of Lake Te Anau. Taking its name from the caves discovered on the western shore, 'cave rushing water', Lake Te Anau is New Zealand's second largest lake. After collecting our food supplies we head up the Eglinton Valley and 'The Divide'. Here we hike with day packs, to Black Lake and Gertrude Saddle (optional), for amazing views down into Milford Sound (a fiord carved by a huge glacier). We return to the vehicle and set up camp. Introduction night.

Day 2 (Monday): Milford Sound 4 hours kayaking.
We rise early and drive through the Homer Tunnel and down to Milford Sound itself. Here we hire kayaks ($65 - optional) and kayak out into the fiord with its cascading waterfalls and views of Mitre Peak (1722 metres straight out of the sea). Fiordland crested penguins and New Zealand fur seals often play near our kayaks. After lots of stops for pictures and feeds of Rosco's famous scroggen, we head back to shore and drive back through the divide to our camp in the Eglinton Valley.

Day 3 (Tuesday): Fiordland National Park 5 hours hiking.
This morning we drive to Borland Saddle (1000 metres) in Fiordland National Park where we have lunch and organise food for our first overnight hike. The visual impact of this park is stunning - during the ice age, the glaciers gouged the fiords and lakes, hollowed out the rounded valleys, and shaped hard granite peaks of the mountains. There are different type of forest all over the park; on the eastern side red, silver and mountain beech fill the valleys, and in the northern sections, podocarp forests of matai, rimu, southern rata and totara can be found. From Borland Saddle we climb above the bush line onto the Hunter Range with great panoramic views into the Park. We traverse along these tops to Mt Burns (1634 metres - optional climb) and descend to Green Lake to camp.

Day 4 (Wednesday): Catlins Coast 3 hours hiking.
A leisurely breakfast in this most idyllic site, before hiking out through beech forest and across tussock basins to the road. An optional bush-bash back up to the vehicle or you can wait while the guide collects the vehicle and returns to pick the group up. Have lunch and then drive through to Invercargill for a food shop. This is the southernmost city in New Zealand and its roots, as reflected by its name, are from Scottish settlers who came here in the late 1800's. Many of the cities tree-lined streets bear the names of Scottish rivers, and this whole region is similar to homeland in its weather! We carry on to Curio Bay in the Catlins, an unspoiled scenic region of coast, rivers and podocarp forest - once an area inhabited by the infamous moa. We relax here and stay in a cosy crib (a New Zealand summerhouse). There is a chance to enjoy a swim in the sea and then a hot shower to complete our day.

Day 5 (Thursday): Cannibal Bay 2 hours hiking.
This morning we explore Curio Bay and perhaps swim with Hector's dolphins, which sometimes surf on the waves. We walk to a nearby tidal platform that contains tree stumps from a fossilised forest 180 million years old - it is one of the most extensive fossil forests in the world. The platforms are a palaeontologist's dream. The fossils are evidence of New Zealand's location in the ancient Gondwanaland; plant species identified here are similar to those found in South America. We drive along the coast and reach our next destination of Cannibal Bay. The bay takes its name from human bones discovered here and it is assumed that they were part of a Maori feast. We have a chance to see New Zealand sea-lion and yellow-eyed penguins, the rarest breeds of sea-lion and penguin in the world. We camp near the beach and prepare a hangi feast (Maori earth oven).

Day 6 (Friday): Central Otago 3 hours hiking.
Today is a travelling day. We spend most of the day driving through the barren high country landscape of Central Otago. During the nineteenth century, it was the lure of the gold that brought thousands of diggers to the Dunsten goldfields and places like Gabriels Gully where we stop for lunch and a swim. Today it is liquid gold in the form of vineyards that lures people to the area. Hopefully on our journey north we will learn about the extensive high country sheep stations, many measuring tens of thousands of hectares. We drive up alongside Lake Ohau and then pack gear for a short hike up through beech forest in Freehold creek to a sub-alpine camp on the bush line.

Day 7 (Saturday): Ohau Range 7 hours hiking.
Up early for a hearty breakfast, we leave our camp and head off with daypacks to explore a beautiful basin filled with tarns (small alpine lakes). The basin contains an incredible variety of alpine plants, including Spaniards (prickly), and the world's largest buttercup, named Mt Cook Lily (Ranunculus lyali), because of its large round lily-like leaves. The fit can climb up onto the Ohau range (1915 metres) to glimpse the views of the Southern Alps, including Mt Cook, and the Mackenzie Basin. We return to pack up our camp, and head out to the vehicle. We then drive on to Mt Cook village to camp beneath New Zealand's highest mountains.

Day 8 (Sunday): Mount Cook National Park 5 hours hiking.
We set off early with day packs to hike up to Sealy Tarns and Mueller Hut for views of the Hooker and Mueller glaciers, Mt Seefton icefall, and truly spectacular views of New Zealand's highest peak, Aoraki/Mt Cook - 3754 metres (the Maori name translates to 'Cloud Piercer'). On our walk we'll learn about glaciers, mountain building and the New Zealand climate. We descend back down to our vehicle and drive to the bottom end of Lake Pukaki - artificially raised 30 metres for hydroelectric power generation. This lake is a beautiful turquoise colour, and with our campsite on its shores, we relax with beautiful view across it to our highest peaks.

Day 9 (Monday): Mount Somers 2 hours hiking.
We continue on through the Mackenzie basin this morning, an area named after a legendary sheep rustler. We drive passed Lake Tekapo into South Canterbury and on to Mt Somers. We hike up to an abandoned coal mine and explore some relics, then onwards along the rim of a canyon to Woolshed Creek. We should experience several altitudinal plant sequences during our hike, along with regenerating beech forest. Amongst the birds seen during our hike, we might spot the New Zealand falcon flying in this area. We'll stay in an old musterer's hut and enjoy a bush sauna and a refreshing bath in a stream.

Day 10 (Tuesday): Ends Christchurch 5 hours hiking.
We spend our final day together exploring water caves (you get a bit wet!), Tri-falls stream and swims in Emerald Pool or under a pounding waterfall known as the 'Spa'. Before leaving this beautiful park we'll have lunch and then rock-hop down a river canyon (optional). Then we'll clean up the vehicle and sort our gear before driving across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. We arrive in the late afternoon and say our sad farewells to each other. Tour ends in Christchurch.

Price: NZ$1120 + NZ$20 per day for kitty (food +)

Dates: most Sundays

Hiking and Fitness
Grade : Medium - No previous hiking experience is required, but you need to be reasonably fit and enthusisatic
Hiking per day : Up to 7 hours - average 4-5 hours
Pack weight : Up to 12 kg
Altitude gain/day : Up to 700 metres - normally 200 metres
Terrain : Mostly tracks. Some may be slippery or rough; some off-track hiking and river crossings.

Accommodation will range from free wilderness camping to accommodation in some backcountry huts and cabins which you must pay for (allow $4 - $15 NZD per night).

Food is catered for by way of a food kitty system. Each person contributes approximately $10.00 NZD per day.

As walking tracks can be rough and slippery, good hiking boots are essential. You must also have a backpack (at least 50-litre capacity) and a warm sleeping bag. Both these can be hired for $50.00 NZD per item, per safari.

What to take
Essential items: Hiking boots (not shoes), backpack (at least 60 litres capacity), backpack liner (plastic bag), 3 season sleeping bag, waterproof raincoat, warm fleece / wool jersey (not cotton), shorts for hiking, polypro thermals - top and long-johns, 3 pairs of socks (they get wet), warm hat or balaclava, sunscreen and sunglasses, drink bottle (1 litre), spare shoes or sandals, flashlight / head lamp, insect repellent(sandflies like foreign blood), spare set of clothes.

Optional items: Therm-a-rest sleeping mat, gaiters, binoculars, gloves/mittens, earplugs, walking poles, camera.

We supply: Sleeping mats (dense foam), tents, cooking equipment, plates/cutlery, first aid kit, safety equipment and maps.

Luggage: We allow space for 120 litres per person (one large pack plus one day pack). You may be required to forward excess luggage if you exceed this. Any gear you do not need while hiking can be locked in the vehicle. Operator accepts no responsibility for security of your luggage. We highly recommend travel insurance.