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Southern Connection

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13 Day Adventure Travel South Island Wellington to Christchurch

Highlights: Come with us while we explore magnificent New Zealand on our New Zealand South Island Travel Adventure. Over 13 days you will travel from Wellington to Christchurch and sea kayak the Queen Charlotte Sounds, take a nature cruise on magnificent Milford Sound, explore Tea Anau Glowworm Caves, and hike on a glacier! Plus lots more!

Itinerary

Day 1         Wellington to Picton

Free morning to explore the city & surrounds. A visit to Te Papa, the national museum, is highly recommended. Board the Interislander ferry this afternoon for the scenic three hour crossing through the Marlborough Sounds to the picturesque fishing village of Picton, our home for the next 2 nights. (D)

Day 2         Queen Charlotte Sound

Enjoy a special day of exploration as you travel through Queen Charlotte Sound, revelling in the unfolding vistas along the way. Travel by water taxi to Kenepuru Sound. Meet with your guides and after your safety briefing, paddle in your sea kayak to Broughton Bay, stopping at a sandy beach for morning tea en-route. On arrival, transfer to nearby Waterfall Bay & the Queen Charlotte track. Enjoy a 12km scenic hike to Anikiwa, walking through magical native bush full of towering Rimu, Beech & tree ferns as you descend to the waters edge. (A mountain bike option is available for experienced riders) (B, L).

Day 3         Picton to Kaikoura

Enjoy a sleep in this morning after a big day! Early afternoon, board the TranzCoastal train to the seaside settlement of Kaikoura, situated on a narrow strip of coastline mid-way between Picton & Christchurch, with majestic mountains to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. (B).

Day 4        Kaikoura to Christchurch

Today is free for optional sightseeing activities like whale watching tours by boat or plane, swimming with dolphins, bush walks & cultural experiences with local Maori. Later today, reboard the TranzCoastal for the journey to Christchurch. Over the 2 days, you will have travelled through 22 tunnels & crossed 175 bridges.

Day 5        Christchurch to Lake Tekapo

Travel to the world heritage-listed Mt Cook National Park with over 70,000 hectares of breathtaking alpine scenery. This afternoon, experience the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake and icebergs up close on the only tour of its kind in New Zealand. Local guides whisk us away in a stable MAC boat to explore the melting ice face of the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand's largest, and you'll be able to touch

& taste 500 year old ice. After dinner, explore the southern sky with expert astronomy guides. (D)

Day 6         Lake Tekapo to Te Anau

A big drive today as we journey through the Lindis Pass to Cromwell. Travel through rolling countryside to Te Anau. Nestled on the edge of the south island's largest lake, it boasts a spectacular backdrop of Mt Luxmore, the Murchison mountains and Fiordland National Park. (B)

Day 7        Milford Sound & Te Anau Glowworm Caves

Travel through the famous hand strewn Homer Tunnel as you enter Milford Sound, a spectacular 22km fiord dominated by the awesome Mitre Peak. Board your vessel & cruise the full length of the fiord to the Tasman Sea. View waterfalls, rainforest, mountains & wildlife with experienced nature guides. Return to Te Anau & cruise across to the western shores of the lake. Join up with your nature guide for your Glowworm Caves experience both above & below ground. In geological terms, the caves are very young (around 12000 years old) and are still being carved out by the force of the river that flows through them. Deep inside the caves, you'll be taken by small boat into a silent, hidden grotto inhabited by thousands of glowworms.

Day 8         Te Anau to Queenstown

Skirt the shores of Lake Wakatipu as you enter the beautiful alpine village of Queenstown, widely regarded as New Zealand's premiere holiday destination & adventure capital.

(An optional day excursion to Doubtful Sound is available today from Te Anau & will return you to Queenstown in the evening ... prebooking is recommended)

Day 9 & 10        Queenstown

Enjoy two full days to experience this magnificent resort. Queenstown boasts adventure activities in all forms ... from extreme to relaxed exploration. Activities include white water rafting, river surfing, bungy jumping, wine trails, mountain biking, tandem paragliding, sailing, golf, horse riding ...the options are endless & will cater to all interests. However, no stay in Queenstown is complete without an exhilarating ride on the iconic, award winning Shotover Jet Boat and this has been

included in your tour. Enjoy the thrills of skimming past rocky outcrops at close range as you twist & turn through the narrow canyons of the Shotover Gorge at breathtaking speed.

Day 11        Queenstown to West Coast Glaciers

Stop at the historic, gold mining village of Arrowtown. Then view incredible scenery as you travel past the untouched native forests & pristine lakes of the Westland National Park & Haast Pass as you travel to the glacier townships of Fox Glacier & Franz Josef.

Day 12        West Coast Glaciers to Greymouth

Your guide will lead you onto the ice of Franz Josef Glacier via a track through regenerating rainforest. You'll be supplied with sturdy leather boots & instep crampons, specially designed for the ice conditions. Make your way up the terminal face of the glacier traversing spectacular tracks of only moderate difficulty. Your guide will pass on fascinating details of the natural history of this awesome landscape. Continue north along the rugged west coast to Greymouth.

Day 13        Punakaiki, TranzAlpine, Christchurch

At Punakaiki, view the incredible limestone formations that make up the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. Then it's back to board The TranzAlpine, rated as one of the most scenic train journeys in the world. Travel coast to coast through the awesome Southern Alps, crossing spectacular river gorges and crossing massive viaducts en route to Christchurch.

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