10 Day South Island Tour

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1 10 Day South Island Tour Price $ 1795 This is an amazing 10-day tour to see the best of the South. We only take small groups, so it is easy to make new friends, explore more places, enjoy delicious restaurant food and experience some of the most exciting activities that are on offer. Each day is a new adventure as you are driven in comfort and shown around by very experienced, fun guides who are there to make your tour the best part of your stay in New Zealand. What s included? Where do we go? Options to start in Wellington, Nelson or Motueka, saving you money! Cruise across Cook Strait Sea kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park Easy hike through lush New Zealand rain forest Milford Sound cooked breakfast and cruise Glacier hotpools Puzzling World Lots of opportunities for optional extras like bungy and a skydive Greenstone factory visit Guided walk to Franz Josef Glacier face walk Seal colony visit - Westport Punakaiki Rocks aka Pancake Rocks Comfortable, 5-star safety rating small coach. Airport transfer - we pick you up and drop you off at the airport All accommodation at clean youth hostels in private and safe dorm rooms. Tasty meals - 9 breakfast, 8 dinners Experienced, welcoming and fun tour guides Small groups, making it easier to stop at every opportunity. There are many! 2 nd 11 th October th 13 th December 2018 Tour dates How to book Book Online: or download a booking form Call: info@learningjourneys.co.nz

2 Day 1 Wellington Welcome to Wellington, a cosmopolitan city with an energetic personality, and famous for its vibrant culture. Fuelled by its great food and shopping, you will be able to see for yourself what makes Wellington such a unique city. Meet your guide at the Wellington Domestic Airport at 2pm. Visit Te Papa New Zealand s national museum or free time to shop and explore the city. Day 2 Wellington to Nelson Overnight Wellington Nelson is known for its diverse geography, capturing everything from long golden beaches to untouched forests and rugged mountains. Cross to the South Island by inter-island ferry this morning and cruise the spectacular Marlborough Sounds, ancient sunken river valleys filled by the Pacific Ocean. Travel towards Nelson, in Golden Bay, Pelorus Bridge Reserve is perfectly placed to break your journey. Take a short walk to stretch your legs and soak up the beautiful forest and river scenery. You ll arrive in Nelson, access point to Abel Tasman National Park, late afternoon, with time to look around or we will drive to Motueka (subject to available accommodation). Overnight Nelson or Motueka Day 3 Nelson via Abel Tasman National Park to Franz Josef Abel Tasman National Park is a wilderness reserve at the north end of New Zealand s South Island. This coastal paradise has a mild climate, inviting sandy beaches, and lush native bush cloaking the granite and marble formations fringing the tidelines. The reserve is home to little blue penguins, bottlenose dolphins and seals. Kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park. Paddle your way through crystal blue water, alongside stunning beaches, native forest and offshore islands, all the while keeping your eyes open for beautiful marine wildlife. After lunch at Apple Tree Bay, swap your paddle for your walking shoes and take a short hike through native rainforest. This afternoon, you will drive to the West Coast and Cape Foulwind. Get up close (but not too close) to a seal colony, a lighthouse and panoramic views of mountains. Overnight Motueka or Westport.

3 Day 4 Westport to Franz Josef Depart Westport and travel to the famous Pancake Rocks and Blowholes (Punakaiki Rocks) which were formed under the sea 30 million years ago. The walk around them has some great photo opportunities and, if the wind and tide are right, amazing blowholes. On your way to Franz Josef visit a greenstone factory. Hokitika is the jade (or Pounamu) capital of New Zealand. There you will find artisans carving jade into traditional Maori or modern NZ designs. This is one of the best places to buy genuine New Zealand greenstone. In the evening take a short walk in the dark through native forest to see glow worms. Or enjoy the ultimate hot spring experience, with a hot relaxing soak at the Glacier. Overnight Franz Josef Day 5 Franz Josef to Wanaka Enjoy World Heritage Westland National Park as you travel south today with its ancient temperate rainforest and glacial landforms. Stopping often to absorb the stunning scenery and splendid isolation: beech forest, waterfalls, remote beaches, possible sightings of seals, sea-lions and endangered Hector s dolphins before crossing the Divide via the Haast Pass to Wanaka. After breakfast today, try a tandem skydive (optional extra), in one of the most spectacular places in the world, with its mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers and ocean views. Students who don t skydive will take a short walk to Lake Matheson, the so-called mirror lake named for its incomparable reflection of nearby snow-capped peaks. Next enjoy a breath taking guided glacier walk up to the terminal face lookout of New Zealand's largest commercially guided glacier, the Franz Josef glacier. Stop at Ship s Cove, Knight s Point, Thunder Creek, the Blue Pools as time allows. Arrive in Wanaka with time to spare to explore this vibrant town with its spectacular landscapes. Overnight Wanaka.

4 Day 6 Wanaka to Te Anau Wanaka, a picture-perfect resort town on New Zealand's South Island, is set on the southern end of its namesake lake with views of snowcapped mountains. It's the gateway to the Southern Alps' Mount Aspiring National Park, a wilderness of glaciers, beech forests and alpine lakes. Enjoy breakfast as you gaze out of the hostel s dining room at Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps. Start the day at Puzzling World where seeing is not always believing. This is a world unique attraction specialising in puzzles and illusions and has amazed visitors of all ages for over 35 years. Next, it s on to the famous Kawarau Gorge AJ Hackett Bungy to visit The Secrets of Bungy. This is the site of the World s very first bungy operation and it s still one of the busiest in the world. As an optional extra you can try a bungy jump and throw yourself off a bridge, diving 43 metres to the river below where you can choose to dip your head and shoulders in the crystal-clear waters. Our last stop on route today is historic Arrowtown, once a rich gold mining centre in the days of the Otago Gold Rush, so you can enjoy the cafes and shops. Tonight, you will stay in Te Anau, nestled on the edge of a beautiful lake, of the same name, with a spectacular backdrop of Mt Luxmore and the Murchison mountains. Overnight Te Anau Day 7 Te Anau - Queenstown Today we start the day off bright and early, along through the New Zealand's most scenic highway where a cooked breakfast awaits on board your cruise boat. Set deep in World Heritage Fiordland National Park, your Milford Sound Cruise will take you the length of the fiord out to the Tasman Sea, stopping at waterfalls and points of interest along the way. Nowhere else in Fiordland do the mountains stand so tall, straight out of the sea. Luxuriant rainforest clings to sheer rock walls and waterfalls tumble hundreds of metres to the sea below. From Milford sound, we drive back along the picturesque highway towards Queenstown stopping along the way, to enjoy and photograph the amazing Mirror lakes and take in breath-taking mountain views, the Chasm where rushing rivers and streams have cut their way through the rocks to form gorges and caves and other highlights as time allows. You will also see kea, a New Zealand native alpine parrot and the only parrot in the world that can live above the snowline. Finish the day by the side of Queenstown s stunning Lake Wakatipu at sunset. Overnight Queenstown

5 Day 8 Free day Queenstown Enjoy your breakfast then it s your choice of activity on your free day in Queenstown. Remember, Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand. Whatever you choose, we will help you book it and make sure you get to the right place on time. Some examples of the activities you can select are:- Jet-boating, white water rafting, tandem skydiving, bungy jumping, horse-trekking into Lord of the Rings film locations, paragliding and lots more. (Additional cost) Because we limit the size of our trips, we can be extremely flexible helping you with your choices, and if the weather is too bad for skydiving for example, we can usually rearrange it for another. You and your friends are free in the evening to enjoy a meal at a café or restaurant of your choice or perhaps another Ferg Burger! Overnight Queenstown Day 9 Queenstown to Lake Tekapo Picturesque by day and dazzling by night, Lake Tekapo is part of a UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve, making it the perfect spot for stargazing. Lake Tekapo is about three hours drive south-west of Christchurch in the Mackenzie Basin. The township faces north across the remarkable turquoise coloured lake to the mountainous drama of the Southern Alps. Lake Tekapo gets its intense milky-turquoise colour from the fine rock-flour (ground by glaciers) which is suspended in the water. Overnight Lake Tekapo See the famous Church of the Good Shepherd. Then either enjoy a hot soak under stars (optional extra) or join other keen sky gazers at the top of Mt. St John to use their telescopes under the guidance of experts (optional extra). Day 10 Lake Tekapo to Christchurch We ll have our final breakfast together and a chance to buy last minute gifts and souvenirs before we board the coach for Christchurch. In Christchurch, we ll have a look at the city, including the well-known Container Mall, to see how the brave people of Christchurch are rebuilding their city after the quake in Then we head for the airport by Those of you with later flights may choose to go to the Antarctic Centre (optional extra) which is right next door. Before you leave your guides will make sure you have details of the Learning Journeys Facebook page so that you can see all the trip photos. We can also send you a link, so you can download your favourite photos at high resolution.