| Hiking
Safaris are for people looking for a unique
hiking experience that combines multi-day hikes
with kayaking, caving and camping. An unforgettable
outdoor experience in remote wilderness areas with
a small and social group. Hikers participate in
all aspects of the safari; decision making, cooking,
and camp set-up.
Click here
for alternative options:
- Coast & Canyons
- the first five days of the West Coast Wilderness
- The World Heritage Wanderer
- the final seven days of the West Coast Wilderness
Your
Hiking Safari Tour Itinerary
Day 1 Join tour in Nelson
Begin with a drive to Flora Saddle, where we have
lunch and pack gear. Start 2-day hike through beech
forest on a pack track down the Flora Stream then
up to tussock-covered tablelands of Kahurangi National
Park. Stay overnight in a natural rock shelter.
Introduction night.
4 hours hiking
Day 2 Buller Gorge
Up early to explore sinkholes. Hike up over Gordon's
Pyramid (1501m), past limestone karst to Mount Arthur
(1795m). Return to Flora Saddle and drive to a character
cottage overlooking the Buller Gorge. Enjoy a home
cooked meal made from locally grown organic produce.
7 hours hiking
Day 3 Paparoa National Park
Visit a breeding colony of NZ fur seals (once almost
hunted to extinction), then head south to Paparoa
National Park and begin 2-day hike up 'Rivendell'
canyon to the Ballroom Overhang to camp with elves.
4 hours hiking
Day 4 Punakaiki
Hike up a side canyon with a refreshing swim to
see glow-worms. Explore caves with stalactites and
stalagmites. Hike back down river, then to overnight
accommodation in Punakaiki. Coastal walks in the
afternoon.
6 hours hiking
Day 5 Okarito
Check out the Pancake rocks, then drive south to
Greymouth to pick up food and fellow hikers. Drive
to the coastal settlement of Okarito. Camp by the
beach and enjoy a hangi and beach bonfire.
2 hours hiking
Day 6 Okarito
Optional morning kayak on Okarito Lagoon. Catch
the in-going tide into the lagoon to see birdlife,
including white herons, godwits, black swans, and
tui. Explore channels into kahikatea forest. Return
to camp. Free time to wander along this remote beach,
hike up to a viewpoint, or just relax in the afternoon.
4 hours kayaking plus optional hiking.
Day 7 Fox Glacier
A short drive takes us to Fox Glacier, which descends
from the mountain tops into rain forest. Take a
guided walk on the glacier with seracs, crevasses
and ice caves. Join your guide for an optional hike
in the National Park. Stay in cabins.
4 hours hiking
Day 8 Welcome Flat
Start 3-day hike up Copland Valley through podocarp
forest across swingbridges to Welcome Flat. Stay
in hut or camp. Relax weary muscles with a soak
in natural hotpools with magnificent views of 3000m-peaks
within Westland National Park.
7 hours hiking
Day 9 Welcome Flat
Rest day, but the keen can explore this alpine valley.
Boulder hop up to waterfalls for a refreshing shower
and great views of Aoraki/Mt Cook (3754m). Return
to the hut and the hotpools.
4 hours hiking
Day 10 Moeraki
Hike back down the Copland Valley stopping for a
swim (optional) and lunch by this glacial-fed river.
Stop at Ship Creek and look out for Hector dolphins.
Drive south to Moeraki. Camp at an isolated site
with a feed of fresh salmon baked on a campfire.
6 hours hiking
Day 11 Tour ends in Queenstown
Drive over Haast Pass to Lake Wanaka for lunch,
swims, and vehicle clean-up. Plenty of short hikes
to choose from as we drive over Haast Pass. Continue
to Queenstown via the Crown Range arriving early
evening.
2 hours hiking
Day 5- Franz Josef Glacier and Mt Cook
Alternative
Options
If you won't or can't do the whole trip,
why not split it?
There are two options available:
-
Coast & Canyons - the first
five days of the West Coast Wilderness
Four hiking-filled days away from the hustle of
mainstream tourism. Two excellent overnight hikes
including the alpine ranges of Kahurangi National
Park, to the crystal clear rivers in the limestone
canyons of Paparoa National Park. Stay at an organic
farm in the Buller Gorge and feast on a home grown
meal between hikes. Start the fifth days exploring
the unusual Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. Finish the
Coast and Canyons in Greymouth with the option to
ride the afternoon TranzAlpine train ($139) back
to Christchurch
- The World Heritage Wanderer
- the final seven days of the West Coast Wilderness
Seven days of outdoor adventure! Kayak across New
Zealand's largest unmodified wetland and into the
river delta surrounded by towering kahikatea trees.
Help prepare and eat a hangi meal on Okarito beach.
Join a guided glacier hike on Fox Glacier and explore
seracs, ice caves and crevasses. Hike up the Copland
Valley and spend two nights soaking in natural hot
pools gazing at 3000-metre peaks. End this amazing
week in the adventure capital of New Zealand - Queenstown.
Enquire
here for more information.
Some
useful information:
Grading & Fitness
Grade: D
Average 4-5 hours physical activity per day, up
to 7 hours on longer days.
Pack weights of 12-15 kgs on some days.
Altitude gains of up to 800 metres.
Some uneven track surfaces and river crossings.
Agility and fitness required.
No previous hiking experience is
required, but you need to be reasonably fit and
enthusiastic.
Guides & Safety
Your enthusiastic New Zealand
guides have a thorough knowledge of natural history
and will enjoy sharing and discussing this with
you. Each has over a decade of outdoor experience;
their knowledge of the back-country and weather
will ensure a safe trip. In addition, they are all
trained in mountain first aid. The guides enjoy
meeting and getting to know new people and have
the skills to make everybody feel part of the group.
Transport
You will travel in a 10 or 12
seat minibus towing a trailer with camp equipment
and your luggage. All vehicles have a public address
system, and a stereo with a variety of music. It
is also equipped with a range of natural history
reference books. The average driving time per day
is around 2-3 hours and there will be a range of
roads - sealed and unsealed. The guide will often
stop the vehicle for you to take photos. On some
of the nights you will be camping by the vehicle.
Food
Safaris are run on a food kitty
system - each person contributes about $10 per day.
The first stop is usually the supermarket where
everyone helps with buying food for the next few
days. Everybody is involved with the preparation
and cooking of meals: barbecues, salads, pancakes,
stews, pasta, dampers, hangi...Vegetarian meals
are no problem. When you are on overnight hikes
the group will usually eat pasta and rice meals.
There is always lots of hiking food - chocolate,
peanuts, raisins, biscuits. The vehicles carry a
full range of cooking equipment including gas burners,
woks, frying pans and billies. When you go on an
overnight hike the group will carry a portable stove.
Accommodation
The Hiking Safaris use a range
of accommodation: camping, back-country huts, cribs
(summer house), hostels and cabins. You will generally
camp if the weather is fine, so you get to enjoy
the outdoors more and it costs you less. In less
pleasant weather your guide will arrange accommodation
for the group. Note that the accommodation and food
costs are not included in the price of the safari.
Camping - We will
camp as much as possible in a range of range of
locations; under natural rock overhangs, on the
beach, Department of Conservation campsites, established
campgrounds with showers. You are provided with
2-person tents to share and closed cell foam sleeping
mats. You may have a small campfire if fires are
permitted.
Huts - Your guide
will make use of excellent Department of Conservation
huts. They are equipped with mattresses, running
water and an outside toilet. Cooking is done on
a portable stove. We do not have sole rights to
huts and so must share with other hikers. Please
be respectful of other hut users.
Cabins/Cribs -
When the weather is bad your guide will seek out
alternative accommodation. This can be anything
that is available, from a private crib (summerhouse)
to a cabin at a campground. Cost is never more than
$20 per night.
You must be prepared to go for
3 days (sometimes more) without a hot shower. There
is always a river or lake for you to wash in. Some
campsites/huts have saunas or natural hotpools!
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Day 5 - Franz Josef Glacier
