‘South Island wonder of the World’
(This tour yarn is a work in progress)
Trip Overview
During spring in October 2022, Nature Trail’s Tour Director Steve and his wife ventured to the South Island of New Zealand for a three week holiday, exploring the countryside and towns by road, as well as sample of alpine wilderness trekking over four days.
We flew from Sydney to Queenstown return and then hired a Hertz quality SUV at the servicing Frankton Airport for the duration and later hooked up with a Kiwi family member flying down from the north island, who kindly allowed us to trek the majestic and renowned 32km alpine wilderness Routeburn Track one-way.
We specifically chose the south of the South Island as the scope area for our holiday. Our most northerly point was Milford Sound whilst on a boat cruise, and our most southerly point was a drive to Slope Point in ‘The Catlins‘ on the southern-most tip of this ‘middle island’, observing an outline of Stewart Island (New Zealand’s third largest island) on the horizon south of Foveaux Strait.
Celebrated 19th Century British novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling [1865-1936] during his worldly travels of 1891 described his experience to the majestic glacial Milford Sound as “the eighth wonder of the world”.
We agree wholeheartedly. New Zealand’s South Island is indeed a most majestically beautiful island country and in our view truly the most scenic alpine place on the planet.
Our inbound base at sub-alpine town of Queenstown is a world leading bustling adventure hub, offering an extraordinary array of outdoor adventure activities to suit many – and we are here to please and facilitate.
Tour Scope
Tour Purpose: A deserved private family exploratory road/trek extended holiday.
Tour Type: Nature Trail private family holiday (overseas trip)
Tour Title: ‘South Island wonder of the World’
Area Name: New Zealand South Island – predominantly the Southland District
Trip Mode: Combined leisurely road-driving (all bitumen), 4-star self-contained multi-night private stays (mostly 2-nights each stay), plus a 4-day independent self-sustained trek with remote cabin stays, self catered.
Trip Version: Initial reconnoitre
Pax: 3 adults | with 2 pax on the trek
Trip Star Rating: 4-star (car hire choice, accommodation choices, dine-in/out choices)
Tour Duration: 22 days
Transport Distance: 2500 km
Hiking Distance: 33 km
Planned Tour Budget: AUD $8000 for 3 pax, all inclusive from Sydney return (excludes return flight Auckland to Queenstown by the Kiwi family member).
Tour Potential: An all inclusive 4-star fully guided road-touring Multi-day Country Escape including the return flight Sydney-Queenstown, self-contained private stays (typically 2-nights per stay) over 22 days, all quality independent dine-in/dine-out meals, plus a guided 4-day independent self-sustained to Grade 3 wilderness Routeburn Track trek including remote cabin stays, quality camp meals, road transfers, venue entry fees, and generously allowing for all incidental travelling expenses.
The only added expenses to be incurred by guests are any discretionary personal purchases (i.e. retail purchases such as souvenirs, duty free purchases, alcohol, and any other personal indulgences such as mobile phone expenses, local transport, additional tours, etc).
Commercial Tour Pricing:
AUD $6000 per commercial tour guest.
Maximum passenger limit is ten tour guests carried in three new quality SUV cars – ensuring a personal uncrowded experience and flexibility to rearrange seating/driving in an exclusive private car SUV convoy. So no buses!
This price is all inclusive of an Air New Zealand return economy airfare from Sydney to Queenstown, up to three Hertz SUV car hire (5-seater) and all associated fuel costs, all 4-star accommodation, all meals, and Nature Trail’s tour leader fee charge at cost. No GST is currently charged since Nature Trail is not currently registered for GST in Australia.
Added optional extras at cost: Alpine helicopter flights, alpine scenic plane tours, jet boat thrill tours, bungie jumping, white water rapid rides, and many more options. Any such requests must be pre-booked and pre-paid with Nature Trail before well the tour start date.
Trip Itinerary Outline
(click each day to read the respective tour yarn)
Day 1: Tour guests arrive in Sydney for pre-trip debrief then a quality stay in Manly
Day 2: Luxury drive to Sydney International for a 9am 2.5 hour flight to Queenstown NZ
Day 3: Frankton Airport: collect Hertz SUVs x2, Queenstown free time, staying Novotel
Day 4: Queenstown free day/retail/exploring, last minute activities for Day 5, 2nd stay
Day 5: Queenstown individual activities, else free time, last minute gear buy for trek
Day 6: Convoy drive south to luxury stay Te Anau, food shop for Milford, prep for trek
Day 7: Convoy drive to Milford Sound, 2 hour boat cruise, tour guide, stay Milford Lodge
Day 8: Convoy drive Milford Lodge to Routeburn Track to trek The Divide 9km to Falls Hut
Day 9: Trek Routeburn Track from Falls Hut 11km east to Lake MacKenzie Hut
Day 10: Trek Routeburn Track from Lake MacKenzie Hut 12km east to Harris Shelter
Day 11: Trek Routeburn Track from Harris Shelter 7km east to Routeburn Shelter
Day 12: Family drive rendezvous from Routeburn Shelter to Glenorchy House stay
Day 13: Convoy drive from Glenorchy House southward to Arrowtown self-contained stay
Day 14: Arrowtown stay – trek recover and free day around Arrowtown
Day 15: Convoy drive from Arrowtown to Gore then to Kaiwera Retreat farm cottage stay
Day 16: From Kaiwera Retreat drive to explore GORE, cow milking, stay again Kaiwera
Day 17: From Kaiwera Retreat drive to Bluff – seafood treat, free day, stay over
Day 18: Drive Catlin Coast, hike three tracks, history tour, south point, remote stay
Day 19: Fishing trip, else free day
Day 20: Drive to Dunedin ‘The Stables’ stay
Day 21: Explore Dunedin sights, else free day and second night at ‘Stables’ stay
Day 22: From Dunedin drive westward inland to stay at historic Clyde village
Day 23: Clyde explore and optional guided tours, else free day
Day 24: From Clyde drive westward back to Arrowtown stay
Day 25: Spare day in Arrowtown, optional revisit to Queenstown
Day 26: From Arrowtown drive to Wanaka, explore, tour guide, free day, stay over
Day 27: Drive from Wanaka back to Arrowtown, then explore/relax, stay, last supper
Day 28: Catch up on outstanding booked activities around Queenstown, else free day
Day 29: Return Air NZ flight from Queenstown to Sydney, staying in The Rocks
Day 30: End of Tour debriefing, logistical travel connections arranged.
This webpage updated 17th October 2022.