Air Adventure Australia

Global Expedition - New Zealand

Melbourne/Christchurch

We fly to Christchurch, Flight time to be advised, we will be met and transferred to our hotel for the rest of the night, The Copthorne Central Christchurch.

Christchurch/Greymouth

7.30 breakfast. 8.30am we are taken by taxi to Christchurch Railway Station to board the Tranz Alpine Express to Greymouth. This famous train takes us across the Canterbury Plains, and on through rugged mountain country, passing through tunnels, the spectacular Arthur’s Pass, over viaducts and along river gorges past snow-capped alpine peaks. Boxed lunches on board, and on arrival in Greymouth, we are met by our dedicated bus, Kea Tours, and taken to our accommodation, The Ashley Hotel. Greymouth is a pretty seaside town and a major port, whose history is one of gold and coal mining. You will see the grey South Island sands of its beaches, as we take our 2pm coach tour to Punakaiki Rocks. 5.30pm return to our hotel for dinner – and probably an early night!

Greymouth/Franz Josef Glacier

7am Breakfast. Our 8am departure with our Keas coach ensures we can make the most of our journey southward to the Franz Josef Glacier, stopping along the way to view coastal scenery and other points of interest. After lunch in the village, we are treated to a guided tour on the glacier, a close-up experience of the spectacular features of this huge river of ice. This is a 3½ hour wlk, and good walking shoes are required. Overnight accommodation at The Terraces, Franz Josef . Dinner at Beeches Restaurant.

Franz Josef/Queenstown

After a continental breakfast, delivered to your room, we depart with Kea coach at 8.30am for Queenstown. We take the coast road to the magnificent Haast Pass, travelling through Mt Aspiring National Park, on past the Wanaka and Hawea Lakes into the orchard areas of Cromwell. With breathtaking mountain and lake views, Lake Wanaka is New Zealand’s fourth largest lake, of crystal clear, deep blue, tranquil waters. This is the gateway to the Mt Aspiring World Heritage Area, and home to some of the world’s most beautiful hiking country. Lunch is taken on the way, and we arrive in Queenstown at our accommodation, The Copthorne Queenstown Hotel , in time for dinner.

Queenstown

A more leisurely start today, but excitement awaits: at 10.25am we are collected by Shotover Jet for a jet boat trip on the river. At 11.30am we return to Queenstown for a gondola cableway ride and lunch at the Skyline Restaurant, for the best views possible of Queenstown. We have the afternoon free to spend in and around this resort city, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. In the evening, we depart at 6.00pm, sailing with “The TSS Earnslaw” steamer to Walter Peak High Country Farm, for a delicious dinner at the Colonel’s Homestead. Return to overnight hotel.

Queenstown/Milford Sound

We depart at 8.00am with our coach for Milford Sound, the stunning fjord, where we meet the “The Wanderer”, for our 1.30pm cruise and picnic lunch on board. We return at 6pm to Te Anau by coach, overnight Quality Hotel, Te Anau. 7.00pm dinner.

Milford Sound/Manapouri/Doubtful Sound

Free morning to explore Te Anau. At 11.45am Fiordland Travel’s coach takes us to Manapouri, to West Arm, where at 12.30pm hopefuuly we will have the opportunity to visit the underground power house. This is NZ’s largest hydro power station, and it utilises the difference in levels between Lake Manapouri and the sea to drive its turbines. Waiting room above for those who do not wish to go underground – but be warned! Take repellant, as sandflies are waiting for you in millions!

The coach collects us again and drives us to Doubtful Sound. This is an unspoilt wilderness, set in dense rainforest, and our home for the night is “The Navigator”, on which we cruise the calm waters of the Sound. Accommodation is in twin cabins.

Te Anau/Doubtful Sound

12.15 Return to Manapouri. Coach to Te Anau, arriving back at Quality Hotel at 12.45 pm. After lunch, we make a short walk along the lakefront to the Pop Inn Tearooms for lunch. At 2pm we depart from Fiordland Travel’s wharf, to cruise again, this time across Lake Te Anau to the Glowworm Caves. After a multi-media introduction at Cavern House, we are guided through the limestone caves on paths and in a small boat to experience the underground world of fossils, rock formations, waterfalls and a “cathedral” with walls towering above. The climax of the tour is the magical glowworm grotto. Again, if you do not like caves, you may wait in the Visitors’ Centre. Then back to our overnight hotel, The Quality Hotel Te Anau, at 4.30pm, and dinner at 7.00pm.

Doubtful Sound/Milford Track

A more active day awaits! We are picked up at 9.15am for our day walk on the Milford Track. There is a 30 minute drive to Te Anau Downs, then a short cruise to the head of Lake Te Anau to the start of the track. Long described as “the finest walking track in the world”, walkers here may encounter fiordland at its most breathtaking. The track is actually 55km long and reaches a peak of 1169m. Generally it takes 5 days to walk the full length. Our easy day walk - actually only 3 hours in walking - includes a picnic lunch. We return to the hotel at 6.30pm, for dinner.

Doubtful Sound/Invercargill

At 8.30am we take the Southern Scenic Route by coach to Invercargill. Our driver is an experienced local guide, and will make this a memorable part of your South Island tour. Stopping at Riverton for morning tea, one of the oldest settlements in NZ and dating from the sealing and whaling days. We lunch at Bluff, on the southern tip of New Zealand, and the port for Invercargill. In the southernmost city, Invercargill, we visit the Southland Museum and Tuatara House, to view an exhibition of these ancient and rare NZ reptiles. Then we wander through the adjacent Queen’s Park Gardens, the essence of “Englishness”. Our overnight stay and dinner are at Ascot Park Hotel.

Invercargill/ Stewart Is/ Invercargill

Enjoy a half-hour flight to Stewart Island, where we are met by our own scenic tour bus for an hour and a half tour of the island – only 20 km of roads! There will be photo opportunities and time for short walks with local history being explained. Picnic lunch, then a short boat trip across Paterson Inlet to Ulva Island. This is a nature reserve, and is “the way New Zealand used to be”. Walk along tracks, view the birdlife, and sit on one of New Zealand’s most beautiful beaches. Late afternoon flight back to Invercargill.

Invercargill/ Dunedin

8.30am, Our coach takes us to Dunedin via the southern scenic route. Lunch at Dunedin. At 3.30pm we visit the albatross colony on the Otago Peninsula. Dinner and overnight at Abbey Lodge, Dunedin.

Dunedin/Christchurch

8.30am depart Dunedin we take our coach , again via the scenic route, to Timaru, for lunch, before continuing to Christchurch. Afternoon visit to the Antarctic Centre, the base not only for NZ scientific teams but also for the USA and some European countries. There is an opportunity for a fascinating guided tour here, and a ride in an all-terrain vehicle, as used in Antarctica. We are taken to our hotel, Rydges, in the centre of Christchurch. You will have time to stroll around this interesting city on the banks of the Avon River.

Christchurch

Day free to explore Christchurch, there is so much to see and do, this year we felt we didn’t do it justice.

Christchurch/ Melbourne

Flight time to be advised.