Active New Zealand: Hike and Bike the South Island

After claiming your luggage, wait inside the Arrivals area and meet our Group Leaders who will be holding a Road Scholar sign. When everyone has arrived, we will board a coach for the ride north to Hanmer Springs, with a stop-off en route for lunch.

At a cafe en route

Arrive Hanmer Springs mid-afternoon and check into motel. Hanmer Springs is a pretty little town, very popular for its plethora of outdoor activities, including hiking in the nearby forest trails, and also for its hot mineral pools and spas. If time allows, we will have a short walk to orientate to the village and environs before gathering for our Orientation session. Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will pre-order some meals so as to make the most of our time. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant

At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

At a local café

Set off from our motel for walks in the Hanmer Forest Park, starting with a walk up to Conical Hill Lookout to get a panoramic view of the area. Then wander back down on an alternative route to the village.

Packed lunch during field trip

This afternoon we take a different trail, following the Dog Stream track through forested areas, over the Jolliffe Saddle and return via Timberlands Trail, passing through an impressive array of redwoods, familiar to all Americans. After returning to Hanmer Springs, there is free time to explore the village or head off for a soak in the hot mineral pools before dinner.

At a local restaurant

At leisure

At a local café

Depart by coach for drive south to Waikari to meet up with our rafting guides for the white-water rafting experience on the Hurunui River. We are fitted for all river gear, then transfer by their shuttle van upriver to the starting location. The Hurunui River flows from the eastern side of the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean. On the river, with world-class guides, we practice our paddling and safety drills on the initial calmer waters, then paddle our way downstream through gorges, fun rapids, calm waters and wide-open vistas.

Our lunch is supplied by our guiding friends

We continue downstream with our guides and, if the weather is kind, you may take the opportunity to jump off the raft and have a swim! Arriving at our destination by mid-afternoon, we meet our coach for the return journey back to Hanmer Springs.

Own choice

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At a local café

We check-out of the motel and board the coach for the all-day journey south to Twizel. On the way, we traverse the Canterbury Plains, observing rare (on a world scale) braided rivers, to the pretty little town of Geraldine.

At a café in Geraldine en route

We continue our journey out of South Canterbury and into the Mackenzie region, renowned for its wide-open tussock-filled grasslands, stunning glacier-fed lakes and home to Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain. We stop at Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki, a turquoise-coloured lake with a view of Aoraki/Mount Cook in clear conditions. Arriving in Twizel, we check in to our hotel. Twizel is a stepping-off point for many outdoor adventures, including mountain-climbing, mountain-biking, fly-fishing, hunting, hiking and much more.

At the hotel

At leisure

At the hotel

Board coach for drive to Aoraki/Mt Cook Village where we embark on a hike on the Hooker Valley Track. On this popular trail we hike towards Aoraki/Mt Cook with viewpoints of the famous mountain, Mueller & Hooker Glaciers, the expanse of the Southern Alps and across several swing bridges. We return on the same track, enjoying the views down the valley and across to the Sealy Range. Wildflowers proliferate, including the Mt Cook Lily (actually in the buttercup family) and look out for the cheeky but endangered kea, the world’s only alpine parrot.

Packed lunch during field trip

On returning to Aoraki/Mt Cook Village, we visit the Department of Conservation Information Centre and self-guide through the exhibitions in our own time. If time permits, we may take one or two short walks in the area before boarding the coach for our return journey back to Twizel. Before dinner, we have a presentation by a local expert.

At the hotel

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel

Cycle from Twizel to the shores of picturesque, turquoise-colored Lake Pukaki on the Alps to Ocean cycling trail. From Lake Pukaki, there are expansive views of the Southern Alps, sometimes called the “Main Divide”, the mountain range that extends much of the length of the South Island.

Packed lunch during field trip

We board the coach and depart Twizel, traversing the barren but stunning Lindis Pass into the Central Otago region to Cromwell, the heart of goldmining in New Zealand’s early pioneering days. Cromwell is located where the Clutha and Kawarau Rivers converge, and at the head of man-made Lake Dunstan, the lake filled because of the formation of the Clyde Dam for hydro-electric power generation. Cromwell’s climate is ideal to produce delicious seasonal stone fruit and the town is dubbed the “Fruit Bowl of the South”. We check into our motels and settle in.

At a local restaurant

At leisure

At a local café

Explore the Bannockburn Sluicings Historic Reserve, tracing the paths trodden by gold miners in the 1800’s and be amazed at the dramatic transformation of the local geography as a result of their gold-mining endeavors. We travel to Queenstown for a visit to Kiwi Park to see our iconic nocturnal bird, the kiwi, and other species endemic to New Zealand, up close.

Packed lunch during field trip

After lunch, we continue exploring Kiwi Park and then wander downhill into Queenstown, where we can enjoy a free afternoon. Queenstown is renowned worldwide for its iconic natural location and beauty. It is situated on the shores of the South Island's Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by majestic and rugged mountain ranges, one of which is aptly named "The Remarkables". It has a history of gold mining and the tough early pioneers of New Zealand and attracts visitors from across the world. There are plenty of options for your afternoon’s activities: a gondola ride up and walk or luge down; walk in the Botanic Garden; walk up Queenstown Hill; sail on ferry TSS Earnslaw, or other activities.

Own choice in Queenstown

Board the coach for return to Cromwell

At a local café

We travel by coach to Omakau for orientation and bike fitting, then continue by coach inland to our cycling start point of Oturehua. We cycle on a section of the Otago Rail Trail from Oturehua to Omakau, our destination and lunch stop. The Rail Trail follows the old Central Otago railway and passes over viaducts and bridges, through tunnels and past old railway stations and gold-mining towns. Look out for colorful lupin and smell the wild thyme.

Takeaway lunch at Omakau

After returning our bikes to the Omakau depot, we return by coach to Cromwell with a stop to explore Clyde's Heritage Precinct, where gold rush-era (1860s) buildings have been retained and restored.

At a local restaurant

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At a local café

We depart early for our journey skirting Queenstown, along the shores of Lake Wakatipu, departing the Central Otago region, through the rich green rolling country of Southland, and into Fiordland, arriving near Te Anau. We stretch our legs by hiking out and back on a section of the Kepler track, either from Rainbow Reach to Moturau Hut, or in the opposite direction to Brod Bay. They are both particularly beautiful tracts of beech forest, with lush mosses and ground ferns creating an airy magical atmosphere.

Packed lunch during field trip

We continue our walking field trip, returning by the same route. Boarding our coach, we continue to Te Anau and settle into our hotel. The town of Te Anau is located on the shores of a lake (of the same name) and surrounded by mountain ranges. Te Anau’s economy, a town with a small resident population, revolves around a thriving tourism and accommodation industry, as it is the gateway to the world-famous Milford Sound and stepping-off point for a number of New Zealand’s designated “Great Walks”, including the Kepler, Routeburn and Milford Tracks

Own choice

At leisure

At the hotel

After an early breakfast, we board the coach for an all-day field trip to Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, with short walks en route. Later in the morning, we embark on a cruise, with commentary, by a scheduled service on the world-famous Milford Sound. Known for the towering Mitre Peak, as well as rainforests and waterfalls such as the Stirling and Bowen Falls, which cascade down the sheer granite sides, the fiord is home to fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins.

Boxed lunch onboard the vessel

On our return journey back to Te Anau, we stop for a short walk in the Lake Gunn Nature Reserve, where we enjoy the ancient red beech forest with weird moss-covered stumps and ground ferns. Pre-dinner, we gather up for a short film at the local cinema “Ata Whenua - Shadowlands”, a panoramic journey, taken from the air, portraying the majesty and splendor of immense and isolated Fiordland, over all four seasons.

At a local restaurant

At leisure

At the hotel

A local geologist boards the coach and travels with us providing expert commentary. He describes the local geography, unusual geological landforms, and mineralogy. New Zealand’s oldest known plutonic (igneous) rocks are to be found locally. There are also large areas of metamorphosed sedimentary rocks that are closely related to rocks almost 300 miles away in Northwest Nelson, due to the shunting action over the last 20 million years of the Alpine Fault running the length of the South Island. Following, we return to Te Anau, where there is free time until after lunch.

Packed lunch on the lake shore or at a location of your choice

We check in at 1.30 pm for departure at 2.00 pm on a boat trip across the lake to the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves for an underground guided cave tour. After negotiating limestone passages filled with sculpted rock and a roaring underground waterfall, we drift in a small boat through a silent dark grotto, experiencing the luminous shimmer of hundreds of glow worms on the roof and walls of the caves. Before dinner, we gather for an informal time of program review and feedback, recalling the highlights of our time together.

Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant

At leisure. Final pack and prepare for check-out in the morning and our flights home or continuation of personal travel plans.

At the hotel

We board our coach for the return journey across Southland to Queenstown. En route, we stop at Real Country Farm on Kingston Station, a 22,000 acre sheep and beef farm, for an authentic taste of rural New Zealand. Marvel at the team of working dogs mustering sheep from the surrounding hills in response to an array of whistle signals and commands, and observe a sheep-shearing demonstration. There is time for an informative Q&A session with our farming hosts. Following, we board the coach and continue our journey to Queenstown. On arrival at Queenstown Airport our program concludes. You will go through International Check-In for your flights home. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

OWN CHOICE at Queenstown Airport