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Are You a Dayhiker ?Information about our walking tours is given below. Sample Itinerary NZT strongly recommends that you plan to arrive in Nelson one day early to recover from jet lag. A list of B&Bs, hotels and motels can be supplied and reservations can be made for you. If you are arriving on day 1 we will meet you at the airport or bus station. Day 1 Nelson - short walk to the "Centre of New Zealand" with a lovely view over Nelson. Cable Bay Walkway - spectacular views over Tasman Sea and picnic lunch. Barbecue. Day 2 Abel Tasman National Park - the most popular park in New Zealand, for a cruise and trek along the beautiful coastal path. Seafood dinner at one of the excellent wharfside restaurants. Day 3 Kaikoura, an incredibly picturesque seaside east coast town. River walk amongst 1,000 year old trees at Pelorus Bridge en route. Visit our favourite vineyard near Blenheim and enjoy an opportunity for wine tasting. Seal colony and waterfall walk. Day 4 Kaikoura. We trek around the beautiful limestone peninsula - be careful of the sleeping seals! A humourous sheep shearing demo by an expert. Free time or visit to lavender farm/bush walk. Day 5 We entirely cross the South Island on lovely back roads, stopping at the Boyle River for a wilderness trek and picnic, crossing a swing bridge. Continue to the West Coast and Hokitika via ultra-scenic farm country and rain forest. Day 6 Hokitika - Very non-touristy day of rain forest and lakeside trekking in the seldom visited mountain foothills to the east of Hokitika. We walk along wilderness Lake Kaniere and weather/time permitting visit the turquoise blue Hokitika River Gorge. Optional time for shopping in Hokitika. Beach walk and evening excursion to see glow worms. Day 7 Depart for jetboating trip to New Zealand's only white heron nesting colony at Whataroa. On to Fox Glacier and a walk up to the glacier face. Day 8 Drive through beautiful scenery with various stops at Knights Point lookout and walks at Ship Creek. Over the Haast Pass to Lakes Wanaka and Hawea on our way to Wanaka. Day 9 A half day hike to Rob Roy hanging glacier through beech forest in Mount Aspiring National Park. Spectacular views of waterfalls and hanging glaciers. Day 10 Arrowtown, a quaint old gold mining town, via beautiful Crown Range mountain road. Riverside walk. En route to Te Anau. Conclusion of shorter tour. Delivery to Frankton Airport for flights or drop off in Queenstown. Day 11 Coach trip and cruise in Milford Sound. Dramatic scenery and excellent viewing of rainforest, mountains and waterfalls. Sightings of bottlenose dolphins, fur seals and penguins on a seasonal basis. Day 12 Travel through the picturesque Lindis Pass to Twizel. Opportunity for a bungy jump! Day 13 Trek up the moon-like terrain of Hooker Valley, at the base of Mount Cook to the terminus lake of the Hooker Glacier. Swing bridges, superb views of New Zealand's highest peaks. Perhaps the most striking of all our treks! Day 14 Christchurch via Lake Tekapo and the Church of the Good Shepherd. Delivery to airport for flights or to your city accommodations. Christchurch is an exceedingly lovely city and you may wish to spend several days there. Please note: the itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions and other unforeseen eventualities! Dayhiker Trails The longest walks are approximately 4 to 5 hours but there are no fixed distances; you can walk as much (or as little) as you please. On the longer walks we return along the same route. Some highlights include: Mountain/Ocean Dayhikes Explore Abel Tasman National Park, the Lewis Pass, Kaikoura Peninsula and Fox Glacier. Seal colonies, optional whale watching and deep rain forest treks. We offer non-walking activity options You may like to opt out and take a day off from the scheduled walking activity, shop, or take local walks near our lodge or motel. Leaders arrange meals and transport for you. We walk at low altitudes only None of our hiking takes place at anything approaching high altitudes! The maximum is 4,000' above sea level. Dayhiker clothing and equipment you will need Good, broken-in hiking shoes, a rain jacket, a sun-protection hat and a good daypack head the list.
New Zealand Travellers
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