Te Anau, Milford, Doubtful Sound, Mavora Lakes and Walter Peak Station

Itinerary

DAY ONE                                                                   D  

Flying south, we skip over snow-covered mountains to land in spectacular Queenstown. This is the time to visit, to enjoy the intense autumn colours. We will meet our tour guide and travel the edge of Lake Wakatipu, making our way through to Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland, enjoying the scenery and a local's perspective of the area. Once checked into our lakeside accommodation, we will meet for dinner and discuss the day's events and plan for the next.  

DAY  TWO                                                                  B, L, D  

Enjoy breakfast whilst taking in the lake and mountain views before boarding our courtesy tour bus to deliver us to the jetty. The second-largest fiord in the National Park, Doubtful Sound will take your breath away with its rugged peaks, verdant rainforest and twisting, hidden inlets. Home to abundant wildlife, you may see bottlenose dolphins and fur seals at play or catch a glimpse of a rare Fiordland Crested Penguin. Getting to Doubtful Sound is an adventure. With no direct road access, the only way you can get to Doubtful Sound is by a cruise across Lake Manapouri and a coach trip over Wilmot Pass. This isolation makes the fiord an extraordinary place, a place only those in the know get to see. Snacks and sandwiches are available for purchase onboard. We will arrive back at our accommodation, freshen up then enjoy another lovely dinner, feeling uplifted and inspired.

DAY  THREE                                                               B, L, D  

We have a wonderful day ahead of ourselves, a Coach-Cruise-Coach to Milford Sound. Boarding the Coach mid-morning, you can sit back and enjoy reclining seats, a glass roof and expansive windows for fantastic mountain viewing. Experienced guides will give you informative commentary on your journey, an excellent opportunity to experience the sheer magnificence of this region. We will stop for numerous photo opportunities at the best places along "Milford Road". Upon reaching the iconic Sound we will have a brief time to further stretch the legs before boarding our vessel departing for a scenic cruise of Milford Sound. Exploring the length of the fiord, we will learn about the region's history and benefit from the knowledge of your onboard specialist nature guide. Experience the cool spray of a waterfall as you move in close to sheer rock faces, or watch out for dolphins, seals and, in season, the rare Fiordland Crested Penguins. We will travel out to the entrance of the Tasman Sea.  

DAY  FOUR                                                                B, MT, L , D 

This morning we meet our guide, head up the Mararoa River, following its braided path until reaching Mavora Lakes, one of the treasures of Southland and part of South-West New Zealand World Heritage Area. They are situated amongst an impressive landscape of mountains, lakes, beech forest and tussock grassland. We will enjoy a hot drink and our picnic morning tea in this beautiful spot, then travel on up the hidden burn following the Von River. We will have the Thompson Mountains on one side, Eyre Mountains on the other. We will pass through the high-country Station of Mount Nicholas before edging around Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station, enjoying wonderful views few get to experience. At Walter Peak, walk around the beautiful homestead gardens and buildings. We'll enjoy a BBQ lunch at the station, then board our vessel for a cruise across Lake Wakatipu and back to Queenstown, arriving at our accommodation. We will be dining onsite at the Heritage Hotel Queenstown's Restaurant, enjoying our final evening together as a group. Please note that if the TSS Earnslaw is not available due to maintenance, a substitute vessel will be provided.

DAY  FIVE                                                                 B  

Today we will take some time to look around the shops of Queenstown, take a drive up Coronet Peak and then head off to Millbrook Estate along the way for a look. If time allows, we will look around picture-postcard Arrowtown before making our way to the Airport for our flights home after our wonderful southern experience.