• Stroll the stunning Nikau Walk on the Heaphy Track
• View the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks
• Cruise on Okarito Lagoon in search of birdlife
• Drive up the spectacular Otira Viaduct

 Departure dates:

26 Nov 2026

16 Mar 2027

15 April 2027

Day 1: Fly to Nelson - Karamea
From Nelson we drive the Buller Gorge to Kawatiri Junction to stroll through a historic railway tunnel and onto Murchison.  High on a bleak plateau Denniston stands testament to the resilience of the coalminers and their families who lived in this unforgiving environment.
Accommodation:  The Last Resort Hotel x 2 nights

Day 2: Oparara Basin, Kahurangi National Park
First we visit the beautiful Oparara Basin in Kahurangi National Park and stroll through the forest to the Oparara Arch. Across a swing bridge over the Kohaihai River, at the start of the Heaphy Track, we walk a loop track through the nikau forest.

Day 3:  Karamea - Reefton - Punakaiki
Explore the back roads to the pretty mining town of Reefton, the first town lit by electric street lights.  Blackball, a small town at the foot of the Paparoa Range, is the home of unionism and nearby is the Brunner Mine memorial.
Accommodation:  Punakaiki - Scenic Hotel x 2 nights

Day 4:  Punakaiki - Punangairi Visitor Centre - Tauranga Bay - Punakaiki
Take an easy stroll out to the sculptured limestone stacks of Punakaiki’s pancake rocks and at the Visitor Centre see the multi-sensory, “Paparoa Experience – A Hidden World Awaits”. Visit Constant Bay and the seal colony at Tauranga Bay, close to Cape Foulwind, before returning down the coastal highway.

Day 5:  Punakaiki - Lake Kaniere - Hokitika
Call into Lake Kaniere and the Hokitika Gorge then have lunch nearby with Sally and Barry Paterson at Hokitika Gorge Farm and hear their history as we drive the farm tracks. In Hokitika there’s an eclectic mix of galleries and shops displaying works in pounamu, gold, glass, paua, copper, stone, and even socks.
Accommodation:  Beachfront Hotel x 2 nights

Day 6:  Hokitika - Okarito - Franz Josef Glacier - Hokitika
We visit Ross, renowned for a 3.09kg gold nugget found there in 1909. At Okarito we take an hour’s cruise on the lagoon looking out for birdlife in untouched wetlands bordered by ancient forest giants.
We lunch with Paula who guides our walking tour of this tiny settlement and call into Franz Josef.

Day 7:  Hokitika - Greymouth - TranzAlpine train - Christchurch - Auckland
Travel along country roads to the old goldmining towns of Stafford and Goldsborough and onto the historic goldminers' hotel the Theatre Royal in Kumara. We head up the spectacular Otira Viaduct, taking short walks in Arthur's Pass National Park and at Castle Hill, then continue to Christchurch airport