Southern Lakes Explorer With Milford Track

Destination Map

What you will be up to

Arrival into Christchurch where your friendly guide will meet you and get you checked into your hotel. You’ll generally have time to explore this beautiful city before our dinner at one of the many local restaurants.

Included: Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll take a stunning drive across the Canterbury Plains to reach the foothills of the Southern Alps and the stunning lakes en route. We’ll stop at Lake Tekapo to take in the vistas and history before we make our way to our unique accommodation at Lake Pukaki overlooking Mt Cook, New Zealands highest mountain. Barbeque dinner in this stunning location.

Included: All meals

After a filling breakfast, we take the drive to Queenstown, past turquoise lakes and over beautiful passes. We take a ride on the exciting Shotover Jet, to get our thrill fix for the day! Back to the hotel and into town for a quick briefing on our hike, along with passing out some last minute gear such as backpacks. We’ll be on hand to help with any last minute questions.

Included: All meals

We’ll depart Queenstown for Te Anau where we have lunch. Early afternoon, we leave for Te Anau Downs where our boat departs for the start of the Milford Track at Glade Wharf. The 1 mile walk to Glade House is a perfect introduction to this gorgeous area and we sit down to a 3 course meal in stunning surroundings.

Included: All meals

After a sumptuous breakfast, it’s time to don our backpacks and walkthrough the spectacular ancient New Zealand woodlands. The track is wide and generally smooth today for the 10 mile hike to reach Pampolona Lodge.You can take the short deviation to Prairie Lake for a quick cool down before reaching the lodge.

Included: All meals

Today is the most challenging day of your hike. Our 9 mile trek takes us up over the spectacular McKinnon Pass where you can take in the amazing vistas. We descend into the Arthur Valley to our overnight stay at Quinton Lodge. We highly recommend taking the side hike to SutherlandFalls, the world’s fifth highest waterfall.

Included: All meals

After breakfast we’ll hike 13.5 miles to where we reach Milford Sound. It treats us to spectacular waterfalls along the way such as Mackay Falls and Giants Gate. We spend a wonderful night together at Mitre Peak Lodge, retelling tales from the past few days with our fellow hikers and guides.

Included: All meals

After breakfast at the lodge, we take to a small boat trip on Milford Sound. This spectacular fjord is full of surprises and there is no better way to explore than with a boat cruise. If the weather is kind, we will then take a spectacular flight back over the Southern Alps to Queenstown. The afternoon is yours to explore this town. Our evening sees us take the TSS Earnslaw over to Walter Peak Station where we enjoy a sumptuous buffet at the old homestead before returning back to Queenstown.

Included: All meals

After breakfast, we drive through the historic village of Arrowtown. We depart to meet our helicopter, that will fly us into the Landsborough River and the next part of our adventure. Once at camp, you can take a short hike with your guide before sitting down for a sumptuous 3 course meal.

Included: All meals

Awaken to the sound of New Zealand birdsong and the sound of the river, as we have hot freshly brewed coffee and a filling breakfast. After full and comprehensive safety and paddle instructions, we’ll paddle like a real team in time to tackle the fun Grade III and IV rapids on the Landsborough River.

Included: All meals

After a relaxed breakfast, we’ll get on the water for some fun rapids to conclude our river trip. We stop en route for some lunch before arriving back at our vehicle and driving up the scenic West Coast to Fox Glacier town. Here we’ll take a meal at the acclaimed Matheson Café.

Included: All meals

After breakfast, we’ll have some options to fill your morning. A hike, a skydive, a glacier flight, this small town has some pretty special activities.We’ll meet up and drive up to Franz Josef for lunch before continuing on to Hokitika where we get settled in to our oceanfront accommodation. Take a walk on the beach or just explore this iconic New Zealand town. Dinner at Fat Pipis followed by a short walk to see some glowworms. (Skydive and glacier flight not included)

Included: All meals

After breakfast we head into town to see how Greenstone is carved and you’ll get to explore the many craft shops here. We take the short drive to Greymouth where you’ll board your Scenic Rail train to Christchurch. Upon arrival, you’ll be collected and transferred to our hotel and we’ll enjoy dinner together, recounting tales of our past days together.

Included: All meals

After breakfast, we’ll run you back to the airport for your flight home.

Included: All meals

Speak to a WBN Advisor

UK +44 1709 802 203

USA +1 303 261 8896

Book Trip

Dates	Duration
Monday 17 March 2025 - Sunday 30 March 2025	14 days	£7250	€8595	$9500

If you would like advice about flight options, please call our UK or US office’s. Many airlines offer flights to Christchurch International Airport (CHC). For UK travellers, have a look at skyscanner.net for your best flight options. Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines are great carriers. For USA based travellers, we suggest Exito Travel who can provide you with a competitive flight quote. Because of the distance involved, you might like to consider stopping off for a day or so on the way to break up the journey, if you have the time.
Our price and departure date information below does not include your international flights.

Please ensure you DO NOT book your flights until your trip is CONFIRMED to run by our office. Please check with us first.

In order to secure your place you can pay just your deposit now of £1000 per person. The final payment isn’t due until 120 days before your trip.

Please note that prices shown in Euros and USD are indicative only, as they fluctuate daily. The actual rate payable is always the GBP price.

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What you should bring

We find most of our clients have in their posession already what is needed for an adventure holiday. Bear in mind, your trip to New Zealand may involve many different types of weather from hot sunny days (expected) to cold rainy days and everything in between. Bear in mind as you will be flying internally in New Zealand, we recommend being under 20kg (32 lb) of check on baggage.

FOR TRAVELING AND GENERAL WEAR

Lightweight long trousers.
Lightweight Long Sleeved shirts.
Fleece jacket.
Warm woollen hat
Polypropylene or capilene thermal quick drying layers (top and bottoms)
Light down jacket
Comfortable cross trainers or light hiking boots for wearing around camp and on hikes.
Nice outfit or two for evening meals
Flip flops or jandals (this is the kiwi word for flip flops)
Good quality rainwear
Underwear.
Glasses or Contact lenses. Disposable lenses are ideal.
Toiletries. Toothbrush, toothpaste, personal items, biodegradable soap, shampoo and conditioner.
Insect repellant (NZ sandflies LOVE tourists)
Small pack towel.
Headlamp or head torch and spare batteries.
Any medication you may be taking.
Wide brimmed sunhat
Factor 50 sunscreen and lip balm
Sunglasses.
Travel adaptor plug for New Zealand

FOR HIKING

Walking boots or sturdy shoes. Broken in, preferably with ankle support. Please check your boot condition prior to coming to the pretrack briefing. Look especially at how well your sole is attached to the boot, to see if the glue is not drying out. Please also ensure that they are clean when coming through customs in New Zealand and adhere to all biosecurity notices at the airport. We do not sell walking boots/shoes in our retail outlet.
Thermal base layer (top and bottom). Fundamental clothing that can be worn either as a base layer or as a single layer.
Fleece or merino wool jacket. An ideal outer layer in cold weather.
Long—sleeved top. Lightweight, warm and quick drying, this is an ideal layer to be worn on top of thermal base layer.
T—shirt. Ideal for fine weather. Avoid cotton.
Sunhat, warm hat, gloves. Be prepared for sun and cold.
Shorts/walking trousers. Fast drying shorts, trousers or zip—off trousers (NOT JEANS),
Three pairs of merino wool or thermal socks. Main consideration is warmth and comfort. o Sunscreen, insect repellent
Water bottle or bladder (1 litre capacity)
Camera

RIVER FASHION:

A pair of Chacos or Keens. Trainers are also okay. Wetsuits and booties will be provided
A pair of river shorts or swimming costume.
Polypropylene or capilene thermal quick drying layers (top and bottoms) This is in addition to the set stated above.
A baseball cap for under the helmet to keep sun off.
Chums for fastening your sunglasses to your head – can be purchased from our Water Shop.
Nalgene or similar water bottle – can be purchased from our Water Shop.
Carabiner for fastening water bottle to your boat.

OPTIONAL ITEMS

Your favourite book or a journal for recording your river memories.
Photographic or video equipment. On most expeditions we provide a waterproof case for these items. We recommend a cleaning kit as sand gets everywhere. Bring a spare memory card and charging leads. Also bring spare batteries for your camera.
Waterproof GoPro for the “action” shots.

PERSONAL SPENDING

The only money that you need to bring is for personal spending, souvenirs, personal items and alcoholic beverages if you drink. New Zealand offers widespread Credit Card and ATM facilities and for a small charge you can withdraw cash either from your account or Credit Card for convenience.
Your trip leader will take care of gratuities for suppliers and guides throughout your trip, which can be settled with him at the end of your trip.
Basically, we advise you to keep things as light as possible, without skimping on the necessities. It is great to bring back a load of goodies for everybody back at home.

Southern Lakes Explorer With Milford Track

At a glance

Duration

Cost

Arrival Airport

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Camping

Hotel

Overview

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Destination Map

Get Directions

What you will be up to

Speak to a WBN Advisor

Dates & Prices

Get in touch & we'll get back to you

What you should bring

FOR TRAVELING AND GENERAL WEAR

FOR HIKING

RIVER FASHION:

OPTIONAL ITEMS

PERSONAL SPENDING

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING