White Heron Spring Tour

CHRISTCHURCH - ARTHURS PASS - HOKITIKA

LUNCH | DINNER

Wayne will pick you up approx. 1030 to 11 am from Christchurch. We leave the city and travel across the plains to Lake Grassmere which is a great place for our first stop for a picnic lunch and chance to stretch the legs. Arthurs Pass is next with short walks to Devils Punchbowl before continuing on to our first nights stay in the vibrant tourist town of Hokitika. There should be time for a stroll around the town or along the beach walk.

HOKITIKA - LAKE KANIERE - WHITE HERON COLONY - FRANZ JOSEF

BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER

This morning is a chance to take a walk out at the serene Lake Kaniere before we travel down the coastal highway to Whataroa for a special tour into the White Heron colony, the only breeding area in NZ.This is a special tour as this is the time they gather to nest and show displays of stunning plumage. Its then a 25-minute drive to Franz Josef .We stay at the unique Rainforest Retreat.

Dinner at the Retreat.

FRANZ JOSEF - OKARITO LAGOON ECO TOUR - CALLERY GORGE WALK

BREAKFAST | LUNCH

We start the day with a short drive out to Okarito lagoon where our local guides Paula and Swade will take us on a 2-hour Ecotour via the Explorer Douglas - this flat bottomed open air boat was custom built for the lagoon - we cruise along at slow speeds and often drift alongside feeding white herons, godwits, oystercatchers and
dotterels. They will describe the vast history of the lagoon from the early mining days to forestry and flax harvesting.

The afternoon is a time of exploring the town or taking one of the many walks like
the Franz Josef glacier view or the Callery gorge trail.

Dinner is a free choice tonight.

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FRANZ - MONROE BEACH - HAAST

BREAKFAST | DINNER

The drive south today is through lush rainforest; it opens out briefly
into farming plains near Fox township, then continues through a range of forest
parks, past some stunning lakes, with a walk into the Lake Matheson a highlight.
There is time to take the Minnehaha short walk ,a real little gem, before
heading south with fantastic little stops like Bruce Bay, Ships Creek, and
Knights Point. We stay in Haast for 2 nights.

Dinner at the Hard Antler

HAAST - JACKSONS BAY -LAKE ELLERY

BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER

After a leisurely breakfast at the local café, we explore south to
Jacksons Bay on the corner of the Haast World Heritage Area. A fish n-chip
lunch at the Craypot caravan is essential at this remote corner. We stop to
view the whitebait stands on rivers like the Waiatoto and Arawhata, with plenty
of time to view the numerous whitebait stands along the river edges. There is
also a lovely new walking trail created amongst giant podocarps by the Haast
township for those with more energy or a visit to the Haast Visitor Centre.
Dinner at the Heartland Hotel

HAAST - TWIZEL

BREAKFAST | DINNER

Our journey
continues up the highway to the Haast Pass, where you will see the mighty Landsborough River as it joins the Haast River. At Haast
Pass we can walk into the Thunder Creek Falls track with a lunch at the
Makarora café. From there, we travel through the Lindis pass to explore the vast Ahuriri Valley,with a detour to the amazing Clay Cliffs. The Clay Cliffs are a stark sight - tall pinnacles separated by
narrow ravines. These otherworldly formations are made up of layers of gravel
and silt, originally formed by the flow from ancient glaciers over a million
years ago.

We stay
at Colonial Motels Twizel

TWIZEL - TEKAPO -CRESTED GREBES - GERALDINE

BREAKFAST | DINNER

We will travel to Lake Alexandrina;
this is a chance to possibly spy the Crested Grebes up close and personal as
they build their nests on the edges of the lake. The
lupins of the area should be coming into full colour ,a wonderful contrast to
the arid brown of the Mackenzie country. There are many choices to grab a lunch
at Tekapo or wait for a famous Fairlie pie, award winning piemakers. We arrive
at Geraldine early afternoon, which gives us time to visit some of the many
gardens open for the festival, or museums like the new military museum, already
touted as the best example in NZ.I can definitely recommend that.

We
stay for our final 2 nights in Geraldine.

Dinner
at the Village Inn

GERALDINE - FOOTHILLS TRAILS -MUSEUMS AND GARDENS-PODCARP FOREST

BREAKFAST | DINNER

This is for me a chance to show you around my hometown and the area . Geraldine
has a variety of museums,art galleries, gift shops, a Gin distillery, etc. It
also has the nearby podocarp forest with bellbirds , fantails, and 33 varieties
of ferns.

The Geraldine Arts and Plants festival kicks off and there are numerous
stalls to explore a few minutes from the motel,the main street is closed off
for this initial day .I or other local guides will transport you to view the
museums or some of the many gardens that are open to the public.

Dinner at the Hops Brewery and restaurant

GERALDINE - ARTS AND PLANTS FESTIVAL - CHRISTCHURCH

BREAKFAST | LUNCH

Geraldine's annual arts and plants main festival day awaits you on the final
morning. The local domain is the place to see over 200 stallholders set up for
the festival. This is a chance to wander in the morning before the crowds
arrive and enjoy a real small country town festival. It's also a chance to
visit a museum or another garden if you would like.

Then we travel on the inland scenic route, with a final lunch at the  Staveley café before being dropped in Christchurch
at either the airport or accommodation from 3 30 pm.