| country: | New Zealand |
| location: | South Island |
| trip type: | Adventurous mountain biking holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 5 Nov 2009: 11 Mar |
| price: | From NZ $3663 - NZ $4995 (11-15 days) excluding flights. Single supplement NZ $475. Bike hire is included |
| offers: | We offer a 9% late availability discount on the 5th November departure |
the amazing things you'll be doing
15 Days biking and active adventure Christchurch to Queenstown, or 11 days Christchurch to Christchurch.
New Zealand is a land of contrasts compressed into a pacific island paradise. The South Island especially so with dramatic alps, pristine rivers and lakes, golden beaches and wild rocky coastlines.
Our “Bike, Hike & Kayak” adventure is a selection of the South Island’s finest non-technical, off-road and on-road biking combined with some stunning short and day walks, sea-kayaking in the Abel Tasman and scenic train journeys. Your adventure begins in Christchurch “The Garden City” – where we board the Tranz Coastal train for the stunning and rugged journey to Picton.
We bike the famous Queen Charlotte track through stunning mountain valleys and follow meandering rivers, walk through pristine forests and along un-spoilt beaches in Golden Bay, kayak in the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park and experience genuine Kiwi hospitality and lifestyle.
We have chosen remote classic routes and little known back-roads and tracks that not only get us to the next destination but also to show you the real New Zealand. With full 4x4 vehicle support, this trip can be enjoyed by anyone with some off-road cycling experience and reasonable fitness level. At various parts of the journey you will have the choice of a more or less challenging biking or walking options to suit your abilities.
At the end of each day we stay in a variety of guesthouses, hostels, lodges with the ever-present hot showers, cold beers and opportunities to experience some of New Zealand’s finest hospitality and local cuisine.
New Zealand is a land of contrasts compressed into a pacific island paradise. The South Island especially so with dramatic alps, pristine rivers and lakes, golden beaches and wild rocky coastlines.
Our “Bike, Hike & Kayak” adventure is a selection of the South Island’s finest non-technical, off-road and on-road biking combined with some stunning short and day walks, sea-kayaking in the Abel Tasman and scenic train journeys. Your adventure begins in Christchurch “The Garden City” – where we board the Tranz Coastal train for the stunning and rugged journey to Picton.
We bike the famous Queen Charlotte track through stunning mountain valleys and follow meandering rivers, walk through pristine forests and along un-spoilt beaches in Golden Bay, kayak in the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park and experience genuine Kiwi hospitality and lifestyle.
We have chosen remote classic routes and little known back-roads and tracks that not only get us to the next destination but also to show you the real New Zealand. With full 4x4 vehicle support, this trip can be enjoyed by anyone with some off-road cycling experience and reasonable fitness level. At various parts of the journey you will have the choice of a more or less challenging biking or walking options to suit your abilities.
At the end of each day we stay in a variety of guesthouses, hostels, lodges with the ever-present hot showers, cold beers and opportunities to experience some of New Zealand’s finest hospitality and local cuisine.
trip profile
- 15 days Christchurch to Queenstown or 11 days from Christchurch to Christchurch.
- 8-10 days biking on dirt and paved roads. Some off road experience preferred.
- 7 hiking options from 1hr to full day.
- 1 day sea-kayaking.
- Vehicle support to carry all your luggage, to help you up those hills and so that lunch, snacks and water are always at hand.
- Accommodation: 14 nights hotel, guesthouses, motels, hostels and lodges.
- Food: 2 meals a day included from breakfast on day 2 to lunch on day 15, except when stated on the detailed itinerary. (Most evening meals are not included to give you a chance to experience some of New Zealand's famous local cuisine of your own choosing).
- Group size: minimum 4, maximum 10; plus tour leaders.
- Bike hire is available, contact us for more information.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | AM: Scenic Tranz Coastal train from Christchurch to Picton. PM: Bush hike. |
| Day 2-3: | Ride the Queen Charlotte track, NZ’s longest continuous single track. Transfer to Nelson. |
| Day 4: | Explore the Nelson markets and local vineyards. |
| Day 5: | Ride the Rameka track (or road option) into beautiful Golden Bay. |
| Day 6: | Explore Golden Bay, local rides and hikes on Farewell Spit. |
| Day 7: | Sea kayak in the Abel Tasman - explore the crystal clear ocean and golden beaches. |
| Day 8: | Take a day hike in Nelson lakes National park and optional evening single track bike. |
| Day 9: | Bike along a remote mountain valley, through farmland, lush native forest and alongside pristine rivers and streams. |
| Day 10: | Hike or bike the Charming Creek walkway on the wild West Coast. In the afternoon take a ride out to the cape Foulwind seal colony. |
| Day 11: | Travel down the West Coast to the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. *For those that are leaving us today, in the late afternoon board the train at Greymouth to cross the scenic trans-alpine railway over the Southern Alps and through Arthur’s Pass National Park back to Christchurch. . |
| Day 12: | We spend the day in “Glacier Country” - optional activities, hiking and scenic flights. |
| Day 13: | A road ride via the Haast Pass to the resort town of Wanaka. |
| Day 14: | Full day’s cross country ride or hike in the Aspiring National Park region. |
| Day 15: | A half day ride into historic gold mining country along a 4x4 track. Afternoon transfer to Queenstown. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 2-10 like minded travellers (depending on the trip and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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It is important to us that when we travel to different parts of our amazing planet that our exchange is always a mutual one and that we make a positive contribution to people and places that we visit along the way.
These days ‘responsible travel' and ‘Sustainability' are hot topics. Responsible travel is not about donating large sums of money to charity (at least not without thoroughly researching the long-term intentions or effects of the charity). We believe responsible travel is about taking time to think about how our actions can benefit or how they impact the people, communities, economies, environments and eco-systems we visit, and then use this to make a difference (or sometimes more appropriately - how we can NOT make a difference). We are constantly considering our actions and how we and the people who travel with us can improve our impact on the places we visit. Here are just some of the ways that we ‘make a difference’: ![]()
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Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |












