| country: | New Zealand |
| location: | South Island |
| trip type: | Adventurous mountain biking holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 15 Dec 2010: 15 Mar |
| price: | From NZ $4290 (13 days) excluding flights. Single supplement NZ $475. Bike hire NZ $300 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
13 Day biking and active adventure - Christchurch to Picton; Or Christchurch to Christchurch with optional add-on train journey.
New Zealand is a land of contrasts - 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 walks, sea-kayaking in the Abel Tasman and scenic train journeys.
Your adventure begins in Christchurch “The Garden City” – where we board the Tranz Alpine train for the stunning and rugged journey to Greymouth. We bike the famous Queen Charlotte track, kayak in the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park and introduce you to some of New Zealand’s most gorgeous walking tracks and bike rides.
We have chosen remote 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 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 and lodges with the ever-present hot showers, cold beers and opportunities to experience some of our favourite South Island spots.
New Zealand is a land of contrasts - 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 walks, sea-kayaking in the Abel Tasman and scenic train journeys.
Your adventure begins in Christchurch “The Garden City” – where we board the Tranz Alpine train for the stunning and rugged journey to Greymouth. We bike the famous Queen Charlotte track, kayak in the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park and introduce you to some of New Zealand’s most gorgeous walking tracks and bike rides.
We have chosen remote 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 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 and lodges with the ever-present hot showers, cold beers and opportunities to experience some of our favourite South Island spots.
trip profile
- 13 days Christchurch to Picton (or return to Christchurch with optional train journey).
- 8-10 days biking on a mixture of paved and dirt roads, and non-technical single track.
- Total biking distance 350-550km.
- 5 hiking options from 1hr to full day.
- 1 day sea-kayaking.
- 100% vehicle supported. Our trusty support vehicle carries all your luggage, helps you up those hills (if you like) and always has lunch, snacks and water at hand.
- Accommodation: 12 nights hotels, guesthouses, motels, hostels and lodges.
- Food – 3 meals a day included from evening on day 1 to breakfast on day 13, except when stated on the detailed itinerary. (Some evening meals are not included to give you a chance to experience some of New Zealand's local cuisine of your own choosing).
- Group size: minimum 4, maximum 10; plus Escape leaders.
- Bike hire is available, contact us for more information.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | AM: Scenic Tranz-Alpine train journey across the Southern Alps to Greymouth. PM: Coastal walk. |
| Day 2: | 50kms biking. Rugged West Coast. |
| Day 3: | Hike OR bike the Charming Creek walkway. |
| Day 4: | Mountain valley ride to Nelson Lakes National Park. |
| Day 5: | A free day to hike in Nelson Lakes National Park - hiking, single track biking options. |
| Day 6: | Big biking day - farmland, forest and river valleys to the coast. |
| Day 7: | An optional big climb and then a choice of road or single track options down to stunning Golden Bay. |
| Day 8: | We explore Golden Bay by bike and by vehicle and foot. |
| Day 9: | A day of sea kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park. |
| Day 10: | AM: Coastal ride around of Nelson’s vineyards. PM: transfer to Nelson City. |
| Day 11: | First of two day ride on the Queen Charlotte track. |
| Day 12: | Queen Charlotte Track continued and boat transfer to Picton. |
| Day 13: | Finish or take Tranz Coastal train back to Christchurch City. |
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. |








