14 Day Adventure Trip For One To NZ From Active Adventures/Easy/FB/No Flights

[Kelly1]

Win an All-inclusive, Fully Guided, 14-Day Active Adventure in New Zealand

https://www.facebook.com/ActiveNewZealand?sk=app_111851658954968

Please note: Prize is for ONE person only and does not include flights.

To celebrate the launch of our new Active Adventures Facebook page (we're merging our three Facebook pages into one), and introduce our new logo, we are giving away a trip in New Zealand, where it all began!


The Ultimate New Zealand Adventure "Rimu" is our signature trip and a great, outdoorsy way to see New Zealand, especially if you like a challenge. We've been fine-tuning this trip since 1996 and it's simply an awesome adventure. You'll hike, bike and kayak in the most beautiful, famous and little-known places in the South Island - up close and personal - including Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, Milford Sound, Franz Josef Glacier, Queenstown, the South Island's West Coast and much more. All this with legendary hospitality and our unsurpassed attention to detail. Sweet as!

Terms/Conditions:

The prize is for one person to join our 14-Day Ultimate New Zealand Adventure 'Rimu'  trip, valued at US$3999 + tax. Entrants must be 18 years of age or over. Entries close 31 January 2012. The prize winner will be drawn by Active Adventures from worldwide entries on 6 February 2013. Active Adventures' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. You must travel before 31 December 2013 and all Active Adventures' tours and services are subject to availability and minimum numbers. Contact us for our standard booking conditions. The voucher will be emailed to the winner. The voucher is not redeemable for cash, is non-refundable and non transferable.  The winner’s name and image may feature in our monthly newsletter, in press releases, or on our website and social media platforms. Active Adventures reserves the right to vary the voucher terms and conditions without notice. Please check our website (activenewzealand.com) for the most up-to-date version of the trip itinerary. The competition is not open to Active Adventures' employees, family, agents, suppliers or related companies. The Prize does not include international flights, visas, insurance, hire equipment, pre- or post-trip accommodation or optional excursions. All entries will be added to our newsletters from which you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Starts: Christchurch   Trip Type: Combo tours
 
Ends: Christchurch   Itinerary: Fixed
Trip Description


The Rimu is our signature New Zealand trip. It's our longest running trip, now entering its fourteenth year, with constant evolution to make it as good as we can possibly make it. We go to the most beautiful places in New Zealand – both famous and little-known – and if you only come here once in your life, you’ll have seen the best we have to offer and missed very little! We snorkel to a seal colony; do an incredible multi-day guided backpacking, biking, or sea kayaking trip; take some of New Zealand's most stunning day hikes; and go sea kayaking and cycling in various parts of the South Island. We maintain plenty of options so we can make sure the trip suits all tastes and abilities, and we have two guides per trip to take extra good care of you. The Rimu is a great way to see New Zealand if you enjoy the outdoors and like a challenge. The accommodations vary – for over half the trip we have chosen accommodations of very comfortable standards (B&Bs, lodges, etc... ) and for the rest of the trip we stay in more rustic lodgings in order to be in the most beautiful and off-the-beaten-track places in New Zealand. The Rimu is simply an awesome trip.

INCLUDED:
The trip fare is US$3999 + 15% NZ government taxes. We quote all prices in US dollars, so our guests from all over the world can more easily relate prices to their own currencies. You can also join for shorter periods of time, at a pro-rated fare. The trip fare includes just about everything, specifically:
• All guiding services. We have two guides per trip, a lead guide/driver and a co-guide who is responsible for meals and accommodations. This means we can really make sure you have a great time! We operate with small groups and we don’t hesitate to offer a second departure when our trips start getting full.
• Comfortable accommodation for the entire period you are with us. We can also organize accommodation for you if you want to arrive earlier or leave later.
• All your meals, except in Queenstown where we’ve found people prefer to check out the wide range of restaurants. Alcohol is not generally included, although we do spring for a few drinks here and there!
• All hiking, cycling, and kayaking described in the itinerary, except the optional extra activities. There are many optional activities available at extra cost, particularly in Franz Josef and Queenstown. None of these activities are compulsory, nor will your trip seem less awesome if you do the cheap or free options. Although some people enjoy sampling hang gliding, bungy jumping, jet boating, skydiving, and so on, others prefer to focus more on the hiking, paddling and cycling, which is of course the reason you’re coming to New Zealand in the first place!

NOT INCLUDED:
This is your holiday, and we are serious about not nickel-and-diming you! You’ll have a few meals and drinks to cover, extra activities if you choose them, and you’ll probably feel like tipping your guides at the end of a fabulous time, but you won’t be pulling out your wallet every few minutes on your ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND trip!
Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Monday - Arrive, snorkel with seals or hike seal colony in Kaikoura

Most people leave the Northern Hemisphere on a Saturday evening, arriving in Auckland early Monday morning. You’ll lose a day crossing the dateline – but you get it back on the way home! You’ll immediately take a short flight to Christchurch in the South Island arriving by around 10am. We’ll meet you there and travel up the coast to the seaside town of Kaikoura where you can snorkel with friendly New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri). You’ll be supplied with a wetsuit, mask and snorkel, and have the chance to swim to within a couple of feet of seals as they cavort in the water. If you prefer not to snorkel, you can hike out to the scenic Kaikoura Peninsula past weather-sculpted limestone cliffs to watch another local seal colony bask on the rocks and play in the eddies, all from the comfort of dry land. Today is a relaxed introduction to New Zealand giving you the chance to recover from your flight. Depending on where you’re coming from you’ll probably find jetlag is no big deal. For instance, it’s a 12-hour direct overnight flight from the West Coast of the USA to Auckland and there’s only a 3-hour time difference between New Zealand and US Pacific time. If you’re coming from further afield, you’ll appreciate the gentle start to your New Zealand adventure.

ACCOMMODATION: A cosy Bed & Breakfast, Kaikoura (Lunch, Dinner)

Day 2 Tuesday - Visit vineyard, start multi-day options

From Kaikoura we’ll travel north for a couple of hours to Blenheim, in the Marlborough wine region, and visit Forrest Estate Winery to sample some of their fantastic wines and enjoy a picnic on the vineyard lawn. When you book, you have the choice of one of three multi-day options – a backpacking trip in Nelson Lakes National Park, a sea-kayaking trip in the Marlborough Sounds, or a mountain biking trip on the Queen Charlotte Track. The backpacking trip stays in mountain huts while the cyclists and sea kayakers stay in more conventional lodgings, with private rooms, hot tubs – depending on where we stay! Add US$499 + tax for the sea kayaking or biking options. After lunch, we head off for our various activities:

Hiking Option in Nelson Lakes National Park

Sea Kayaking Option in the Marlborough Sounds [Add US$499 + tax]

Biking Option on the Queen Charlotte Track [Add US$499 + tax]

Day 4 Thursday (continued) - Finish multi-day backpacking, sea kayaking or biking

After regrouping in Saint Arnaud we’ll head to the West Coast – 400 miles of gorgeous coastline with a population of only 40,000 people along its entire length. For dinner this evening, we'll have the quintessential Kiwi dinner - fish and chips! After dinner you can soak up the sun set on the beach at the stunning coastal village of Punakaiki, where we'll be spending the night.

ACCOMMODATION: West Coast lodgings, Punakaiki – comfortable and quiet (All meals)

Day 5 Friday - Hike Punakaiki Rainforest

We’ll spend most of the day in Punakaiki hiking among the limestone canyons and lush rainforest of the Inland Pack Track. Gold miners established this trail over a century ago, so there is a lot of pioneering history in the area. While we’re in Punakaiki we’ll also head to the famous Pancake Rocks and blowholes – bizarre limestone formations that have been sculpted by the relentless pounding of the Tasman Sea to resemble giant stacks of pancakes. Then we’ll head down the scenic coastal road to Hokitika to check out local art galleries and pounamu carving workshops (‘pounamu’ is Maori for jade) before carrying on to Okarito Lagoon. Okarito is a hidden gem that is all but untouched due to it being 10 miles down a one-way road from an obscure highway turnoff. With a population of only 31 people, there are no shops, no restaurants and no traffic – and watching the sun set over the Tasman Sea is definitely not to be missed!

ACCOMMODATION: Okarito Beach House, Okarito – off-the-beaten-path, isolated and comfortable (All meals)

Day 6 Saturday - Kayak Okarito Lagoon, hike beach and forest

You have a lot of options today. You can spend a relaxing day in this sleepy but beautiful beach town to recharge your batteries, or get out for awesome hiking and kayaking. Okarito is home to the only native white heron colony in New Zealand, as well as a host of other interesting birds including the Okarito brown kiwi. You can sea kayak on the lagoon with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains for a few hours, then hike through lush coastal forest to Three Mile Lagoon, and walk back along deserted beach next to crashing waves. Okarito is also a great spot just to hang out and enjoy a good book, or talk philosophy with some of the locals!

ACCOMMODATION: Okarito Beach House, Okarito (All meals)

Day 7 Sunday - Hike near Franz Josef Glacier

Just south of Okarito there are two formidable glaciers descending from the mountains to the sea. In terms of scenery, this place is off the charts, and we’ll spend most of the day hiking at Franz Josef Glacier. We’ll hike up through the rainforest to either Alex Knob or Roberts Point, both of which give great views of the terminal face, lower reaches and lateral moraines of Franz Josef Glacier. We only do these hikes in good weather, as the rocks get very slippery in the rain. If it’s raining, we’ll do a shorter walk to a view of the terminal face of Fox Glacier, hike around Lake Matheson and visit the Blue Pools near the Haast Pass.

Heli-hike option (add US$350 + tax)

A less strenuous, but outrageously scenic option today is to heli-hike on Franz Josef Glacier itself. After being fitted with crampons, ice axes and so on, you’ll board a modern turbine helicopter and fly towards the highest peaks of the Southern Alps, landing on the glacier at 4,000 feet (1300m) above sea level. Led by specialist glacier guides, you’ll hike through the grand ice formations of the glacier, checking out its crevasses, seracs and tunnels – no previous experience required! The constant movement of the glacier means every day is different, so your guides will cut steps in the ice and make sure you make the most of the conditions. At the end of your hike on the ice, you’ll take another helicopter ride out of the mountains and back to civilisation.

The heli-hike is extremely popular, so we offer advance reservations with the helicopter operators and guiding company. At the time of booking, or up until one month before your trip, you can reserve a space on the heli-hike and we’ll make sure a spot is held for you. Or you can leave your decision until you’re actually on your trip, and we’ll get you a spot if it’s available.

Heli-hikers generally return a little earlier, so we’ll rendezvous at a local café before heading south. From Franz Josef it’s about three hours down the coast to Makarora (pop. 30), a small farming village bordering Mt. Aspiring National Park. We’ll stay at a beautifully landscaped, family-style homestead on the edge of the village with incredible views of the mountains right outside your window.

ACCOMMODATION: The Homestead, Makarora – very comfortable and spacious (All meals)

Day 8 Monday - Mt. Aspiring National Park to Queenstown, cycle Hawea trail

This morning we’ll exchange beech forests for open plains as we head inland to Lake Hawea. Here you’ll be fitted with a 21-speed front-suspension Specialized mountain bike for a scenic bike ride along the Te Araroa track to Wanaka. This gently undulating section of the track follows the crystal clear Hawea and Clutha Rivers through the rugged Central Otago landscape for 10 miles (17km) to the charming mountain town of Wanaka where we’ll stop for lunch. From there, it’s a short drive over Cardrona Saddle to Queenstown, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Active New Zealand is based in Queenstown for a good reason – it’s the adventure capital of New Zealand – and you’ll find all the comforts of civilisation: massage therapists, restaurants, sidewalk cafés and window-shopping. You’ll also find incredible optional activities here, including hang gliding, bungy jumping, jet boating, skydiving, horse trekking, fishing and winery tours. Many of our clients have noted how the Rimu caters very well to people with different interests and our time in Queenstown is a good example. For instance, keen mountain bikers can go single track riding in Skippers Canyon, famed through New Zealand for its mountain biking trails. There are also great hiking and kayaking opportunities here. Queenstown isn’t a big place – the population is about 8000 – but there’s plenty to do! Or you can do nothing and just soak up the atmosphere or lounge about reading a book.

ACCOMMODATION: Crowne Plaza, Queenstown (Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 9 Tuesday - Free day in Queenstown

It’s all up to you today – enjoy!

ACCOMMODATION: Crowne Plaza, Queenstown

Day 10 Wednesday - Hike Routeburn Track

This morning we head down to Te Anau for lunch, before continuing on to The Divide where we’ll hike part of the Routeburn Track. Located in the heart of Fiordland, our largest and arguably most spectacular national park, this hike gives us unsurpassed views of the Hollyford Valley, from mountains to sea, as well as Lake Marian and Mt. Christina. We’ll take a short drive through the Homer Tunnel, emerging at the top of a spectacular alpine road that winds its way down to Milford Sound. As we descend, the steep waterfall lined granite walls of the Darren Range give way to the rainforest carpeted lower slopes of the mountains and eventually the tannin-tinted waters of the sound itself. Milford Sound is truly breathtaking; sheer rock walls plunge thousands of feet to the Tasman Sea and waterfalls cascade into the deep blue water, it’s no wonder Rudyard Kipling rated it as the eighth Natural Wonder of the World. Tonight we’ll stay in some fairly basic accommodation, but it’s the only place to stay and the location alone makes up for it – take a walk outside and experience the true sound of silence.

ACCOMMODATION: Milford Lodge, Milford Sound (All meals)

Day 11 Thursday - Sea kayak Milford Sound, explore Fiordland National Park

It’s an early start today! Most people see Milford Sound from the deck of a big cruise ship but we’ve got a better way – gliding along in sea kayaks, getting up close and personal with the sound while causing very little disruption to the friendly seals and dolphins, which are often eager to visit if they’re in the area. This is an awesome trip, run by specialist kayak outfitters, and it’s equally suitable for beginners or experts. After your morning’s paddle, we’ll have a well earned lunch before continuing on to Lake Manapouri. Along the way we’ll spend more time exploring the Fiordland wilderness, checking out some of its more interesting residents like the kea (nestor notabilis) New Zealand’s notoriously cheeky alpine parrot, the Kotukutuku (fuchsia excorticate) the world’s largest fuchsia and evidence of the landslides and avalanches that are a frequent occurrence in this dynamic landscape.

ACCOMMODATION: Lake Manapouri Inn, Manapouri (All meals)

Day 12 Friday - Explore a high-country sheep farm

Today we have a relaxed start and head back up the road to Queenstown, where you’ll have a couple of hours to get some lunch, do any last minute shopping, send postcards home, or whatever you might need to do before heading back into the wilderness for the remainder of your trip. Then we’ll drive up to Lake Pukaki, near Mt. Cook, where we stay on Hamish & Julia McKenzie's 60,000 acre high-country sheep farm, called Braemar Station. (‘Station’ is the New Zealand word for a big ranch.) While we’re here, we stay in the shearers’ quarters. It’s not a 5-star hotel but many of our clients have told us this was one of their favourite places on the whole trip! The view out of the kitchen window in the morning will knock your socks off – the biggest mountains in New Zealand piercing the sky on the far side of a gorgeous cobalt-blue lake. With no lights for miles around, the stars on a clear night are like nothing you’ve ever seen – just the place for your last couple of nights in New Zealand!

ACCOMMODATION: Shearers’ quarters, Braemar Station – the views are breathtaking! (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 13 Saturday - Hike Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park

This morning it’s an hour or so to Mt. Cook village, at the head of Lake Pukaki. Mt. Cook, known as Aoraki or ‘cloud piercer’ by the local Maori, is the highest mountain in New Zealand and we have a stunning and little-known day hike (weather permitting) to the main ridge above Mueller Glacier – directly opposite Mt. Cook. It’s a tough slog up, but you’ll remember the view of the Mueller Glacier and the surrounding peaks of the Main Divide forever! There are also other hiking options if you’d like to take it a little easier. The weather conditions are very important in this area, as it’s a true alpine climate notorious for sudden weather shifts. If we aren’t able to do the Mueller hike, we’ll take an impressive hike up the Hooker Valley to a glacial lake at the base of Hooker Glacier, complete with icebergs! Then we head back to the shearers’ quarters for the last night of the Rimu. We’ll enjoy a traditional Kiwi BBQ and a cold drink as we sit outside and watch the sun set over Mt. Cook.

ACCOMMODATION: Shearers’ quarters, Braemar Station (All meals)

Day 14 Sunday - Depart for home

This is the last day of your two-week trip around the South Island. See the itinerary for the Kauri trip if you want to take a few more days to see the North Island as well. We’ll leave after breakfast for the three-hour drive to Christchurch, and arrive in the afternoon in time for the flights back to Auckland. International flights after 4pm are ideal, and we can make domestic flights as early as 2.30pm if we have a little notice. International flights from Auckland usually leave early evening, so if you’re heading back to North America, you’ll get home some time on Sunday, even though you left on Sunday evening! Flights back to Europe, of course, take a little longer. You’ll be refreshed and invigorated from the good food, exercise, rest, and great times you’ll have had with us in New Zealand! (Breakfast, Lunch)

    
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14 days
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