Bring your own 4WD to join an escorted tour over some iconic Marlborough high-country stations as well as D’Urville Island on this fabulous adventure. Two nights in the back country with great farm hospitality, and two nights on the island to enjoy island life at a resort. Drive from the mountain tops to the outer Marlborough Sounds with a barge ride to the island. Hear about the rich history and life on the island from our guide as you drive over this remote island. Enjoy a fishing trip to catch your own dinner!
An unforgettable trip from the mountains to the sea, great food, comprehensive commentary and great company.
Blenheim Railway Station
8am
4WD with a high and low ratio gearbox are preferred.
Ground clearance recommended of 225mm ground clearance both front and rear of vehicle.
Tyres ‘all terrain’ tyres with a good amount of tread on them are required.
Some SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) are suitable for this tour as long as they are 4WD capability and you can select different road conditions eg. shingle/gravel.
Please contact us if you are unsure if your vehicle would be suitable.
Vehicle must have a current registration and WOF.
You need to have a good knowledge of your vehicle and have some previous 4X4 off road driving experience.
Meet at Blenheim Railway Station. Follow your guide as we drive to a high point to overlook a large part of Marlborough and its coastline. Enjoy lunch in the homestead of a local olive grower, before proceeding to our central Blenheim accommodation with dinner in town. We stay here for two nights in a motel unit.
Inclusions MT, L, D
Today we are driving round the edge of Cloudy Bay with loads of views and history with morning tea along the way. We will then visit a back country station in the Waihopai Valley to have lunch and a look at the woolshed before driving to a remote Musterers hut for a cuppa and tales and yarns of the land. Lots of amazing views today and farm hospitality, we return to Blenheim and dinner out tonight.
Inclusions B, MT, L, AT, D
After breakfast, we drive through ‘The Mussel Capital of the World’ before reaching French Pass in the outer Marlborough Sounds. Here we meet our barge to transport us to D’Urville Island. Catching the boat to the resort for lunch and our two-night stay. Free time to walk, swim or relax. The accommodation is modern styled cabins with ensuite bathrooms with views across the bay of the South Island. Enjoy the bar facilities and dinner the lodge overlooking the bay.
Inclusions B, L, D
After a boat transfer, we pick-up our vehicles and drive in convoy over D’Urville Island with our local guide, learn about the rich history and what it is like to live on this remote island. Enjoy morning tea with views of the coastline, and lunch at a scenic spot overlooking a lagoon with native flora and fauna. Enjoy a fishing trip to catch your own dinner, which will be cooked for you tonight back at the resort.
Inclusions B, MT, L, D
Boating back to the southern part of the island to meet the barge to transport our vehicles back to French Pass on the mainland. Enjoy the views of the outer Marlborough Sounds and across to the Abel Tasman and Golden Bay areas, we then drive back to Havelock for lunch, then on to Blenheim for our end of tour goodbyes.
Inclusions B, L
Thank you so much for an enjoyable trip.
We had a great group and guides.
It was really nice having the commentary.
D’Urville Island and the farm tour were most probably our highlights. We love seeing different scenery and parts of the country
The trip was super.
The driving was not quite as challenging as on Molesworth but definitely challenging enough! Each day was very interesting and enjoyable.
We loved the day on the two stations up the Waihopai Valley , the views on the drive to D’Urville were stunning and the stay on the Island was great fun. All in all another great trip.
Everything lined up to make our trip with South Island Tours a very memorable one. Geoff as our leader, was very knowledgeable and entertaining whilst also thoughtful re the history and day to day running of the areas we visited. Loved our time in the Waihopai Valley. Our hosts Alison & Aiden shared their day to day operations and time amazingly. Being from the Waikato where there is an abundance of grass and for the most part the hills are rolling. Steep was a new word for us and your eyes are forever up. D’Urville Island was well worth the visit from the fishing to the amazing visuals. Cathy & Craig at the resort we stayed at gave us an insight into their way of life. All in all a very relaxed way to travel and great to be able to go into a different area. Many thanks Lee & Geoff for your time and effort into making this trip possible and awesome too the weather played a huge part. We look forward to going again somewhere different with you folk.
We thoroughly enjoyed our five day D’Urville Island and Marlborough High country tour. Chris was a great guide, made it all come alive for us. He was helpful and good company. We found each day was different and interesting. The food and catering was great and was plentiful. The host and hostesses were very welcoming and helpful.
